"Dominion of Darkness" - simulator of the Dark Lord/Lady

[Adeptus]

Dominion of Darkness” is a strategy/RPG text game in which the player takes on the role of a Sauron-style Lord of Darkness with the goal of conquering the world. He will carry out his plans by making various decisions. He will build his army and send it into battles, weave intrigues and deceptions, create secret spy networks and sectarian cults, recruit agents and commanders, corrupt representatives of Free Peoples and sow discord among them, collect magical artifacts and perform sinister plots. Note – one game takes about 1 hour, but the premise is that the game can be approached several times, each time making different decisions, getting different results and discovering something new. Feedback is very much welcome. Very, very much. Altough playable, it is still not ultimate version and I am thinking of expanding it.

Here You can play:https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

Spoiler

Hi,

I created text game. I am sorry, but it's in Polish. I hope that some Poles are active in this forum, so I am inserting it here.

„Mroczne rządy” to strategiczna gra tekstowa, w której gracz wciela się we Władcę Ciemności w stylu Saurona, mając za cel podbicie świata. Będzie realizował swoje plany podejmując różne decyzje. Będzie budował swoją armię i wysyłają ją do bitew, snuł intrygi i podstępy, tworzył tajne siatki szpiegowskie i sekciarskie kulty, werbował agentów i dowódców, korumpował przedstawicieli Wolnych Ludów i siał między nimi niezgodę, gromadził magiczne artefakty i przeprowadzał złowieszcze rytuały. Gra jest dostępna w dwóch wersjach.
ersja „papierowa”: https://www.mediafire.com/file/i2r5nlo0nv8b9h7/Mroczne_Rządy_1.0.pdf/file . Plik PDF zawiera 145 stron. Gracz musi samodzielnie losować efekty zdarzeń przy użyciu kart i prowadzić zapiski obrazujące sytuację jego sił i świata. Ostrzegam – część testerów twierdziła, że ta wersja jest skomplikowana i łatwo się w niej pogubić.
Wersja elektroniczna: https://www.mediafire.com/file/bdi9i1j1ajfxbzq/Mroczne_Rządy_(e)_1.20.html/file . Jest to plik html otwierający się w przeglądarce. W tym przypadku komputer dokonuje wszystkich obliczeń i zapisuje zmienne będące wynikami wydarzeń i decyzji gracza. Wersja elektroniczna nie jest prostym przełożeniem papierowej, zawiera wiele odmiennych elementów, jak np. wybór płci i „profesji” naszego złoczyńcy. Uwaga – jedna rozgrywka zajmuje ok. 1 godziny, ale założenie jest takie, że do gry podchodzić można kilka razy, za każdym razem podejmując inne decyzje, otrzymując inne rezultaty i odkrywać coś nowego. Bardzo proszę o opinie. Bardzo, bardzo.

Aha, pewna miła youtuberka opublikowałą recenzję gry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBe7uhB5QZY

 

[Adeptus]

Sorry, I forgotten add in the title "Polich language only". I can't edit it now - so I please moderators to aad it, please.

 

[Adeptus]

Hi. Some time ago I published my game with you. It did not arouse any interest. No wonder, since it was in Polish. But I managed to translate it into English, so I am publishing a new version. "Dark Reign" is a text-based simulator of the Lord of Darkness. The player will recruit monsters, create spy networks and sects in the kingdoms of the Free Peoples, murder or corrupt heroes, recruit agents, collect magical artifacts, compete with other forces of evil, weave intrigues and make conquests. The game is in an html file, runs in the browser - but works offline, does not connect to the Internet. Comments are very welcome, both on the game itself and the language layer.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/w6eaze9oux9k3vp/Dark_Reign_1.2.html/file
If any of you encounter an error where a blank screen appears with no option to choose or continue gameplay, please go back (this is the only situation where it's worth using the undo option) and send me a screen shot of the screen immediately preceding the blank screen (so you can see the stats).
Best regards.

 

[Adeptus]

"Dominion of Darkness” is a strategy/RPG text game in which the player takes on the role of a Sauron-style Lord of Darkness with the goal of conquering the world. He will carry out his plans by making various decisions. He will build his army and send it into battles, weave intrigues and deceptions, create secret spy networks and sectarian cults, recruit agents and commanders, corrupt representatives of Free Peoples and sow discord among them, collect magical artifacts and perform sinister plots. Note – one game takes about 1 hour, but the premise is that the game can be approached several times, each time making different decisions, getting different results and discovering something new. Feedback is very much welcome. Very, very much. Altough playable, it is still not ultimate version and I am thinking of expanding it.

Here You can play:https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

 

[d1nolore]

I played it through a couple of times. Writing is good, did you write it up all yourself?

 

[Adeptus]

Thank You very much! Yes, I wrote it by myself. I am afraid that it can be clumsy, because I am not English native speaker.

I would want to ask moderators to delete first three post, please - because they are not relevant now.

 

[True Ukrainian]

Neat game.

 

[Adeptus]

Thank You very much! As I wrote, this is not final version, so if You have any suggestions what should be improved, I will gladly read them.

 

[True Ukrainian]

More chances to use your heroes. I recruited the dark knight hero and used him just twice during the play through.

 

[flabbyjack]

Cool stuff. I'll check it out.

 

[Adeptus]

@ True Ukrainian
Noted! At now, I plan to add more expeditions, like artifact searching, on which You wil be able to send Your henchmen.

flabbyjack
Thanks for Your interest. Well, this version is still quite simplistic... But I hope that You will enjoy it at least a bit.

 

[d1nolore]

Adding more gameplay elements would improve it. Also including small things to the layout can have an improvement with small time investment such as adding unit icons for troop stats etc, maybe a panel displaying which hero’s you have recruited.

 

[True Ukrainian]

Being able to do more things with your troops would be good too. Now all you can do with them is raid and the occasional quest. Since all you need is 8 influence to get a faction to surrender during your rise to power, it's much better to spend turns building influence rather than recruiting troops.

 

[Adeptus]

@d1nolore

Adding more gameplay elements would improve it.

Yes, of course You are right, but question is - what gameplay elements
At now, my main concepts are:
- deepening the management of your own domain - at the moment there are only occasional events in which you can spend wealth to improve it, I plan to add a system in which the player will be able to put various buildings that give bonuses on an ongoing basis,
- adding an additional land to conquer/corrupt, a merchant republic in the south,
- the addition of an area covered with the ruins of the fallen empire of witch-kings, to which it will be possible to send expeditions under the command of the player character / his henchmen,
- deepening the ways of infiltrating kingdoms - instead of clicking the abstract "increase your influence", the player will be able to create/enhance specific organizations within each kingdom, which will have additional effects, organizations will also interact with each other more often, sometimes to the benefit, sometimes to the detriment of the player,
- addition of elemental choice for the player - this will primarily affect the flavor of his spells, but in addition, new additional races of minions/enemies will be associated with each element, in addition, the element will be able to affect the available cults, e.g. a character with the element of earth will be able to create an agricultural cult as a cover for his spies.

True Ukrainian
Well, there are already some events in which Your Fortress is attacked or one of the kingdom is conquered by some competing supernatural force - and in such cases You can;t win without any army. Their occurence is based partially on RNG, partially on Your decision and they don't occur in each gameplay, but made resignation from developin an army risky decision... But I guess i should add more of them.

 

[Adeptus]

There is first video review of the game in English language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM6f4UCEgWU .

 

[Adeptus]

Reworked version is ready in about 50%. I hope that I will finish it in two months. It won't mean that I will stop adding new content, but I think that all main mechanics would be ready.
There are two new reviews:
- Dad's Game Review (podcast): https://www.dadsgamereview.com/blog/
- [BOKC] BlancoKix (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgNpSKToOSg

 

[Adeptus]

Hello!
I prepared big update. Of course there are many tweaks and fixes, and some new features like:
- harpies and serpentmen are now reruitable for Tempter character,
- new expedition to Witchlands, land once ruled by civilization older even than Your character,
- new possible way to victory by discovery of ancient secrets and accomplishment of the magical Great Work, including new endings,
- male Tempter and Warmonger can take a consort, which brings mechanical benefits and story elements.

Of course new content bring risk of the new bugas and problems with balance, so I am searching for playtesters. If You are interested, please write to me at: brat.dominik@op.pl .
(New features, mentioned above, are currently NOT avalaible in stable version of the game, published on itch.io).

 

[Adeptus]

OK so it is time for the promised update!
https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

It contains all things I wrote previously about, which means:
- harpies and serpentmen are now reruitable for Tempter character,
- new expedition to Witchlands, land once ruled by civilization older even than Your character,
- new possible way to victory by discovery of ancient secrets and accomplishment of the magical Great Work, including new endings,
- male Tempter and Warmonger can take a consort, which brings mechanical benefits and story elements.

But there are also some surprise, other elements I added in the meantime:
- choice of element your character specialize in. It has influence on spellcasting and unblocks some new events;
- new ways for defeating enemy kingdoms, connected with profession of your character. Warmonger can initiate full-scale total ware between elves and dwarves, Destroyer of Life can start vampire apocalypse, Tyrant can summon hosts of angeldemons from Infernal Heaven and Temptress can seduce king Janos.

And of course many lesser changes, fixes and new events.

Some plans for the future:

- make elemental focus more significant by adding big questchains connected to it - e.g. as Water focused character You will be able to wake ancient sea leviathan and as Fire focused one, to create your own fiery "Mordor",

- add some new "final bosses" with which You will have to deal after conquering Free Peoples,

- add new special ending in which You go back in time to won first war (mentioned in prologue).

Many thanks for all people who pla this game and give me feedback! Please, remember to rate the game. Or if You prefer to support my creative process financially, I invite You to: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/adeptus . But still, feedback is more important than money!

Oh, BTW, I invite You to listen to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgkSmj55jl0
or read: https://adeptusrpg.wordpress.com/2023/12/17/all-children-of-the-mother-short-story/ "All Children of the Mother", short story featuring one of the characters You can meet and fight in "Dominion of Darkness". But beware of spoilers!

Happy New Year!