The Art of War is a strategy game for 2-6 players played on a board divided into black, white and forest hexes. The players must strategically move and produce units in order to conquer the capital of the opposing player(s). There are only two kinds of units: military and civilian. Civilian units are used to produce new units; military units attack and defend.
The gameplay is very simple. On a turn, players may either produce new pieces or move their existing pieces. It is a game of planning the buildup to battle and putting ones forces in an advantageous position. It is not a game of doing battle and hoping to get lucky.
The length of the game depends on the number of players
2 players: 20-30 minutes
3 players: 30-60 minutes
4 players: 60-90 minutes
6 players: 90-120 minutes