Conquest

Conquest in Wanderfolk is the inter-village warfare system where villages compete for chunk-based territory, wage wars triggered by resource pressure, border tension, or cultural hostility, and assimilate conquered land over 28 in-game days. War outcomes are determined by military power, and losses can cascade into population decline.

Territory

Every village controls the territory around it, measured in chunks. Territory radius scales with village size:

Territory is displayed on the world map with color-coded overlays matching each village’s culture. Overlapping territory claims create border tension — one of the triggers for war.

Cultural Assimilation

When a village conquers territory belonging to another culture, the conquered chunks undergo cultural assimilation over 28 in-game days. During this period:

• The chunk gradually shifts from the old culture’s color to the new one on the world map
• NPCs in the area may resist or adapt depending on cultural compatibility
• Trade routes through the area may be disrupted
• The conquering village gains resource access to the new territory

After 28 days, assimilation is complete and the territory fully belongs to the conquering village.

War Causes

Wars don’t happen randomly. There are four causes that can trigger conflict between villages:

Resource Pressure

When a village’s economy is struggling (declining prosperity, empty stockpiles), it may look at neighboring villages’ rich territory and decide to take it by force. Villages in crisis-level labor directives are most likely to initiate resource wars.

Border Tension

Overlapping territory claims between growing villages create friction. The more chunks two villages both claim, the higher the tension. Eventually, one side may declare war to resolve the dispute.

Cultural Hostility

Some cultures are naturally antagonistic. Cragborn (aggression 7) are far more likely to declare war than Meadowfolk (aggression 1). Cultural hostility is calculated from the aggression ratings of both villages — a high-aggression village next to a low-aggression one creates a volatile situation.

Player-Instigated

You can deliberately start wars between villages. See War Instigation for the full mechanics.

War Phases

Once war is declared, it progresses through phases:

Each phase has a duration based on the military strength of both sides. Evenly matched villages produce longer wars with more back-and-forth. A dominant village may crush resistance in a single assault.

War Resolution

Wars end when one side achieves military dominance or both sides exhaust their forces:

• Decisive victory — the winner takes a portion of the loser’s territory
• Stalemate — both sides retreat with minor border adjustments
• Surrender — a heavily outmatched village surrenders to avoid destruction

Territory changes from war are permanent. A village that loses too much territory may shrink in tier (large → medium, medium → small), losing access to advanced buildings and reducing its population capacity.

War casualties directly reduce village garrison size, which in turn lowers military power and prosperity. Prolonged wars can push villages into population decline — and once a death spiral starts, recovery without outside intervention is rare.

War Parties

Villages organize war parties for offensive operations:

War parties include garrison NPCs, drafted civilians, and mercenaries. The composition depends on what the village has available — a village with a warchief, three warriors, and two drafted blacksmiths fields a very different party than one relying entirely on farmers and guards.

Impact on the Player

Wars affect your gameplay directly:

• Trade disruption — merchants may refuse to trade during active conflicts
• Travel danger — war parties from hostile villages will attack you in contested territory
• Companion risk — companions from a village at war may be recalled to fight
• Opportunity — wars create power vacuums. A destroyed village leaves territory unclaimed, resources unguarded, and NPCs displaced
• Reputation — taking sides in a war (defending one village, attacking another) has major reputation consequences with both sides

Related Articles

• Military System — how military power determines war outcomes
• Village Defense — defensive formations and traps during enemy assaults
• War Instigation — how to deliberately push villages toward conflict
• Population & Growth — war casualties and post-war decline spirals
• Village Economy — resource pressure as a trigger for conquest wars