Resources (Warlords III)

There are only two core resources in Warlords III, Gold and Mana

Gold
Gold is the primary resource of the game, being used for almost all manner of production and development. There is no maximum capacity to gold, though if you ever run out of gold AND your income runs negative, your units will randomly disband on the field. If the situation is inevitable, you may wish to pre-emptively disband those armies you can afford to lose.

You can gain gold per turn from:
 * Controlling Cities (which may have a gold-producing Site)
 * Having a Hero with the Income Ability or Spell

You can gain a lump sum of gold from:
 * Completing a Quest and selecting gold as the reward
 * Randomly from exploring a Ruin
 * Capturing a City and then Pillage or Sacking it
 * Selling any acquired Items

You use gold to:
 * Rebuild a City that was razed
 * Upgrade a City to the next level of fortress
 * Purchase the production of an Army in a City
 * Pay for the Upkeep of your Armies
 * Hire a new Hero (except your first, which comes free at the beginning of the game)
 * Hire Mercenaries that come offering their services
 * Bribe other players (makes the AI hate you that little bit less)

Mana
Mana is a resource used exclusively for casting and maintaining Spells.

There are three colours of mana: White, Black, and Grey. Each City produces mana of a specific colour, and each Side only uses mana of a specific colour. If there is a mismatch, you do not gain that income. Users of Grey mana however can use both Black and White sources.

Throughout the game, you may also acquire Mana Crystals, which are not physically present on the game field nor can you lose them. Each Mana Crystal gives you +1 Max Mana and +1 Mana Income.

Mana is consumed only in the casting of Spells. For Spells that provide an ongoing effect, its casting cost is subtracted every turn until you cancel the spell or run out of mana (in which case the spell dispels itself).