How armies and fleets traverse Europe, contest key provinces, and resolve simultaneous collisions.
Every campaign year in Hegemony unfolds across distinct seasonal phases. The Spring and Fall phases are Movement phases, during which all players formulate their tactical plans in secret. When the turn deadline expires or all players signal they are ready, every order across the entire board is adjudicated simultaneously. There are no initiative rolls and no taking turns: all units march at the exact same moment.
There are two types of military units in Hegemony: Armies and Fleets. Both unit types share identical combat strength—each unit possesses a base strength of one—but their geographical mobility differs sharply:
In every movement phase, each unit on the board must be assigned an order. If a player submits no order for a unit before the deadline, Hegemony’s adjudicator automatically assigns it a default Hold order.
Because all units move simultaneously and possess equal individual strength, conflicting movements often result in a standoff, commonly referred to as a bounce. The engine adheres to several fundamental resolution rules:
When two or more units of equal strength attempt to enter the same vacant province during the same phase, their forces cancel each other out. Neither unit succeeds in entering the province, and both remain in their starting locations. If France orders A PAR → BUR while Germany simultaneously orders A MUN → BUR, both armies bounce at Burgundy's border. Burgundy remains completely vacant.
Two units cannot swap positions directly across the same border. If an Austrian Army in Tyrolia (TYR) attempts to move to Munich (MUN) while a German Army in Munich attempts to move to Tyrolia, both armies clash head-to-head with equal strength. Both orders fail, and neither unit moves. To exchange positions across a boundary, units must either rotate around a loop or rely on maritime convoy paths.
A unit cannot move into a province that is occupied by another unit that successfully holds its ground. If Italy orders A VEN → TRI, but Austria's unit in Trieste (TRI) holds, the Italian attack bounces off Trieste's defense. Furthermore, if a unit ordered to move bounces, it remains in its starting province; any other friendly or hostile unit attempting to move into that starting province will subsequently bounce as well, unless that attack has more support (then it dislodges the unit that stayed).
Players frequently use standoffs as intentional defensive maneuvers. By ordering two of your own units to move into a critical neutral province—such as Germany ordering both A BER → SIL and A MUN → SIL in Spring 1901—you create a deliberate standoff. This guarantees that Silesia remains empty, preventing any potential Russian incursions without having to surrender positioning in your home centers.
To eliminate ambiguity and illegal orders, Hegemony provides modern interactive tools. Tapping any unit on the digital map instantly highlights all legal destination provinces and valid order choices. Furthermore, you can open the Analysis Sandbox at any time to freely reposition pieces, experiment with rival moves, and verify how complex multi-unit interactions resolve before final submission.