The Darkon Land Rules are designed to foster competition, roleplay, unit coordination, and
high-stakes strategy across kingdom events. All land actions are governed by five Golden Rules:
The 5 Golden Rules of Darkon Campaign Play
RULE
1 Land Marshal Discretion: The Land Marshal's discretion is
final regarding anything covered (or not covered) in the land rules.
RULE
2 Explore Fun: Always venture into new ways to have fun,
respecting that everyone’s definition of fun varies.
RULE
3 Encourage Roleplay: Roleplay should always be encouraged,
never stifled.
RULE
4 Foster Conflict & Growth: Campaign conflict should not be
penalized or hated; it is encouraged to foster engagement and growth.
RULE 5 IC vs OOC
Distinction: Never confuse In-Character conflict with Out-Of-Character
relationships, especially during intense land wars.
The Realm Map of Darkon is divided into a grid of hexagonal territory units called
Hextares. Hextares are numbered numerically North to South and lettered East to
West.
Hextare States &
Terrain Types
Each hextare belongs to one of four states: Unclaimed (open land),
Settled (inside a country's border), Fortified (settled hex
with a Tower, Keep, or Castle), or Reserved.
| Hextare Type |
Movement Penalty |
Battlefield Terrain Recommendation |
| Forest |
-1 Movement |
Dense Woods |
| Plains |
Normal |
Open Field |
| Hills |
-1 Movement |
Narrow field or hillside |
| Mountains |
-2 Movement |
Narrow rocky field or steep hillside |
| Tundra / Frozen |
Normal / -1 Movement |
Open snowy field |
| Desert |
-1 Movement |
Open arid field |
| Jungle / Swamp |
-2 Movement |
Dense woods & water obstacles |
Countries maintain holdings using two currencies: Resource Units (RU)
representing goods, materials, and labor, and Gold Pieces (GP) representing
currency.
🏦 Bank Account Caps
GP stored in Tarimstadt royal banks is capped based on rank:
• Nobles: 3,000 GP
• Squires: 1,500 GP
• Commoners: 1,000 GP
• Country Coffers: Base cap of 3,000 GP.
🌾 Seasonal Hex Upkeep
Every 6 events (a "Season"), countries pay hex upkeep:
• 10 GP per settled hex in contact with 3+ countrymen hexes.
• 50 GP per isolated hex.
• Unpaid hexes require a D100 roll (fails if lower than 50 + 5X where X
is unpaid hex count).
New countries start with 13 settled hexes, 1 Capitol, 1 Castle, 1 RU generator, 1 Army,
6 RU, and 1,000 GP. Assets are constructed using RU and GP.
Production Assets
(Generates Resources)
| Asset |
RU / GP Cost |
Upkeep |
Placement |
Generates |
| Mine |
2 RU / 100 GP |
1 RU |
Hills / Mountains |
100 GP (Hills) / 150 GP (Mountains) or 2-3 RU |
| Farm |
1 RU / 20 GP |
20 GP |
Tundra / Plains |
1 RU (Tundra) / 2 RU (Plains) |
| Smithy |
1 RU / 50 GP |
50 GP |
Any Settled Hex |
2 RU |
| Lumber Mill |
1 RU / 30 GP |
20 GP |
Forest / Jungle |
2 RU |
| Gold Mine |
Land Search Only |
- |
Discovered Hex |
3 RU |
Development Assets
(Defensive Fortifications)
| Fortification |
RU / GP Cost |
Upkeep |
Structure Size |
Defensive Respawns |
| Tower |
2 RU / 100 GP |
1 RU |
20x20 ft structure |
+1 Player Respawn |
| Keep |
4 RU / 200 GP |
2 RU |
25x25 ft structure |
+3 Player Respawns |
| Castle |
6 RU / 300 GP |
3 RU |
30x30 ft structure |
+5 Player Respawns |
Mobile Assets
(Movement & Forces)
| Asset |
RU / GP Cost |
Upkeep |
Capacity / Grant |
Movement Speed |
| Army |
1 RU / 50 GP |
20 GP |
Invasion Action |
12 hexes per event |
| Caravan |
1 RU / 100 GP |
50 GP |
4 Cargo Units |
12 hexes per event |
| Small Ship |
1 RU / 50 GP |
25 GP |
1 Cargo Unit (4-8 crew) |
2 sea zones per event |
| Medium Ship |
2 RU / 100 GP |
50 GP |
2 Cargo Units (4-12 crew) |
2 sea zones per event |
| Large Ship |
3 RU / 200 GP |
100 GP |
4 Cargo Units (4-16 crew) |
2 sea zones per event |
Located on its own central island, the Royal City of Tarimstadt is the Monarch's court.
Tarimstadt assets require no upkeep and cannot be destroyed.
⚔️ Siege on Tarimstadt
Invading armies can push Tarimstadt borders back to the Capitol. While under siege, the
Monarch cannot hold court, issue decrees, or levy taxes, and must fight consecutive
siege battles until victorious!
📜 Royal Taxation
The Monarch may levy taxes up to 50 GP and 2 RU per season from
countries, and collect up to 50 GP in individual fines. All taxes flow directly into the
Royal Coffers for crown expenses.
Land Actions are declared between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM with the Land Marshal. Each checked-in
country with 4+ members receives 1 Offensive Action per event.
1. Placement
Placing new country borders or founding a Guild hall on the map.
2. Raid
Up to 10 players execute a targeted strike to destroy hex assets (Farms, Smithies,
Caravans) or steal GP from Banks.
3. Invasion
An Army marches into an enemy hex to conquer territory and salvage opponent assets.
4. Sea Battle
Naval ship-to-ship battles in overlapping sea zones.
5. Land Search
4+ players explore unclaimed hexes by battling randomized monster encounters.
Naval combat takes place in Mobile (moving ships) or
Stationary (connected via 10x4 ft wooden planks) scenarios.
Water & Swimming Rules
• Drowning (AC
3+): Combatants wearing AC 3 armor or higher are too heavy and immediately
drown and die upon touching water!
• Swimming (AC
0-2): Players in AC 2 or lower can swim on their knees. They can only hold
weapons ≤ 18 inches, wear bucklers, or carry a chest. They can board any ship by touching
its side.
• Spell Interaction in Water: Fireballs lose AOE
in water. Ice Storm creates a 3ft floating ice pillar. Lightning Bolt creates a 3ft radius
AOE dealing Black damage to anyone in the water!
When exploring unclaimed hexes (Land Search) or settled hexes (Delving), the Land Marshal rolls
a D20 on the Category Chart and a D100 on the Encounter Chart
to determine monster opposition.
🐉 Need to Look Up Encounter
Stats & Immunities?
Explore
all 91 monsters, dragons, fiends, and undead in our searchable Monster Bestiary.
Search Bestiary ›
🏹 Ranger Exploration
Rangers leading a search get advance encounter intel:
• 1st-9th Rank: 1 Encounter roll.
• 10th-19th Rank: 2 rolls (choose 1).
• 20th+ Rank: 3 rolls (choose 1).
🗝️ Rogue Loot Discovery
Rogues on searches roll a D20 for bonus loot (gold pouches, scrolls, potions, or
treasure chests with up to 6d20 GP at 20th rank!).
Bounty Fights
Instead of a search, up to 4 country members can enter a 50x50 ft arena for a Bounty
Fight against monsters for GP rewards (no consumables allowed).
The Orc Hordes
Hailing from the Great Orc Lair in the frozen tundra (NE map), the Orc Hordes have a 10%
cumulative monthly chance to rampage across borders. If an Orc Horde defeats a
country, they march straight toward the Capitol to sack the nation's treasury!
| Defending Army Size |
Orc Horde Composition |
| Up to 6 Players |
1 Orc Nob (+1 AR), remainder regular Orcs |
| 7 - 9 Players |
1 Orc Boss, 2 Orc Nobs, remainder regular Orcs (0-2 bows) |
| 10 - 14 Players |
1 Orc Boss, 1 Ogre, 2 Orc Nobs, remainder regular Orcs (0-3 bows) |
| 15+ Players |
1 Orc Boss, 1 Troll, 4 Orc Nobs, remainder regular Orcs (any weapons) |
