Dark Force Incursion
Dark Force Incursion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Dark Force Incursion is a "roll and write" game for one player. It takes 20 to 40 minutes to play. You will need a map (there is a variety of maps to download free at https://dark-realm-games.blogspot.com/2020/03/presenting-dark-force-incursion-free.html), a die, and a pencil.
Objective
The main objective of the game is to recapture more Towers than your enemies hold. The number of Towers varies on each map, but at the end, if the Dark Force defends half or more of the Towers on the map, you have lost. You can reclaim these Towers by placing one or more of your troops on them.
First Turn
Locate the starting hex. It is a star in a circle, inside a hex. This is where your troops have gathered and will leave from. Inside this hex, write the numbers 1 to 6 on each side, as shown in the image. This part is the most important in the game. On each side, the numbers you write must go clockwise, and begin with the number you rolled on the die.
Now roll your die. This will indicate where your troop will move. In this example you have rolled a two on the die, so a new sequence of numbers must be written starting from the two in the new hex, as shown in the image. Remember always to respect the sequence of numbers, clockwise.
Draw a circle between these two numbers (as shown in the image above). This represents part of your troop. Then everything continues this way: a new numbered hex arises from another numbered hex, showing that your troop is moving across the map.
Do not forget that your objective is to reach the Towers on the map to recover them.
Subsequent Turns
From now on you have more options. You may leave from any hex you wish during your turn. First select the hex, then roll the die. You may return to the starting point to roll the dice from there.
For this example, we will use the second hex we just created. The die is rolled and a four is obtained; the hex and its number are placed as established.
The four is circled twice, and your troop has advanced. These circled pairs represent your troops.
Blocked Hex
Now, if you choose the starting hex and roll a 2 on the die, you have again obtained a number, so there is a consequence called a Blocked Hex. Duplicating a number obtained previously always results in a Blocked Hex.
A Blocked Hex represents an area of terrain where the Dark Forces have taken control. The path of your troops has been blocked, and you will not be able to enter this area for the rest of the game.
Important: when you place this Blocked Hex, you move to the next number clockwise that is in an empty hex, and write the sequence of numbers starting from the duplicated number. This sequence starts from the number following the duplicated one, and then the edges are framed as shown in the image.
[Ed. The figure in the source is labelled "Blocked Hex".]
You may not roll the dice on these blocked hexes; they are inaccessible, and you must look for another hex to roll the dice. No troop may be drawn in the blocked hex.
Dark Forces Appear
Back to the second turn. In this example a five is obtained next. The 5s are circled, and the troop is established.
In the third turn, a four is obtained; the hex is claimed and the numbers are circled, as shown below.
This is the path your troop is travelling across the terrain. Because this new hex (see the example above) is next to another hex established earlier, it is vulnerable to the Dark Force troops. You can see that the number 3 is next to a number 6. These two figures are not equal, so you cannot claim them as your troops. If you roll a 3 on the die, the Dark Force appears, they have found you, and one of its troops will occupy between these hexes (see figure).
In effect, you have rolled a 3 on the die and a Dark Force troop is drawn across the two numbers. These will appear as black rectangles, clearly differentiated from your troops.
If 25 Dark Force troops appear on your map, it means you have been invaded and you lose the game.
Even Worse
If a 3 is obtained again, move to the next number clockwise within the hex you chose; if one of your troops was there, it has been defeated, so you must mark it with a black rectangle, as shown below.
And even worse: if you get a 3 again, and there are no more of your troops to defeat, the next number clockwise is an empty space, which you must block. In addition, you must write the sequence of numbers. But not only that: you must place a new Dark Force troop across these two numbers that connect, as shown below. This diagram clearly shows this new hex that the Dark Force troops have claimed.
Not only has this hex been blocked, but a new enemy troop has appeared, contributing to the Dark Force invasion on the terrain. As mentioned earlier, this must not reach 25.
Now, if you inevitably have to leave this hex, a 2, 3 or 4 will create a new Blocked Hex and a Dark Force troop in the next available hex clockwise.
Main Mechanics
To recap, these are the main mechanics of the game:
- Write the numbers clockwise.
- Circle the numbers that are equal between each hex you claim.
- Rolling duplicated numbers results in Blocked Hexes.
- Rolling numbers that are adjacent to other uncircled numbers in another hex brings Dark Force troops between these numbers.
Keep rolling the dice until one of the troops wins. [Ed. The source says "hasta que una de las tropas gane" without naming the troop side; the winning and losing conditions are given under "Winning and Losing" below.]
Important note: Any newly claimed hex that contains numbers equal to those in adjacent hexes must be circled as part of your troop(s) immediately.
Capturing or Losing Towers
The easiest way to capture a Tower is to place one of your troops on the hex, by rolling the number on which it sits. In the following example a 3 was rolled, and the troop moves to the hex where the Tower is and claims it.
This Tower is now yours, and it does not matter if it is blocked for any reason later in the game. You can also claim a Tower even if a Dark Force troop is inside it.
You can lose all hope of obtaining a Tower if it has been blocked before your troops claim it. As usual, once a hex is blocked you cannot enter it, and you also run the risk of a Dark Force troop appearing.
Make sure to colour in the hex where the blocked Tower is located; this will help you distinguish which Towers are captured by the Dark Forces.
If there are six Dark Force troops on a hex where a Tower is located, you can no longer capture it, and you lose this Tower from the game.
Mountains
Mountains are areas where your movements are restricted. If you roll a number that is adjacent to a mountain hex, that hex will be blocked.
In this example a 5 is obtained, and as a consequence this hex is blocked. This represents that part of our troop has been lost in the mountains, and the rest of the troops have decided to return to the previous area.
Winning and Losing
To win the game you must claim more Towers than those held by the Dark Forces.
Remember that if 25 Dark Force troops appear on the map, you have been invaded and therefore lose the game.