Properties

Properties are a specific type of terrain and one of the main elements of an AWBW battle, heavily influencing the game both on and off the battlefield. Their main function in games is to provide funding for the construction of more and more powerful units, providing 1000 per property per day under standard metagame settings, though this can be configured.

Tactically, with the exception of the Headquarters, properties have 3 of defense, reducing incoming damage by 30% for full health units that are garrisoned there. Properties also can repair and resupply certain units, but will only do so for the property owner's units (they will not repair units from different armies, even if they are on the same team).

List of Properties

Tile	Def	Foot	Boot	Treads	Tires	Sea	Lander	Air	Pipe	ID
Headquarters	4	1	1	1	1	-	-	1	-	-
City	3	1	1	1	1	-	-	1	-	34
Base	3	1	1	1	1	-	-	1	1	35
Airport	3	1	1	1	1	-	-	1	-	36
Port	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	-	37
Lab	3	1	1	1	1	-	-	1	-	145
Comm Tower	3	1	1	1	1	-	-	1	-	133

Types of Properties

Headquarters

Main article: Headquarters

The HQ is the most important property of the game. Capturing an opponent's HQ is a lose conditions for the player that owns it, as its capture will eliminate them from the game instantly, regardless of any other factors. If multiple HQs exist on a map, losing any one of them will result in defeat for the player.

The HQ also provides repairs and supplies for land units, funding, and uniquely among properties, 4 of defense rather than 3, making it a very powerful tile for attacking and defending, especially for COs who have other sources of defense such as Kanbei.

The HQ's appearance will change depending on the faction of the owning player.

City

Main article: City

Almost always the most numerous property type on any map, Cities provide daily funding, and can repair and resupply land units.

They are the most common targets of interest for players to battle over, and tactically are excellent tiles to attack and defend from due to their repairs and being located near or at the front lines. Conquest of enough cities to accumulate an insurmountable value lead is the most common method to obtain victory in competitive Advance Wars.

Base

Main article: Base

Similar to Cities, Bases can also provide funding and repair/resupply ground units, but their key use is for allowing the production of all ground units, from Infantry to Mega Tanks. This gives bases enormous strategic importance and power as they are the only buildings capable of producing units capable of capturing, and their placement plays a big role in defining the the frontlines on a map.

Most maps will start with players owning only a Headquarters or a Lab and at least one or two bases by default, requiring further properties to be captured to expand their spheres of influence and income. The loss of a base is almost always a sign that the game's end is imminent.

Airport

Main article: Airport

Airports provide funding, and building, repairing and resupplying all air units. Like bases, they have high strategic importance, especially in game modes where high funding is in play, but are more vulnerable to being locked down by threats such as Anti-Airs due to the overall fragility of air units. They are generally considered slightly weaker than bases as a result, but air units nevertheless still play a pivotal role in most battles.

Unlike land units, no other tile is capable of resupplying air units, meaning that airports can sometimes be located on the front lines for a convenient place to do so. These airports are often ghosted to prevent the airport from constructing air units.

Port

Main article: Port

Ports provide funding, as well as the ability to build, repair, and resupply sea units. The least important production building due to the weakness of sea units, ports generally go unused on most competitive maps, sometimes making no appearance at all, though their funding still makes them worthwhile targets to capture.

In certain circumstances, they can be used defensively to create Battleship fortresses that cover the area around them. In such cases where this tactic is viable, Ports become quite powerful, though they are much easier to blockade than the other two production facilities due to most naval units' restrictive movement type.

Lab

Main article: Lab

Labs do not provide funding or repairs, but serve two different roles. 1) If a game has Lab Units enabled (see AWBW Guide), holding a Lab will allow a player to build Lab Units. 2) If a map does NOT have HQs but does have Labs, then a player will lose the game when they lose their last Lab. If a player owns 2 Labs, and one is captured, they will remain in the game – but if their other Lab is captured, they will then be eliminated. If you are playing on a map with no HQs, be mindful to protect your Lab(s)!

Communication Tower

Main article: Communication Tower

Like Labs, Comm Towers do not provide funding or repairs. Capturing and holding a Comm Tower will increase every unit's attack power by 10% per tower as long as they are held, providing a substantial bonus to any army that makes them prime targets for capture. Most maps will feature either no towers or one tower per player, with few exceptions.

Javier has his defense power increased by 10% per tower along with the attack boost and derives almost all of his power from these properties, making them his most crucial captures.

Missile Silo

Main article: Missile Silo

Missile Silos cannot be captured and are technically not considered properties, but share a few traits with the properties such as their low movement cost and high defense values.

Moving a footsoldier to one will give you the "Launch" command, which will launch the missile to the designated spot on the map. The missile does 3 HP damage to any unit within 2 spaces of the selected tile, regardless of unit type, but will never destroy a unit. Once used, the Silo is empty, and only functions as a 3 terrain feature. Sometimes maps will feature already-empty Silo tiles – again, there is nothing special about these tiles besides their terrain bonuses.

Capturing Properties

An Infantry performing a capture in-progress.

Most properties on AWBW maps start out as neutral, not owned by any player, and need to be captured in order to function. The only units capable of capturing are Infantry and Mechs. To begin a capture operation, move a footsoldier on top of the property, then select "Capture" from the action menu. The unit will then deduct its current HP value from the property's capture count (which begins at 20). The only exception to this rule is Sami, whose foot soldiers will capture cities at 150% speed (rounded down), or instantly regardless of unit HP during Victory March.

If a foot soldier is destroyed or leaves the property before the capture operation is completed, the capture counter will be reset to 20. If a unit performs a non-capturing action but does not leave the property (firing, for example), the capture operation will not progress, but it will also not reset, either. Most crucially, this includes join commands, which can restore the health of the capturing footsoldier and allow it to potentially complete a capture operation a turn faster or more. This is one of the ways to exert pressure on a capture, albeit at the cost of an extra unit.

Capturing properties is incredibly important as they provide funds, production, and repairs throughout the game. Capturing the opponent's HQ is also one of the ways to win a match.