DARK

EMPIRES

The Game Of Fantasy Skirmishes

By Connor Pashley

CONTENTS
1. Title Page
2. Introduction
3. Contents
4. Statistics
5. The Phases
8. Special Actions
9. Terrain
9. Choosing Your Force
10. Fighting A Battle

STATISTICS
The forces of Arkadia, the fantasy world your warbands of soldiers, thugs and
monsters will be fighting on, have many different abilities, skills and talents, and one
fighter may not be as strong or skilled as the next, so each fighter is measured on a
scale of one to ten in each area they might be skilled in, with one being the lowest,
such as a lowly rat, and with ten being the highest, such as the mighty dragons of

ancient times. But each fighter might not be skilled in the same things-an orc might
be extremely adept at close combat and an elf might be able to shoot a crow of a
steeple 2 miles away, for example. The statistics, or stats, every fighter has are
outlined below:
SPEED(SPD)-How fast a fighter can move about the battlefield. It is measured in
inches('').
COMBAT(COM)-How well the fighter can land hits.
ARCHERY(ARC)-How well the fighter can fire ranged weapons. Note that this
doesn't have to apply solely to attacks made with bows.
POWER(POW)-How well the fighter's blows can pierce armour.
ARMOUR(ARM)-How well-protected the warrior is.
REFLEX(REF)-How well the fighter can dodge blows.
VITALITY(VIT)/STRUCTURE(STR)-How many hits the fighter can take before
succumbing to his/her injuries.
ATTACKS(ATT)-How many blows the warrior can strike in combat.
COURAGE(COU)-How brave the warrior is in the face of danger.
CONTROLABILITY(CON)-How controllable the fighter is. For most warriors, this
won't be an issue, so it is left out of their profiles.
There are also other statistics , but they only apply to certain models, such as great
leaders and powerful leaders. They will be explained in detail later on. They are as
follows:
MAGIC(MAG)-How in tune the fighter is to the workings of magic.
LEADERSHIP(LEA)-How adept the warrior is at leading others.
TECHNOLOGY(TEC)-How much the fighter knows about machinery.
HEALING(HEA)-How well the fighter can heal injuries.
Statistic tests(or Stat Tests) are made by rolling a d10. If it is equal to or under the
stat being tested, it is passed, and if it goes over, it is failed. All stats are tested like
this, except for SPD, ARM, ATT and VIT/STR.

THE PHASES
A turn of Dark Empires is split into 5 phases:

1. MOVEMENT PHASE
2. SHOOTING PHASE
3. COMBAT PHASE

4. MAGIC PHASE
5. MISC. PHASE

THE MOVEMENT PHASE

In the movement phase, your warriors manouvre around the battlefield, dash for
cover, and charge into combat. You may move fighters up to their SPD value without
penalty, you may march them up to double their SPD but they are at -1 ARC for the
rest of the turn, you may run them up to triple their SPD but they are at -2 ARC, -1
REF and -1 COM from exhaustion or, once per game per model/unit, you may sprint
them up to quadruple their SPD, but they cannot do anything else that turn. If a
warrior moves into base contact with an enemy fighter, they are in Close Combat and
will fight in the Combat Phase.

THE SHOOTING PHASE

In the shooting phase, your warriors may fire their ranged weapons at the enemy,
if they have any, in any order. To fire a ranged weapon, first check if the target is in
RANGE(RNG), specified in the weapon's profile. Then, test the warrior's ARC; if
he/she passes, the shot is on the mark, and if he/she fails, the shot goes wide. If the
ARC test is passed, next test the target's REF; If passed, the fighter manages to dodge
out of the way, and if failed, the shot hits home. If it hits, test the weapons' POW vs
the target's ARM. You do this by taking the POW of the weapon and rolling a d6; if
the total beats the defender's ARM, it pierces the armour and the victim loses a point
of VIT/STR equal to the weapon's DAMAGE(DAM)-If a warrior loses it's last
VIT/STR point, it is slain-remove the model as a casaulty. If it is equal to or less than
the target's ARM, the shot is blocked and the warrior lives to fight another day.

THE COMBAT PHASE

In the combat phase, you work out any fights between models who are in Close
Combat in any order. Working out a fight works a lot like working out a ranged
attack, except you test the warrior's COM to see if it hits rather than it's ARC and you
use the warrior's POW instead of the weapon's. Note that a warrior may make
multiple attacks in Close Combat, and may spread them among his/her enemies in

base contact as the player sees fit. The attacks may be made in any order or all at
once, but you must specify which attacks are directed against which enemies.

THE MAGIC PHASE

In the magic phase, powerful mages and wizards fling spells across the battlefield,
to a wonderous variety of effects. To cast spells, first test the casters' MAG.(note that
only warriors with a MAG stat can cast spells!) If the test is passed, all is well. If the
test is failed, however, the wizard won't be able to control the magical energies, and
suffurs a miscast-the wizard rolls on the table below to see the effects, but the spell is
still cast. Next, roll a number of d6s equal to the d10 you rolled to do the test-this is
the amount of magical energy the wizard gets for the turn(the Mana Pool). When
the wizard casts a spell, subtract the spell's CASTING COST(CAS) from the wizard's
Mana Pool. You may also use a Mana Point to increase any stat of a friendly
warrior/unit within 12 or the caster himself by one for the following turn. You may
do this as many times as you want until the Mana Pool is empty. If you raise a stat
more than 1 point or increase more than two stats, however, the warrior/unit suffers a
miscast for each excess point. When the wizard casts all the spells and applies all the
bonuses the player wants for the turn, any unused Mana Points are converted into
POW 3 hits on the caster-this is called Mana Burn, for it is not safe to store excess
power. If the caster failed the MAG test, he/she must roll on the miscast table below
then consult the chart on the following page.

D6 ROLL

11

12

13

14

15

16

21

22

23

24

25

26

31

32

33

34

35

36

41

42

43

44

45

46

51

52

53

54

55

56

61

62

63

64

65

66

11-16: The wizard is engulfed in flames, sucked into a portal to another realm, or
some over suitably dramatic event occurs. Remove the wizard as a causalty.
21-23: The area around the wizard bursts into iridescant colours that burn the flesh on
touch. The wizard and all models within 6 take a POW 8 hit.
24-26: The wizard's hair bursts into flames. The wizard takes a POW 6 hit.
31-36: The armour of the wizard and his companions become useless as a cloud of
rust engulfs them. The wizard all all models within 6 permanantly reduce their ARM

by 2.
41-43: The wizard's courage disappears as terrifying visions fill his mind. Reduce the
wizard's COU by d10 permanantly. If the result is equal to or more than the wizard's
current courage, remove the wizard as a causalty as he/she succumbs to the visions.
44-46: The wizard's legs disappear. Reduce the wizard's SPD to 0 permanantly.
51-56: The wizard forgets his magical abilities. Reduce the wizard's MAG to 0 and
he/she can no longer cast spells.
61-63: The wizard flies into a psychotic rage. The wizard moves towards the closest
model and fights them in the next Combat Phase if the wizard reaches base contact.
64-66: The wizard teleports to a random location. Roll a further d3:
1: The enemy places the wizard anywhere on the battlefield.
2: The wizard is teleported off the battlefield. Remove the wizard as a causalty.
3: You may place the wizard anywhere on the battlefield.

THE MISCALLANEOUS PHASE

The miscallaneous phase(or misc. Phase) is where you make courage tests, resolve
ongoing effects, place reinforcements, etc. It it the phase where you do everything
that isn't covered in the over phases. The three most common actions taken are as
follows:
1. MAKE COURAGE TESTS
2. RESOLVE ONGOING EFFECTS
2. CHECK FOR VICTORY CONDITIONS
Make courage tests as you would any other tests; by rolling a d10 and checking it
against the COU stat of the fighter. If the test is failed, remove the figher/unit as a
causalty as they flee off the battlefield. If the test is passed, all is well. There are a
few situations when a warrior must make a COU test, and they are:
1. Whenever a warrior/unit within 6 is removed.
2. Whenever the enemy has more Victory Points than your force.
3. Whenever the warrior loses a VIT/STR point.
4. Every turn when a unit is below half of it's starting size.
5. Every turn your Force doesn't have a Leader.
The second most common action in the Misc. Phase is resolving any ongoing
effects that may be on your troops, in any order, and the third most common action is
checking if any victory conditions have been met for the scenario you are currently
playing. There may be more actions that may take place in the Misc. Phase, but these
are just the most common, and the action will state if it takes place in the Misc. Phase
or not.

SPECIAL ACTIONS

Certain powerful heroes, wizards and healers may have abilities that the common
warrior can only dream of. There are four stats that these leaders may have, in any
combination-most will only have one, but a few select individuals may have all four.
These stats are, in no particular order:
1. LEADERSHIP(LEA)- How well the model can lead his/her warriors on the
battlefield.
2. MAGIC(MAG)- How in tune the warrior is to the workings of magic.
3. TECHNOLOGY(TEC)- How well the warrior can fix machines.
4. HEALING(HEA)- How well the warrior can heal wounds.
LEA is used when the Leader of a Force is trying to command his troops across
the battlefield. The Leader may test his/her LEA by using a special ability, each
usable only once per game. The Leader may only use one ability each turn, in the
ability's respective phase. There are three abilities every Leader may use, and more
may be added in each Faction's respective Force Book; the ones in the Force Books
may only be used by that Faction. The three universal actions are as follows:
1. The Leader inspires his/her troops to a glorious charge. Every warrior in your
force may move up to triple their SPD without penalty, and if they move into
Base Contact with an enemy they gain 1 POW in the following fight. Usuable
in the Movement Phase.
2. The Leader bellows to his/her archers to unleash a hail of arrows. Every
warrior in your force with a ranged weapon may fire it with +1 ARC. Usuable
in the Shooting Phase.
3. The Leader orders his/her warriors to march forward. Every warrior in your
force may move up to quadruple their SPD wihout penalty. Usuable in the
Movement Phase.

TERRAIN
While it is entirely possible to have games on a flat, featureless expanse, it makes
for a rather dull game, and it makes things much more interesting to have your
warriors fight in a dense forest or a ruined cityscape than a flat desert, though there is
nothing wrong with having two nomad tribes skirmishing in the wastes, if that is what
you want! To set up your battlefield, you and your opponent may either agree on a
suitable battlefield, or you may roll on the tables below to randomly generate one.
First of all, roll a d10 for the overall theme of the battlefield:

Desert

Steppe

Forest

Jungle

City

Rural

Mountains

Snow

Badlands

10

Volcanic

Then roll 2d6, and roll a d6 equal to the result of the 2d6. The result of that is the
number of terrain pieces you place. Try to match the overall theme of the battlefield,
but there is nothing wrong with having a watchtower or grotto in the middle of the
desert if you so desire! You may assign special rules to certain pieces of terrain if you
wish. The only limit is your imagination!

CHOOSING YOUR FORCE

The multiple warbands and gangs around the world of Arkadia are collectively
known as Forces. First of all, you must choose a points cost for your Force: 5-14
points would be a very small game, 15-24 would be about right for your first few
matches, 25-50 would be about average, 51-75 would be larger games that would
take most of a day, and 76-100 would take about an entire weekend to fully complete!
Next, every Force needs a Leader-after all, you wouldn't get very far without
someone telling you what to do instead of aimlessly wandering around! After
choosing the points limit and a Leader, you may fill in any remaining points with
various warriors and units. Warriors are single models, so no additional rules apply.
Units are groups of warriors fighting together, so they have a few special rules. The
first is that units take COU tests on the warrior with the highest COU in the unit. If it
is tied, then use the tied result. If a unit fails a COU test, the entire unit is removed as
they flee to safety. The second rule is that if a unit is attacked, only the warriors in the
unit that are in base contact with the enemy may fight, but if the unit is attacked, the
unit may move the warriors in the unit not in base contact up to their move towards
the enemy. The third rule is that every warrior in the unit must stay within 2 of at
least one other warrior in the unit.

FIGHTING A BATTLE

To fight a battle in a game of Dark Empires, the players must first agree on a
number of d6s to roll-the result is the number of turns the game will last for. Next, the
players must choose a scenario-this can be anything from simply surviving until the
time runs out to having to destroy an entire town-again, the only limit is your
imagination!