Players are free to fight each other as they wish, representing encounters along their common borders, intrusions into their rival's territory, chance encounters in the wilderness and other minor conflicts. These clashes don't result in the loss of territory but can have other consequences, and can lead to an outright war of conquest.

Before the battle, roll on the Scenario table on page 197 to determine the scenario that will be used for the battle. Note that this stage is not optional; in a campaign not all battles are even head-to-head fights and the Scenario table represents this fact. You are now ready to begin fighting the battle.

Each player uses his entire army for the battle, even though their points value may be different because the players hold different territories. Terrain can be set up for the game in any mutually agreed manner.

Fight the battle using the rules for the scenario being played. The winner of the battle may choose to 'steal' the benefits of one of his opponent's territories and use them in his next battle. The loser must forgo all benefits of that territory in his next battle. The winner may not choose to steal the benefits of the loser's capital unless this is the only territory left.

For example, Rick wins a battle against Tuomas and chooses to steal the benefits from Tomas's mine territory. This means that Rick counts as having a mine in his next battle, while Tuomas does not. The effect of stealing the benefits of a territory in this way only counts for the next battle. The territory does not permanently change hands.