Generations Tutorial

Reduce the enemy HQ to 0 Health. You build a 30-card deck from one nation in one generation, led by a historical commander. Each deck can hold at most 3 Elites, 2 Special cards, 8 copies of a standard card and 6 copies of a Limited card.

Power is your resource. It grows each turn and pays for units, orders, moving and commander reinforcements.

• Support — up to 6 cards per side. Units deploy here; artillery and snipers fire from here safely.
• Frontline — up to 6 cards in the contested ground. Only one side can hold it; units here can strike enemy Support and the HQ.
• Surveillance (Gen 4–5) — up to 3 cards per side. Drones and recon draw cards, generate Power or strike each turn, and let air units reach deeper.

1. Gain Power and draw a card.
2. Deploy units to Support. New units show a Deployed tag and can't act until next turn — unless they have Blitz.
3. Move a unit to the Frontline (tanks may move and attack in the same turn).
4. Attack. Each unit that acted shows an Operated tag.
5. Play orders at any point — they hit instantly and are revealed to both players.

Real card match-ups: attack, return fire and final health, including national traits and armor.

Infantry exchange

When infantry attacks, both units deal damage: the defender fires back.

1 · Attack

3 damage

Infanterie de Ligne attacks for 3 damage.

2 · Return fire

2 damage

Redcoat Line Battalion returns fire for 2 damage.

3 · Outcome

Final health

Result: Redcoat Line Battalion survives with 1 Health; Infanterie de Ligne is destroyed.

Tip: Trade cheap units for expensive ones, not the other way around.

Artillery bombardment

Artillery fires from Support and never takes return fire.

1 · Attack

4 damage

155mm Schneider Howitzer attacks for 4 damage.

2 · Return fire

No return fire

No return fire — the attacker is untouched.

3 · Outcome

Final health

Result: Doughboys is destroyed; 155mm Schneider Howitzer has 3 Health left.

Tip: Keep artillery behind a Guard to whittle enemies down safely.

Armor duel

Armor reduces every hit by its value, down to zero. Both tanks fire, but plating absorbs part of each shot.

1 · Attack

2 damage

Panzer IV attacks for 4, minus Armor 2 = 2 damage.

2 · Return fire

1 damage

T-34/76 returns fire for 3, minus Armor 2 = 1 damage.

3 · Outcome

Final health

Result: T-34/76 survives with 4 Health; Panzer IV has 5 Health left.

Tip: Answer heavy armor with orders or destroy effects — they bypass or overwhelm plating.

Bomber sortie

Bombers strike any layer and take no return fire, but never defend.

1 · Attack

4 damage

P-47 Thunderbolt attacks for 4 damage.

2 · Return fire

No return fire

No return fire — the attacker is untouched.

3 · Outcome

Final health

Result: Type 88 AA Gun is destroyed; P-47 Thunderbolt has 2 Health left.

Tip: In Gen 4–5 keep a Surveillance unit in play or each sortie costs the bomber 1 health.

Hunting the evasive

Only Special Forces, Snipers or Helicopters can attack Evasive units.

1 · Attack

4 damage

UH-60 Black Hawk attacks for 4 damage.

2 · Return fire

3 damage

Donkey Forces returns fire for 3 damage.

3 · Outcome

Final health

Result: Donkey Forces is destroyed; UH-60 Black Hawk is destroyed.

Tip: Bring at least one evasive-hunter if you expect to face Afghanistan.

1st Generation — Line & Column · 1648–1860. Massed manpower in ordered ranks. Muskets, cannon, cavalry charges.

France

Grande Armée: infantry gain +1 Attack but have 1 less Health.

Commanders: Napoleon Bonaparte

United Kingdom

Thin red line: Guard units gain +1 Health.

Commanders: Arthur Wellesley

United States

Frontier resilience: units costing 2 Power or less gain +1 Health.

Commanders: George Washington

• Armor — every hit is reduced by the armor value.
• Blitz — acts the turn it deploys. Great for finishing a weakened HQ.
• Cloaked — hidden from enemy ground troops, snipers and helicopters until it attacks, which reveals it. Orders and artillery can still strike a cloaked unit.
• Deception — the next unit attack against this unit hits a decoy and misses entirely. Granted by Commander Rommel's tanks and orders like Operation Bertram.
• Evasive — only Special Forces, Snipers and Helicopters can attack it; orders still hit.
• Guard — enemy ground troops must attack it first. Use it to shield artillery.
• Precision orders — you pick the target; only explicit order immunity protects it.
• Snipers — fire from Support with no return damage, but cannot hold the Frontline alone.
• Special Forces — can attack Evasive units; normal line, Guard and cloak restrictions still apply.
• Specials — game-altering orders, max 2 per deck. Time them for a decisive swing.
• Surveillance (Gen 3–5) — a unit with Surveillance in your Support line lets your artillery and aircraft strike enemy Support and the HQ, and spares your bombers the 1 damage they take attacking without Surveillance. It only works while the unit stays in Support.

• Curve your Power. Mix cheap, mid and expensive cards so you deploy every turn.
• Win the Frontline. Holding it lets your units hit the HQ while denying the enemy.
• Trade efficiently. Use the simulator above: attack where return fire won't kill you.
• Play to your doctrine. Cheap mass nations should swarm; expensive overmatch nations should protect their big units.
• Save answers. Keep an order for the enemy elite instead of spending it on a cheap unit.