It seems simple enough. You fight other kingdoms in Kingdoms at War (KAW)and Future Combat, Patriots at War (FC) then get some gold (in KAW) or minerals (In FC) . These two games have the same game platform. You use the gold to build up your kingdom and get more land that provides you with fighting units. Then you make sure that you have enough defensive strength so that the other players cannot attack you and steal your gold at will. Both these games starts off easy enough and you grow quickly provided of course that you read the forums or get advice from more experienced players. This is all good and well because this makes the game even more enjoyable later even though the growth of your kingdom gets a little bit harder and therefore slower. Beware your early decisions affect the quality of your play. Obviously it is more fun when you can beat your opponents once in a while.
The general overview of both games is to collect enough gold or minerals in battles against other kingdoms and assigned activities called quests. In battles you use the soldiers of your kingdom as well as spies. On quests you use your soldiers exclusively. Quest are missions that when finished earn you gold, minerals and badges. Both activities earn you gold immediately. More gold is earned when you make your kingdom stronger. Thus it is of utmost importance to build up your kingdom. There is also a bonus from hiring other kingdoms as allies. This results in additional offensive and defensive capacity to your account as well as bonus gold called plunder that speeds up your ability to grow and fight stronger kingdoms successfully. Allies also when bought from you provide a profit.
Then there is the next aspect of the game in KAW called potions or pots in short. In FC the equivalent of pots are technologies to improve your kingdom’s abilities. This are magic spells bought with gold that depending on price has varying degrees of effectiveness when used in battle. Pots or potions make you stronger and in battle make cause you to earn larger amounts of gold or withstand stronger attacks.
One highlight of the game is when a clan accepts you into their fold. Normally there is a statistical requirement that needs to be met. When you are in a clan you can have a clan war which when organized enables you to get plunder and if your clan wins you are rewarded “mithril” which is really stronger potions than your regular kind. However beware of the so called real war which is off the systems and there are no rules other than annihilation.
In the event that there is no war clan members in KAW can participate in epic battles that range from the utterly simple and easy to the very complicated. In FC the main way to raise large amounts of minerals is in plunder wars where bigger kingdoms either in the same or an allied clan let you attack without returning the favor and in the process redistribute resources. In KAW there are later versions of the epic war that even give players a chance to win permanent offensive or defensive items that raise their level of attack or defense. These are very useful in real wars where only the total annihilation of the opposing player is the goal.
These games are like chess when it comes to the dozens of permutations in battle scenarios and the effectiveness of attacks and tactics. It is addictive and absorbing. The basic difference between these two games are the scenario settings and informal rules. Kingdoms at War limits your number of attacks to opposing kingdoms to 5 per day. Anything more is frowned upon and considered bad form. Future combat has no rules like this so have at it.
Then finally there is clan chat and world chat which gives you the option to talk and interact with people all over the world. So even if you are lousy at the game the very least thing that would happen to you is you will make new friends. Go ahead explore play and enjoy.