Dogs of War

A Game of Shifting Allegiances for 3 to 5 Players

This is a fractured and wretched realm. Six once-great Houses can hardly stand, yet are at each other’s throats. Their armies decimated, they turn to you - the Dogs of War - to break their stalemate in exchange for fame and fortune.
You and your most treacherous friends will compete, each wielding a unique and powerful advantage over the others. You will raise armies to do these rulers’ dirty works, fight their endless wars, and win at any cost. Allegiances - only as deep as your pockets are lined.
Every turn a single play might sway an entire battlefield to victory, acquire new armies, tactics, and gold, turn a hard-won skirmish into a crushing defeat, or hollowly divert attention from your true motives.
At the end of three long years of bloodshed, only the Dog of War most steeped in battlefield trophies and influence with the prevailing Houses will stand victorious.

A curse shall light upon the limbs of men.
Domestic fury and fierce civil strife
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy.
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,
And dreadful objects so familiar,
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war,
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds,
And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
-Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

During three rounds, battles between six “noble” Houses take place. Each player controls a Dog of War, choosing which House to support at each moment by sending their Captains leading Soldier Companies into battle.
As a House emerges victorious from battle, it becomes more valuable for the players who have influence with it.
There are many paths to victory for the Dogs of War. While earning influence with the prominent Houses is key, victory may also be achieved by defeating your opponents in battle and earning bountiful rewards and riches.

Now, Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the Dogs of War.