Dogs of War

At the beginning of each of the four years, six faction cards are randomly distributed to three battle zones, with two factions per battle. Order of battle cards are also randomly placed on spaces within each battle zone, offering various immediate rewards. Each player receives starting income (coins) and one secret house card, which grants two shields for a specific faction, influencing initial allegiances.

The objective of Dogs of War is to accumulate the most victory points by influencing the outcomes of battles between six warring factions over four years. Players act as mercenaries, strategically deploying their captains and soldiers to support factions they believe will win, earning rewards and multipliers for their efforts.

Each year consists of a mustering phase and an action phase. In the mustering phase, players earn income and use coins to recruit footmen, arquebusiers, knights, and war machines, each with different costs and strengths. In the action phase, players take turns placing their captains (each with unique abilities) and recruited soldiers onto spaces within the battle zones. These spaces offer immediate rewards like coins, shields, or tactics cards, and the placed soldiers add strength to the chosen faction in that battle.

Victory points are scored at the end of each year. The player with the most captains on the winning side of each battle earns a battle reward. Additionally, factions that win battles advance on a separate track. At the end of the game, players multiply the number of shields they collected for each faction by that faction's position on the track, adding these to their total victory points. The player with the highest total wins.

The game concludes after four years, which means 12 battles have been fought (three battles per year). After the final battle, all victory points are tallied, including battle rewards, defeated enemy captains, and shield multipliers. The player who has amassed the most victory points is declared the winner of Dogs of War.