Certain Crises may result in military combat. The following rules describe how to wage war.

Military Units
Military units are created by Legislation and are paid for and supported by the Government. The initial money that goes to purchase a military unit is paid to the Robber Baron and is subject to taxation. The money that goes to support the unit after it has been created is paid to the Brass Hat; if the Brass Hat is not in play, it is returned to the Game Bank.

Military units must be placed on station in a Territory that is part of the Republic, or, if a war is being conducted, deployed in a war. A military unit cannot be placed on station in more than one Territory at a time, and it cannot be on station in a Territory and also deployed in a war. If more than one war is being conducted, the unit can be deployed in only one.

Military units are of three types: Infantry, Cavalry, and Navy, which determine which types of war they can be deployed in. Each unit has "battle points" that it contributes to the war effort.

The purchase costs, support costs, and battle points associated with each unit are listed as part of that units-enabling Legislation.

Crisis: War
During the Legislative Phase the GM determines if a Crisis! has occured. If the Crisis is a war scare, it is set before the Congress to deal with.

A war Crisis! will describe a war scenario; "War Spoils" that will result in the event of victory; a penalty in the event that the war ends in defeat or surrender; and a set of restrictions on which unit types can be used in that war. The Republic then must decide whether to go to war or not, in line with the Constitutional procedures in effect at the time. If it does, then the GM will thereafter announce the Victory Conditions (the number of points the military must accumulate in battle) that must be met for the war to end in victory. If the Republic declines to declare war, then it immediately suffers the same penalty as if it the war had been fought and ended in defeat or surrender.

Conducting the War
To win a war, the Republic must accumulate a certain number of points while prosecuting the war. To accumulate these points the President must deploy military units of the necessary type onto the battle front. During the Business Phase, the GM will add the battle points of these units and the results of a randomizer into a running total. This will continue during each turn that the war is being prosecuted. The war is won when this running total exceeds the Victory Conditions that were determined at the war's start. If the running total ever goes negative, the war immediately ends in defeat and the penalty for defeat is incurred.

During the Legislative Phase, the Republic may decide to end the war, in line with the Constitutional procedures in effect at the time. This constitutes a surrender and the effect is the same as a defeat.

Political Effects of a War

• War Costs: During a war, the maintenance costs on all military units that can be used in that war are tripled.
• War Boost: Immediately after War is declared, the Government Approval Rating rises by 12 pts.
• War Weariness: On each subsequent turn that ends with a war being prosecuted, Fervor rises by 1 and the Government Approval Rating falls by 4 pts. If more than one war is being prosecuted, these changes are cumulative.
• Victory Bonus: On the turn that the war ends with a victory, the Approval Rating rises by 8 pts.
• Defeat Penalty: On the turn that the war ends either in defeat or in surrender, the Government Approval Rating falls by 24 pts and Fervor rises by 3. Additionally, the Penalty specified by the Crisis! takes immediate effect.

Example
The GM announces the following Crisis: "Revolution in the Kingdom of Inkopah: Rebels Petition Aid and Vow to Join Republic in Event of Victory."

The GM announces

• The Spoils: Inkopah joins the Republic as a new Territory at the start of the next turn.
• Penalty: The government's Approval Rating falls by 24 points.
• Restrictions: Since Inkopah is an inland state, naval units cannot be used.

Congress debates and declares war, and the Approval Rating rises by 12 pts. The GM then announces that 13 points must be accumulated before the war can end successfully.

During the Business Phase the President moves two Cavalry units (the only ones available) to the front. These Cavalry units have 3 battle points each; the GM announces that the randomizer adds 4 points to the battle points, for a total of 10. Since this does not exceed the Victory Conditions, the war continues through the next turn.

During that turn the President withdraws one Cavalry unit from the front, so only 3 points (for the remaining unit) get added to the running total, but the randomizer subtracts 5 points, meaning a net loss of 2 points. This is subtracted from the running total of 10, lessening it to 8. Thus, the war continues. Approval falls by 4 and Fervor rises by 1.

On the next turn the President puts both Cavalries and a new Infantry with 2 battle points on the front. These 8 battle points, when added to the 8 give 16 points; the randomizer subtracts 1, but the running total of 15 exceeds the Victory Conditions and the war ends. Approval rises by 8. The Spoils are collected: Inkopah joins the Republic at the start of the next turn.

Note: If Congress had voted to make peace, or if the accumulated points had ever turned negative, Fervor would have risen by 3, and the Approval Rating would have fallen by 48 (24 pts for losing +24 pts from the penalty).