återerövringsspel

Återerövringsspel, or reconquest games, is a category within strategy games that focuses on regaining control of territory that has been occupied or lost by a player’s faction. The central aim is the act of reconquest, not merely expanding into new areas, although successful reconquest can enable further territorial advance. The term is used in Swedish-language discussions of both board games and digital games and can apply to historical wargames as well as fictional campaigns.

Etymology and scope: återerövring means reconquest; spel means game. The concept encompasses a range of settings, from ancient and medieval conflicts to modern occupations, and it may appear in various genres, including turn-based and real-time strategy.

Gameplay and design: typical mechanics include map-based territorial control, occupation and liberation objectives, supply and logistics, and morale or resistance dynamics. Victory conditions usually require retaking key regions, cities or capitals, and may involve military operations, diplomacy, or partisan actions. The genre often emphasizes difficult strategic choices, as players must balance aggressive reconquest with resource constraints and public support in occupied areas.

Relation to other genres: as a subcategory of conquest or wargaming, återerövringsspel emphasizes the strategic challenge of regaining control rather than frontier expansion. It can overlap with liberation or insurgency simulations and may use historical scenarios, alternate histories, or hypothetical campaigns. Design choices vary from highly realistic to abstract representations.

See also: wargaming, strategy games, conquest games, liberation games, history of board games, real-time strategy, turn-based strategy.