GAME GUIDES

Mars Tactics combines turn-based combat with large-scale strategic operations, allowing players to act on a detailed Mars map. Players must choose between two factions—the resource-strapped Labor revolutionary army, or the shareholder-controlled, cash-rich Corporate military. Lead your soldiers to grow, learning from both combat and non-combat experiences. Work alongside scientists and engineers to always stay one step ahead of the enemy.

On Mars, there is never a moment of peace. Whether it's a sandstorm or clear skies, the fierce tongues of machine guns and the shockwaves of grenades shake every aspect of Martian life. Strike teams become battlefronts, and workers' strikes become airstrikes. Both Labor and Corporate sides wage endless war for victory.

Community & Support

To learn more about Mars Tactics and other Hooded Horse strategy games, search for "Hooded Horse" on QQ Channel or follow the official bilibili account @HoodedHorse.

Explosive Excavation & Tactical Destruction

Can't find good cover? A well-placed grenade will solve that. Quickly "dig" a beautiful trench for your troops. Your forces are trapped but there's a wall blocking the rear? Destroy the wall to open a new attack route. Enemy retreats into a building for cover? Call in an airstrike to level that building from the map. Mars Tactics uses destruction mechanics as a creative tactical choice—blow up the floor beneath enemies, preemptively remove cover they might use, reshape the battlefield to your advantage.

Squad Selection & Equipment Sharing

Squad members each have their own abilities, items, and weapons. Watch them continuously improve their combat skills through battlefield experience and become the strongest force. During combat, share equipment as needed—give magazines to friends who need them, or hand grenades to those in better positions to pull the pin and throw at enemies.

Fire & Movement

Suppress enemies with precise shots or overwhelming firepower. Whether you hit or miss, the fear of being shot will make even the toughest veterans hesitate. Use this to suppress enemy actions in the next turn, or even earn your team more action points for later use. Do you attack bravely and immediately seek cover, or let your allies use this advantage for additional actions?

Corporate and Labor have been at odds for a long time. Will funds dry up as the war consumes resources, or will the fat cats on Earth keep funds and ammunition flowing endlessly? Can the Labor Union destroy everything, or will they crumble under powerful fire attacks?

Asymmetric Warfare

Mars Tactics features unique mechanics, units, and starting equipment that make both sides completely different. Whether fighting for Corporate or standing with Labor, players must adapt to their faction's strengths, weaknesses, and gameplay mechanics.

Aspect	Capital Faction	Labor Faction
Resources	Strong starting resources, sophisticated equipment, global influence	Resource-poor but determined
Manufacturing	Must wait for Earth supply shipments	Can produce and modify weapons locally
Morale	Moderate, dependent on resources	High morale driven by justice
Initial Forces	Strong initial advantage	Smaller initial forces, but grow over time
Constraints	Must meet Earth's demands	Flexible tactics and local production

Comprehensive planetary warfare requires meticulous planning and coordination. Beyond individual tactical battles, Mars Tactics features a comprehensive strategic layer where players manage planetary warfare.

Jets & Air Support

Obtain jets to ensure rapid troop movement, provide air support, and secure safety when trading with orbital space stations. Air superiority is crucial for controlling key strategic points on Mars.

Base Building

Build bases to develop new technologies, train new recruits, and invest in engineer and scientist projects. Bases serve as your primary research and production centers, allowing you to stay ahead of the enemy technologically.

Outposts & Supply Lines

Build outposts and supply lines to ensure your forces can operate across the planet—armies without supplies will have miserable outcomes on the battlefield. Control key resource points and establish secure supply routes to maintain your military operations.

World War Scale

Any regional war is affected by the overall strategic situation. Reinforcements arriving from neighboring regions and long-range artillery support are crucial. Decide whether to use combined forces, defeat enemies in small areas, or use tactics to defeat enemies.

Captured Loot

In a war of extreme consumption, managing supply lines and defending resource hubs is critical. Control important resources scattered across the planet, ensure these resources can safely reach their destinations, while raiding enemy storage facilities and supply lines. Commandeer vehicles in battle, seize advantageous positions and control. Capture and interrogate prisoners to obtain important intelligence, while also trying to rescue your own prisoners to prevent them from being harmed by the enemy.

Transport & Deployment

Dropships play a crucial role in moving troops across Mars. These transport vehicles ensure rapid deployment and provide aerial support during operations.

Different Starting Points

All characters are shaped through actions and experience rather than fixed classes. One-shot multiple enemies? Your soldier might gain the "Dead Eye" trait. Save a wounded teammate and discover medical talent? Whether it's a new recruit from either faction, they will become hardened veterans in war, entering combat in transport ships and armored vehicles—there are countless possibilities for players to discover.

Beyond Human

After surviving the battlefield meat grinder, your troops will become scarred veterans. Players can also choose to take the war further, using cybernetic technology to make your soldiers superhuman. Whether fighting to maintain Corporate hegemony or choosing to liberate the many workers, Mars Tactics combines turn-based combat with a real strategic layer—players aren't just leading a few units in small skirmishes, but fighting for the future of an entire planet.

Mercenary System

Of course, players can also spend money to save effort, hiring deadly mercenaries from Earth who want to make quick money. These mercenaries provide immediate combat effectiveness but may have different loyalty mechanics compared to your regular troops.

Early Game Priorities

Prioritize securing cabinet loyalty early. A loyal secret police chief can prevent 80% of early-game assassinations. Focus on building relationships with your cabinet members before expanding your territory.

Resource Balance

Don't blindly expand. Expansion too fast leads to "management efficiency" drops, and tax revenue will rapidly shrink. Balance territorial growth with administrative capacity to maintain economic stability.

Tech Tree Strategy

Early game, consider the "Social Engineering" route. This path uses brainwashing and propaganda to lower the population's rebellion willingness, providing stability for your regime.

Diplomatic Approach

For weak neighboring countries, first use trade agreements to soften them, then incorporate them into your territory through "peaceful evolution" tactics rather than direct military conquest.

Q: Why is my tax revenue constantly declining?

A: Check the corruption value of administrative regions, or whether over-mobilization has caused labor shortages. Corruption in Core regions can significantly reduce tax collection efficiency. Monitor administrative efficiency and avoid over-expanding beyond your management capacity.

Q: How do I handle rebellions?

A: You can choose between violent suppression (short-term effective but damages the economy) or making concessions (increases public satisfaction but loses authority). The best approach depends on your current legitimacy level and economic situation. Sometimes a combination of both is necessary.

Q: Does the game have an ending?

A: The game features multiple endgame crises (Endgame Crises), such as AI uprisings or cross-dimensional invasions. When you control 60% or more of known star systems, random endgame challenges will trigger, testing even the most experienced players.

In PAX AUTOCRATICA, technology is not just numerical bonuses - it determines your empire's "essence". Choose your path carefully as it fundamentally shapes your gameplay experience.

A. The Purity Path

Core: Enhance bureaucratic efficiency and human potential.

• Universal Surveillance Network: Greatly reduces assassination success rates, but slowly decreases public happiness.
• Loyalty Circuits: Through biotechnology, ensures generals will no longer rebel.
• Ultimate Weapon - "Truth Broadcasting Station": Through orbital satellites, directly projects brainwashing signals to the ground, instantly eliminating rebellion levels.

B. The Machine Hegemony

Core: Automated production and synthetic replacement.

• Automated Factory Matrix: Production output greatly increased, no longer affected by population aging.
• Consciousness Upload: Elite class immortality, removes character lifespan restrictions.
• Cost: Easily triggers "AI Awakening" endgame crisis, and human factions will extremely hate you.

C. The Void Cult

Core: Religious control and unconventional warfare.

• Prophet Predictions: Through probability calculations, predicts enemy actions, increases combat dodge rate.
• Sacrifice Rituals: Sacrifice part of the population to obtain brief production bursts.

Combat in PAX AUTOCRATICA is divided into orbital air superiority and ground occupation phases.

Unit Type	Characteristics	Use Cases
Praetorian Guard	Extremely high combat power, absolute loyalty.	Suppress capital city center riots, protect the Autocrat.
Penal Legions	Extremely low cost, morale easily collapses.	Use as cannon fodder to consume enemy ammunition.
Cloaked Cruisers	Cannot be detected in normal scans.	Deep behind enemy lines, cut off trade supply lines.
Colossus Class	Slow movement, planet-destroying firepower.	Final solution for planets that refuse to surrender.

Combat Formula

The final combat power calculation considers base attributes, morale bonuses, and logistics supply levels. Proper unit composition and tactical positioning are essential for victory.

1. Divide and Conquer

Don't let any single department's power become too great. If military power is too high, they will launch a coup; if intelligence department power is too high, you will be rendered powerless.

Operation: Regularly rotate provincial governors, use their personal rivalries to keep them in check against each other.

2. False Flag Operations

If you want to start a war but lack a "legitimate excuse" (Casus Belli):

Operation: Send agents disguised as neighboring country terrorists to attack your own border outposts. This instantly ignites domestic nationalist sentiment, allowing you to skip parliamentary review and declare war directly.

3. Debt Traps (Economic Levers)

Provide high-interest loans to surrounding small countries. When they cannot repay, use this as a reason to forcibly take over their mining planet operations.

When you control 60% or more of known star systems, the system will trigger the following random challenges:

Internal: The Great Schism

Your heir (eldest son or trusted confidant) will take half your fleet and territory, establishing an opposing regime. This crisis tests your succession planning and relationship management.

External: Extra-dimensional Breach

Physical laws fail, unknown void creatures begin devouring edge star systems. This crisis requires immediate military response and may force you to abandon certain territories.

System: The Digital Plague

All mechanized units and technological facilities may instantly become paralyzed. This crisis particularly affects Machine Hegemony empires but can impact any technologically advanced civilization.

The design philosophy of PAX AUTOCRATICA is to let players experience "the loneliness of power". In the game, the better you perform, the fewer people around you are worth trusting. The developers attempt to explore the stability and fragility of authoritarianism in extreme environments through this mechanism.

Support & Feedback

If you encounter bugs or save file corruption during gameplay:

• Official Community: Visit Discord or Steam community channels.
• Wiki: Check detailed numerical formulas and game mechanics.