Darkleaf Gambit | Reignite Your Chessboard's Magic

Darkleaf Gambit | Reignite Your Chessboard's Magic

Transform your most beloved chessboard into the mythical forest of Haggedorn in this 2-player game of risk and cunning.

54,774 USD
of 10,000 USD Goal
660
Backers
Contact Creator View on Kickstarter

Darkleaf Gambit is an entirely new game for your chess set! Perfect for quick, intense duels that blend classic charm and modern, asymmetric mechanics. Whether played on a family heirloom or a steal from the local thrift store, Darkleaf Gambit reignites the magic in your chessboard. Bring your keen mind for strategy, but otherwise no chess experience is required to play Darkleaf Gambit.

#1: Choose Your Clan

Take control of one of six clans, each inviting its own distinct style of play and unique path to victory. No two units move alike or possess the same abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. And with six to choose from, that amounts to 15 possible matchups and high replayability.

#2: The Setup

Gather six dice, one mighty clan board, and assign Fate Chips to their skills. Configure your units around Haggedorn (that mythical forest, commonly mistaken for a chessboard) as depicted on the clan guide.

#3: Roll a Die & Execute

Gameplay is turn-based and begins with a roll of the die, which powers and limits every action. Will you hunt with the Huldra’s ranged attack or hazard a close confrontation with The Murg? Push your opponent into the void on the Ferrymen’s wave, or reclaim the Erde’s sacred territories? Transform rival units into Wibo pawns or cast Hexen curses on the ground upon which your rival walks? 

#4: Slot the Die & Acquire Power

End your turn by slotting the rolled die in your clan board to power miracles, relics, auras and laws. Once purchased, miracles produce immediate effects while relics can be saved for later, strategic use. Auras are placed on units and territories, which can have both offensive and defensive impacts. Laws create an advantage for your clan that lasts the remainder of the duel.

#5: Achieve Victory!

The first clan to meet its victory condition wins! With six clans and six different conditions, be wary as your rival’s objective will be different from your own… and not at all easy to thwart.

More ways to learn Darkleaf Gambit

  • Watch the Good Time Society’s How to Game with Becca Scott.
  • Hop into the full digital version of the game on Tabletopia…for free!
  • Delve into the 20-page rulebook with complete clan compendiums.

Just the One Add-On? We’re fans of both types of Kickstarters: the ones where you have oodles of options for shiny tokens and metal upgrades and kickass expansions, and the ones where you can see exactly what you are getting without even scrolling. For this campaign, we’re executing the latter. Darkleaf Gambit is a tightly focused game. Its components are already premium in every way. And the asymmetry was a bear to balance. We thought it would be insincere (and even damaging to the core mechanics) to concoct an expansion or an extra add-on to simply raise more revenue. Every parent says this, but Darkleaf Gambit is perfect just as it is.

How About Stretch Goals? We have some fun things planned that are dependent upon the level of this campaign’s success. These things primarily entail a) extending the game’s Haggedorn's Will mechanic and b) forest conservation. We are thankful to every tree that inspired the mythology behind Darkleaf Gambit, and every tree that will go into manufacturing your games. We’ll discuss these plans with you in the campaign updates rather than building a ladder of stretch goals.

Special thanks goes to all of Darkleaf Gambit's wonderful playtesters (both in the physical realm as well as on Tabletopia), Dalla Croce Studios for 3d modeling support, and In Depth Films for being our videography wingman!  
All UpdatesUpdate #3

Pledge Manager Opening Shortly

2026-01-20 17:51:26

Hello friends and happy twenty-twenty-six!

This update is going to be nuts-and-bolts only as we’re ready to open the Pledge Manager and want this to be a smooth experience for everyone. Most of you have backed multiple (sometimes in the hundreds!) Kickstarter campaigns before, so you know how this works. Feel free to skim the notes below for items that pertain to you. If anyone encounters an issue or has a question, send us a message through Kickstarter or at hello@onlythenstudios.com.

Here’s what you need to know:

Pledge Manager & Email Invites: We’re using Hive Interactive to support this process. Invitations will come to your email on file from “pledgemanager@hiveinteractive.net.” If you haven’t received an email by Friday, delve into those spam folders.

Shipping Costs: These will remain exactly as quoted during the campaign.

US Tariffs: Board game imports into the USA are currently at 20%. US backers will see a small surcharge of either $2 or $3 (depending on pledge level) as a separate line item. I feel reasonably confident this will remain steady until fulfillment in late spring.

VAT: Backers in the EU will see a separate line item for VAT, which is specific to your country. I feel less confident that reciprocal tariffs won’t be in place by late spring, but Only Then Studios will cover these if that happens. As a US company, we feel (mortifyingly) responsible for the unnecessary tension being caused to our dear friends across the Atlantic.

Early Bird Backers: Those of you who pledged in the first three days of the campaign scored a free Haggedorn’s Will die. We’ve preloaded these into your account, and they are marked as “freebie.” More than a few of you still purchased one of these dice separately. Unless you intended to buy a second copy, you can remove the purchased one from your cart and that $5 you paid through Kickstarter will automatically be applied toward shipping. Or enjoy that second beauty!

Local Pickup: For those of you who call northern New Mexico home, we’ll hold a launch event in Los Alamos where you can grab your game in person and learn to play with the creators. Be sure to select the local pickup option, which will be one of the first questions in the Pledge Manager. Local pickup is free.

Apple IDs: Individual messages have been sent through Kickstarter to those of you who set up your Kickstarter account using an Apple ID rather than email address. If you haven’t resolved this issue yet, your Pledge Manager email will be lost in the ether. Reach out if you need further instruction on fixing.

That’s it! Good luck and we’ll see you (at least in email) soon!

Jamison (and Jess)












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