Mechanic · resources & economy · turn-based strategy

Action points

A limited allowance that determines how many actions a player or character can take before a turn ends.

draftAlso: action point system, action points system, action economyUpdated 2026-10-22
On this page
  1. Character pools
  2. Related
  3. Games
  4. References
  5. Sources

Action points limit how many actions a character can manage in a turn, as Body Points do in Genghis Khan II1. Genghis Khan instead grants a fixed order allowance by territory, while its sequel charges commands to a character’s pool2,3.

  • Fixed orders Genghis Khan (1989). Each season the player gives three orders in the base country and one in each directly controlled country4,2.
  • Character pool Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf (1992). Commands consume Body Points, and characters differ in their maximum; a command fails if the character cannot pay its cost5,3.

#Character pools

In Genghis Khan II, Body Points range from 0 to 156. Illness and injury can lower them temporarily, and they may decline with age6. A character with higher political ability spends fewer Body Points on the same command; the manual’s listed command costs assume grade E7.

The game’s review describes Body Points as limiting how many actions a character can manage in a turn, more than measuring health1. The manual also says low Body Points make a character more likely to die8. This implementation therefore couples action capacity with character condition.

See also

Games

GameYearHowNote
Nobunaga's Ambition1986Fixed ordersone order per fief per season; a loan, and on the computer original Grant and Other, leave it unspent
Genghis Khan1987Fixed ordersthree orders in the base country and one in each directly controlled country per season
Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf1992Character poolBody Points, spent on every command
Every claim about this mechanic, by game (6)
Nobunaga's Ambition 1986A turn is one season, four to a year, and each fief the player rules gives one order per season, so a player with more fiefs gets more orders.Manual
Some actions don't use up a fief's order. On the NES, a loan from the merchant leaves the order free; the PC-98 manual says the same of Grant orders for vassal fiefs and of the Other options.Manual
Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf 1992Every command costs Body Points, a character's maximum differs from others', and a command needs enough Body Points to be carried out.Manual
Body Points run from 0 to 15; illness and injury can lower them for a time, and they may decline with age.Manual
A character with higher political ability spends fewer Body Points on the same command, and the manual's listed costs are for ability E.Manual
Electronic Games' review describes Body Points as a limit on how many actions a character can manage in a turn, more than a measure of health.Magazine

References

  1. ^ abElectronic Games' review describes Body Points as a limit on how many actions a character can manage in a turn, more than a measure of health.MagazineDille 1994, Electronic Games
    How we know
    Body points are less a reflection of health (as in the hit point system) as they are a limit of the number of actions a character can realistically manage in a turn.
    p. 95 · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

    In the claim ledger

  2. ^ abA year has four turns, one per season; each turn the player gives three orders in the base country and one in each directly controlled country.ManualKoei, Genghis Khan NES manual · Koei, Genghis Khan Famicom manual (JP)
    How we know
    You have one turn for every season of the year, thus four turns per year. You may issue three orders from your base country per turn, one order from each vassal state under direct control.
    pp. 5–6, How to Play · archived copy ↗
    １年に春・夏・秋・冬の４回、ターン（命令を出す順番）がまわってきます。１ターンにつき、本国では３回、直轄地では１回の命令を出すことができます
    p. 5 (PDF p. 7) · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    In the claim ledger

  3. ^ abEvery command costs Body Points, a character's maximum differs from others', and a command needs enough Body Points to be carried out.ManualKoei, Genghis Khan II SNES manual
    How we know
    Every command you carry out consumes Body Points. … Maximum Body Points differ from character to character. You will be unable to carry out a command if you do not have enough Body Points.
    p. 15, Body Points · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

    In the claim ledger

  4. ^Koei's Genghis Khan came out on the Famicom in Japan on 20 April 1989 and on the NES in North America in January 1990.WikidataWikidata
    How we know
    +1989-04-20T00:00:00Z … +1990-01-00T00:00:00Z
    Q17190863, P577 statements A94A7FA3 (P400 Q172742, P291 Q17) and DF7306C9 (P400 Q172742, P291 Q49) · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    In the claim ledger

  5. ^Wikidata dates Genghis Khan II to 30 July 1992, its Super Famicom release in Japan to 7 April 1993, and its SNES release in North America to October 1993.WikidataWikidata
    How we know
    +1992-07-30T00:00:00Z … +1993-04-07T00:00:00Z … +1993-10-00T00:00:00Z
    Q2345478, P577 statements 2315296B (unqualified, one reference), 3163723F (P400 Q183259, P291 Q17), and 908ED2FA (P400 Q183259, P291 Q49) · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

    In the claim ledger

  6. ^ abBody Points run from 0 to 15; illness and injury can lower them for a time, and they may decline with age.ManualKoei, Genghis Khan II SNES manual
    How we know
    Body Points (0-15) … Illness and injury may temporarily lower this number. It may also decrease as the character ages. … As one gets older, Body Points may decline.
    p. 20, Body Points; Age · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

    In the claim ledger

  7. ^A character with higher political ability spends fewer Body Points on the same command, and the manual's listed costs are for ability E.ManualKoei, Genghis Khan II SNES manual
    How we know
    A character with "A" political ability needs fewer Body Points than one with "E" ability for the same command (see Character Data on page 19). The Body Point costs in the command descriptions are based on Ability E characters.
    p. 15, Body Points · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

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  8. ^Old characters may die, sooner with low Body Points or serious illness, and the death of a ruler, governor, or advisor calls for a successor.ManualKoei, Genghis Khan II SNES manual
    How we know
    Old characters may pass away. A character with a low Body Point count or serious illness is more likely to expire. When a Ruler (see Successor on page 13), Governor, or Advisor passes away, you must select a Successor.
    p. 40, Demise of Characters · archived copy ↗

    The quote matches our archived copy.

    Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-21.

    In the claim ledger

Sources

Primary

  • Corporation, Koei. 1990. “Genghis Khan: Instruction Manual (NES-GX-USA).” Koei Corporation (Burlingame, California). original · archived · licence, all uses
  • Koei. 1989. “蒼き狼と白き牝鹿・ジンギスカン 取扱説明書 (Aoki Ōkami to Shiroki Mejika: Genghis Khan, Famicom manual, KOE-GX).” Koei (光栄). original · archived · licence, all uses
  • Corporation, Koei. 1993. “Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf, Super NES instruction manual.” Koei Corporation (Burlingame, California). original · archived · licence, all uses

Secondary