Official VastalaMC guide

How war works

War is a controlled campaign, not endless open conflict. A nation declares an exact goal, both sides prepare, scheduled battles decide the campaign, and staff enforce a final peace.

Read the campaign flow View essential rules

3 daysPreparation

15 playersFull roster

10 playersActive per side

24 hoursMinimum playtime

7 daysOccupation

2 attemptsRecaptures

15 daysPost-war truce

Start to finish

The campaign flow

Most players only need to understand these four stages. The details and limits are included inside each stage rather than split across separate parts of the page.

Declare

Choose a cause and name the exact goal

A nation cannot declare total war. It must submit an approved casus belli, identify exactly what it wants, and receive staff approval before preparation begins. Staff may reject a declaration that is invalid, disproportionate or intended to destroy or harass a smaller community.

Territorial War Nation vs Nation: Claim one named border town, fortress or approved territorial objective.
Tributary War Nation vs Nation: Demand temporary tribute under terms agreed before the campaign.
Claimant War Civil War: Force recognition of a ruler, title or succession claim.
Punitive War Nation vs Nation: Seek proportionate reparations for a treaty breach, raid or diplomatic offence.
Religious War Nation vs Nation: Secure religious recognition, protections or approved concessions.

Example declaration

“Arescetia declares war for control of Fort X and recognition of Claim Y.”

Once approved, these goals are locked and cannot be expanded during the war or after surrender.

Prepare

Use the three-day preparation period

For three exact days, neither side may attack, occupy or interfere with the declared objective. Both sides use this time to finish the arrangements below.

Submit a fixed roster. Each side may list up to 15 players, including reserves and allies.
Name all allies. Allies must be declared before preparation ends and use spaces on the same roster.
Agree battle dates. Staff and both sides choose reasonable scheduled times.
Confirm the battlefield. Staff define boundaries, starting positions, objectives and victory conditions.
Prepare equipment. Supplies must be ready before the active campaign begins.

Who can fight? A maximum of 10 rostered players per side may enter an individual battle. Teams must be equal wherever possible. Every rostered player needs at least 24 hours of recorded VastalaMC playtime, and staff may reject inactive accounts used only for war.

Fight

Complete the scheduled campaign battles

The war advances only through organised battles. Random attacks outside approved battle periods do not capture territory or progress the campaign.

Field battle

The opening battle takes place outside the declared objective. Staff may use elimination, area control or forced retreat as the victory condition. Only approved roster players may participate, both teams use equal or closely balanced numbers, and each player has one life.

Losing this battle does not cancel the siege. It may give the winning side an advantage in the next stage, but the attacker still receives the chance to fight for the objective.

Siege

The attackers advance from their war caravan and attempt to secure the townhall or another approved capture point before the timer ends. Defenders contest the capture areas, push attackers back and may occupy the enemy war caravan to inflict temporary weakness where the siege rules allow it.

If the attackers capture the objective, it enters occupation. If they fail, the defenders win the siege and the attacking advance is stopped. Staff may then approve a defensive counteroffensive against a named enemy border objective.

Important town siege rules

Town defences must remain fair, reachable and suitable for VastalaMC's medieval setting. Staff may require anything that breaks these standards to be removed before a siege begins.

Banned combat items: Ender pearls, elytras, riptide tridents, end crystals, TNT minecarts, TNT, withers, wind charges, beacons, boats and spears may not be used during wars.
Townhall access: The townhall must remain above ground and reasonably reachable. It cannot be placed inside a bunker, sealed with obsidian, made impossible to enter or surrounded by traps. A town with walls must have at least one usable gate.
Forbidden defences: Obsidian defences, cobblestone generators, automatic builders, lava walls or moats, honey, slime, cobweb or slab traps, walls eight blocks thick or more, and glass roofs are not permitted.
Build standard and skybases: All walls and defences must be decorated and look medieval. If a skybase is being sieged, admins will place a portal that provides access to the island.

Occupation and recapture

A captured territorial objective is not transferred immediately. The attacker must hold it through a seven-day occupation period while the original defenders receive two organised recapture attempts.

If the defenders win either attempt, the occupation is broken and the objective returns to its previous nation. If both attempts fail and the attackers still hold it on day seven, the territorial goal succeeds and staff enforce the transfer.

Settle

End the war and enforce the peace

A war ends when a side completes the published victory conditions, one side surrenders, or the maximum campaign duration is reached. Staff confirm which objectives succeeded, record the settlement and enforce the mechanical outcome.

Victory. The winner receives only the goals approved in the original declaration.
Surrender. Either side may surrender early. The approved goal may be enforced, while secondary penalties may be reduced where appropriate.
Roleplay refusal. A defeated nation may reject the result in character, but it cannot ignore the mechanical outcome or continue the same war indefinitely.
Post-war truce. Both sides enter a 15-day truce. The objective cannot be immediately reclaimed and allied nations cannot be used to bypass the truce.

Essential rules

What applies throughout the war

Attendance and participation

Only players on the approved roster may fight, defend objectives or interfere with enemy forces. One reasonable reschedule may be requested for genuine availability problems. An unexplained no-show may be recorded as a loss, while repeated refusal or deliberate delay may be treated as surrender.

Battlefield boundaries

Players must remain within the boundaries set by staff. Flight, teleportation commands and unapproved movement or escape abilities are prohibited. The Anarion racial ability is exempt unless staff set a different condition for a particular battle.

What occupation allows

Occupiers may defend the objective, control access during approved war activity, use agreed defensive structures and place temporary staff-approved fortifications or decoration.

What occupation never allows

Occupiers may not withdraw town money, claim generator output, remove residents, loot or destroy builds, significantly alter the settlement, or change its claims.

Quick clarification

The questions players usually ask

Can the war goal change after declaration?

No. The approved goal stays fixed during preparation, battle, surrender and settlement.

Can allies increase the number of fighters?

No. Allies use places on the same 15-player roster and do not increase the 10-player battle limit.

What happens after death in a field battle?

Field battles use one life. Once eliminated, the player is out for the rest of that battle.

What happens if one side refuses to attend?

They may request one reasonable reschedule. A no-show may count as a loss, and repeated refusal may be treated as surrender.

Can occupiers take money, items or generator output?

No. Occupation provides limited military control only. The town economy, residents, builds and claims remain protected.