Dark Blood

In Dark Blood, players are plunged into a grim setting where they take control of powerful asymmetrical cults, each with its own identity – Demonologist, Warlock, Necromancer, or Doomsayer. The goal is to dominate a helpless village by recruiting villagers or sacrificing them to fuel sinister rituals. The gameplay combines Area Majority, Worker Placement, and resource gathering, as cults compete to corrupt the village, enhance their rituals, and expand their influence, which translates into hidden victory points called Taint. Each round brings new challenges and opportunities, requiring players to balance their strategies to outmaneuver opponents and become the supreme cult by the end of the fifth round.

Throughout the game, players consult their Ritual Book (which serves as their player board) to manage their Cultists, accumulate resources, and enhance their powers. The main board features five crucial locations where the cults will vie for control. In the Upkeep phase, these locations undergo random variations in the number of available peasants and the resources they offer. In the Placement phase, players position their Cultist miniatures in these locations, determining the actions their cult can perform. Majority in each location not only grants special actions but also dictates the initiative order. In the Resolve phase, Cultists are assigned to various actions, from gathering resources for ritual upgrades to hanging peasants at the Tree of the Damned to bolster Dark Favor. Finally, in the Defile phase, players bid accumulated blood to dominate the most corrupted locations, and the number of Sigils placed by each significantly impacts the final outcome. At the conclusion of the fifth round, victory is determined by corrupted locations, cult size, upgraded rituals, secret quests, and hidden Taint.