Dominion of Darkness - my free cRPG/strategy Dark Lord simulator

[Adeptus]

"Dominion of Darkness” is a strategy/RPG text-based 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.

Note - one game takes about 1 hour, but the assumption is that you can play the game several times, each time making different decisions, getting different results and discovering something new. One "gameplay" shows only a small part of the whole.

I'm still developing the game, adding new plot and mechanics elements. They will probably continue to develop it for a long time. Nevertheless, the current version is very playable. It is available for free here: https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

If you are hesitant to play the game, I invite you to watch the reviews:

Indie Sampler (video):

[BOKC] BlancoKix (video):

For the next update I am thinking among others, about extending the Chosen One subplot. What do You think about it now? Is it too easy to deal with? Too difficult? What elements would you want to see in it?

And do you have any other proposals for the next update? Do you think some other element should be extended? Or do you have idea for a totally new feature You want to see in the game?

 

[Skatan]

Tried it for a bit, it was quite fun! Great idea, felt very old school in a good way. Didn't have time to finish, I spent maybe 30 turns or something like it. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Adeptus]

Thank You very much for playing and feedback!

 

[Adeptus]

Ok, in the meantime, I am still improving the game. Some of the things I added recently:

- extended economy - now You can destroy/help economy of the Free People in new and more meaningfull ways,

- extended Chosen One plot - now sometimes You can corrupt him.

Also - there is new review, in Choice Beat zine. You can read it below, or in the zine (page 30): https://www.flipsnack.com/choicebeat/choicebeat-issue-13/full-view.html

 

[Adeptus]

I have two news.

1. One of the players created and published fan song inspired by the game:





2.
I am planning another major update, focusing primarily on the endgame. Players focused on direct conquest will have new ways to find loot—portals to crazy, Lovecraftian worlds, discovering new lands, and a magical slumber to wait for the rebirth of old enemies/the emergence of new ones (and seeing how the world changes in their absence). For players more interested in the less brutal side of world domination, the options for managing the territories of our empire will be expanded. Will you allow orcs to overrun Dark Elf cities? Will schools focus on training engineers for the army and economy, or on brainwashing them into blind obedience? Furthermore, I'm expanding the Dark Lord's interactions with other characters, including available romances. Of course, new content requires testing, and since, as usual, it's highly non-linear and dependent on player decisions (plus random generation), I can't test every combination myself.

That's why I'm seeking the help of testers. All you need to do is play once—one playthrough lasts about 1.5 hours (as I mentioned, the game is highly non-linear and is meant to be played multiple times, each time revealing a different story) and send me a short report (specifically, indicating if you've spotted any obvious bugs).

Here is test version - no need for download, it is playable online in the browser: https://adeptus7.itch.io/playtesting

 

[Adeptus]

Update is here! As alaywas, You can play the game for free, without the need to register or download: https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

And another news - here is hand-drawn fanart of the game, by LowestfromHeaven

An author used it in his fan video:



And here is another new fan video:

 

[Skatan]

Did a new trial run a few days ago actually. I took the seduction god and focused on influencing humans mostly and a bit of elves. Thought it went well, I had summoned demons etc and then I ran out of time, the dwarves had nukes and I was insta-dead. Gotta admit, that was a rather blunt ending

 

[Adeptus]

Did a new trial run a few days ago actually. I took the seduction god and focused on influencing humans mostly and a bit of elves. Thought it went well, I had summoned demons etc and then I ran out of time, the dwarves had nukes and I was insta-dead. Gotta admit, that was a rather blunt ending

Thank You very much for playing and feedback!



This is Joanna Szatecka (Instagram) (photo: Fine Art Wiktor) and her vision of the female Despotic Tyrant player character from the Twine RPG/strategy game Dominion of Darkness - Dark Lord/Lady Simulator: https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

She is a LARP organizer: https://www.facebook.com/BialyGryfLARPY

I thank her very much!