Dominions 3: The Awakening
The Dominions series are created by [user=Illwinter] studios (2 guys) out of Finland and published by [user=Shrapnel Games], one of the last online refuges of PC-based, independently produced war- and strategy-games. Dominions is a turn-based game of province conquest, income management, army customisation and management, combat tactics and management and ultra-light diplomacy (single player that is, multiplayer you can make diplomacy as intricate as you like). Finally, there's bit of stat-based hero management, as your units age, obtain experience and battle wounds, learn new spells and obtain power-up items (crafted by trained mages and based on supply of magic gems). It's a blend of Sid Meier's Civilization, Risk, [game=Heroes of Might & Magic], [game=Europa Universalis] and about 10 different mythologies, fictional and historical. Just for kicks, there is a dash of roguelike, Nethackish randomness, in that in any particular battle any of your carefully groomed commanders may die a sudden, horrible death regardless of how well-protected you think they are.
Publisher: None/Unknown
More About Dominions 3: The Awakening
The game plays out on a series of hand-drawn (or randomised) maps separated into provinces; each province is a unit containing an army, one of each type of buildings, zero or more magic sites and of course multiple borders with other provinces. If two friendly armies meet, they merge; if two unfriendly armies meet, they fight. The victor keeps the province until it is invaded by another opposed army, and so the game goes until all provinces are owned by a single owner - there is no room for peaceful coexistence here, as the game's premise is that your nation is led by a Pretender God. The stakes are ultimate godhood, and there can be only one (so all alliances are by the game's nature quite temporary). So here is the Risk/Europa Universalis comparison.
While this simple interaction of provinces may not seem like much, the game's rich magic system, mechanics of research, and nation-specific troops make for a lot of complex choices that may spell doom or triumph.
While this simple interaction of provinces may not seem like much, the game's rich magic system, mechanics of research, and nation-specific troops make for a lot of complex choices that may spell doom or triumph.
Dominions 3: The Awakening Download
Download the demo for Dominions 3: The Awakening today! Downloads are available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X; demo is limited to 40 moves.
Remember to rate this game and mark it as "played" after you check it out!
