Declaring War & Valid War Goals

Once your Nation complies with all the Requirements to start a War, you can look at how you can declare one.

Wars cannot begin without valid justification. The motivations for war are varied, and here are some examples of what can lead to conflict:

Border Disputes: When political borders are contested, war can be declared to settle territorial claims.
Diplomatic Slights: Insults or provocations against your town or nation (in-character) can lead to war.
Religious Wars: Differing religious beliefs between towns or nations can become a reason for conflict. This only applies at the group level, not for individuals.
Economic Tensions: Competing over resources, villager trades, or pricing can escalate into warfare.
Breaking Treaties: A town or nation that violates a peace treaty is subject to renewed conflict.
Liberation: A Nation “freeing” another Nation or town from an occupier or overlord for ideological or religious reasons. (If this war goal is used, the attacker cannot annex or merge with the Nation/Town that was liberated for at least 1 month.)

If you are unsure what War goal you can use, ask Staff or the Server owner.

Once a valid war goal is selected, the war must be officially declared by posting in the nation announcements channel on Discord. A mandatory minimum 24-hour grace period follows to allow for staff approval and for both sides to prepare. If the war goals are deemed invalid, players must revise or propose new ones.

The 24 hour period, and fighting outside of organized battles

The 24 hour period is set up with the idea that players are able to organize and agree to a battle within that period. During this period, the following can take place:

Skirmishing: Skirmishing allows either side of the war to attack opponents anytime. (To avoid excessive harassment, within Towny claimed areas it is possible to toggle PvP off, and players that are AFK cannot be attacked.) Skirmishes are unpredictable and deadly. Players who fall in skirmishes lose their loot fully, making this style of combat high-risk and rewarding for victors. Skirmishing end’s along with the War.
Allies Joining: During this period, affiliated allied Nations and mercenaries can declare support for either side in the nation announcements channel. Nations must be allied in game (/n ally) and mercenaries must be a part of the Nation they support.
Main War Battle date is discussed: It is very important that regardless if you were attacked or not that you overview the war situation, organize your people, and figure out a war date as soon as possible. If the attacker is not capable of proposing a date within 24 hours, they lose the war. If the defenders are not capable of finding a date within the next 7 days they lose the war. (This is sometimes not enforced if the appropriate context is met). If neither side proposes (both sides are quiet) a war date within 48 hours, a white peace is forced and the war is cancelled. All war date proposals (the fighting day itself) must be within 7 days after the war declaration, unless in special cases permitted by the Server owner.
Possible War contesting: If you think the war declaration does not obey any of the rules, the leader is in violation etc. You can contest it by opening a ticket. Having a child breakdown tantrum in general or nation announcements (or any public channel) will be met with a mute.
Expanding the 24 hour Period: If the war organization is slow, and/or if the context is appropriate, the 24 hour period can be increased until the actual war battle takes place. This is highly contextual and will be decided by the Server owner and Staff on a case-by-case basis.

Mercenaries: Hiring outside help.

Nations can hire mercenaries to bolster their ranks:

Mercenaries: Hired fighters who must receive compensation for their services. Mercenaries must announce their participation within the 24 period in advance and can join ongoing wars or skirmishes but are not allowed to initiate wars themselves. (Unless they possess a Nation). Mercenaries are required to operate out of a dedicated town.
Limitations:

All contracts/deals and agreements (both de jure and de facto) between Nations, individuals, or towns must be released/informed to the person who is requesting. Everyone can ask mercenaries what contracts they have, but the question must be specific. (Eg: YES: Do you have a deal with X Nation about Y? Yes I do, the terms are…NO: Do you have any active contracts?). There are certain cases where this does not apply, for example, if a person does “question spamming” where they try to guess the nature of the contract repeatedly. All deals with mercenaries must be informed to the Server Owner.

Mercenaries can only make up 20-30% of the army of a Nation and 5-10% of an Alliance. This can be 50-70% if the total population is less than 5 people.

War Boundaries: Rules of Engagement

To maintain fair play and prevent exploitation, several key rules govern warfare:

Offlining Rules: A siege can only begin if at least two members (including the Nation leader) of the targeted town are online. Starting sieges while all members are offline is considered offlining and is prohibited.

Griefing Rules: While some damage outside town borders is expected, excessive or malicious griefing is forbidden. Staff will use discretion in determining what constitutes acceptable destruction.

Outpost Restrictions: Sieges must target a town’s main settlement, not its outposts. This rule prevents the exploitation of outposts to avoid defenses. There are certain cases where this can be ignored, permitted by the Server Owner.

War Raiders (or “log on PVPers”): This situation arises when a nation or town is either threatened with war or has had war declared upon it, and players who were not previously registered on the server join to support either side in the conflict. In cases where war has officially been declared, this is strictly prohibited. However, if it's only a threat of war (without an official declaration), new players may join either side, provided that the population of the town or nation does not approximately double as a result. Players may present evidence of them planning to invite players to the Nation but due to issues that player couldn't. This must be presented directly to the Server owner, who will judge it based on the context.

Ending Wars

Wars may be resolved through several avenues, but peace is typically achieved through treaties. These agreements, signed by the leaders of both sides, outline the reparations or terms each party must follow. Once a treaty is signed, it must be posted in the treaties channel on Discord, and both sides are expected to abide by it for at least one week. Violating a peace agreement before this period grants the other side a valid war goal to retaliate. The Server owner may enforce the war and its agreed affects. (Transfer of goods, towns, ownership, etc.)

If a war drags on with little activity, staff may intervene and enforce a white peace, a forced end to the war with no victors or losers.

Spectators & PvP Restrictions

While wars rage, non-participants are allowed to observe the battles. However, spectators must maintain a safe distance and refrain from interfering. This includes looting, attacking combatants, or building near the battlefield. Any interference will result in removal and potential punishment, including being barred from spectating future conflicts.