A complete guide to settling, expanding, and surviving the hexagonal world of HexForge.
Open the app and either Register (new player) or Log In with existing credentials. You are taken to the Mode Select screen after authentication.
From Mode Select, tap ⬡ Classic to reach the Lobby. Type a settlement name and tap ⬡ New Game. You are taken straight into the map — no town has been placed yet.
Tap any hex tile on the board to select it. A panel slides up from the bottom showing the tile's terrain and stats. Tap ⚑ Found Here to place your town on that tile.
Each turn your surrounding tiles passively generate (or drain) resources based on their terrain type. The resource bar at the top shows your current stockpiles.
| Icon | Resource | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 👥 | Population | Grows when food & housing allow; dies if food hits 0 |
| 😊 | Happiness | Affects population growth rate |
| 🍞 | Food | Consumed each turn by population |
| 💧 | Water | Consumed by population; some tiles drain it |
| 🪵 | Wood | Required for many tools & actions |
| 🪨 | Stone | Required for construction tools |
| 💊 | Medicine | Reduces disease events; helps with happiness |
| 🏠 | Housing | Caps maximum population growth |
The counter in the top bar shows Turn X / 10 — you have 10 turns to maximise your score.
Tiles closer to your town produce more resources. The influence multiplier drops with distance:
| Distance from Town | Resource Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 0 (town tile) | 1.0× |
| 1 hex | 0.8× |
| 2 hexes | 0.5× |
| 3+ hexes | 0.3× |
Tap a tile to open the Tile Info Panel. If a compatible tool is available, you will see action buttons (e.g. 🪓 Chop Wood). Tap an action to queue it — the tile shows a countdown badge.
When the countdown reaches 0 the tile transforms (e.g. Forest → Plains). Queued actions can be cancelled from the same panel — no resource refund is given on cancel.
The dark grey panel on the right edge shows your tool inventory. Numbers indicate how many of each tool you have in stock. Tap the 🛒 button to open the Shop.
The Shop lists all tools with their resource buy cost. Tap Buy to purchase; a green ✓ Bought toast confirms the transaction. Tools are consumed when you queue an action.
Every game begins with a god selection. Your patron god applies permanent cost multipliers to tool purchases — favoured tools are discounted, others cost more.
| God | Style | Favours | Penalises |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔱 Poseidon | Water & medicine | Water tools, herbalism | Farming, stone, forest |
| 🌾 Demeter | Farming & growth | Hoe, seed bag, scythe, axe | Water engineering, swamp |
| ⚡ Zeus | Balanced | All tools at base cost | None |
| 🔥 Hephaestus | Fire & sabotage | Volcanic/ruins tools, sabotage | Water tools, farming, forest |
Each god may use their superpower once per game by tapping the god button in the bottom bar, then selecting a target tile.
| God | Superpower | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 🔱 Poseidon | Tidal Surge | Chosen tile → Lake; one neighbour → Riverbed |
| 🌾 Demeter | Bountiful Bloom | Chosen tile → Fields; one neighbour → Plains |
| ⚡ Zeus | Wrath of Olympus | Any tile → Plains; +10 stone |
| 🔥 Hephaestus | Volcanic Eruption | Any tile → Volcanic Rock; +8 stone +3 medicine |
Tap ⚡ End Turn (bottom bar) to process the turn. The engine runs in order:
A Turn Result modal appears summarising resource changes and any events. Dismiss it to continue.
| Outcome | Condition |
|---|---|
| 🏆 Win | Survive all 10 turns with population > 0 |
| 💀 Lose | Population reaches 0 at any turn |
When the game ends a Final Score screen displays a full resource breakdown. Tap ← Back to Lobby to return — the finished game is removed from your active list and your score is saved automatically.
The Lobby shows your Personal Best — up to 5 highest scores across all completed runs, with rank medals, settlement name, turns survived, outcome, and score.
Skirmish is a fast-paced 1v1 Player vs CPU mode on a shared hex board. Select ⚔️ Skirmish from Mode Select to reach the Skirmish Lobby.
| Aspect | Classic | Skirmish |
|---|---|---|
| Turns | 10 | 7 |
| Opponents | None — survive the land | CPU opponent |
| Board | Your board only | Shared board with two towns |
| Win condition | Survive 10 turns | Higher score after turn 7, or opponent's population hits 0 |
Each round consists of two turns — yours, then the CPU's:
Before the first turn, both towns must be placed. You place yours first; the CPU then automatically chooses a spot on the opposite side of the board.
The Skirmish screen shows a side-by-side panel with both towns' current stats so you can track your opponent's progress at a glance.
| Status | Condition |
|---|---|
| 🏆 Player Won | CPU population hits 0, or player score > CPU score after turn 7 |
| 🤖 CPU Won | Player population hits 0, or CPU score > player score after turn 7 |
| 🤝 Draw | Scores are equal after turn 7 |
Each CPU turn the engine scans all tiles within influence range of the CPU town, scores available tool actions by expected resource gain, and queues the best action — or passes if nothing is beneficial.
Arena Mode is HexForge’s competitive Player vs Player experience. You are matched against a real opponent via a global matchmaking queue organised by league. Turns are asynchronous — play when you have time; push notifications alert you when it is your move.
| Aspect | Skirmish | Arena |
|---|---|---|
| Opponent | CPU AI | Real player |
| Matchmaking | Instant | Queue-based (matched by league) |
| Turns | 7 | 7 |
| Turn timeout | None | 3 days — inactive player forfeits |
| Ranking | None | League medals (Bronze → Masters) |
From Mode Select, tap ⚔️ Arena to open the Arena Lobby. Choose your Patron God and tap ⚔️ Enter Arena Queue. The backend immediately tries to match you with a player in the same or adjacent league. On match, a shared board is generated and the opponent receives a push notification.
All Arena players belong to a league: 🥉 Bronze → 🥈 Silver → 🥇 Gold → 🏆 Platinum → 💎 Diamond → 👑 Masters. Win Arena games to earn medals and climb. Your league rank and position among all players in your league are shown in the Lobby leaderboard.
| Status | Condition |
|---|---|
| 🏆 You Win | Opponent’s population hits 0, or your score > opponent after Round 7 |
| 💀 You Lose | Your population hits 0, or opponent’s score > yours after Round 7 |
| 🤝 Draw | Scores equal after Round 7 |
| ⏱️ Timeout Win | Opponent makes no move for 3 days |
Per-turn resource delta before the distance multiplier is applied.
| Tile | 🍞 Food | 🪵 Wood | 💧 Water | 🪨 Stone | 💊 Med. | 🏠 Housing | 😊 Hap. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌲 Forest | +1 | +2 | +1 | — | — | –1 | +1 |
| 🏞️ Lake | +2 | — | +3 | +1 | — | –2 | +2 |
| 🌊 Riverbed | +1 | — | +2 | +1 | — | +1 | +1 |
| 🌾 Plains | — | — | — | +1 | — | +2 | +1 |
| 🌽 Fields | +4 | — | –1 | — | — | — | +1 |
| 🏜️ Sand | –1 | — | –2 | +2 | — | +1 | –2 |
| 🐊 Swamp | –1 | — | +1 | — | +1 | –1 | –3 |
| ⛰️ Mountain | –1 | — | — | +3 | — | –2 | +1 |
| 🏛️ Ancient Ruins | — | — | — | +2 | +1 | +1 | –3 |
| 🌋 Volcanic Rock | –1 | — | –2 | +4 | — | –2 | –2 |
Each turn, certain terrains can convert adjacent tiles:
| Source | Target | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 🌲 Forest | Plains | 5% per neighbour |
| 🏜️ Sand | Plains | 7% |
| 🏜️ Sand | Fields | 5% |
| 🐊 Swamp | Plains | 4% |
| 🐊 Swamp | Fields | 6% |
| 🏞️ Lake | Plains | 4% |
| 🌋 Volcanic Rock | Plains | 6% |
| 🌋 Volcanic Rock | Fields | 4% |
All tools cost 1 from inventory per use. Each purchase gives 1 tool.
| Tool | Use On → Result | Turns | Buy Cost | Queue Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🪓 Axe | Forest → Plains | 1 | 5 stone · 3 wood | +3 wood |
| 🪚 Saw | Forest → Fields | 2 | 10 stone · 6 wood | +2 wood |
| 🔥 Torch | Forest → Plains | 1 | 6 wood · 3 food | +2 wood · ⚠️ 20% fire spread |
| 🍄 Rot Spores (sabotage) | Forest → Swamp | 3 | 10 food · 7 water · 5 wood | — |
| Tool | Use On → Result | Turns | Buy Cost | Queue Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌱 Seed Bag | Plains → Forest | 5 | 8 food · 5 water · 2 wood | — |
| 🌾 Hoe | Plains → Fields | 2 | 5 wood · 4 stone · 3 food | — |
| 🌿 Scythe | Fields → Plains | 1 | 6 stone · 5 wood | +4 food |
| ☠️ Plague Thatch (sabotage) | Fields → Swamp | 4 | 12 food · 6 water · 6 stone | — |
| Tool | Use On → Result | Turns | Buy Cost | Queue Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🪣 Shovel | Plains → Lake | 3 | 8 wood · 6 stone · 4 food | — |
| ⛏️ Pickaxe | Mountain → Sand | 1 | 12 stone · 8 wood | +5 stone |
| 🪨 Boulder Kit | Plains → Mountain | 4 | 15 stone · 10 wood · 3 food | — |
| Tool | Use On → Result | Turns | Buy Cost | Queue Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔩 Excavation Drill | Ruins → Plains | 2 | 10 stone · 8 wood · 4 food | +6 stone +3 medicine |
| ⚔️ Siege Catapult (sabotage) | Plains → Ruins | 2 | 14 wood · 10 stone · 6 food | — |
| Tool | Use On → Result | Turns | Buy Cost | Queue Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⛏️ Quarry Drill | Volcanic → Plains | 2 | 10 stone · 10 wood · 3 food | +8 stone |
| 💣 Lava Bomb (sabotage) | Fields → Volcanic | 2 | 12 stone · 8 wood · 6 food | — |
| Tool | Use On → Result | Turns | Buy Cost | Queue Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🚰 Drainage Pump | Swamp → Plains | 2 | 10 wood · 8 stone · 3 medicine | +2 water |
| 💧 Water Pump | Sand → Plains | 2 | 6 wood · 5 stone · 4 food | +3 water |
| 🏗️ Dam Kit | Lake → Plains | 3 | 14 stone · 10 wood · 5 food | — |
| 🛡️ Levee Kit | Plains → Plains (levee flag) | 1 | 12 wood · 10 stone · 4 food | — |
| 🌊 Riverbed Scoop | Plains → Riverbed | 2 | 6 wood · 5 stone · 4 food | +4 water |
| 🪣 Mud Dump (sabotage) | Lake → Swamp | 3 | 12 stone · 8 wood · 5 food | — |
| Tool | Use On → Result | Turns | Buy Cost | Queue Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌿 Herbalist Kit | Swamp → Swamp (unchanged) | 1 | 10 food · 6 water · 3 wood | +4 medicine |
Each tile within 2 hexes of the town rolls independently every turn. A sample of events:
| Tile | Event | Chance | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌲 Forest | Animal Attack | 8% | –population growth, –happiness |
| 🌲 Forest | Rich Hunt | 12% | +food, +happiness |
| 🌲 Forest | Forest Fire | 3% | tile → Plains, –happiness |
| 🏞️ Lake | Flooding | 10% | –food, –happiness |
| 🏞️ Lake | Abundant Fishing | 15% | +food, +happiness |
| 🏞️ Lake | Drought — Lake Shrinks | 4% | tile → Riverbed |
| 🌊 Riverbed | Flood Season | 12% | –food, –happiness |
| 🌊 Riverbed | Fertile Silt Deposit | 15% | +food |
| 🌊 Riverbed | River Runs Dry | 5% | tile → Sand |
| 🌾 Plains | Dust Storm | 6% | –happiness, –food |
| 🌾 Plains | Beautiful Meadow Season | 10% | +happiness, +population growth |
| 🌽 Fields | Pest Infestation | 10% | –food, –happiness |
| 🌽 Fields | Bumper Harvest | 15% | +food, +happiness |
| 🌽 Fields | Soil Exhaustion | 5% | tile → Plains |
| 🌽 Fields | Waterlogged Fields | 5% | tile → Swamp |
| 🏜️ Sand | Sandstorm | 10% | –food, –happiness, –housing |
| 🏜️ Sand | Hidden Oasis | 4% | +water, +happiness |
| 🐊 Swamp | Disease Outbreak | 15% | –population growth, –happiness, –medicine |
| 🐊 Swamp | Rare Medicinal Herbs | 10% | +medicine, +happiness |
| 🐊 Swamp | Toxic Gas Venting | 8% | –happiness, –population growth |
| ⛰️ Mountain | Rockslide | 6% | –housing, –happiness, –population growth |
| ⛰️ Mountain | Rich Ore Vein | 8% | +stone, +happiness |
| 🏛️ Ancient Ruins | Treasure Cache | 8% | +stone, +medicine, +happiness |
| 🏛️ Ancient Ruins | Ancient Plague Pit | 12% | –population growth, –happiness, –medicine |
| 🏛️ Ancient Ruins | Structural Collapse | 6% | tile → Plains, +stone |
| 🌋 Volcanic Rock | Volcanic Tremor | 10% | –happiness, –housing; spreads to neighbour Plains |
| 🌋 Volcanic Rock | Rich Mineral Seam | 8% | +stone, +medicine, +happiness |
| 🌋 Volcanic Rock | Lava Flow Subsides | 5% | tile → Plains, +stone |
Scores are calculated at game end (win or loss) and saved to your personal leaderboard.
| Resource | Weight |
|---|---|
| 🍞 Food | ×1 |
| 💧 Water | ×1 |
| 🪵 Wood | ×1 |
| 🪨 Stone | ×1 |
| 💊 Medicine | ×2 |
| 🏠 Housing Capacity | ×2 |
| 😊 Happiness | ×3 |
| 👥 Population | ×5 |
Your top 5 scores are stored and displayed in the Lobby.