Thematic design in Dark Fort

A two-part series exploring Dark Fort, the solo/micro game that became MÖRK BORG

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This is Part 1 of a two part series. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!

Last week we looked at the interesting use of a rondel mechanism in Grasping Nettles, a worldbuilding RPG by Adam Bell.

This week is a two-part series on Dark Fort, a solo, micro-game by Pelle Nilsson and Johan Nohr, the team behind MÖRK BORG. Today we are looking at the thematic elements, and tomorrow we’ll look at the combat mechanisms.

Dark Fort

MÖRK BORG means “Dark Fort” in Swedish, recalling it’s roots in this game:

DARK FORT: A slightly adapted and translated version of the solo/micro game that become MÖRK BORG. Grab a handful of dice, a pencil and paper and begin your perilous delve into the DARK FORT.

The entire game fits on one sheet of paper (four pages), including cover and back art. Some editions include a character sheet where you can draw your map as you explore.

Gameplay is simple:

1. Start: Your character begins the game with a random weapon (e.g. warhammer) and a random item (e.g. potion).

2. Explore: When you enter a new room, roll for the room’s contents (e.g. monsters or loot), room shape, and exit doors.

3. Fight: If you run into a monster, roll for attack. Hit and you do damage. Miss and the monster does damage to you.

4. Loot: You collect points and silver as you go.

5. End: Continue exploring new rooms until you die, hit a dead end, or otherwise decide to leave the dungeon.

Your character can level up after exploring enough rooms and earning at least 15 points from defeating monsters. The game also ends if you level up six times, crossing off each of the six potential benefits.

Thematic design with limited space

A few weeks ago we explored Sarah Shipp’s Layers of Theme as a way of analyzing games. It divides thematic elements into three layers:

• Layer 1: Core Gameplay: Core gameplay is a series of rules and mechanisms that produce an experience even when divorced from theme.

• Layer 2: Baked-in Thematic Elements: Baked-in thematic elements are those that cannot be avoided when playing a game.

• Layer 3: Opt-in Thematic Elements: Opt-in thematic elements are those that can be ignored during gameplay.

Dark Fort works with limited space (i.e. one sheet, four pages) but is able to still incorporate some thematic elements.

The Layer 1 - Core Gameplay elements are there and familiar to anyone who has played a traditional TTRPG: turn-based combat, attack rolls based on weapon stats, polyhedral dice determine the outcomes. Combat is very luck-based, but thematically tied to the action. Mechanisms simulate individual attacks vs. how a more abstract system might approach it.

The most obvious Layer 2 - Baked-in elements are the two striking pieces of art by David Hoskins, one on the front cover and one on the back:

• Front cover: A classic armored adventurer climbing through an opening while a skeleton threatens from above. A two-headed basilisk (familiar to fans of MÖRK BORG) wraps around the scene from the top.

• Back cover: The same adventurer with broken sword sits on the ground inspecting a treasure chest. A horned skull (again familiar to fans) is on the ground nearby, impaled.

Without words, those two baked-in elements (i.e. illustrations you can’t miss) immediately set the tone and theme for the game.

There are other Layer 2 - Baked-in elements that stand out:

• The names of weapons (e.g. warhammer, dagger, sword, flail, etc.) identify the genre of the game and set the tone for the level of technology available.

• The monster names (e.g. Blood-drenched Skeleton, Catacomb Cultist, Ruin Basilisk) signal a dark fantasy theme where gore is to be expected.

• The final instructions note that even if you level up and retire, it is only temporary “until the 7th Misery occurs and everything you know blackens and burns.”

It’s notable that there are little to no Layer 3 - Opt-in thematic elements (i.e. those you can skip and still play the game) in Dark Fort. There is no opening exposition or lore. It doesn’t explain why you are in this dungeon, or really if it’s even a dungeon at all. The only introduction given is the enigmatic: THE CATACOMB ROGUE ENTERS THE STAGE.

Expanding Dark Fort

Due to the MÖRK BORG third-party license and the related community, there are quite a few hacks or expansions of Dark Fort. Two notable ones include:

• Basilisk by 1d10+5: You control five characters instead of one and combat is based on d20 rolls. You can spend your points to improve your characters. Rooms are square and are drawn on a grid-based map. Includes a bit of introductory lore/motivation for your characters.

• d6 Arkfort by Greyson Yandt: A self-proclaimed “blatant yet loving rip-off of Dark Fort,” it follows the original format more closely. Expanded to seven pages, there are more weapons, more items, more combat actions.

Both games have the same focus on exploring rooms and killing monsters as the original, but expand both the mechanisms and thematic elements. Basilisk in particular has created something new and unique, becoming it’s own game.

A fun design exercise would be to take Dark Fort and try to hack it into something that is your own. How far would you need to stretch and modify it before it becomes a unique game rather than a hack?

Simulating Dark Fort combat

How long does combat last in Dark Fort?

Is the sword or flail a better weapon?

Watch for tomorrow’s Part 2 post as we look at Dark Fort’s simple combat mechanisms. Using some Python code, we’ll try to answer some of those questions!

Conclusion

Some things to think about:

• Thematic design doesn’t need to be wordy: Dark Fort is an example of how thematic elements can be packed into a relatively small space. With the One-Page RPG Jam starting in less than a week, I’m sure we will see some more examples!

• People love rolling dice: The shiny math rocks continue to capture our imagination. By modern board game standards, Dark Fort is too luck-based and random. And yet I’ve really enjoyed each play, ending up with some fun artifacts of play in the form of maps and character sheets.

• Consider using a small game as a base: Be careful to follow all copyright and licensing requirements, but using a tiny game as a source of inspiration can be a great way to get started. With enough iterations, additions, and changes, you can end up with a game that is truly unique and your own.

Don’t miss Part 2 of this series tomorrow! In the meantime, which of these weak monsters would you rather fight?

— E.P. 💀

P.S. Go vote for Skeleton Code Machine at the ENNIES!

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