The Rules:

{Food} Everyone needs to eat -> 1 crop or fish per person. Everyone who doesn't eat - dies. Make sure you always make enough food.

{Resources} (Updated 2Mar09) There is a 10% each food square (20% mine/lumber square) will become desolate after you use it. For example, you farm a grassland square and the next turn it appears gray. That means it's deadland and no longer good for anything.

{Map} Map is only revealed by building military structures (Tower thru Palace). You gain +1 defense for every level of military structure your soldiers are inside (+1 for forts, +4 palaces). Map is not revealed until the structure is completed.

{Soldiers} Soldiers are permantly recruited. They eat, but cannot do any other labor. They cost 2 gold a head. They can move 3 spaces a turn in units of up to 500.

{Mining} Mountains produce gold, Hills produce iron, and you get stone from both.

{Research} Once a structure is researched, you will be able to build it, and know what bonus it gives. Once research is finished, you will then be able to research the next structure in the chain.

{Reproduction} Everyone who is idle reproduces.

{Round Time} Each round is 5 days. You have 5 days to send in your next 3 turns. If you fail to do so, you will simply remain stagnant (you miss a round).

{Communication} You contact any race you want, even if they aren't on your map. You can form alliances if you want. Honoring them is up to you. If you do this, you can set up allotments of your production to go to each other in trades (300 crops to Joe Schmoe every turn for 200 stone). You can also share maps if you want. You can stop sharing at any time as well.

{Survival} Non soldiers do not 'exist' in any one structure. As long as you have one military structure, they are safe. However, if all your military structures are destroyed, you are dead.

{Building} Military Structures are Upgradeable. That means you can take a Tower and upgrade it to a Keep. The cost is that of the Keep minus that of the Tower. Also, you can begin building a structure, military or non, even if you don't have all the resources. The structure will simply remain in limbo until you have the last of what's needed.