For cities, expansion means prosperity. But territories and idealogies sometimes clash, resulting in conflict and hostilities.

Vast works of study have been devoted to the gentle yet ferocious art of diplomacy. Bloody and terrible wars have been fought, and avoided entirely, because of diplomacy. In the right hands, diplomacy can be the most fearsome weapon imaginable. In the wrong hands, it can spell the doom of a civilization.

In Aetolia, any organization that can conduct war can also conduct diplomacy with other such organizations. The formal part of any diplomatic exchange is known as a treaty. A treaty is a formal agreement between two organizations, whose terms are enforced by the game. It can be as simple as a declaration of war or as complex as its authors can imagine.

When diplomacy fails, war is often the result. In Aetolia, players may join the service of their city and fight on its behalf in times of war. Military leaders deploy armies to capture territory and defeat their enemies in glorious battle.

The true strength of a military superpower lies not in its armies, but in its economy. War is an expensive undertaking, and only a strong, thriving economy can support the war machine in a prolonged campaign. Not surprisingly, economic strength is in no small part a function of territorial assets. As war can be a tool to acquire territory, so too does territory support the tools of war.