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How to play

How a turn works

Conquer every hex to win. Watch the one-minute video, then step through each part of it below on the same boards.

Video

Dominex in one minute

No sound needed. Every caption is repeated step by step in the lessons below. Watch on YouTube

Lesson 1

Earn gold and take land

A kingdom is two or more connected hexes you own. Its capital, marked with a flag, holds the kingdom’s treasury. At the start of your turn, the kingdom earns 1 gold for every hex without a tree or grave.

Tap the capital to spend that gold. A Villager costs 10. Place it inside the kingdom, or drop it straight onto an undefended enemy hex along the border to take it. Units already on the board capture the same way: select one, then an enemy hex bordering its kingdom. It doesn’t need to start next to the target.

Each unit can capture once per turn. Moving inside its kingdom is free.

  1. A green kingdom of ten hexes, its capital flying a flag, beside red land on a small island
    This is your kingdom.
  2. A wall labeled 10 hexes surrounds the green kingdom
    Each hex earns 1 gold a turn.
  3. The green capital is selected and its gold counter, labeled 10 gold, shows 10
    Tap the flag to spend it.
  4. A Villager is ready to place, and the red hexes along the green border are marked as drop points
    Buy a Villager for 10 gold…
  5. The Villager stands on a red border hex that is now green
    …and drop it on enemy land to take it.

Lesson 2

Every unit costs upkeep

After income, each kingdom pays for its units: 2 gold a turn for a Villager, 6 for a Spearman, 18 for a Knight, and 54 for a Baron. Castles cost nothing to keep.

If the treasury can’t cover the bill, every unit in that kingdom dies and leaves a grave. Graves earn nothing and grow into trees on your next turn.

Check the gold counter before you buy or upgrade. At risk means the kingdom can’t pay.

  1. Three green units are labeled with their upkeep: −2 for the Villager and −6 for each Spearman
    Every unit costs gold each turn.
  2. The green capital is selected, and its gold counter shows −6 At risk, labeled Can’t pay
    Too few hexes to pay upkeep…
  3. After the turn ends, graves stand where the three units were
    …so every unit dies.

Lesson 3

Pieces protect nearby land

Units, capitals, and castles defend their own hex and every neighboring hex in their kingdom. A capital defends with 1, a castle with 2, and a unit with its strength. Only the strongest defender counts.

To capture a hex, your unit must be stronger than its defense. Buy a Villager onto a unit, or move two units together, to combine their strength up to 4: Spearman 2, Knight 3, Baron 4.

Equal strength is not enough. The attacker must be stronger.

  1. A wall labeled Defense 1 surrounds a green Villager and the green hexes beside it
    Units defend the hexes around them.
  2. A wall labeled Defense 1 surrounds the red capital and the red hexes beside it
    So do capitals.
  3. The Villager, labeled Strength 1, is selected and can reach an open red hex but nothing inside the capital’s wall
    Strength 1 can’t beat Defense 1.
  4. The Villager is now a Spearman labeled Strength 2, and the hexes beside the red capital are within reach
    Upgrade it to a Spearman.
  5. The Spearman stands on the captured red capital
    Strength 2 beats Defense 1.

Lesson 4

Join kingdoms to pool gold

Each kingdom keeps its own treasury, so gold in one can’t pay for units in another. Capture the land between two of your kingdoms and they become one: the treasuries combine, and the capital of the kingdom that made the capture remains.

It works against you too. Cut an enemy kingdom in two and only the side with its old capital keeps the gold. The other side starts from nothing, and may not be able to pay its units.

Connect your kingdoms. Split your rivals’.

  1. Two green kingdoms separated by a red column; the left capital holds 12 gold and the right one 18 gold
    Two kingdoms, two treasuries.
  2. A Villager has taken the red hex between them, and the joined kingdom’s gold counter reads 12 + 18 = 30
    Join them to pool the gold.

Putting it together

Your turn, in order

  1. 1
    Collect and payTrees spread, units are ready again, and each kingdom collects 1 gold per hex without a tree or grave, then pays upkeep. A kingdom that cannot pay loses every unit to graves.
  2. 2
    Act, in any orderBuy units and castles, move and combine units, and capture bordering land. Undo and redo until you end the turn.
  3. 3
    End turnYour five computer rivals take their turns, then yours begins again.

Keep nearby

Quick reference

Piece Strength Cost Upkeep
Villager 1 10 2
Spearman 2 20 6
Knight 3 30 18
Baron 4 40 54
Capital 1 — —
Castle 2 15 None

Each added Villager costs 10 gold. Unit costs show the total from scratch.

Unit actions
A unit can capture, chop a tree, or clear a grave once per turn. Moving inside its kingdom does not use its action.
Combining
Move friendly units together, or buy a Villager onto one, to add their strength up to 4. The result can act only if both were unused.
Trees and graves
Trees earn nothing. Bankruptcy turns units into graves, which become trees on that player’s next turn.
Winning
Win when no rival has a kingdom, you hold every land hex, or you accept a surrender offer after holding more than three-quarters of the land. A lone hex isn’t a kingdom and doesn’t keep a player in the game.
Difficulty
Every level uses the same computer player. Its estimated attack allowance rises from roughly ¼ on Casual to no limit on Legend.
Controls
Drag to pan and pinch to zoom. On a computer, use the mouse, scroll wheel, or keyboard.

The same rules are in the app under Help and work offline.

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