Hex map editor and skirmish mode: build, play and share battles

Updated 2026-10-26 · IncrediApp

A campaign ends. A good wargame does not. Skirmishes, custom maps and challenge modes are what keep hex wargames on players' devices for years, and they are a big part of why the classic 90s fantasy wargames still have communities today. This guide covers the replay modes in Banners for Hire, our turn-based fantasy hex wargame: skirmish, the scenario editor, daily and weekly contracts, company runs, Notoriety and New Game+.

Skirmish: one battle, your rules

Skirmish mode is a single battle outside the campaign. In Banners for Hire you pick the foe, the ground and the odds. It is the best place to:

• Learn the rules without risking your campaign company.
• Test ideas, like how a charge plays out on open ground or how long a river line holds.
• Play a quick game when you have twenty minutes and no wish to think about wages.

Skirmishes use the same hex battle system: terrain, line of sight, zones of control, flanking, charges, support fire and morale, with an honest forecast before every attack. Skirmishes are free and play offline. For the rules in detail, see the hex tactics guide.

The scenario editor: paint your own map

Map editors have a long history in strategy games. Some of the best-loved battles in the genre were made by players, not studios. Banners for Hire includes a scenario editor that lets you paint your own map and share it with a code.

Some ideas for your first scenarios:

• Hold the ford. A single river crossing, a small defending force and a much larger attacker. A pure test of zones of control.
• The narrow pass. Hills on both sides, a road through the middle. Great for testing line of sight and ranged units.
• The ambush. Dense woods along a road, so line of sight and positioning decide who strikes first.
• Mirror match. A symmetrical map for comparing approaches with a friend: build it, share the code, compare results.

Share codes make it easy to swap maps with friends or post them in a community. The editor is free and plays offline.

Designing a good scenario

A few principles make custom battles more fun to play, whoever made them:

• Give each side a clear goal. Battles are more interesting when someone has to attack and someone has to hold.
• Make terrain tell a story. A ford, a ridge or a village should be the obvious prize, so both sides fight over it.
• Leave more than one path. If there is only one sensible move, the map is a puzzle with one answer. Two or three viable routes make it a wargame.
• Test it yourself. Play it from both sides before you share the code. If one side wins easily every time, adjust the odds.

Daily and weekly contracts

Daily and weekly contracts are the same battle for everyone, every day and every week. You chase your best score and keep the streak going. Because everyone faces the same scenario, they are a great way to compare approaches: did you hold the line, or go for the flank?

A few tips for chasing a score:

1. Read the map before your first move. The same ground for everyone means the best players are the ones who spot the key hex first.
2. Use the forecast. Compare a few attacks before committing.
3. Do not throw units away for speed unless you are sure it pays.

Daily and weekly contracts are free.

Company runs: ten contracts, one life

Company runs are a compact challenge: ten contracts, one life. They give you the pressure of an Ironman campaign in a much shorter format, which makes them ideal for testing yourself after the story. If you are unsure whether you enjoy playing without a safety net, a company run is a good way to find out. See Ironman mode vs undo for more on that choice.

Notoriety and New Game+

For veterans, Banners for Hire adds ten tiers of Notoriety and New Game+ for players who have seen every ending. With six endings across three patrons, the Crown, the Thornwood and the Ironhold Compact, and one secret ending few will find, there are good reasons to play the campaign again. More on the campaign in how to run a mercenary company.

What is free, and what plays offline

Daily and weekly contracts are free too. Rewarded ads only appear as buttons you choose to press, and you can hide them in Settings. There are no energy timers and no paid currencies.

Why replay modes matter in a wargame

A campaign teaches you the rules. Skirmishes and custom maps are where you actually master them, and challenge modes give you a reason to come back. That combination, a story to start with and endless battles afterwards, is what we wanted for Banners for Hire. New to the genre? Start with what a fantasy hex wargame is, or see how it compares in the best fantasy strategy games for Android.

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