Every battlefield changes how a match plays out. Open boards reward expansion, split boards reward patience, and chokepoint boards reward the player who holds one narrow door. Each difficulty level in Setup offers its own six maps - see the Guide for what changes.
Open boards with simple economy and clear expansion paths.
Classic
An open board where value rises toward the middle.
8×8
Win: Hold the highest-value centre tiles in the final turns while keeping your territory connected; score is counted from tiles you own when the match ends.
Playability: The friendliest map for a first match: no walls, every tile reachable, and a value gradient that makes the goal obvious. Matches stay fast because nobody can hide behind terrain, so fights are decided by stack size and morale rather than geography. Best with two or three opponents on a medium board.
Basin
The edges are rich and the centre is a hollow prize.
8×8
Win: Build a long, connected arc along the rich outer rim; the player who controls the rim at the end out-produces everyone else.
Playability: An inverted economy that punishes the instinct to rush the middle. Fronts are long and thin, so expect constant small skirmishes along the rim rather than one decisive battle. Rewards players who like steady expansion and reading where an opponent's line is weakest.
Meadow
Open grassland crossed by four rich pasture ribbons.
8×8
Win: Roll along the pasture ribbon in front of you, then cut a rival's ribbon before the clock stops.
Playability: No walls and no central prize: the value lives in four thin lanes, so matches are races along ribbons instead of a siege of the middle. A ribbon is one tile wide - easy to take and just as easy to lose.
Oasis
Four lush oasis tiles sit at the middle of each edge.
8×8
Win: Secure the nearest oasis with your opening stack, then link the two closest oases to form a connected bridge across the board.
Playability: Value sits away from the centre, so the map spreads players out and creates several small wars at once. Holding two oases usually decides the match, which makes the mid-game the critical phase. Comfortable pacing with plenty of room to recover from a mistake.
Orchard
An open field dotted with eight small rich groves.
8×8
Win: Claim the groves nearest your start, then link them into one connected block before the clock ends.
Playability: Many small prizes instead of one big one, so the map spreads fights out and rewards fast, wide expansion. Nothing blocks movement, which keeps matches short and punishes thin fronts.
Delta
Four rivers forking to the rim, rich silt on every bank.
8×8
Win: Expand along one bank with water covering your flank, then take the central confluence late.
Playability: Impassable channels shape the fight without closing the board. Banks are rich corridors and the only way into the middle is around the head of a channel, so it reads open but plays tactical.
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