Overview

In Holds of the Deepking, each player commands a dwarven clan vying for control of a mountain realm. You build industry, raise armies, conquer rival strongholds, and either slay the Dragon ruling the ancient capital or complete the long-lost Throne Restoration to claim the kingdom.

Three paths to victory. Three civilization tracks to invest in. Nine resources to manage. And one very angry dragon between you and the throne.

Setup

When the host starts the game, the system deals each clan one Stronghold as their starting territory. Strongholds begin with a configurable number of armies (default 12; the host can set 6–30 in the lobby).

Each clan begins with starter resources: 2 Iron, 2 Wheat, 2 Stone, and 1 Gold.

The map is a 5×5 grid of 25 territories — a mix of Strongholds (six of them, one per possible player), resource territories, Ancient Halls (held by goblins), Tunnels, and the Ancient Capital at the center: Karak-Thul. The capital is held by the Dragon at the start of every game.

Your Turn

Each turn has two phases.

1. Start Phase

Click Collect / Start Turn. You receive:

• Resources from every territory you own. Common resource territories produce 1 unit per turn. Mithril territories produce 1 Mithril. The Capital, if controlled, produces 2 Gold and 1 Rune.
• Reinforcements placed at one of your Strongholds: floor(territories / 3) + 3 per Stronghold + 1 per restored Ancient Hall.

2. Action Phase

Take any number of actions, in any order:

• Recruit armies at a Stronghold you control (1 Iron + 1 Wheat per army)
• Produce refined resources (Ale, Steel, Runes) if your Industry track allows
• Move armies between adjacent territories you both own (must leave 1 army behind)
• Attack an enemy or neutral territory adjacent to one you control
• Build by upgrading Industry, Armory, or Trade & Culture
• Restore a captured Ancient Hall (3 Stone + 2 Gold) for +1 Glory
• Advance Throne Restoration if you hold Karak-Thul
• Buy or use a tactic card; recruit a Captain

Click End Turn when done. Play passes to the next clan in seating order.

The Map

The 5×5 grid uses coordinates A1–E5. Each territory borders the territories directly above, below, left, and right (no diagonals). Owning a territory requires at least 1 army stationed there.

Territory Types

Resources

There are 9 resources. Common resources are produced directly from territories; rare resources are refined or earned from special sources.

• Common: Iron, Wheat, Stone, Gems, Gold
• Rare: Ale, Steel, Runes, Mithril

Resources are used to recruit armies, build civilization tracks, produce refined goods (1 Ale = 2 Wheat, or 1 Wheat with Trade ≥ 3; 1 Steel = 2 Iron; 1 Rune = 1 Gem + 1 Stone), restore Ancient Halls, and pay the long bill of Throne Restoration.

Combat

Combat uses Risk-style dice with dwarven twists.

The attacker chooses an adjacent enemy territory and commits up to (armies at origin − 1) attackers. Each combat round:

1. Attacker rolls up to 3 dice; defender rolls up to 2 dice (3 vs the Dragon).
2. Dice are sorted high-to-low and paired.
3. For each pair, the higher die wins; ties go to the defender. The loser of each pair removes 1 army.
4. Combat continues until the attacker withdraws (fails) or the defender reaches 0 armies (territory captured).

Defensive Bonuses

• Stronghold or Capital — defender adds +1 to their highest die.
• Dragon — adds +1 to its highest die and auto-kills 1 attacker per round before dice are rolled (dragonfire).

Capturing a Territory

When the defender hits 0 armies, all surviving attackers move into the captured territory. The territory's owner changes to you. At least 1 army must remain at the origin.

The Dragon

The Dragon sits at Karak-Thul. It counts as 15 armies, rolls 3 defense dice with a +1 bonus to its highest, and auto-kills 1 attacker per combat round (dragonfire).

If you fail to slay it, it resets to full strength (15 armies) at the end of the attack. If you slay it, you claim the Capital, gain bonus resources (5 Gold + 3 Gems + 2 Runes + 1 Mithril) and +3 Glory. The Dragon is gone for the rest of the game.

Civilization Tracks

Each of the three tracks has 6 levels. Each level costs Gold + Stone + something specific (escalating). Tracks unlock new mechanics and grant Glory at level 6.

Industry

• Level 1 — Unlocks refining (Brewery)
• Level 2 — Foundry: produce Steel
• Level 3 — +1 common production per resource territory
• Level 4 — Runesmith: produce Runes
• Level 5 — Bonus refining yields
• Level 6 — Master Industry

Armory

• Level 1 — Army discipline
• Level 2 — +1 to your highest attack die
• Level 3 — Military Academy (unlocks Captains)
• Level 4 — +1 defense at Strongholds
• Level 5 — Captain reroll aura
• Level 6 — Strongholds grant +5 / restored Halls grant +2 to reinforcements

Trade & Culture

• Level 1 — Market customs (unlocks card buying)
• Level 2 — Buy cards
• Level 3 — Ale costs only 1 Wheat (instead of 2)
• Level 4 — 2:1 trade once per turn
• Level 5 — Draw a bonus card on collect
• Level 6 — 3:1 bank trade · +2 Glory on reaching this level

Ancient Halls

Two of the map's territories are Ancient Halls held by goblin guardians (3 armies) at game start. Capture one to clear it, then spend 3 Stone + 2 Gold to Restore it. Restored Halls add +1 reinforcement to your Start Phase total and grant +1 Glory on restoration.

Throne Restoration

If you control Karak-Thul, you can begin the 6-step Throne Restoration — a slow, expensive ritual that ends the game in your favor if completed. Each step has its own cost. Step 4 cannot be taken until at least one full turn after step 3; step 6 requires another wait after step 5.

Tactic Cards & Captains

Tactic Cards — Buy with 2 Gold (requires Trade ≥ 1). Use for +1 Glory in V1 (the deck will expand in future versions).

Captains — Recruit with 1 Steel + 2 Gold (requires Armory ≥ 3). Captains track for future combat bonuses.

Victory Conditions

You win when any of the following becomes true for you specifically:

1. Elimination Victory — every other clan has lost their last Stronghold.
2. Glory Victory — you accumulate 10 Glory points (restoring Halls, slaying the Dragon, advancing Trade to 6, using tactic cards).
3. Throne Victory — you complete the 6-step Throne Restoration at Karak-Thul.

If multiple conditions trigger in the same combat resolution, the most decisive one fires.

Strategy Tips

Glossary

Adjacency

Two territories are adjacent if they share a horizontal or vertical edge on the 5×5 grid. No diagonals.

Clan

A player's faction. Each clan has a starting Stronghold and a color.

Dragonfire

The Dragon's auto-kill effect at the start of each combat round. The attacker loses 1 army before dice are rolled.

Glory

Victory points. Earned for restoration, dragon-slaying, maxing Trade, and tactic cards. Reach 10 to win.

Refined resource

Ale, Steel, Runes, Mithril. Used for civilization tracks and Throne Restoration.

Restored Hall

An Ancient Hall that has been cleared of goblins and rebuilt. Grants +1 reinforcement per turn.

Stronghold

Your foundational territory. Losing your last one eliminates you.