Ladders
The Battles subscreen in the the War Room is where you can form new games, join existing games, or check on the status of games-in-progress.
You get to the Battles subscreen by pressing this button:
The left panel continues to accept and display chat for the Gathering you are presently in; the right panel shows a list of battles presently forming or in-progress. The button (picture) on the bottom of the battles list allows you to form your own games. Pressing this button brings up the Host screen.
Clicking on a battle in the Battles list will bring up a window with the current stats for that battle. If the battle is still forming you can join that battle if you want, or return to the War Room. If the battle is in-progress you will see the stats for that battle, including the number of units killed by each side.
Ladders

The Boneyards Ladders allow players to measure their skill and strategic prowess against fellow gamers. By rising through the ranks of these ladders, players will establish notoriety and fame as Total Annihilation: Kingdoms players.

A ladder is a list of players ranked by skill (or in some cases, another criteria). The best players are shown at the top of the list, those that need a little work at the bottom. A player's position in the ladder will rise or fall based on how well they fare against various opponents in specific types of games. Only registered members of the Boneyards community may participate in the ladders.

The Duel Ladder

Players who wish to be ranked in Total Annihilation: Kingdoms games against a single opponnent my play Duel type games, which are then ranked on the Duel Ladder. Duel games offer the purest form of skill rating of any of the ladders. Playing against a single opponent eliminates all external possibilities (e.g. excuses) for defeat.

Beginning a Duel Ladder match is easy with Boneyards' unique matchmaking capability -- you can also visit the chat screen to locate and find an opponent that matches your style of play.

During play, you'll wage war against your opponent no differently than you would a standard multiplayer game. During the game, the Boneyards server periodically stores current game information. When the game concludes, final scores, winners and losers, and other game information will be automatically recorded and applied to the ladder rankings. With Boneyards, all you have to do is play.

Winner Takes All

The Winner Takes All Ladder is quite similar in scope to the Duel Ladder. However, in a Winner Takes All match, players must face multiple opponents in an every-man-for-himself fight to the finish. These games offer the additional challenge of fighting against the combined might of several opponents. Tactics change drastically when a full assault against one opponent may leave you exposed to attack on other fronts...