Hey Dark Lords!
After much anticipation, we've completed our dive into your incredible submissions. It's clear you all poured your hearts into this, making our choice a challenging one! With over 35 unique tales submitted, we navigated through 1,800+ narrative cards, saw over 90 endings, and fell for our characters all over again. We evaluated these tales based on their content, intrigue, length, nonlinearity, and the diversity of endings—true to the spirit of Dark Lord, where every choice matters. But, as with any contest not held in a kindergarten, winners must be crowned. So, without further ado, here are our champions:
1st place and $1000 goes to Drunk Lord by @Lach_2110
With a staggering 256 passages, Drunk Lord takes first place for its sheer scope, engaging plot, multiple endings, and brilliant humor.
“Welcome to Drunk Lord! Face your greatest foe: your drunken self. The Dark Lord wakes after a wild night on the town, having misplaced the legendary sword, Lordsbane. In the wrong hands, it could spell the end of your kingdom. Getting it back is your utmost priority. Or is it? Navigate this text-based adventure however you desire. It's Dark Lord meets The Hangover, with a dash of Morrowind. Choose your path or shirk your responsibilities. Uncover the mystery. With six possible endings and numerous game-play choices, Drunk Lord rewards curiosity and is designed to be played more than once.”
2nd place and $750 goes to The Sealed City by @giyuga
Naturally, the community story mode embraces both the light-hearted and the profound. This is why we were captivated by a story that unveils a new and enigmatic realm within the Dark Lord universe.
“You’ve been awoken in the dead of night by an earthquake! Turns out it have broken not only your slumber but also the nearby mountain. With this came miraculous news — there was a city under this mountain all along. Are there still people there? Are they friends or foes? There is only one way to find out!
This epic non-linear adventure has several endings, battles, magic, mystery and a lot of danger for a reckless Dark Lord. Will you perish? Or will you uncover the mystery of The Sealed City?”
3rd place and $500 goes to The Cat Lord by @yarseit
Capturing our affection for felines—which many of you noticed—The Cat Lord emerged as the top "cat" narrative.
“What? Someone turned the Dark Lord into a cat? What kind of impudence is this? You need to figure it out.”
But that's not all! The sheer volume and quality of submissions deserve special recognition. So, we're awarding a $50 People's Choice Award to these remarkable stories:
- Catocalypse by @alastor9000
- My pal—the Paladin by @anna19952558
- The Bone Dragon by @keldalas
- Meteorite and witch by @vdm_blgkv
- The Secret Expedition by @nikiprotiv
- The Labyrinth of Love by Ekaterina Golub
- Dark Lord Story by Michael Sychov
- Traitorous Knight by @shamesash
We'd love to sing praises for each submission, as they've truly moved us and deserve every bit of acclaim. However, the Internet might just run out of space if we tried! Instead, keep an eye out for the upcoming story editor release—soon, you'll have the chance to showcase your masterpiece to the world. The wait is almost over! (wink-wink)
We'll reach out to all winners to arrange prize distribution (please check your Discord privacy settings). These stories are being translated and will soon be added to the game for everyone to enjoy. Thank you for your participation, and we look forward to seeing your creativity in future contests!