There was once a powerful civilisation, led by magic and nature, dwarves and elves. They built wonders and cities, gardens and schools, underwater tunnels, sky cities, circus and religions. They traded with other kingdoms, researched arcane rituals, always merging magic and nature. But eventually, as centuries passed, they became lazy, fat, slow-witted and weak, letting lower species and robotic machines do all the grunt work. Lacking challenges, outwitted by their own creations, they slowly faded and crumbled, like all civilisations. Wilderness, trees, rivers and natural events took over and centuries passed… Until now. Recently, some adventurous human settlers founded a village. Hunters, brave pioneers, farmers, are unaware of the past of the land. From the curious villager up to the bored aristocrat, knowledge-hungry wizard to glory-seeking paladin, some people started to search the mysterious ruins and were rumoured to have discovered riches beyond imagination. One could become rich within a day, one could just buy its own land for retirement, a well equipped laboratory with the best assistants, a Roman bath house with all amenities. One could accomplish one’s life dream, be it building its own castle, hire armies, establish churches. Word of the beauty, wonder and magnificence of the unearthed artefacts was spread. In parallel, at around the same time as the Village flourished with traders, Underworld forces coalesced and spawned some dark beings, deep in the ground. You.

Lusting for gold and fame, “courageous” heroes, adventurers of all kinds, trying to make a name for themselves, arrive in the Village. Periodically, expeditions are organised to go in the Dungeons. Officially they intend on exploring the Land Underneath, bringing civilisation, law and order, claiming territories for a lord or a merchant, for a church or a powerful individual. Unofficially, this is more about having fun at the expense of the big bugs downstairs, rampaging with no limit, venting out frustration, expressing indiscriminate anger, and exterminating the darkness denizens, more about plundering and looting the famed riches. The legend of the lost dwarfs and elves civilisation speaks of gorgeous treasure chests, ready for the taking, scattered all over the underground. In this subterranean darkness, hidden within caverns and stairs, tunnels and rivers, intricately carved out of the raw stone by the forces of continent-wide Nature or by powerful earth Magic, boxes of gold coins and silver ingots await. Sparkling shiny armours and swords, gems, rings, jewels beyond imagination, rivers of liquid gold, platinum nuggets and even dangerous powerful metals. The place is rumoured to be garlanded with wonderful riches. However, some survivors sometimes tell of deadly traps and vicious monsters.

YOU play the role of one of these oppressed dungeon lords, mysterious beings without a body of their own, slave servants of the shadow forces, faithful worshippers of the Dark Gods. The Dungeon is akin to a living sentient being and you are its avatar. Other Dark Lords and the adventurers are your enemies. You will decide what each of your creatures does, where it goes, what it eats, how it fights. You will dig the earth, design your own dungeon layout of tunnels and rooms, manufacture traps and doors, research magic spells. You will contribute to the re-discovery and claiming of the Underworld geographical layout, placing tunnels, caves, underground lakes, lava sea, wells, granite areas and rooms. The force of your faith will even allow you to influence the adventurers. You can control some of them, or more exactly, remote control your hypnotised, influenced adventurers. Indeed, thanks to the Dark Gods spiritual power on the rise, the adventurers are all struck by the DUNGEONYTE curse.

Kryptonite, dynamite, dungeon-night, knight, the game DUNGEONYTE is indeed named after this strange disease, afflicting medieval fantasy heroes. This is like a charm, a curse, a form of global hypnosis, like in the movie “The Shadow”. The effect is pervasive: the victims you influence are oblivious to you, the controlling Dark Lord. When in the Dungeons, they automatically look the other way when in contact with you, totally unaware of your presence. They are hypnotised, eyes and ears perception is altered, they cannot perceive your territory, their mind is hampered by a mind filter, your mind. Unfortunately, the DUNGEONYTE curse works in your favour only with some adventurers, the ones you secretly sponsor on the Surface Land through anonymous donations and indirect misinformation. The other Dark Lords also puppet master their own adventurers, who can be sent to invade you. Each Dark Lord is immune to the team of Adventurers she /he controls. The DUNGEONYTE curse also pervades all materials, allowing the Dungeons earth ground to power an alchemical transmutation from Wood-to-Iron-to-Stone-to-Diamond or from Copper-to-Silver-to-Gold-to-Rare Elements.

The players will enliven the eternal battle between good and evil, light and darkness, playing both sides at the same time. On the good side, one Village hosts four teams of heroes, each secretly funded by a different Dark Lords. Those Adventurers will explore the dungeons in search of wealth and exploit, bringing Sun light and law, gaining experience and fame. On the evil side, there are four Dark Lords, each in charge of a Dungeon. The Dark Lords will control the many Traps, Monsters, Rooms, digging, moving, and fighting. Your Creatures, including some Adventurers under the control of another Dark Lord, those poor souls you converted to your cause, will explore your opponent Dark Lords’ tortuous dungeons, breach onto the Sunland, encounter unknown monsters, battle their way through dark tunnels, accumulate experience and uncover forgotten treasures.

The team spirit of the Adventurers will prevail (hopefully) and jealousy bursts between them will be the exception (like when there is a Traitor). However, the heroes are free-willed; nothing prevents an Adventurer from attacking another one in another team, except in the Village where the police is watching. In the Dungeons, the Adventurers will undoubtedly cleanse the walls, sanitise the floor, brush and disinfect the tunnels and rooms and, ultimately, will break the Defenceless sentient ceilings to let the Sun light in. The heroes will rush to trample the ground of Throne Rooms, wander around picking up artefacts and coins or just wait as bait to attract dungeon Creatures to be captured and sent in city zoos.