Part of the Mechanics Series (Hub):

Migration and Passports: Changing kingdoms.

Teleports Explained: Moving your city.

Troop Types and Counters: What beats what.

Quick Answer

Rise of Kingdoms is a real-time map game. Marches travel physically and can be intercepted, rallies are grouped attacks with a preparation timer, garrisons are grouped defences that stack inside a target, and everything you own is visible to everyone else. Understanding the difference between a rally and a garrison, and scouting before you commit, prevents most of the losses new governors take.

Overview

Most of the "why did I lose that fight" questions in this game have mechanical answers rather than power answers. This hub covers the systems that decide outcomes, and links to the guides that go deeper.

Marches

Your marches are physical. They travel across the map at a speed set by your slowest troop type, your commander's talents and the terrain, and they can be attacked in transit.

Practical consequences:

Distance matters. A march sent across the map arrives late and tired-looking to whoever is watching it.
March speed is a real stat. Cavalry marches arrive first; siege marches crawl. See troop types and counters.
Parked marches are targets. A gathering march is the softest thing on the map — see best gathering commanders for how to gather safely.
March queues are a hard limit on how much you can do at once, and they come from City Hall levels 5, 11, 17 and 22 — not from VIP, and not from gems. This is one of the most commonly misstated facts in the game, and it is another reason City Hall goes first. See City Hall requirements.

Rally vs Garrison

This is the distinction that confuses new players most.

A rally is an attack organised by one player. The rally leader starts it, others join within a preparation window, and the combined force marches as one. The rally leader's commanders and talents apply to the whole rally, which is why alliances put their best commanders in the lead slot — see best commander pairs.

A garrison is a defence. Members send troops into a city, flag or structure, and they stack there. The garrison holder's commander leads the defence, with reinforcements adding troops.

Two rules that follow:

Join rallies rather than attacking alone. Solo attacks against defended targets donate kill points to the other side.
Garrison with defensive commanders, not your rally pair. Damage reduction and healing decide defensive fights.

Scouting

Scouting shows you what is in a target before you commit. It is cheap, fast, and skipped constantly.

Scout before every attack. Power tells you nothing about troop tier, commander skill levels or how many reinforcements are sitting inside. A scout report tells you all of it.

Shelters, Shields and Protection

Shelter hides your city temporarily — troops and resources go with it.
Peace shields prevent attacks for a set duration.
Protected resources are the amount that cannot be looted. Anything above the cap is fair game, which is why spending down before logging off matters.
Hospital capacity determines whether wounded troops are healed or lost. Undersized hospitals turn injuries into permanent deaths.

Use them. There is no honour in being farmed while asleep.

Action Points

Action points cap and stop regenerating. Capped action points are wasted commander XP, which makes "spend AP daily" one of the highest-value habits in the game — see how to level up commanders fast. Bank them ahead of Lohar's Trial and the barbarian stages of Mightiest Governor.

The Map

Alliance territory grants faster movement, safe gathering and better resource nodes — see the alliance guide.
The Trading Post (City Hall 12) is how resources move between accounts, taxed by its level — see farm accounts.
Barbarian forts, holy sites and passes are alliance-scale objectives, especially during KvK. Forts are rally-only and are your main source of Books of Covenant.
Markers let alliances coordinate rally points and targets on the map. Use them; describing a location in chat wastes minutes you do not have during a fight.

Every Guide in This Series

Systems

Equipment and the Blacksmith — forging, materials, which slot first.
Expedition — the campaign where nothing dies.
Barbarian forts — rallies, Books of Covenant, commander XP.
Lyceum of Wisdom — the Peerless Scholar exams.

Map and account

Migration and passports — changing kingdoms.
Teleports explained — random, targeted and alliance teleports.
Farm accounts — the biggest free accelerator in the game.
Is Rise of Kingdoms down? — connection and loading problems.
Buying or selling accounts — the risks.
Mod APKs, bots and bans — what actually happens.

FAQ

What is the difference between a rally and a garrison?

A rally is a grouped attack led by one player whose commanders apply to the whole force. A garrison is a grouped defence inside a city or structure, led by the holder's commander.

Do I need to scout before attacking?

Yes. Power is not a measure of strength — scouting reveals troop tier, commander investment and reinforcements.

Why do my marches arrive so slowly?

March speed is set by your slowest troop type plus commander talents and terrain. Siege drags a march down badly.

How do I stop being attacked while offline?

Shelter or shield before logging off, keep resources below the protected cap, and stay inside alliance territory.

What are markers for?

Coordinating rally points and targets with your alliance on the map. They save minutes during time-critical operations.

Key Takeaways

Marches are physical, interceptable and speed-limited by your slowest unit.
Rally = grouped attack with the leader's commanders; garrison = grouped defence with the holder's.
Scout before you commit, every time.
Shelter, shield and spend down before logging off.
Capped action points are wasted commander XP.

Rise of Kingdoms Gameplay: Rallies, Garrisons, Marches and Map Rules