How to Play Outpost
A simultaneous troop-deployment game of bluff, attrition, and brutal math. Each round, every commander secretly allocates their soldiers across contested regions. Win regions but lose troops; conserve troops but earn nothing. Last army standing wins.
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Outpost is a game of simultaneous secret allocation. Each round you decide where your soldiers go without seeing where rivals are sending theirs. All decisions reveal at once. The commander with the most soldiers in each region wins it — but they pay for the win in attrition.
It's part Blotto game, part poker, part trench warfare. The decisions are simple. The mind-games run deep.
Setup
Each commander starts with 100 soldiers (the host can change this from 20–500 in the lobby). Players join the room with a code shared by the host. Once everyone is in, the host starts the game.
The number of regions for round 1 equals the number of players plus two — so a 4-player game starts with 6 regions to allocate across. Each region's reward is revealed before allocation.
A Round
- Reveal regions. All regions and their rewards are shown.
- Allocate. You secretly distribute your remaining soldiers across some or all of the regions. You don't have to send troops to every region — leaving one empty is sometimes the right move.
- Submit. Once everyone has locked in, allocations reveal simultaneously.
- Combat resolves region-by-region (see below).
- Rewards apply to each region's winner.
- Next round begins with new regions.
Combat Math
For each region, sort allocations highest-to-lowest:
- The commander with the highest count wins the region.
- The winner's surviving soldiers =
winner.count − runnerUp.count. So winning by a little costs you almost everyone you sent. - Every loser in that region loses every soldier they committed there.
- Ties at the top mean no winner: no losses, no reward — and the reward is forfeit for that round.
Rewards
Every region has a randomly assigned reward, drawn from a weighted pool. The winner of the region gains the reward; losers and ties get nothing.
| Reward | Effect | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| +20 soldiers | Add 20 to your post-combat survivors | 4 |
| +50 soldiers | Add 50 to your post-combat survivors | 3 |
| ×1.5 soldiers | Multiply your post-combat survivors by 1.5 | 2 |
| ×0.8 +20 | Multiply by 0.8, then add 20 (good when soldier count is low) | 2 |
| Refund 50% of losses | Recover half of the soldiers you lost that round, across all regions | 2 |
The "refund losses" reward is the only one that compensates for attrition globally, not just for the region you won.
Elimination
If your soldier total drops to zero or below after a round, you're eliminated. The next round's region count is reduced by one to reflect the shrinking conflict (it's always active players + 2).
Winning
Last army standing wins. If two commanders are simultaneously reduced to zero, the player with the higher pre-round count breaks the tie.
Strategy Tips
Glossary
- Allocation
- The number of soldiers you commit to a specific region for a round. Once submitted, it cannot be changed.
- Attrition
- The soldier cost of winning. The closer the runner-up's count is to yours, the worse your attrition.
- Region
- A contested location with a reward. Each round generates a fresh set, with count = active players + 2.
- Runner-up
- The second-highest allocator in a region. Their count sets the winner's casualties.
- Tie at the top
- Two or more equal highest allocations. Nobody wins, nobody dies, nobody collects the reward.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a typical game last?
About 15–30 minutes. Games end faster with more players (more attrition per round).
Do I have to allocate to every region?
No. You can send zero soldiers to a region. That guarantees you won't win it, but conserves troops.
What happens if I'm the only one who allocated to a region?
You win uncontested — 1 soldier is enough. Your survivors equal your allocation (since the "runner-up" is zero) and you collect the reward.
Can I see what other players allocated last round?
Yes. After resolution, the full round summary shows everyone's allocations and the math. You can use this to read rival patterns going forward.
Why does the region count change between rounds?
The formula is active players + 2. When someone is eliminated, that's one fewer region next round — keeping the per-player workload roughly constant.