The War of the Dark God

Scenario description (beta test edition).

© Morten Larsen

Enter the Dark God.

The War of the Dark God is about to begin. It will end when either all seven dark obelisks are in place or when all existing obelisks have been destroyed and the Old Gods again reign supreme.

Here follows a description of the sixteen player positions in the War of the Dark God scenario. The military and economic concerns of each nation are described along with a summary of any special powers. The positions are arranged in two opposing factions: The Minions of the Dark God versus The Alliance. Nations from different factions cannot have more friendly relations than "neutral" while nations from the same faction cannot have relations less friendly than "neutral".

The eight nations or powers following Ozzaxytl have the common goal of establishing the seven obelisks, preferably destroying the nations following the Old Gods in the process. To establish the obelisks they must gain control of the seven power spot hexes.

Special Powers: The Sorcerer has great magical powers and knows a variety of spells, including some strike spells. He has assistant sorcerers who also have magical powers but no power over demons. The Sorcerer can even teleport himself, with or without others, but this requires great magical energies.

Neighbours: The nearest allies are the Trolls, quite a distance to the southwest. The nearest enemies are the Northern Isles to the north (but they are unable to land directly on the rocky shores of the Sorcerer’s realm) and the Order of Quama, plus the ever-present Druids.

Military: The Beast Master recruits his armies from the beast-men living in the wilderness. He and his minions can also sometimes ally with the monsters wandering the lands, or at least with those which have intelligence. No upkeep or creation cost is paid for this army, but the recruiting base is limited in any one place, and it takes time to find and organise the wary beast-men.

Economy: The Beast Master does not care for the coins of civilisation, nor does he need any mana. However, some of his follower beast-men have special powers that require enchantment mana. They have some inherent mana in them but additional mana can be obtained by gaining certain artefacts.

Special Powers: Some of the Beast Master’s initial followers have minor magical ability. Among their spells are strike spells and knowledge finding spells. The Beast Master "nation" can demolish cities which they gain control of (and score victory points for it).

Neighbours: The nearest allies are the Snakemen, some distance north, and the Trolls, a somewhat further distance southwest. The nearest enemies are the Elves of Windwood, not too far northwest, and the Druids.

Military: The scaly skin of the snakemen is a natural armour and they can fight fiercely with clubs and stones or using their teeth. With proper weapons and training, however, they become comparable to human heavy infantry, only more mobile. Some tribes fight mounted on the large lizard-like "dzareks", two armoured warriors on the back of each beast. Some can quickly make reed boats when needed and thus travel on rivers or lakes or even on the ocean, if they stay near the coast.

Economy: The armies of the snakemen only have to be supplied with food, not gold, which is rather fortunate as the nation is extremely poor. The main problem facing the snakemen is the lack of weapons for their armies. Their lands have little metal ore and except for food they do not have much to trade.

Special Powers: None, other than those listed under military.

Military: The trolls can muster hordes of goblin troops, equipped with spears or crude swords, some riding fierce wolves. These goblin troops are weak and cowardly, at lest compared to proper troll soldiers, but there are not that many trolls to recruit quality troops from. Troll soldiers are well known for the extreme rapidity with which their wounds heal; wounds suffered in battle one day will be completely gone the next.

Economy: The trolls mine their mountains for gold and metals for their weapons. They get wood and food from the forested foothills. Their shaman draws his enchantment mana from certain gems occasionally found in the mines.

Special Powers: Trolls are very good at tunnelling and sapping work and thus quite good at bypassing or destroying enemy fortifications. The kingdom has a shaman who knows a few minor spells.

Neighbours: The only really close allies are the Gnomes, immediately south. Other than that, the closest are the Pirates of Pyr, some distance southwest across the ocean. Enemies are the High Elves, very close towards the west, and the Druids and the Elves of Windwood, both fairly close towards the north.

Military: The military power at start is not great, but the Gnomes can quickly muster a fairly large number of troops (infantry and archers), comparable in quality to light human troops. They can also muster a few high quality dwarven regiments. Gnomes (and dwarves) are generally resistant to magical attacks.

Economy: With an abundance of mines, the Gnomes never lack metals for their weapons nor gold to pay their troops. They are also well supplied with food and can thus be said to have an all round sound economy. Their wizards generate their own mana; the only way to boost this production is getting some of the enchantment mana producing magic items.

Special powers: The gnome race is the only of the major races completely immune to illusions. Their engineers are effective at sapping work and can thus weaken enemy defences. Finally, their wizards know various spells including information gathering as well as strike spells. The gnome wizards are also skilled in the creation of magical weapons.

Neighbours: The nearest neighbours are the Trolls immediately north and the Pirates of Pyr, across the ocean to the west. The nearest enemies are the Caliph of El-Sha’al whose realm is to the south and their cousins the Dwarves, some distance  southeast.

Military: The Pirates have a large fleet of light and fast ships which they rely on to quickly bring them where the action (and loot) is. They have very few horses and are thus the only human nation to start without a cavalry. Their harbours are guarded by castles and this together with their fleet makes the Pirate islands very difficult to invade.

Economy: The Pirates are very independent people and thus reluctant to pay taxes or work in villeinage (they would rather be villains than villeins). Thus the gold and manpower available to the pirate king is not on par with that available to other nations. Wood for ships is also always in short supply. On the bright side, pirates bring their own weapons and thus the need for metals is limited. Their sorcerer king gets his mana directly from the Dark God and thus the mana available depends on the number of obelisks standing.

Special Powers: The sorcerer-king can cast various minor enchantments. The renowned pirate heroes can in a pinch usually recruit some bandits to their cause, even in neutral territory. The pirates can also build ships cheaper than other seafaring nations.

Neighbours: The closest allies are the Gnomes and the Trolls in the east. The closest enemies are the High Elves to the north and the Caliph of El-Sha’al to the southeast.

Military: The Queen of Wey has a large standing army due to the constant state of war of her nation. She is the only one to use war elephants in her armies, the strongest regular units available to human nations. Other than that, her troops are mostly medium and heavy infantry; she has practically no cavalry. Her navy is entirely made up of galleys and is thus restricted to coastal waters and rivers. If the Queen should be forced to fight a defencive war she has the benefit of having exclusively walled cities and defendable borders.

Economy: The people of Wey are poor and over-taxed. The cost of constant warfare has drained the nation of most resources. But the land is fertile and the slave-worked mines are producing the metals needed to keep the army supplied with weapons.

Special powers: None at start, but as more obelisks are erected the Queen will gain the ability to cast some spells and even summon un-dead.

Neighbours: The biggest problem presently facing the Queen of Wey is that she has no allies close by. The closest ones are the Gnomes and the Pirates, both of them north and west beyond the lands of the Caliph. Her nearest enemies are of course the Caliph of El-Sha’al to the northwest but also too close for comfort are the Dwarves to the northeast. It is unlikely that both the Queen of Wey and the Caliph of El-Sha’al will be in the game after the first third has been played.

The seven nations of the Alliance, aided by the Druids, oppose the minions of the Dark God. Their common goal is to find and destroy any dark obelisks already erected, and to prevent their opponents from gaining control of the power spots (certain hexes). Unfortunately they do not know exactly where the seven power spots are, but have to deduce it from the activities of Ozzaxytl’s minions (or through various special spells and powers, or hidden ancient lore).

Military: The Order has quite large armies of heavy troops. Their knights are great leaders in battle and also capable of undertaking perilous quests on their own. The navy is small and consists mainly of transport vessels. Their strong castles guard all their vital territories and a well maintained stretch of the old North Road gives their heavy troops some mobility even over the great distances within their realm.

Economy: The Order rules a well disciplined and prosperous people and thus the tax base is excellent. They are also well supplied with metals for their weapons and armour. Horses is in fact the only commodity which could ever be in short supply, due to the ever present demand for cavalry mounts. The priesthood gain their mana form the temples and by praying to Quama.

Special Powers: The priests of Quama know various information gathering spells and some spells especially useful for combating un-dead and demons. They can also create golems (giant, strong, humanoid creatures).

Neighbours: The Order of Quama control territories over much of the northern Chard and thus have almost all the nations of the northern half of Chard close by. In the east, the Snakemen and the Vampire Lord are not too far away, in the west is the Sorcerer. In the south are the Elves of Windwood and in the north, in the Cold Sea, are the Northern Isles. The Druids are like the Order dispersed over much of Northern Chard and thus never far away.

Military: Elven troops are well equipped and fearless in battle. They are inherently resistant to magic and can themselves weave minor enchantments that help them versus opponents who are so tough they can only be damaged by magical means. The High Elven archers are renowned for their skill and range. The navy of the High Elves consists of a few warships, lately  used mainly for escorting the few traders who dare the waters of the Western Sea.

Economy: The High Elves are very wealthy and even with moderate taxation the income is more than sufficient. They also produce metals, wood and horses in adequate quantities. The High Elven lords draw their mana from the entire elven population while the priesthood obtain their mana by prayer.

Special powers: The elven lords can cast strike spells, create enchanted weapons and dispel certain enchantments such as illusions. The elven priesthood knows information gathering spells and spells effective against un-dead and demons.

Neighbours: The nearest enemies are the Trolls a very short distance to the southeast and the Pirates of Pyr in the part of the Western Sea which lies due south. Then there is the Sorcerer, some distance to the north. The nearest allies are the Druids to the northwest and also the Order of Quama in that direction, for even though they are some distance away the old roads are maintained most of the way. The cousins in Windwood are some distance away across the Black Range but can travel quickly, also on road part of the way.

Military: The Elves of Windwood have only small standing armies, but every wood-elf is a hunter and the armies are thus quickly mustered. Their powerful and enchanted bows shoot long and straight and their axes and swords are sharp. Some elves tame the great wolves of the forest and use them as mounts or charm them to fight with them in battle.

Economy: The Elves of Windwood have only little gold and only little do they need it. They do not mine metals but use mostly wood for their weapons. The woods provide plenty of food, wood and wolves. The nature mana is drawn directly from the land and the enchantment mana is drawn from the elven population.

Special powers: Like their civilised cousins in the west, the elven lords of Windwood can create magic weapons and dispel certain enchantments. They also have some skill with nature magic and can improve their own or their allies’ production of food, wood and livestock.

Neighbours: The closest enemies are the Snakemen to the northeast and the Beast Master to the east, the most powerful enemies are the Trolls to the south, just slightly further away than the other two. In the far northeast is the Vampire Lord and his un-dead hordes. The closest allies are the Druids, immediately north and south and also a short distance west. The Order of Quama is not far away to the northwest and north.

Military: Dwarves are tough, magically resistant fighters and produce quality weapons. All their troops are heavily armed and armoured and are especially effective against large opponents (such as giants, trolls, elephants and even cavalry). The Dwarves can also recruit a few gnome units, but these are much weaker than the dwarven units and the gnome population is perhaps better utilised to work the mines. Their fortresses are the strongest in Chard, even stronger than the enchanted cities of the High Elves. They have no cavalry nor any navy and thus have no fast-moving troops of any kind. Their starting armies are adequate, but recruiting and outfitting new troops takes a long time.

Economy: The Dwarves are accomplished miners and thus produce great quantities of iron and gold. Their main concern is that their realm produces too little food to support great armies, but luckily dwarves eat less than other races.

Special powers: The dwarven engineers are very good at weakening and bypassing enemy fortifications and can also quickly build temporary fortifications in the field.

Neighbours: The nearest enemy is the Queen of Wey, a small distance to the southwest (although through difficult terrain). The Nearest allies are the Eastern Kingdom, neighbours to the north, and the Caliph of El-Sha’al though the Din’aral to the west.

Military: The Druids have small forces of able men in every place they are strong. Almost wherever you go you in the wilderness you can find worshippers of Wenollin and thus the druids can recruit units in most neutral hexes. Where men will not suffice the Druids can call upon the creatures of the wild or the huge and powerful Treants to do their bidding.

Economy: The Druids have one important resource: nature mana. They get this from the land they control and from special places of power. They also collect a little gold from their followers and are always able to supply their armies with food.

Special powers: Of all the priesthoods of Chard, Wenollin’s priests are closest to the land and thus the best attuned to the lines and points of power which they locate surer and swifter than priests of other gods. They can also improve production of food, wood and livestock and even improve the fertility of the population of the lands they bless. They can also call upon the darker forces of nature to strike their enemies. Most unique of their powers is their ability to instantly transport themselves and their followers between the ancient druidic stone circles.

Neighbours: The Druids have holdings quite close to all of Ozzaxytl’s minions in the north and also to all the northern members of the Alliance, especially the Order of Quama and the Elves of Windwood.

Military: The Eastern Kingdom has always been quite safe behind the Grey Ridge, mountains to the west, ocean to the east and the Dwarves to the south. Only in the north, where the road to the old heartland once ran, does the king keep any significant force. For the coming conflict, the Eastern Kingdom must muster far greater armies than it has ever seen before. The navy is of a respectable size but most of the ships are traders.

Economy: The fertile lands and peaceful past makes for a prosperous people and good tax payers. In view of the many weapons that will be needed, the metal production is insufficient (although respectable compared to other human nations) and the wood production will not support a fast expansion of the navy. The priests get their mana from their temples and from holy rituals.

Special powers: The priests of the Eastern Kingdom know many different spells, including information spells and spells for combating demons and un-dead. They are also capable of making holy weapons and creating golems.

Neighbours: No enemies are close by; equally distant are the Queen of Wey in the south, the Gnomes and the Trolls in the West and the Beast Master in the north.

Military: The Northern Isles have a powerful navy and respectable armies, mostly infantry. They can muster all the standard human units and they can build even the largest ship types and also their traditional longboats, the fastest vessels for ocean travel. The main ports are guarded by castles but the fist shield of the Northern Isles should always be their navy.

Economy: The Northern Isles have a good tax base and produce adequate amounts of food, metals and horses. The wood production is larger than normal for human nations allowing quick expansion of the navy. The priests gain their mana from rituals and from certain holy artefacts.

Special powers: The priests can cast spells to aid ocean travel and also general spells of information gathering and some other minor spells.

Military: The cavalry is by far the most important branch of the armies of the Caliphate, though the infantry is the most numerous. Almost all of the non-cavalry units mustered are of the lightest variety due to the limited supply of metals compared to the virtually limitless supply of men. The cavalry is the quality troop type of the Caliphate and blessed by Onosho they are stronger than the cavalry of other nations. The navy is almost nonexistent due to the loss of many ships to the Pirates and the fact that very little wood is available. The port on the West Sea is guarded by a castle to protect from landings from Pyr.

Economy: All resources except men, horses and food are in constant short supply. The priests get their mana from rituals.

Special powers: Any cavalry unit mustered by the caliphate will be extra strong in combat. The priests of Rakatar can create weapons of great power and cast spells that boost the nation’s armies.

Neighbours: The closest enemy is of course the Queen of Wey to the south, but the Pirates of Pyr are just off the coast to the west, and the Gnomes are a short distance through the Din’aral to the north. The closest allies are the Dwarves to the east and even further east the Eastern Kingdom. Parts of the old southern road linking the western port of the Caliphate to the eastern ports of the East Kingdom is still intact, so reinforcements from those parts can arrive reasonably quickly. Either the Caliphate or the Queen of Wey will probably be eliminated after a third of the game. In fact it could even happen to both nations at the same time.

The game ends after 24 turns or on an earlier turn where the seven dark obelisks are either all standing or all down at the end of the turn.

If all seven obelisks exist at the end of a turn, or if at the end of turn 24 either five or six obelisks are standing, it is a Dark God victory and the Dark God minion with the most points win, the one with second most points place second, etc. If at the end of a turn no obelisks are standing, or if at the end of turn 24 only one or two obelisks are standing, it is an Alliance victory and the Alliance player who has the most points wins, etc. Otherwise the conflict (but not the game) will continue and neither side wins. In this case players of both factions are placed according to their score after 25 points have been added to the scores of all members of the faction with the highest average score.

Victory points are awarded for enemies destroyed in combat, for power spot (obelisk) hexes owned and for cities controlled. At the start of the game all nations have zero victory points and as the game progresses points may be added or subtracted (it is possible to have a negative score!).

The points awarded for units destroyed in combat depend mostly on their (theoretical) combat value and range from 1 point per 100 individuals killed for human Light Infantry to 51 points per 100 individuals (elephants) killed for Elephant Riders. No points are awarded for wounded individuals or for individuals who flee, only kills count.

A power spot hex (i.e. a hex where a dark obelisk can be located) is worth 20 points to any dark god minion who owns it. Each power spot hex owned by an alliance nation and marked with a marker of light (see section 3.1 below) is worth 20 points to the owner. Some Alliance nations may start the game (unknowingly) owning a power spot hex and if they mark such a hex they will gain 20 points.

A dark obelisk destroyed by an Alliance nation (by taking the hex it is in) is worth 10 points in addition to the 20 points gained for the hex itself (it is automatically marked as the presense of an obelisk reveals it to be a power spot). Similarly, any marker of light destroyed by a Dark God minion is worth an extra 10 points to the player, in addition to the 20 gained for raising an obelisk.

Cities are worth two victory points per size increment, except to the Trolls and the Druids who gain only one point per size increment. For the original owner of a city it is worth an extra 10 points in addition to those awarded for its size. This means that if you lose a size 8 starting city of your nation you lose 26 points while if you gain a new size 8 city you gain only 16 points. The Trolls’ cave city (Ugrak Da) and the Snakeman swamp city (Shebesh Ssash) are only of worth to their original owners, other nations do not get points for these cities (but may of course take them to deprive the Trolls or the Snakemen of their point value and production).

Some nations receive special points for special nation victory conditions (such as controlling certain locations or owning certain items, for owning certain terrain, or for having a large production of a specific resource).

The different nations must get their points in different ways. Some nations (Trolls, Caliph, Queen) can hardly avoid getting a significant amount of combat points just defending their territory while others may have far to travel for a decent fight (Eastern Kingdom, Pirates, Nortern Isles). Some nations (especially the Alliance nations of the North) are very far from the nearest city worth any points to them. A few nations can really never hope to take any cities or kill any large number of enemies but must rely entirely on their special victory points. Hopefully this is all balanced but in all probability it is not (yet), this is a beta-test.

The power spots are seven specific hexes, known to the Dark God players at the start of the game and unknown to the Alliance players. Whenever a Dark God nation gains control of a power spot hex, a dark obelisk is automatically erected in the centre of the hex at the end of the turn. This will be known to all who can see the hex (they may not be able to see the obelisk itself, but they can see the activity in the hex), and the fact that an obelisk has been erected (but not its location) will be communicated to all nations. Furthermore the Dark God will send 100 Dark Guardians to guard the obelisk. When an Alliance nation gains control of a power spot hex containing a dark obelisk, the obelisk is automatically destroyed at the end of the turn and its destruction communicated to all nations.

The alliance nations can place markers of light in the hexes they own (only one per hex). When a marker is placed on a power spot it helps the Old Gods and the player is awarded 20 victory points (which will be deducted again if the hex is lost). If the marker is placed in a hex which is not a power spot, the marker is immediately destroyed and 10 points is deducted from the player’s score permanently .

The power spot hexes lies where the lines of power meet, and most of them where two or more such lines end. Lines of power run parallel to the hex grid, so when the Alliance learns the location of a power spot they can search for others along the lines of hexes going from the known power spot hex in the six directions of the COSMOS compass. There are certain magical spells which reveal power lines and power spots, and one sure way of identifying a power spot is of course to locate a dark obelisk or a unit of Dark Guardians (they are generally visible to units in their hex). When five or more obelisks are standing it becomes much easier for the Alliance to locate the lines of power and the power spots by magical means (but by then it may be too late!).