Actually I'm getting asked questions like that elsewhere so here goes.
I've spent some time refining the game to the point where I'm now satisfied it does its job. The point of the game is to jockey for a battlefield that benefits you or at least doesn't benefit your opponent.
The concealed icons on the blocks simulate fog of war – an army initially doesn't know the location of its opponent, just that the opponent is in the vicinity.
The scout represents a small reconnaissance party (usually mounted horsemen in real life). The donkeys represent local inhabitants – herdsmen with their animals, that kind of thing.
If you can discover the enemy scout and army, then you might be able to move your own army into getting an advantageous battlefield, usually by letting the enemy army come to a square that suits you. More often though both armies are discovered and then the kudos come into play. They represent the reputation of the general with his men. Both armies know where the other is, there's no longer any need for concealment and the men are keen to fight. The general can rely on his reputation to avoid battle for a while until he finds a good enough battlefield but eventually he has to bow to the desire of his men to mix it up, and lead them to the enemy, regardless of the battlefield.
Now there's an idea: Optio generals have a variable command rating, from 0 to 5. Should I make that the number of kudos the player gets?
From the angle of playability, the kudos give the players a little more time to jockey for the terrain they want before finally closing for the battle. I think 6 are enough, at least for now.
What generally happens is that both players find a battlefield that doesn't decisively favour either, but has some good features for both – a hill for the one, some woods where the other can anchor a flank, and so on. Which is how it usually happened in real life.
discovers a lost dinosaur.
