Overview

Ant Wars is a strategy board game published by Jason McAllister Games in 1982. Players control tribes of ants — black, brown, or red — battling for control of a backyard. Queens lay eggs that hatch into workers, soldiers, and more queens. Soldiers fight for the best food-gathering areas while workers collect resources. The game simulates ant colony warfare using modular map boards to represent shifting terrain, combining colony management with tactical combat.

Components

• Two modular map sheets (representing the backyard terrain)
• 32 cards (event and action cards)
• Ant character pieces (queens, workers, soldiers for each colony color)
• 8-page rulebook

Setup

1. Assemble the modular map boards to form the backyard battlefield.
2. Each player selects a colony color (black, brown, or red).
3. Place starting queen and initial worker ants for each colony in designated starting areas.
4. Shuffle the card deck and place it face-down.
5. Determine the first player.

Turn Structure

Each turn, a player:

1. Egg laying: Queens produce eggs that will hatch into new ants.
2. Hatching: Eggs hatch into workers, soldiers, or new queens based on player choice and colony needs.
3. Movement: Move ant units across the map.
4. Foraging: Workers in food-gathering areas collect resources.
5. Combat: Soldiers in the same area as enemy ants engage in battle.
6. Card play: Draw and play cards for special events and actions.

Actions

Colony Management

• Queens lay eggs each turn, producing new ant units.
• Players decide what type of ant each egg becomes: workers (resource gathering), soldiers (combat), or queens (future egg production).
• Balancing colony composition is critical — too many soldiers means not enough food; too many workers means vulnerability to attack.

Movement

• Ants move across the modular map from area to area.
• Different ant types may have different movement capabilities.
• Terrain features on the map boards affect movement.

Foraging

• Workers collect food from resource areas on the map.
• Food sustains the colony and fuels growth.
• Competition over the best food-gathering areas drives conflict.

Combat

• Soldiers engage enemy ants in combat when occupying the same area.
• Combat resolution determines which ants survive.
• Controlling territory through military strength secures food sources.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The player who controls the most territory and has the strongest surviving colony wins the game. Victory is achieved by eliminating rival colonies or dominating the food-gathering areas to starve opponents out.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Colony color asymmetry: Black, brown, and red ant tribes may have slightly different characteristics.
• Modular map: The map boards can be arranged differently for varied gameplay.
• Queen vulnerability: Losing your queen(s) cripples egg production, potentially dooming the colony.
• Card events: The 32 cards introduce unpredictable events that can shift the balance of power.
• Resource pressure: Colonies must gather enough food to sustain their ants, creating natural pressure to expand and conflict with neighbors.

Player Reference

Ant Type	Role	Key Ability
Queen	Production	Lays eggs each turn
Worker	Economy	Gathers food from resource areas
Soldier	Military	Fights enemy ants in combat

Colony cycle: Queen lays eggs → Eggs hatch → New ants forage or fight → Colony grows or contracts