Stars & goals

Every solo game – the map of the day, custom games and shared map codes, every campaign station – has three stars (free play is the exception: no goals, no scoring, just building):

Gold: at least the gold goal at the end of the game.
Lands: rule at least the land goal at the end.
Both in the same game.

The goals are shown above the board while you play, e.g. 0/90 gold at the end · 0/9 lands. They count at the end: spending gold late in the game can cost the gold star again, and the game warns you when a move would end it.

Where the goals come from

Nobody sets the goals by hand. When you open a map, your browser lets computer players play the very same map several times:

Gold goal: the best of several computer games on that map – three "smart" and two "greedy" games (on big maps one smart and two greedy) – rounded down to 5. Campaign stations count only the smart games.
Land goal: the most lands any of those games ruled, or a computer player that only plays for lands – whichever is higher.

So every goal has been reached by a computer on exactly your map. A human who plans ahead usually beats them; all three stars need a good game, not a perfect one.

Renown and rank

Stars add up. Every star earns 10 renown – on free maps, the map of the day, campaign stations and puzzles your best result per map counts, so replaying a map you already finished with three stars earns nothing new. Every rated online duel you win adds 20.

Renown raises your level: the first level costs 75 renown, every further level a little more. Every 5 levels you rise in rank – Squire, Knight, Baron, Count, Duke, Prince, King and finally High King at level 40, roughly 1775 stars away. After that the levels keep counting. Rank and level stand under your name in the game selection; the profile shows how far it is to the next level.

Levels unlock looks: banners for the flags on the lands you rule (pennant, swallowtail, cross, crown …) and board themes (winter, autumn, desert, night). Pick them in your profile; your opponent in a duel sees your banner, the theme is only on your own screen.

Achievements add renown on top: collect stars, earn three stars under every law, finish a campaign, solve puzzles – or pull off a feat in a single game on a free map, like raiding every bandit camp, ruling every land, or three stars without placing a single bishop (the computer never manages that one). With an account the server checks these feats by replaying your game.

Your profile also keeps your personal records – best gold per law and per map size, most lands in one game, stars per mode, your longest map-of-the-day streak and your duel record. Only your own results; click a map to play it again.

Undo and casual play

You may undo your last move. In the settings you can switch to casual mode with unlimited undo – those games are not scored and enter no leaderboard.