There you were, living your life. Maybe you were a bad person, and so you couldn't be too surprised to have received such a letter. Maybe you knew you were destined for greatness, and so the summons was no more than your just due. Or maybe you were with your family, in love and happy, and was horrified when a twisted hand reached out from the pool of blood and handed you a letter that ruined it all.
Greetings to my most Dark and Terrible Councilor,
Yes, the letter is for you. You may be surprised or stunned (perhaps even outright distraught!) to have received this message from your Darkest Lord and God. Do not worry, I am a “sometimes” forgiving Master, as you will learn!
Ahh, you may say, “Well, I do not recall ever signing my immortal soul to the Iron Tyrant of the North, Lord and Master of Ur-Garoth!” Luckily for you, one of your ancestors from a thousand years ago swore their souls and the soul of one of their descendants to my service.
Or, perhaps, unluckily.
If you are stuttering in disbelief or terror right now, breathe.
Take some time to process things, it is not everyday that a pool of blood forms and hands a letter to you. Though, honestly, you can’t really be too surprised to see that the message within is claiming your soul and eternal service.
Okay, have you collected yourself? Excellent, that is the poise I expect out of a future Dark Councilor!
You see, I am in a bit of a situation. Have been for some time. The Three Gods of Light (my condolences on being forever damned, by the way, feel free to take another breather) defeated me and sealed me beneath the ruins of my own citadel. They did a rather thorough job, but not a perfect one. They entrusted the maintenance of my prison to Man, and Man has grown rather forgetful and lax in keeping me sealed.
The wards binding me are the weakest they have ever been. I can almost escape, but that would doom me. The Three would be free to confront me in the fullness of their power and seal me away for good.
But!
As long as I remain in my prison, the Three dare not directly encroach upon the world, for that would let me free in the fullness of my power as well. The devastation our fight would cause would be cataclysmic. And so they will not directly oppose me, preferring to let their mortals “show bravery and valor” and the “power of love and friendship”.
Let them have it. We, my most Dark and Cunning Councilor, will build an army.
An army that will crush all in its path, that will tread upon hope to reach the very gates of Heaven. Red shall cover our steel, and fires of our hatred will burn against this world. Fate will oppose us, but even should we fail I promise that a thousand years from now they will speak of our Legion of Darkness in hushed whispers.
Join me, come to Ur-Garoth, and take your place upon the Dark Council.
Or don’t, and I will come to you.
Signed,
The Doom of the World, Darkest Lord and God, Iron Tyrant of the North, Master of Ur-Garoth
Welcome to Dark Designs, where you design and lead the armies of said Dark Lord to conquer the world. About half the game is creating and voting on Designs for your army, like in an Arms Race/Design Bureau. The other half is directing your armies on the field of battle. There may also be bits where you can RP your Dark Counselor.
All players are on the same team, working to overcome the forces of Goodness and Light through (possibly) cunning strategies.
This will by my first time running a game like this. If this is your first time in a game like this, please feel welcome! If you are an experienced veteran of many Arms Races/Design Bureaus, also feel welcome! I am not a veteran of many games, and am not trying to replicate those game's experiences. Keeping that in mind. . .
There are 3 “Phases” of the game. The Design Phase, where you come up with original creatures, unit types, and spells. The Revision Phase, where you can make alterations to existing designs and create variants of the units. And then we will have the Strategy/Battle phase, where you will guide your army in key battles.
Design: Here you design or create creatures, units, spells, or infrastructure. Provide a name, at least a sentence or two of physical description, and what they do/what role they provide. I will role a d6 to give the results of the production of the design.
You will have at least one design in each category (Shaping, Artifice, and Magic) and an additional design for a category based on which Lord Archetype was chosen. You can design Champions, skilled units that you can direct on the battlefield. Designed Champions (vs revised Champions) are functionally immortal, either because they are actually immortal or the position is inherited by a successor who is as skilled or even more so. Champions can and will fall in battle (often to opposing Heroes), but designed Champions will return.
Shaping Designs: Here is where you design and create the dark creatures that will enact your evil plans. You can create both humanoid-like creatures (like the orcs you start with, skaven-like beings, or even humans) alongside monstrous units (like trolls or dragons). Note, recruiting from a natural population will be the same difficulty as homegrowing one. Mounts would also be included in this category.
Artifice Designs: These designs are for the creation of equipment for you minions to use, and how they use them. Examples would be units (like heavy infantry or archers), machines (like catapults), and artifacts (like an Ultimate Evil Sword of Darkness). You include all the equipment that a unit might need in a Design, so heavy infantry equipped with heavy armor, sword, shield, ability to use them and desired role of the unit would all be a part of the design.
Magic Designs: Magic Designs are the designs that are concerned with spells and spell casters. Your avatar will most likely be able to cast any spell, and spell casters can combine their power to cast a spell at need, at the cost of efficiency. Spells (like fireball) and spellcasters (like acolytes) come in tiers, with higher tier spellcasters being able to cast spells at equal or lower tiers.
Designs and Revisions will roll a six sided die. The results of the die will correspond with the results of your Design or Revision as follows:
1: A Major Flaw. A setback, or several minor ones, occur during the implementation of your design.
2.A Minor Flaw. Your design has a minor hiccup during the production process, or an unrevealed oversight reveals itself..
3/4: Your design goes off without a hitch. Receives neither bonus or malus
5: Minor Bonus. Your design works unexpectedly well.
6. A Major Bonus: Something large goes your way while creating these Designs.
Difficulty of Designs:
The difficulty is determined on how ambitious your goals are. However, don't be afraid to be ambitious in your designs for the Dark Lord! Generally the more “magical” or ”supernatural” effects you layer on, the more difficult the design will be. This can be offset by controlling the quantity of units you produce, and you will have chances to procure bonus to make designs easier. Difficulty levels proceed like this:
Normal: no penalty
Hard: -1 to die roll
Very Hard: - 2 to die roll.
Extreme: -3 to die roll.
You will not need to Design or Revise Infrastructure, those would be considered to part of the unit or creature's design/implementation. You can design greater Infrastructure, and those can improve the quantity and quality of your units.
Infrastructure is locked until you conquer Ur-Garoth.
Tier List: The tier list is meant to give a general idea of the composition of your army and that of enemy forces. Every tier does not need to be filled. Tiers decrease in size as they go up in number (and probably increase in power, but not necessarily). Keep in mind these are more guidelines versus hard and fast numbers.
0: The bulk of your forces, these are your lowest common denominator of your forces. Usually there are only 1 or 2 of these units. Usually least trained and equipped, and churned out in large numbers.
1: Significant block of forces. This Tier might make up anywhere from a quarter to a half of your army. Probably made up of your main trained infantry force.
2: Moderate size. Meant for more specialized units or “elite” infantry. Range from around a tenth of your forces to a quarter.
3. Small . For elite and very specialized forces. Each unit will be less than a tenth of your forces.
4. Very small. Think handpicked bodyguards and very elite units.
5. Single or unique units. There may be a handful of each on the battlefield.
In this phase you have an opportunity to revise your designs. This is an opportunity to fix any “flaws” in your designs, or fill a gap in your forces or spell book that you may not have the Designs to fill. Revisions are category agnostic, you get 2 Revisions a turn that you can use as you see fit. Generally revisions are not as strong as designs, but are still intended to be useful. You can use a revision to create a Champion, who can be just as strong as a Designed Champion, but Revised Champions are not functionally immortal, and can die in battle.
So, essentially, my guiding thought on Designs and Revisions are that Designs are your big brush strokes of creation, with few restrictions. Revisions are you working with the paint that has already been on the canvas and working around and with the broad strokes you painted earlier.
What does this mean? Well, you have several different avenues. I generally want to avoid a basic "Just a +1 to power." You should be somewhat specific on what you want to change. So avoid "Same, just better" revisions.
So what can you do? You can make modifications, which can include making variants, and fix flaws. As long as your proposal is similar to those, you are probably good. Modifications can be stripping armor to make lighter infantry, adapting a sub-type to work better in absolute darkness, or changing the attributes of a spell. A variant can include officers, and other "elite" units which is allowed because I consider that taking "points" from "quantity" and changing it to "quality" (I am putting those in quotation marks because there are not actual points or stats (that you can see)).
Your revisions can and will make things more effective, but the main purpose is taking your units and making adjustments, or even entire reshaping of the unit into something unrecognizable, but you are mostly stuck with the "raw material" you got. You aren't getting a free lunch, but it does come with fries.
So yeah, revisions may be a bit less exciting that full on Designs, but this is chance to show your creativity! Or just fill in the cracks that you can't justify a full Design on fixing.
This phase is where you will direct your forces in battle. Depending on the size of the battle, and the organization of your army and leadership capabilities, you will have a variable amount of units to give basic orders. Orders will be more along the lines of which flank to attack, and how many to hold in reserve, vs detailed orders. Your champions may receive more detailed orders depending on the situation. Your avatar will also be able to perform special actions or rituals. There will be at least two phases to every battle, and possibly more based on how the battle goes.
The Three, All that is Light and Good Opposing you are the forces of Light, and a powerful foe they are. The Three themselves will eventually come for you, but they will give an opportunity for their mortal servants to prove themselves in defeating you. In facing you directly, they would weaken their own bindings on your power, and the battle between you would be ruinous. So as long as their mortal followers have a chance at victory, the Three will refrain from direct action against you.
Their aid will likely come in several forms.
First, they will bestow
Providence, from the
Fateweaver. Fortune and good luck will favor their forces. Their scouts will stumble upon your ambushes, their cavalry will arrive when you are at your most exposed. That archer will land the one-in-a million shot that will hit your favorite dragon’s one vulnerability. . . But Providence is limited. It cannot turn a total defeat into an outright victory on its own, and there are only so many times the Fateweaver can twist one’s fortune until it snaps. It is an advantage, to be sure, but it can be overcome with cleverness and varied approaches.
Second, they will bestow
Armaments, from the
Warrior. Enchanted with the light of the heavens, they have the power to destroy you. They can rend your magics and your most fearsome armor. They overcome any enchantment or curse you place, given enough time. Luckily they are rare, and you can corrupt them to your own purposes should you win them in battle.
Lastly, they will be led by
Heros, chosen by the
Mother. They carry the banner of heaven into battle, the greatest of your foes. They possess supernatural skill, stronger than the average mortal, and can call upon the powers of the Gods directly. They are granted Providence in abundance, and often wield the deadliest Armaments. To counter them you can raise up your own Champions, and defeating them can yield valuable rewards.
Of course, you are the Dark Lord, in whose shadow the nations of the world tremble. You have cunning, and the power to shape that cunning into weapons and creatures of war. Your knowledge is vast, having seen the birth of the world and it’s shaping. Vast armies will answer to your call, and earth-shattering magics bend to your will. Who else could oppose you except those blessed beyond measure?
But first, you need to remember what you were. . .
Creating the Dark Lord
Name:
Form: What shape does the Avatar of the Dark Lord take? Additional bonus if you include a feature that can change as the Dark Lord grows in power.
Archetype: Determines which additional Design you may use, and general methodology in creation and battle. Archetypes include:
A. The Shaper: Receive a bonus Design concerning creation and mutation of monsters and biological modifications(Shaping Category). You forge creatures as others would weapons to better serve your purposes. Example: Dragons, Berserker Orcs
Beneath your fingers you shape and fold life and magic. From spawning vats to egg hatcheries, you have become a master of creation and distortion. To you, the laws of nature are more like … suggestions.
B. The Artificer: Extra Design concerning machines and equipment(Artifice Category). Also includes the training of units. Example: Dragon Riders, Doom Catapults, Legion Captains
You were there when the laws of the world were spoken into being, when the mountains were raised and fire discovered. But it was the workings of the mortals that seized your heart.
C. The Sorcerer: Extra Design concerning magic and spellcasters (Magic Category). Deals with both creating spellcasters and their magic they can use. Example: Raise Dead spell. Dark Wizard (III)
Twisted and fickle, magic came back to your hand. You know and love it, for its terrible beauty and enchanting destruction.
Remember that you are playing as a Dark Lord fated to fall. There will be Chosen Ones destined to take you out, reinforcements coming over the hill at an unfortunate moment, and improbable escapes off tall cliffs. So, with everything stacked against you, how do you win?
I will do my best to not rein you in too tightly on your designs. You can and should go ambitious. Biggest limiter is probably going to be quantity. Its one thing to make one suit of enchanted plate, quite another to make 100 or more. Your infrastructure and access to rare resources you need will grow as you conquer more lands.
Also, keep in mind that your opponents will keep it competitive. If you somehow make your whole army invisible, your enemy will bound to have a spell or blessing that will either let them see you, or strip your invisibility. But the Three are not all powerful, they can only aid in that way so many times. Keep your designs varied, don't rely on one trick or one superweapon to work. They will blow up your Death Star.
Heroes and Champions will (probably) have big roles. Your Champions will die, but they may take out a Hero with them. Taking out Heroes give you rewards (TBD how much).
Also, remember to have fun with it!
(First we need to make our Dark Lord! If you want to RP as your Dark Councilor feel free. Ask if you have questions about the rules if there is anything unclear. Your First Design phase will take place once the Dark Lord is decided upon, and I will lay out your first challenge in conquering the world.)
