In Supremacy 1914, players are ranked by their Index of Power score, or 'IoP.' This number, displayed beside each player's name in the Daily European, is relative and denotes the share of power across all players participating in the match.

There are two main routes to increasing your own IoP, and you can prioritise one over the other, or balance your efforts across both.

The first path to victory is all about your nation's power and stability. You can increase your IoP by doing the following:

As you send your armies beyond the frontline and into enemy territory, you will simultaneously damage their IoP and increase your own, and so world domination is the most obvious route to victory.

That said, Supremacy 1914 is all about long-term strategy, and so it will not be that simple. You must also ensure that your economy can keep up with your ambitions, which means you must also keep an eye on your own territory.

Building and upgrading structures within territory that you control is not only an essential part of keeping your army fed, fuelled and fighting, it also increases your IoP - so keeping up with your neighbours' economic and industrial developments is absolutely necessary for winning the game.

Finally, the lifeblood of your nation - its people. Without civilians to keep your factories running and your infrastructure operational, you cannot rightfully call yourself a leader. Their morale is measured on a province-specific basis, and the higher your overall morale, the better your Index of Power.

The Index of Power is a relative number, and can fluctuate depending on the performance of your neighbours and rivals. While this global arms race may seem intimidating at first, as you feel the pressure to develop your nation and outpace your enemies, it also opens up a few sneaky ways to grab an advantage.

Remember that the IoP is affected by the structures a nation controls, and the morale of that nation's people, and what this means for you:

The 20th century saw many developments and advances in military technology, and these will be of great use to you in your endeavours. Positioning artillery pieces and warships in range of enemy territory will allow you to order the bombardment of enemy buildings. You can also task bomber squadrons with these missions, and lay waste to cities that may be too well-defended or distant to reasonably invade with your ground forces. The ensuing destruction will push the enemy's Index of Power down, which will in turn improve your own.

This will also be enormously detrimental to the morale of the provinces you strike, and the enemy's IoP will similarly suffer. You can compound this effect by sending spies on sabotage and misinformation campaigns, resulting in great effects with no risk to your own forces.

So there you have it - if you want to rule the world, you must start by mastering your own nation, and understanding the resources at your disposal. Good luck in the field, General.