War Banner

War Banner is the building used to set an invasion’s mission objective. When an invasion is launched, it determines whether the goal is plunder or vassalization, and the chosen objective changes the reward and outcome of the campaign.

If plunder is selected, winning the invasion grants funds and Resource. If vassalization is selected, the enemy city is turned into a vassal state instead of being looted. This makes War Banner an important part of deciding how an invasion will affect both immediate gains and longer-term political control.

In practice, War Banner is less about direct combat power and more about campaign direction. Before committing to an invasion, the player chooses the objective through this building, so it defines whether the war is being fought for material profit or for strategic domination. Plunder is the straightforward option when the main goal is to secure money and Resource, while vassalization is the option to use when expanding influence over another city is more valuable than a one-time payout.

• Plunder: victory grants funds and Resource.
• Vassalization: victory makes the target city a vassal.
• The selected objective is set at the start of the invasion, so the building affects the war before any fighting begins.

Because the building controls the mission objective itself, its value lies in planning. A player who wants immediate economic benefit can choose plunder, while a player aiming to reshape the map politically can choose vassalization.