How to Play
NextOath is a two-phase game: first you build a world together, then you compete for control of it. Here's everything you need to know.
Getting Started
Create Your Account
Sign up using your email or a social login provider. It takes just a few seconds.
Start a Game
From the game creation screen, choose how many total players (1-4) and how many should be AI. Enter your display name and hit Start Game.
Invite Friends
Share the game link with other players. They'll see the game in their Active Games list after joining.
Play at your own pace
Answer world-building questions and take your turns on your own schedule. The game moves forward once every player has submitted for the current phase.
Phase 1: World Building
Genre Selection
Choose or create a genre for your world (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, etc.). This sets the thematic direction for all generated questions and narrative content.
Answer Questions
Each round, every player answers a dynamically generated question about your world. Questions build on previous answers, creating a cohesive universe.
AI Referee Scoring
Three AI referees score each answer on a 1-10 scale for creativity, coherence, and contribution to the world. Scores above 8 earn Inspiration Points.
Inspiration Points
These hard-earned points carry into the Strategy phase. Use them to boost action success rates, mitigate failures, or influence outcomes. They're your most valuable resource.
Multiple Rounds
World Building spans 2-3 rounds depending on player count. By the end, you'll have a rich, detailed world ready for strategic competition.
Phase 2: Strategy
Faction Assignment
Each player is assigned a unique faction generated from the world you built. Factions have distinct strengths, weaknesses, colors, and thematic identities.
Advisor Consultations
Each round, consult up to 3 specialized advisors. They offer strategic counsel, cost estimates, and intel about the world. Be warned: advisors may be unreliable or have hidden agendas.
Board Play
The strategy phase is a Reversi-like territory game on a hex board. Each round you spend cards to place, capture, or trap on tiles across two lanes — Open Force and Hidden Force. Tile control accumulates and flips contest enemy positions.
Strategy Board
Claim tiles. Set traps. Flip enemy runs. The strategy phase is a two-lane hex board where your story choices become tactical moves.
Includes cards, captures, traps, strongholds, and live diagrams from the actual game engine.
Strategic Actions
Propose 2 actions per round in natural language. The AI interprets your intent, checks feasibility, and adjudicates the outcome based on your faction's capabilities and the world's rules.
Fog of War
You can't see what other players are doing. You receive narrative reports and advisor rumors, but information may be incomplete or misleading. The full truth is only revealed at game end.
Round Resolution
After all players submit, the AI generates public narratives (world events everyone sees) and private narratives (faction-specific outcomes only you see).
Key Game Mechanics
Two-Lane Hex Board
Strategy plays out on a hex board with two parallel lanes — Open Force and Hidden Force. Terrain (plain, urban, ruins, wilds, stronghold, impassable) shapes what's worth fighting for. Some tiles are worth more than others; capturing a contested hex flips it to your color.
AI Players
AI opponents make strategic decisions using the same systems human players do. They consult advisors, play cards on the hex board, and propose actions. AI substitutes can also step in for inactive human players.
Play on Your Own Time
Games are designed for asynchronous play. Take your turn when it suits you within the round timer (always adjustable from 1 hour to 14 days). No need to schedule sessions.
Victory Conditions
Each faction has its own win conditions tied to the world's narrative — usually about controlling specific lanes or terrain. Conditions are generated dynamically from the world you built together.
End Game Reveal
When the game ends, all fog of war lifts. Every player sees the complete truth: hidden actions, misinformation, and the full narrative arc. This is often the most dramatic moment.
Tips & Strategies
Invest in World Building
Creative, detailed answers earn more Inspiration Points. These are incredibly powerful in the Strategy phase, so don't phone in your world-building answers.
Listen to Your Advisors (Carefully)
Advisors provide valuable intel, but some may be unreliable. Cross-reference advice from multiple advisors before making critical decisions.
Think Spatially
Where you play matters as much as what you play. Anchor on high-value terrain, build connected runs of your color rather than scattered pieces, and watch the lane balance — a strong Hidden Force means little if you've ceded the Open Force board.
Be Specific in Actions
The AI interprets your actions literally. 'Strengthen my army' is vague. 'Train 500 soldiers at the Northern Fortress using grain reserves from the Eastern Fields' is much more effective.
Save Inspiration for Key Moments
Don't spend Inspiration Points early unless necessary. They're most powerful when used to swing critical late-game actions or recover from setbacks.
Ready to put this into practice?
Start Your First Game