Faction Codex

Who you play as changes how you win.

Factions are optional in Borderfall, and switching them on is the fastest way to make two games on the same map feel different. Each one bends the rules a little: a bonus to attack or defense, extra reinforcements, cheaper research, or a once-per-turn ability that can rescue a bad exchange.

Below are all 52 factions, grouped by the era they belong to. Everything listed here is what the game actually uses — the same definitions a match reads when you pick a side.

Ancient World

Roman Republic

Disciplined legions re-roll their lowest attack die and receive extra reinforcements from Italic territory.

A republic forged through citizen armies, road networks, and relentless campaigning, Rome expands by turning conquest into administration.

Ability: Testudo Formation: once per turn during attack phase, negate all attacker losses on one combat exchange.

Parthian Empire

Mounted archers force attackers into the attack phase with one fewer attack die when assaulting Parthian territories.

Ruling the Iranian plateau from horseback and caravan city alike, Parthia bleeds invaders with mobility rather than static walls.

Ability: Parting Shot: after losing a territory, immediately deal 1 unit loss to the attacker.

Han Dynasty

Vast territory and organized bureaucracy generates +2 extra reinforcements per turn.

The Han state binds frontier armies, granaries, and court officials into one of the ancient world's most enduring imperial machines.

Ability: Silk Road: once per turn during draft, add +3 tech points.

Maurya Empire

War elephants add +1 attack die when assaulting territories with 3 or fewer defenders.

From the Ganges heartland, Mauryan rulers project authority through elephant corps, tax officials, and a centralized imperial court.

Ability: War Elephants: once per turn, one attack roll uses 4 dice (max).

Carthaginian Republic

A maritime trading power anchored in North Africa, reaching across the sea lanes.

Merchant princes and admirals make Carthage rich, turning harbors and trade routes into weapons that reach across the sea.

Germanic Tribes

Fierce forest fighters — +1 defense die on all defense rolls.

Loose confederations of war bands and chieftains know every forest trail and river crossing, punishing empires that overextend.

Ability: Ambush: once per turn, attack from a border territory using 1 extra die.

Medieval Era

Holy Roman Empire

Central European power — entrenched defensive doctrine with +1 defense die from faction bonuses.

A patchwork empire of princes, bishops, and free cities, the Reich survives by fortifying passes and bargaining for allegiance.

Ability: Imperial Diet: once per turn during draft, gain +2 extra reinforcements per fully owned region.

Mongol Khanate

Devastating cavalry charges — +1 attack die on every attack.

Mounted couriers, disciplined tumens, and ruthless speed let the Mongols turn open ground into an empire-spanning highway.

Byzantine Empire

Sophisticated bureaucracy and Greek fire — +1 defense die in your capital region.

Heir to Rome in ceremony and statecraft, Byzantium outlasts stronger foes through coin, diplomacy, and fortified capitals.

Ability: Greek Fire: once per turn, an attacking force loses 1 additional unit before dice are rolled.

Abbasid Caliphate

Intellectual hub and trade mastery — +2 tech points per turn passively.

Centered on great cities of scholarship and trade, the Abbasid world links caravan wealth to scientific ambition.

Ability: House of Wisdom: once per turn, reduce the cost of a tech node by 3 (minimum 1).

Kingdom of France

Chivalric knights — cavalry units grant +1 attack die when attacking from a territory you also hold a neighbor of.

Feudal levies and ambitious nobles give France explosive striking power once its domains are stitched into a coherent realm.

Ability: Chevauchée: once per turn, raze an enemy territory (reduce unit count by 2) without attacking.

Kingdom of England

Longbowmen add +1 attack die when attacking across a sea connection.

An island kingdom of fleets, bowmen, and stubborn kings, England fights best when it controls the narrow points of approach.

Ability: Longbowmen: once per turn, one ranged attack deals 1 unit loss to an adjacent enemy territory without a full attack exchange.

Age of Discovery

Spanish Empire

Conquistadors press the advantage — +1 attack die on every attack.

Silver fleets, crusading zeal, and hard-edged conquistadors make Spain a transoceanic empire hungry for rapid expansion.

Portuguese Empire

Masters of the sea — sea_lanes connections allow 3 attack dice (normally 2) and free sea-lane fortify moves.

Portugal lives by charts, caravels, and coastal strongpoints, turning sea lanes into a private imperial network.

Ability: Naval Charts: your sea_lanes attacks use the full 3 dice cap instead of the era-limited 2.

Ottoman Empire

Straddling east and west — +2 reinforcements per turn from controlling the mediterranean sea_routes region.

From the Balkans to Arabia, Ottoman rule merges disciplined corps and strategic chokepoints into a continental hinge.

Ability: Janissaries: once per turn, defend with 3 dice regardless of garrison size.

English Crown

Privateers and merchant adventurers — +1 tech point per sea territory owned.

A rising maritime kingdom, England weaponizes chartered companies, private raids, and coastal footholds into empire.

Ability: Privateer: once per turn, steal 1 production unit from an adjacent enemy coastal territory.

Ming Dynasty

Vast population and the Great Wall — +1 defense die in Asian territories.

The Ming command enormous manpower and monumental defenses, preferring layered stability over reckless overreach.

Ability: Great Wall: once per turn, prevent one attack from resolving (the attacker's turn is wasted).

Mughal Empire

Rich subcontinent — generates +3 extra tech points per turn.

Courtly wealth, gunpowder armies, and a mosaic of provinces make the Mughals formidable when prosperity is protected.

Ability: Spice Trade: once per turn, exchange 5 tech points for 2 extra reinforcements.

World War II

Third Reich

Blitzkrieg doctrine — after a successful capture, may make one immediate bonus attack per turn.

A mechanized war machine built on shock and tempo, Germany seeks to collapse fronts before attrition can catch up.

Ability: Blitzkrieg: once per turn, after capturing a territory immediately execute a free additional attack from that territory.

Soviet Union

Vast reserves — +2 reinforcements per turn; wartime_logistics allows 3 fortify moves.

Factories beyond the Urals and endless manpower let the Soviet state trade land for time and return with crushing mass.

Ability: Mass Mobilization: once per game, place 5 extra units on any owned territory.

United States

Industrial supremacy — +1 production unit from every owned territory per turn.

Protected by oceans and powered by industry, the United States converts economic depth into global military reach.

Ability: Arsenal of Democracy: once per turn during draft, spend 5 production points to place 3 extra units.

United Kingdom

Island fortress and global empire — recovers stability quickly in contested ground.

Britain survives through naval control, imperial links, and the stubborn advantage of making every approach expensive.

Imperial Japan

Pacific supremacy — sea-lane attacks use 3 dice; +1 attack die in Pacific or Asia regions.

Fast carrier warfare and aggressive expansion define Japan at its peak, where initiative matters more than margin for error.

Ability: Banzai Charge: once per turn, one attack exchange uses 4 attack dice (maximum).

Chinese Nationalists

Guerrilla resistance — +1 defense die; can spend production to place hidden reserve units.

Fighting across fractured provinces, Chinese resistance depends on endurance, local knowledge, and refusing decisive collapse.

Ability: Guerrilla Warfare: once per turn, place 1 unit on any owned territory for free.

Cold War

United States

Global superpower — +1 tech point per ally-adjacent territory; influence ability range extended to 2 hops.

Carrier groups, development aid, and alliance architecture let Washington project power without occupying every frontline directly.

Ability: Marshall Plan: once per turn during draft, place 1 free unit on any allied or newly captured territory.

Soviet Union

Command economy and a hardened perimeter — +1 reinforcement per turn.

The Soviet bloc hardens its perimeter through ideology, armor, and a security state built to absorb existential pressure.

People's Republic of China

Vast army — +2 reinforcements per turn; guerrilla tactics grant +1 defense die in Asia.

Revolutionary legitimacy and mass mobilization give China resilience, especially when the fight becomes one of exhaustion.

Ability: People's War: once per game, double your reinforcements for one turn.

United Kingdom

Nuclear deterrent — if attacked in your capital territory, attacker loses 1 extra unit.

Postwar Britain holds disproportionate leverage through diplomacy, intelligence, and the menace of strategic reprisal.

Ability: Nuclear Deterrence: once per game, cancel an attack against your capital territory entirely.

Non-Aligned Movement

Guerrilla movements challenge both superpowers — territories you own cannot be influenced (immune to influence_spread).

Newly independent states and insurgent movements refuse to become pawns, thriving in the gaps between the blocs.

Ability: Guerrilla Resistance: once per turn, place 2 free units on any border territory that was attacked last turn.

NATO Alliance

Collective defense pact — if any NATO territory is attacked, adjacent NATO territories each add +1 defense die.

Interoperability, shared planning, and mutual guarantees make NATO strongest when it fights as a network instead of a nation.

Ability: Article 5: once per turn, an attack on any of your territories triggers +1 automatic defender loss on the attacker.

Modern Day

Western Bloc

Precision warfare — precision_strike is always active; +1 defense die from advanced body armor.

Satellite eyes, expeditionary logistics, and precision doctrine define a bloc that wins by seeing and striking first.

Ability: Precision Airstrike: once per turn, deal 2 unit losses to any adjacent enemy territory without a full attack exchange.

Eastern Coalition

Armored mass — +2 reinforcements per turn; tanks let you move 2 extra units in fortify.

Centralized command and armored depth give the coalition raw staying power once the battlefield hardens into fronts.

Ability: Armored Push: once per turn, execute two fortify moves instead of one.

Rogue State

Asymmetric tactics — +1 defense die and immune to precision_strike attacker bonus.

Sanctioned, isolated, and unpredictable, the Rogue State survives by turning every invasion into a trap of attrition and ambiguity.

Ability: Insurgency: once per turn, spawn 1 free unit in a border territory that was attacked this turn.

Emerging Economy

Rapid industrialization — earn 2 extra production units per turn from every territory with a production building.

Factories, ports, and swelling cities let the Emerging Power convert growth itself into strategic momentum.

Ability: Economic Boom: once per turn, pay 4 tech points to immediately place 2 units anywhere.

Petrostate

Oil wealth — +3 tech points per turn; can buy an extra reinforcement for every 3 owned resource territories.

Energy rents and patronage networks give the Petrostate immense bursts of leverage so long as the wells stay secure.

Ability: Oil Wealth: once per turn, spend 6 tech points to place 3 extra units on any owned territory.

Cyber State

Digital warfare — once per turn, sabotage an adjacent enemy territory (remove 1 unit before combat).

A state built on code, surveillance, and disruption, it weakens enemies by corrupting the systems that coordinate them.

Ability: Cyber Attack: once per turn, remove 1 unit from an adjacent enemy territory without combat.

American Civil War

Union Army

Industrial north — +1 production unit per owned territory; rifle_doctrine applies universally.

Railroads, factories, and a widening war aim let the Union grind toward victory through capacity as much as battlefield brilliance.

Ability: Total War: once per game, in one turn place double your normal reinforcements.

Confederate Army

Fighting on interior lines — recovers stability quickly under pressure.

Fighting on familiar ground, the Confederacy leans on interior lines, local commitment, and punishing defensive battles.

Italian Unification

Kingdom of Sardinia

The catalyst of Italian unification — carbonari_network influence costs 1 fewer unit; +1 reinforce in Piedmont.

Savoyard reformers turn a compact northern kingdom into the diplomatic and military engine of Italian unification.

Ability: Unification Drive: once per turn, convert a neutral Italian territory within range at zero cost.

Austrian Empire

Conservative power defending the old order — +2 defense dice in Austrian core territories.

Vienna defends its Italian possessions through garrisons, dynastic legitimacy, and a deep instinct for suppressing revolt.

Ability: Habsburg Garrison: once per turn, immediately place 2 units in any Austrian-held territory under threat.

Papal States

Spiritual influence — carbonari_network range is halved against Papal territories; +1 defense die.

The Papal States wield spiritual authority and conservative loyalty, making central Italy as political as it is military.

Ability: Papal Dispensation: once per turn, prevent one influence attempt against any Papal territory.

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

Southern stronghold — +1 defense die; Garibaldi attack bonus is negated in Neapolitan territory.

The Bourbon south is resilient, regional, and wary of northern revolution, relying on stubborn defense and local control.

Ability: Bourbon Resistance: once per game, prevent an enemy from capturing Sicily for one full turn.

Space Age

Terran Federation

Satellite-backed democracies — +1 attack die on every attack; +2 tech points and +2 stability recovery per turn; Satellite Uplink ability.

A confederation of North Atlantic and European megastates bound together by shared orbital infrastructure and open data networks.

Ability: Satellite Uplink: once per turn, spend 4 tech points to place 2 units on an owned territory bordering an enemy.

Sino-Pacific Hegemony

Automated industry + AI command — +2 reinforcements per turn; +1 production per tech building each turn; AI Surge ability.

A tightly integrated Asia-Pacific bloc where AI planners schedule factory output, logistics, and troop rotations with ruthless efficiency.

Ability: AI Surge: once per turn, spend 5 tech points to place 3 units on any owned territory.

Climate Alliance

Terraforming doctrine — +4 stability recovery per turn; population grows twice as fast; Terraform ability.

Born from the flooded coastlines and dust belts of the late 21st century, the Alliance treats ecological repair as a strategic weapon.

Ability: Terraform: once per turn, restore stability to 100 in an owned territory and gain 1 free unit there.

Corporate Enclave

Private militaries and techno-capitalism — +4 tech points per turn; Mercenary Contract ability (6 tech points).

Post-state megacorporations ruling sovereign coastal cities, blurring the boundary between shareholders and citizens.

Ability: Mercenary Contract: once per turn, spend 6 tech points to place 4 units on any territory you own that has a production building.

Solar Caliphate

Energy hegemony of the post-petroleum age — +1 reinforcement per turn; Solar Surge ability.

A post-petroleum coalition of Gulf and Central Asian states that turned their deserts into the energy heart of the 22nd century.

Ability: Solar Surge: once per turn, place 1 unit on an owned territory and gain 2 production.

Lunar Pioneers

Moon-native colonists — start with a Launch Pad and Moon access from turn one; +1 reinforcement per turn; +2 defense dice on Moon territories; Lunar Supply Drop ability.

Descendants of the first permanent lunar settlers, the Pioneers see Earth as a gravity well they are no longer obligated to return to.

Ability: Lunar Supply Drop: once per turn, drop 2 units into any owned Moon territory.

Galactic Age

Stellar Mandate

Central admiralty doctrine — Sol III is the cradle: deeper reinforcement on its systems and a population that replaces what it loses. Blockade runners ignore lane seals.

The Mandate believes stability flows from a single chain of command spanning every recognized star system.

Ability: Blockade Runner: once per turn, your next attack across a hyperspace lane ignores an Emergency Seal.

Forge Syndicate

Industrial cartels — shipyard logistics deliver +1 reinforcement per turn and Jump Gates at half price; supply inserts on demand.

Shipyards and foundries form the true border between civilization and the dark between stars.

Ability: Supply Insert: once per turn, place 1 free unit on an owned territory.

Helion Navigators

Lane-mappers and drift pilots — every gateway in the galaxy stays visible to them, and their fleets jump between their own gateways.

Their astrogators tape gravimetric shoals the way ancient sailors mapped reefs.

Ability: Drift Jump: once per turn, fortify between two gateways you hold on different worlds with no connecting route.

Void Custodians

Station enginseers — +1 defence die against any attack across a lane; faster stability recovery. Nexus Station's Gate Ring is the Vault: hold all four tiles for +2 tech per turn and an Emergency Seal on any lane.

They guard the silent rings and tether cities where vacuum is the only neighbor.

Ability: Emergency Seal: once per turn, close any hyperspace lane touching Nexus Station to everyone else for one round.