Manual Distribution

Manual Distribution is an Initial Territory Distribution method where players choose the territories they would like to start with.

Players rank territories in order of preference, with their most desired territories at the top of their pick list. Once all players have submitted their picks, War.app determines the starting territories using the procedure described below.

This differs from automatic distribution, where starting territories are assigned randomly without player input.

Mechanics

After all players have submitted their picks, War.app determines the starting territories as follows:

1. All players are placed into an order based on the Move Order. For example, four players named A, B, C, and D might be ordered as B D C A. In team games, War.app ensures this order is distributed fairly between teams.

1. Starting with the first player in the order, each player is awarded their highest-ranked territory that has not already been assigned.

1. If all territories selected by a player have already been assigned, a random unassigned territory is awarded instead. To avoid this, players should generally rank more territories than they expect to receive.

1. The player order is then reversed. In the example above, B D C A becomes A C D B.

1. Steps 2–4 repeat until all territories have been assigned or the territory limit has been reached.

Reversing the order each round helps reduce the advantage of being near the top of the initial player order.

Territories Are Assigned One Round at a Time

A common misconception is that War.app first awards every player's first choice, then every player's second choice, and so on.

This is not how Manual Distribution works.

Instead, territories are assigned one round at a time according to the current player order. Each player receives one territory before the process moves on to the next round.

Because of this, a player may receive a territory that they ranked lower than another player who did not receive it. This is usually due to the order in which territories were assigned, not because the lower-ranked territory was prioritized.

Example

Suppose the player order is:

1. A

1. B

1. C

And the players rank territories as follows:

• A: Territory X, Territory Y
• B: Territory X, Territory Z
• C: Territory Y, Territory Z

In the first round:

• A receives Territory X.
• B's first choice is unavailable, so B receives Territory Z.
• C receives Territory Y.

Even though B ranked Territory Z lower than C ranked Territory Y, the assignment is determined by the order of selection and territory availability at that moment.

Strategy

In general, players should rank the territories they most want, regardless of what they think other players may choose.

If territories were distributed by comparing all first-choice picks, then all second-choice picks, and so on, it could be disadvantageous to rank highly contested territories. Since War.app does not work that way, players are free to prioritize the territories they value most.

It is also recommended to rank enough territories so that all of your expected starting territories can be assigned from your list. Otherwise, random territories may be awarded once your ranked options are exhausted.

See Also

• Initial Territory Distribution
• Automatic Distribution
• Territory Limit