How defeated regiments withdraw to safety, how nations mobilize new armies during winter adjustments, and how lost supply lines force severe demobilization.
A full campaign year in Hegemony follows an orderly rhythm of diplomacy, conflict, and logistics. Each calendar year is divided into distinct seasonal phases: the Spring Movement phase, followed by an optional Summer Retreat phase; then the decisive Fall Movement phase, followed by an Autumn Retreat phase; and finally the Winter Adjustment phase. When tactical maneuvers result in dislodged units or shifts in territorial ownership, these specialized resolution phases dictate how armies regroup and rebuild.
When an opposing force attacks a province with superior supported strength (for example, two armies attacking a lone defender), the defending unit is dislodged. Unlike games with hit points or attrition, units in Hegemony are never destroyed during the movement phase itself. Instead, the vanquished unit is forced off its position and must immediately choose its next action in the subsequent Retreat phase.
The commanding player has two choices for a dislodged unit: order a Retreat to a qualified neighbouring province, or order a Disband to remove the unit from the board. If a player submits no order before the retreat deadline expires, Hegemony’s adjudicator automatically disbands the unit.
A retreating unit cannot simply flee to any bordering territory. The rules enforce strict restrictions on where a dislodged unit may safely withdraw:
If two or more dislodged units attempt to retreat into the exact same vacant province during the same retreat phase, neither unit succeeds. In contrast to movement standoffs where bouncing units return home, retreating units have no territory to fall back upon. Consequently, when two retreating units bounce against each other, both units are immediately disbanded and permanently removed from the map.
After the Fall movement and any subsequent autumn retreats conclude, nations take stock of their geopolitical standing in the Winter Adjustment phase. Military strength in Hegemony is tied directly to industrial and agricultural logistics, represented by Supply Centers (SCs)—provinces marked with distinct center markers on the map.
Control of supply centers changes hands only at the conclusion of the Fall season. If your unit occupies a neutral or foreign supply center at the end of the Fall phase, ownership transfers to your empire. Moving through a center in Spring does not capture it; you must garrison the province through the Fall harvest.
Every supply center owned can support exactly one military unit (army or fleet). The engine calculates each empire’s adjustment balance by subtracting current units from owned supply centers:
Capturing foreign supply centers—such as Belgium, Holland, or Norway—grants the economic points needed for recruitment, but armies cannot simply be conjured on foreign soil. Under standard rules, new units may only be built in vacant home supply centers that your empire currently owns.
Variant Rule Note: On sprawling variant maps such as Known World 901 or the Hundred Years' War, builds are permitted in any owned supply center across the map to accommodate different regional scale.
If an empire loses supply centers in Fall and ends the year with more units than centers, it must disband units until its army count matches its remaining center tally. The player chooses which units to eliminate from the board, regardless of where they are stationed. Sacrificing an exposed frontline unit to preserve a crucial defensive formation is a common tactical dilemma.
If a player gives no disband orders before the deadline, the game disbands the surplus units automatically (civil disorder).
Managing retreats and adjustments in Hegemony is effortless. During retreat phases, tapping a dislodged unit illuminates only valid, unblocked retreat destinations on the map. During winter, available home build slots glow with interactive construction icons, preventing invalid placement. You can also utilize the Analysis Sandbox to simulate potential Fall outcomes and plan your winter builds well in advance.