The factions

Four armies on one shared rulebook: the same economy, armor table and visibility rules. What differs is how each one wins, and what it pays for that.

United States

Air superiority

Command a smaller, valuable air wing that changes where the next fight happens. Ground troops claim territory and protect the airfields. Aircraft enable that army; they don't replace it.

Campaign: Operation Clear Horizon

In-game render of the US airfield: a hangar, control post and runway apron. — Airfield. Six service slots, one production queue.

Main advantage: Air superiority and flexible sorties
How you express it: Scout, escort, strike, recall, rearm, airlift
What you pay: Expensive aircraft and airfields; service and endurance limits
What they exploit: Ground AA, airfield pressure, several fronts at once

Distinct mechanics

Air operations

Six service slots per airfield and 20% faster rearming. Still one production queue per airfield.

Fighter escort

Falcon interceptors follow a friendly air group and engage threats within six tiles of it. They never chase across the map on their own.

Target designation

A Pathfinder marks a visible vehicle or structure. For eight seconds, US aircraft finish their attack windup twice as fast against it. No bonus damage, no fog tracking.

Airlift

Transport helicopters carry two infantry squads. Shoot one down in flight and its passengers are lost, so it is never a safe teleport.

Command

Recon Sweep

35 energy · 100 s

Reveals a radius-nine area of explored ground for eight seconds. Opponents in the circle see it coming.

Rapid Sortie

50 energy · 120 s

One airfield rearms 1.5 times as fast for 15 seconds. No free ammunition, repair or endurance.

Skybreaker Wing

180 s charge · 1,200 cr

Three temporary strike aircraft bomb three visible points after a 12-second public warning. Ordinary AA can shoot them down.

Research

T2 · T3

Defensive countermeasures add a Decoy against the next AA missile. Airfield service crews raise paid repair from 40 to 55 HP per second.

Roster

Iran

Drones and missiles

Build a visible intelligence and fire-support network. Pressure several areas with cheap drones, then make the opponent manage finite interception against a banked volley.

Campaign: Operation Iron Signal

In-game render of the Iranian drone hub with a satellite dish and launch pads. — Drone hub. Six drone service slots.

Main advantage: Drone information and missile saturation
How you express it: Maintain drone sight, bank missile charges, time volleys
What you pay: Fragile drones, launch costs, exposed setup, weaker direct armor
What they exploit: Interceptors, gaps in sight coverage, mobile ground pressure

Distinct mechanics

Drone wing

Every Iranian aircraft is unmanned, with its own HP, Supply, endurance and service slot. Cheap to buy, quick to lose.

Survey

A survey drone orbits a point for twelve tiles of sight and six of detection. Unarmed, and a priority target for enemy AA.

Banked volleys

Launchers store two charges. Volley Order fires both 1.5 seconds apart, each with its own warning, for 600 credits.

Forward beacon

Observers place a 200-credit sensor with five tiles of sight for 45 seconds. Three per player at most.

Shahed attack drone

A one-way drone that commits to a visible ground point and is consumed on impact. Vulnerable to AA the whole way in. A recent addition awaiting balance review.

Command

Relay Boost

35 energy · 100 s

One survey drone gains three extra tiles of sight for ten seconds. It still shows an obvious relay effect.

Drone Recall

45 energy · 120 s

Up to four drones gain 20% speed and head home. They can't fire while recalling.

Saturation Salvo

210 s charge · 1,500 cr

Six interceptable missiles across three marked points in two waves, with a 14-second warning. A test of the defender's ready charges.

Research

T2 · T3

Distributed drone servicing cuts service times by 15%. Mobile launcher crews shorten setup to three seconds and pack-up to two.

Roster

Syrian Rebels

Guerrilla warfare

Fight through information, cover, local surprise and fast repositioning. This invented coalition wins by making the opponent guard too many places, not through invisible damage or a borrowed air force.

Campaign: Operation Open Road

In-game render of a Syrian Rebels safehouse: a fortified low building with a rooftop water tank. — Safehouse. Holds two squads; up to three per player.

Main advantage: Guerrilla mobility and information denial
How you express it: Conceal in cover, stage ambushes, transfer squads, sabotage
What you pay: Fragile units, restricted aviation, vulnerable safehouse exits
What they exploit: Recon, splash damage, guarded production, denied safehouses

Distinct mechanics

Concealment

Rifles, scouts and raiders vanish after four still seconds in marked cover. Any enemy within three tiles, or recon within seven, reveals them.

Ambush

The first rifle shot after six concealed seconds deals 20% more damage. One shot, then a 30-second cooldown, and a visible ready marker.

Safehouse network

Move up to two squads between safehouses in six seconds. The exit is marked for the last three, and any damage cancels the transfer.

Salvage

Destroyed enemy vehicles drop a crate worth 8% of their price, capped at 120 credits. Mechanics collect it, within strict per-minute and per-match limits.

Portable AA from the start

No fighters or gunships, but shoulder-fired AA at Tier 1. Restricted aviation never means helpless against air.

Command

Rapid Transfer

40 energy · 120 s

The next safehouse transfer prepares in three seconds. The exit is still marked for all three.

Disperse

45 energy · 120 s

Nearby infantry move 20% faster for eight seconds. Firing, capturing or boarding ends it.

Coordinated Raid

210 s charge · 1,200 cr

Up to three safehouses each deploy a temporary rifle squad and anti-armor crew for 45 seconds, after a 12-second warning at the exits.

Research

T2 · T3

Prepared exits cut transfer preparation to five seconds. Field restoration raises salvage-truck repair from 30 to 40 HP per second.

Roster

Saudi Arabia

Armor and interception

Move a protected formation, set up temporary defensive coverage, absorb a manageable attack, and keep expensive vehicles alive through paid servicing.

Campaign: Operation Shieldline

In-game render of the Saudi interceptor battery with angled launch canisters. — Interceptor battery. Two charges, 14-tile coverage.

Main advantage: Armored staying power and mobile defense
How you express it: Advance in formation, deploy interceptors, retreat to repair
What you pay: Higher vehicle prices, paid repairs, setup and formation commitments
What they exploit: Artillery, flanks, repair-vehicle focus, forced redeployment

Distinct mechanics

Guardian hull-down

After three still seconds, Guardian tanks dig in and take 15% less direct-fire damage. Artillery, aircraft and blasts ignore it.

Aegis carrier

Deploys in three seconds to protect a ten-tile radius from missiles. One charge, rebuilt every 30 deployed seconds, and no weapon of its own.

Service deployment

A deployed Service vehicle repairs two nearby vehicles at once, out of combat, and every point of HP is paid for.

Armored transport

The toughest APC in the game at 850 HP. It costs more, and its passengers are not invulnerable.

Command

Emergency Power

45 energy · 120 s

One HQ supplies 80 extra power for 20 seconds. It ends if that HQ is disabled.

Recovery Order

50 energy · 120 s

Repair sources within eight tiles work 1.5 times as fast for twelve seconds. Still paid, still out of combat only.

Shieldline Protocol

180 s charge · 1,000 cr

A ten-tile zone for 25 seconds: vehicles take 20% less air-to-ground damage and missile defenses recharge twice as fast.

Research

T2 · T3

Mobile service crews speed up deploy and pack-up. Integrated interception cuts Aegis recharge from 30 to 25 seconds.

Roster

Six matchups to get right

Every faction has early scouting, infantry and anti-vehicle answers, air defense, repair, transport, capture, siege and a late-game closer. These are the contests the design is aiming for, and the warning signs playtests should catch.

US vs Iran

Aircraft efficiency and fighter escort against drone cost, vision and missile timing.

Warning sign: fighters erase every drone strategy, or cheap drones overwhelm any equal-budget defense.

US vs Rebels

Air mobility and recon against covered infantry and attacks on several ground positions.

Warning sign: Rebels can't defend before the first aircraft, or concealment has no affordable answer.

US vs Saudi

Flexible sorties against durable mobile coverage.

Warning sign: Saudi defense creates a no-fly map, or US always bypasses the deployment commitment.

Iran vs Rebels

Vision-supported siege against mobile infantry and safehouse routes.

Warning sign: long-range pressure ignores spotting, or safehouse transit can't be interrupted.

Iran vs Saudi

Banked volleys against finite mobile and fixed interception.

Warning sign: interception becomes permanent immunity, or saturation makes defense pointless.

Rebels vs Saudi

Flanks, sabotage and map breadth against a stronger direct formation.

Warning sign: Rebels also win frontal armor fights, or Saudi can never be displaced.

Balance is unproven. The numbers are an internally checked starting point, not measured win rates. Human playtests across these six pairings are one of the most valuable things you can contribute. How to help playtest