Warring States

Warring States is a head-to-head, turn-based game of war, strategy and deception based on the classic Chinese board game “Lu Zhan Qi.” You command an army against your opponents, whose unit types are hidden. Test their strength, interpret their movements and exchange hints with your teammates to work out their formations, while keeping your own plans secret.

The objective

Defend your base: if it falls, your army is destroyed and the game is over. You win by destroying all your opponents. The strength of your teammate’s units is hidden from you too, so coordinate troop movements and share information without revealing too much to your opponents.

The map

Units move across a graph of connected nodes. Roads let units travel across multiple nodes in one turn and can link them into support networks. Towers cannot be attacked while occupied, making them a place to protect valuable units.

The army

• Pagoda: defend it from enemy units; losing it destroys your army.
• Infantry: each unit contains 1–9 soldiers. When two armies fight, the one with more soldiers wins, but enemy units remain hidden after battle.
• Kamikaze: destroy any enemy by sacrificing the unit. Each player has only a few.
• Landmine: cannot move and destroys any infantry unit that attacks it. Landmines are not destroyed in battle.
• Ninja: defuse landmines and travel along roads without stopping. Ninjas are very weak, so they are vulnerable to infantry.

Ways to play

The Guest Edition lets you join games hosted by other players for free; the Host Edition lets you host games for others to join. Playing through voice chat is highly recommended.