Hex Conquest

Hex Conquest is a turn-based strategy game played on a little wooden tabletop of hex tiles. Each tile shows its owner with a coloured rim, a few painted clay figures and a troop number. Every side starts from a capital, and on most maps your aim is to take every rival capital.

Each turn begins with fresh troops: one for every three hexes you hold, at least three, plus one for each town and two for your capital. Place them, then pick one of your hexes with two or more troops and a neighbour. Against an enemy or neutral hex, the attacker rolls one die per troop except the one that stays home, the defender rolls one per troop, and the attacker needs a higher total, so ties go to the defender. The odds show on every target before you commit. Picking one of your own neighbours marches troops toward the front instead, once per hex per turn. Take a rival's capital and their whole kingdom joins yours; lose your own and the battle is over.

The campaign crosses eight lands in 120 levels, and each land adds something. Forests and hills give defenders an extra die, mountains and water cannot be crossed, marshes cost an attacker a die and bridges link islands. Gold from towns, mines and your capital buys knights that add an attack die and ride on after a win, archers that remove a defender before each attack, catapults that ignore terrain, fort and capital bonuses, and forts that add a defence die. Barbarian camps grow every round until cleared. Goals change too: take every capital, hold all the shrines at the end of your turn, keep your capital until the last round, or grow your realm to a target size. Every fifteenth level is a warlord boss with extra reinforcements.

A few strategies help. Attack from large stacks, since even odds favour the defender. Save catapults for capitals and forts. Keep troops on your capital whenever a rival stack is next to it. Towns pay both troops and gold, so they are worth taking early. If a level keeps beating you, the rivals there ease off a little after each defeat.

Rivals have their own temperaments, from cautious builders to bold raiders, and play smarter as you go. Stars reward winning in fewer rounds, a daily skirmish brings a fresh map each day, and coins unlock banner colours and tabletops. It plays with mouse, keyboard or touch, including phones.

Place your new troops at the start of the turn, then attack or march into neighbouring hexes. Take a rival's capital and their whole kingdom joins yours; lose your own and the battle is over. When you are done, end the turn and let the rivals move.

Stars from each level open the next lands. A daily skirmish and a collection of banner colours and tabletops give you reasons to come back.