Treaty Types
Treaty Types define the formal diplomatic relationship between two empires at any given moment — what they're permitted to do to each other, and what territory they're allowed to cross. Every empire begins Neutral towards every other major faction at the start of a game, and that relationship can shift, in either direction, through Diplomatic Actions.
The Five Treaty Types
| Treaty | Can Attack Each Other? | Can Enter Each Other's Territory? |
|---|---|---|
| War | Yes, without limitation | Yes |
| Neutral | Yes, but only armies — not territory | No |
| Peace | No | No |
| Peace with Open Borders | No | Yes, hexes without the other empire's assets |
| Alliance | No (defensive obligations instead) | Yes, hexes without the other empire's assets |
War
The only treaty type with no restrictions at all — two empires at War may attack each other's armies and settlements without limitation, and may freely enter each other's territory. This is also the only treaty type under which a settlement can actually be captured.
Neutral
The default starting relationship between every major faction. Neutral empires may attack each other's armies, but cannot enter hexes controlled by the other empire — there's no invasion possible while Neutral, only skirmishes between armies that happen to meet in the open or in contested, unclaimed territory.
Peace
A genuine ceasefire. Empires at Peace may not attack each other at all, under any circumstances, and — like Neutral — still cannot enter each other's controlled territory.
Peace with Open Borders
A deeper, more trusting form of Peace. In addition to the non-aggression of ordinary Peace, both empires may now freely move armies through each other's territory — though only across hexes that don't contain the other empire's own assets (armies, settlements, or outposts). It's freedom of movement, not freedom to interfere.
Alliance
The strongest possible bond between two empires, and explicitly defensive in nature rather than offensive. Allied empires share the same territorial access as Peace with Open Borders, and additionally:
- Shared visibility — assets belonging to an allied empire are always considered sighted on the map, and scouting one reveals full information about it, the same as if you controlled it yourself.
- Mutual defence — if any member of an alliance is declared war upon, every other allied empire is drawn into that same war against the aggressor automatically.
- No automatic offence — if an allied empire instead chooses to declare war on a third party itself, the rest of the alliance is not automatically drawn in. Each ally decides for itself whether to take an active role in that war, via the Join Wars diplomatic action — there's no invitation required, only the choice to formally commit rather than stand aside.
This last distinction matters a great deal in practice: an alliance guarantees you won't face an aggressor alone, but it never obligates you to follow an ally into a war of their choosing.
Treaty Progression
Treaties generally move along a single ladder, one step at a time — War, Neutral, Peace, Peace with Open Borders, Alliance — with each step requiring a separate diplomatic action and the other empire's agreement. There's no shortcut from War directly to Alliance; trust has to be built deliberately, one treaty upgrade at a time. Breaking a treaty, by contrast, can drop a relationship by more than one step at once — see Diplomatic Actions for exactly how Break Treaty works.
