Darkness Empire

Darkness Empire is one of the four empires from Glorantha: The Gods War board game. It focuses on exploiting weakness and attacks of opportunity.

Components

Empire

Setup
4 Trolls in Outer Hell. Start with 6 Power.
Unique Ability
Hellborn (Ongoing): Your units may exit Hell without permission. When doing so, they may emerge in any area on the surface map. They enter Hell in the usual way. Hellborn may not be used until after the first Council Phase (starting with the second Action Phase).
Unique Weakness
Nocturnal (Ongoing): You cannot build or conquer buildings in the Heavens, the Moon, or on the Spike. You may still destroy buildings in these areas.
Heroquests
First Fragment
Have a Minion, Hero, Lesser God, and Greater God in play.		Summon Hellmother, Kyger Litor.
Second Fragment
Part A: The first time you kill a unit or destroy a building from each empire in battle, take 1 such unit or building and place it here. See part B.		Lose a unit in battle.
Third Fragment
Part B: Once Part A contains a unit or building from at least half as many as the total number of Empires in play (including you) , return those items to their owners' pools and take 2 gifts. Receive power equal to the number of enemy players.		Place your Ziggurat.
Gifts
File:Gift - Darkness (Ancestor Worship).png	Ancestor Worship (Ongoing): You may now build the Castle of Lead. You earn 1 Rune each time you build it. (Remember to gain 1 Rune during each Power Phase if the Castle of Lead is in play.)
File:Gift - Darkness (Black Market).png	Black Market (Council Phase): Draw 1 Rune from the deck. You may read it aloud if you like. You may choose to keep this Rune, paying 2 Power or 1 VP, OR you may give it to another player, who decides whether you earn 2 Power or 1 VP.
File:Gift - Darkness (Fear).png	Fear (Post-Battle): When you rout enemy units, you may send them (as a group) to any area you choose, anywhere on the map.
File:Gift - Darkness (Hunger).png	Hunger (Battle): Instead of rolling her die in combat, The Mistress may instead contribute your choice of +1 Kill OR +2 Routs to your rolled battle results.
File:Gift - Darkness (Psychopomp).png	Psychopomp (Ongoing): Whenever one or more enemy units enter Hell from outside it, regardless of method, you earn 1 VP or 1 Power, chosen by that enemy. If units from more than one enemy empire enter Hell at the same time (e.g. via Storm's Teleport), you get to choose whether to earn 1 VP or 1 Power.
File:Gift - Darkness (Spectral Form).png	Spectral Form (Post-Battle): You may assign up to 2 Kills and/or Routs to each of your Shades involved in the battle. If a Shade receives at least 1 Kill, it is killed. If a Shade suffers any Routs (and no Kills), it is routed.

Units

Mortal Minions
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:Troll (Painted).png	Troll	4	1	1
		Availability: Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x4)
Mortal Heros
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:The Mistress (Painted).png	The Mistress	1	2	1	Hunger
		Availability: Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x1)
Lesser Gods
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:Shade (Painted).png	Shade	3	2	1	Spectral Form
		Availability: Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x3)
Greater Gods
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:Hellmother, Kyger Litor (Painted).png	Hellmother, Kyger Litor	1	4 (You must have a Temple, Ziggurat, or Castle of Lead in play.)	8, minus the number of Darkness empire units in your pool.
		Nocturnal Raids (Power Phase): Place all Trolls from your pool into any Hell area.
		Availability: Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x1)

Buildings

Buildings
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:Shrine Figure - Darkness (Painted).png	Shrine	6	1	0
		Availability: [Token] Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x6) [Figure] The Buildings {TGW-4} (x6)
		The Shrine figure replaces the Shrine token.
File:Temple Figure - Darkness (Painted).png	Temple	3	2+Shrine	+1 Rout
		Dark Walk (Ongoing): Your units may enter Hell from any area in which you have a Temple.
		Availability: [Token] Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x3) [Figure] The Buildings {TGW-4} (x3)
		The Temple figure replaces the Temple token.
File:Ziggurat Figure - Darkness (Painted).png	Ziggurat	1	3+Temple	+1 Kill
		Dark Walk (Ongoing): Your units may enter Hell from the area in which your Ziggurat is located.
		Availability: [Token] Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x1) [Figure] The Buildings {TGW-4} (x1)
		The Ziggurat figure replaces the Ziggurat token.
File:Castle of Lead Figure (Painted).png	Castle of Lead	1	1+any building (requires Ancestor Worship gift)	+1 Kill
		Darksee (Power Phase & Ongoing): Gain 1 rune during the Power Phase. Your units may enter Hell from the area in which the Castle of Lead is located.
		Availability: [Token] Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x1) [Figure] The Buildings {TGW-4} (x1)
		The Castle of Lead figure replaces the Castle of Lead token.

Expansion Units

Mortal Minions
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:Zombie (Painted).png	Zombie	6	N/A	0
		Availability: War Gods {TGW-5} (x6)
Lesser Gods
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:Earth Queen - Darkness (Painted).png	Earth Queen	1	2	1, OR 0 vs. Earth Empire
			How to Obtain the Earth Queen Loyalty Card: Give to a new Spouse. The Earth Queen is now married to you for the rest of the game. She is your unit to control, and if she is killed or eliminated she returns to your unit pool rather than Earth's unit pool. You may summon her in the same manner as any of your other units. Earth may also re-summon her from your pool when placing a Temple or Ziggurat. When this happens you do not decide the area to which she is summoned, but you still control her after she is placed. During the Council Phase, earn 1 Power if this Queen is in play. Be aware that the Earth has the Injunction gift, which may eliminate an Earth Queen during the Council Phase in order to gain a rune. Injunction occurs in the council Phase before you would gain 1 power for this unit.
		Availability: The Empires {TGW-1} (x1)
Greater Gods
Image	Unit	Quantity	Cost	Combat	Gifts
File:Mindless Destruction, Zorak Zoran.png File:Mindless Destruction, Zorak Zoran (Painted).png	Mindless Destruction, Zorak Zoran	1	0/3	2
		To Summon: When the Spike shatters, immediately place Zorak Zoran at any of your buildings. You may also summon him by paying 3 Power.
		Zombies (Post-Battle): If Zorak Zoran is in play and any non-Zombie units are killed in any battle, after Conquest, place one Zombie in the area.
		File:Gift - Mindless Destruction, Zorak Zoran.png	Heroquest: Zorak Zoran is in a battle in which 2+ units are killed. Afterlife (Post-Battle: Cost 1): If Zoran Zoran is in play and you engage in a battle which sends an enemy Greater God to Hell; gain 1 VP and 1 Rune.
		Availability: War Gods {TGW-5} (x1)
		Mindless destruction. He is the troll's rage and never ceases in that purpose even in death. His ways continue through into the afterlife and if you're unlucky you too will serve him in undeath. He creates zombies of those slain whether friend or foe.
File:Comforting Shadow, Xiola Umbar (Painted).png	Comforting Shadow, Xiola Umbar	1	2	1
		To Summon: A Darkness Greater God must be in the Sky Dome; place Xiola Umbar in Inner Hell.
		Distract Attention (Ongoing): If Xiola Umbar is not in Hell, nor at the Gates of Dawn, enemy players cannot move units into Xiola Umbar's area by any means unless you allow it.
		File:Gift - Comforting Shadow, Xiola Umbar.png	Heroquest: Xiola Umbar is in play; two or more Darkness units are eliminated in a single battle or by the same event. Deep Healing (Ongoing): If Xiola Umbar is in play when you summon a unit, you may summon an additional unit of equal or lesser cost for free at the same or a different building.
		Availability: Magic Gods {TGW-6} (x1)
		Xiola Umbar the magic goddess of Darkness is one of nurturing the troll wives. She is the reason that trolls are so plentiful and helps them spread across the land and protects the troll matriarchs. The realm of darkness is harsh but she is the protector of weaker creatures in the troll empire.
File:The All-Devourer, Black Eater (Painted).png	The All-Devourer, Black Eater	1	0/3	*
		To Summon: When you earn your 3rd empire gift, immediately place Black Eater at any of your buildings. You may also summon him by paying 3 Power.
		Combat: Equals the number of enemy units in the area.
		Gobbling (One-time): When the Black Eater first enters play, the other players have 1 minute to decide how to divvy up a VP loss equal to the total number of players. If they cannot agree, you gain that number of VP instead.
		File:Gift - The All-Devourer, Black Eater.png	Heroquest: While Black Eater is in play, as your action for a turn, select another player. From your total, transfer 2 VPs to them. Gorge (Council Phase): If the Black Eater is in play, roll 1d6-2. The other players have 1 minute to decide how to divide up the result as a VP loss among them. (A negative result penalizes Darkness). If they cannot agree, you get the result as VP.
		Availability: Secret Gods {TGW-7} (x1)
		The true secret of the trolls is that they are all devouring. They want to and their end goal is to eat everything. The black eater is the pure embodiment of this aspect. Other empires nosic] next to nothing about the black eater as those who encounter it are destroyed, via mastication most likely!

Other components

Other components
Image	Component	Quantity	Notes
	Empire Sheet	1
		Availability: Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x1), Errata Pack {TGW-ERRATA} (x1)
File:Victory-Power Marker - Darkness (Painted).png	Victory/Power Marker	2
		Availability: Glorantha: The Gods War - Core Game (x2)
	Chaos Rift Die	1
		Notes: Used for the Chaos Rift Struggle.
		Availability: Chaos Rift Dice {TGW-DICE-3} (x1)

Strategy

Faction Strategy

Darkness is a predator as well as a scavenger. Rather than assault a stronghold, you prefer to detect weakness and exploit it. With four type of building you have the most latent Power and VP of any empire, but it is expensive to realize that potential. Your ability to strike from Hell is fantastic, and your ability to hide there avoids retribution. Early on, collect trophies from other empires for your big Heroquest. The Mistress's Hunger is extremely helpful in this regard. While it might seem fun to take out enemy Temples with your second-turn attack (and you can certainly do this), it is probably better to target their Shrines. The Temples usually have at least one defender, and they (Sky, in particular) will scatter your forces with routs. This will force you to have to regroup and attack again. Simple, surgical strikes are preferable.

Remember when you finally achieve your big Heroquest (the one in two parts), you get a one-time infusion of Power. You can use this to establish board presence, summon your greater goddess, or build a Ziggurat, all of which set you up for the following turn. Do not waste it on petty revenge.

In the late game, the combo of Fear and Psychopomp rewards you for seeking out little fights; Spectral Form and Hellmother's Nocturnal Raids will help you survive these battles.

A common beginner's mistake is to build a Temple or even a Ziggurat in Hell. This deprives you of that buildings special power. Keep your eyes on the surface world! Hell is a refuge, not a base of operations. Sky may try to talk you into letting Sun God out of Hell. But...the truth is that Hellmother is Darkness' only unit capable of releasing him, and she has better things to do. Let him rot.

Gift Strategies

• Ancestor Worship
  • Best in the mid-to-late game. In the long run, the Castle of Lead is cheaper than a Ziggurat, and it gives you just as much Power. Still, you should usually place your Ziggurat before the Castle of Lead, for the gift the Ziggurat provides.
• Black Market
  • You must be sly to maximize this gift's value. Do not always "buy" the runes yourself - instead choose players who are unlikely to use the rune to hurt you.
• Fear
  • While you victims are normally sent to Hell, sometimes it ca be better to move them somewhere else.
• Hunger
  • Often your first gift, because it plays so well with your need to eliminate other empires' units and buildings.
• Psychopomp
  • An entertaining gift which irritates foes and encourages late-game raids.
• Spectral Form
  • Gives your Shades the capacity to protect other units in your army.

Story

Epilogue

"We could hear her voice echoing from inside the great castle, but we understood not what it said. When she clambered out, we were aghast. Cragspider the Firewitch was both beautiful and hideous. Her hair and hands blazed with magical potency, and she commanded us to turn over our now-screaming prisoners as tribute. Too fearful to disobey, and to our shame, we did as she decreed."
—Sandy Petersen