Domain Play rules and tips feedback

Theory
1

Please share any feedback for this doc. Anything it’s missing? I’d like to help and give more confidence to DMs for Domain play. thanks

Domain play

In Dungeons & Dragons (and other tabletop RPGs) refers to a style of gameplay that focuses on the management of large-scale assets, such as:

  • Strongholds (castles, towers, temples, etc.)

  • Territories or land holdings

  • Organizations (guilds, cults, armies)

  • Followers or vassals

  • Economy, trade, law, or political influence

It’s usually introduced after characters reach high levels, when they’ve moved beyond dungeon crawling and adventuring to become powerful figures in the world—warlords, rulers, archmages, high priests, or crime lords.

What Domain Play Typically Involves

  • Building and ruling a stronghold (keep, wizard tower, thieves’ guild, etc.)

  • Recruiting and commanding followers, soldiers, or retainers

  • Managing resources (gold, food, manpower, magical items)

  • Dealing with threats to your domain (bandits, invasions, politics)

  • Running long-term projects (fortifications, magical research, diplomatic missions)

  • Navigating regional or global politics

Examples of Domain Play by Class

  • Fighter (Warlord/Champion): Builds a fortress, trains an army, defends borders

  • Wizard: Constructs a tower, performs magical research, creates constructs

  • Cleric/Paladin: Founds a temple, spreads religion, manages a theocracy

  • Thief/Rogue: Establishes a thieves’ guild, controls a city’s underworld

  • Druid/Ranger: Cultivates sacred groves, rules a wild territory

How It’s Played

In OSR or early editions (like BECMI or AD&D), domain play is often turn-based, using seasons, months, or weeks per turn. You make strategic choices, assign resources, and resolve outcomes, similar to a strategy game layered onto your campaign.

In modern 5e, domain play is less supported out of the box, but supplements like Strongholds & Followers (Matt Colville) or 3rd party rulesets like An Echo, Resounding or ACKS (Adventurer Conqueror King) bring it back.

Why Use Domain Play?

  • Gives long-term goals and stakes beyond loot and XP

  • Introduces new types of challenges: diplomacy, espionage, infrastructure, legacy

  • Rewards characters’ growth by making them agents of lasting change

  • Blends storytelling, wargaming, and simulation in a sandbox

DMing domain play introduces new types of complexity, often moving beyond traditional dungeon-crawling into simulationist, political, or strategic territory. This shift can be rewarding but also tricky to manage. Here’s a breakdown of the main challenges and how to handle them effectively:

MAIN CHALLENGES

1. Too Much Bookkeeping

  • Problem: Tracking resources, construction projects, NPCs, armies, and events can spiral into spreadsheet hell.

  • Solution:

    • Use simplified domain turns (e.g., 1 action per season per domain).

    • Automate with tools (e.g., Notion, Google Sheets, Obsidian templates).

    • Use abstracted mechanics (e.g., morale, prosperity, unrest meters instead of detailed ledgers).

2. Player Engagement Imbalance

  • Problem: Not every player is invested in ruling domains—especially in group campaigns.

  • Solution:

    • Give everyone something to rule or influence (a guild, shrine, ship, mercenary band).

    • Let uninterested players take supporting roles (spymaster, steward, war advisor).

    • Focus on conflict and drama, not just logistics—make rulership feel like adventuring with higher stakes.

3. Lack of Tension or Risk

  • Problem: If domain actions are just “declare and succeed,” it becomes boring.

  • Solution:

    • Introduce uncertainty: rival factions, uprisings, diplomacy gone wrong, mercenary betrayal.

    • Add random events each season (drought, monster raids, political shifts).

    • Make success cost something—gold, loyalty, time, allies, opportunities.

4. World Impact is Hard to Track

  • Problem: Player decisions can ripple across your setting. It’s easy to lose track of their effects.

  • Solution:

    • Use faction clocks or fronts (Blades in the Dark or Apocalypse World style).

    • Track just a few major actors or threats at a time.

    • Let changes happen gradually, and show the effects through rumors, NPC attitudes, and visible world shifts.

5. No Clear System or Rules

  • Problem: D&D 5e and many systems lack rules for domain play, leaving DMs ad-libbing.

  • Solution:

    • Use or adapt 3rd party systems:

      • An Echo, Resounding (OSR, domain rules for sandbox play)

      • Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS) – very detailed

      • Strongholds & Followers (5e-friendly)

      • Court of Blades (for intrigue-focused domain play)

    • Or use a simple, custom turn structure, like:

      • 1 action per domain per season

      • Actions like Build, Expand, Recruit, Spy, Trade, Attack

      • Resolution = 2d6 + bonus vs target number, with consequences on failure

6. Pacing Issues

  • Problem: Domain turns can slow down the game, especially if they interrupt high-action adventures.

  • Solution:

    • Run domain turns between sessions, via email or Discord.

    • Use seasonal domain phases, alternating with traditional adventuring arcs.

    • Treat it like a mini-game: 15 minutes at the start or end of a session, then move on.

7. Making Domain Play Feel Heroic

  • Problem: Rulership can feel dry compared to adventuring unless it connects emotionally.

  • Solution:

    • Tie domain events to character goals, past deeds, and values.

    • Make enemies personal—a traitorous advisor, a rival heir, a cursed bloodline.

    • Introduce legends and relics tied to their domain.

    • Let rulership feel like an extension of their heroism—not a bureaucratic job.

QUICK RECOMMENDED PRACTICES

Tip Why It Helps
Use a “domain turn” format (e.g., seasonal actions) Structures downtime, limits analysis paralysis
Abstract resources (e.g., Wealth levels, Manpower dice) Reduces bookkeeping
Create simple action menus per domain Keeps choices clear and quick
Tie domain problems to character backstories Increases investment
Use progress clocks / countdowns Tracks threats and time-based challenges visually
Keep 1–3 active threats or goals Avoids overwhelm for DM and players

Handling Prices in Domain Play

Pricing is a core part of domain play, covering buildings, armies, projects, upkeep, espionage, and more. As the DM, your goal is to make costs feel meaningful without overwhelming players with bookkeeping.

1. Abstract vs. Precise Pricing

Abstract Pricing

Best for narrative-first or OSR-style campaigns.

  • Use broad tiers:

    • Cheap: 10–100 gp

    • Costly: 500–1,000 gp

    • Major Expense: 5,000+ gp

  • Assign rough values to domain assets:

    • Basic outpost: 500 gp

    • Fortified keep: 5,000–10,000 gp

    • Army unit (20 soldiers): 100 gp to raise, 10 gp/week upkeep

This approach focuses on orders of magnitude rather than granular accounting.

Pros: Fast, easy to adjust, supports flexible storytelling
Cons: Less satisfying for players who enjoy precise economic play

Precise Pricing

Ideal for simulationist or economy-driven campaigns.

  • Use detailed rates:

    • Keep: 75,000 gp

    • Wizard tower: 30,000 gp + magical lab

    • Spy network: 1,000 gp/month upkeep

  • Include labor, materials, terrain modifiers, and construction time.

Pros: Satisfying for planning-focused players
Cons: Increases prep time and slows down gameplay

2. Construction and Projects

Sample Abstracted Construction Table

Structure Cost Build Time Monthly Upkeep
Wooden palisade 250 gp 1 week 10 gp
Stone watchtower 1,000 gp 1 month 25 gp
Small keep 5,000 gp 3 months 200 gp
Large fortress 25,000 gp 6–12 months 500 gp

Modify prices based on labor availability, terrain difficulty, or regional inflation.

3. Troops, Followers, and Specialists

  • Light infantry: 2 gp to recruit, 1 gp/week upkeep

  • Veterans: 50 gp to recruit, 5 gp/week

  • Specialists (blacksmiths, scribes, advisors): 50–200 gp/month

  • Mercenaries: Paid in lump sums, often per season

Consider grouping soldiers into abstract units and assigning “power levels” to avoid full stat blocks.

4. Land and Income

Link income to territory, taxation, or trade routes.

Sample Land Income per Season

Terrain Income Notes
Fertile plains 500 gp Productive farmland
Forest 200 gp Wood income, low tax base
Desert 50 gp Sparse and low yield
Ruins Variable May yield treasure

Include seasonal events such as good harvests, raids, or market fluctuations to alter income.

5. Espionage, Magic, and Research

Activity Cost Time Required
Spy network (per city) 1,000 gp + 200 gp/month Ongoing
Scrying tower 2,000 gp 2 weeks
Magical research 500 gp/level 1d4 weeks

Let players spend extra to reduce time, increase secrecy, or gain better outcomes.

6. Upkeep, Taxes, and Profit

Introduce ongoing costs to maintain balance and prevent runaway growth.

  • Standard upkeep: 10–20% of initial investment per month

  • Taxation options:

    • Low tax: +loyalty, -income

    • Moderate: stable domain

    • High: +income, risk of unrest or rebellion

You can introduce choices between raising taxes, improving infrastructure, or suppressing dissent through force or propaganda.

7. General Tips for DMs

  • Use tiered costs (minor, moderate, major) instead of line-item expenses

  • Keep the number of tracked resources minimal: wealth, manpower, morale, loyalty

  • Let players leverage story-based solutions (alliances, diplomacy) to reduce costs

  • Encourage reinvestment: domain power should lead to more strategic choices, not just static income

  • Introduce hidden costs, corruption, or inefficiencies to add realism and tension

  • Track ongoing projects and threats using progress clocks or faction sheets

  • (Optional) Ask the players to track their domain play progression. They already track their character gold, inventory, spells, etc. Offer to help them as needed, especially in the beginning to get going. They track, you resolve actions.

Quick Mass Combat System for Domain Play

1. Units as Abstracted Entities

Treat groups of 10–100 troops as units. Each unit has:

  • Power (POW): combat strength (usually 1–5)

  • Morale (MOR): will to fight (usually 2d6, +modifiers)

  • HP or Cohesion: optional, if you want attrition tracked over rounds

Example Units:

Unit Power Morale Notes
Militia (20 men) 1 +0 Lightly armed
Trained infantry 2 +1 Shield, spear
Veteran cavalry 3 +2 Heavy charge
Elite warband 4 +2 Berserkers or paladins

2. Combat Rounds (Abstracted Turns)

Each round, both sides declare actions: Attack, Hold, Retreat, Flank, Charge, etc.

Then resolve combats using:

2d6 + Power + situational modifiers
vs
2d6 + opposing Power + modifiers

The side with the higher total wins the clash. The margin of success determines effect:

Margin Result
1–2 Pushback, light casualties
3–5 Moderate casualties, retreat
6+ Severe losses, rout or rout risk

Optional: Apply a “Cohesion” damage system (e.g., units have 3 hits before breaking).

3. Morale and Collapse

After losing a clash, the defeated unit rolls morale:

2d6 + morale modifier
vs Target 7

Failure = shaken (disadvantage next round)
Fail by 3+ = routed (flee or surrender)

Entire armies may check morale when:

  • A commander is killed

  • A flank collapses

  • Half the army is lost

4. Terrain, Command, and Heroes

  • Terrain: Grant ±1 to Power rolls for high ground, choke points, or traps

  • Commanders: Each general can give one Command Bonus per round (+1 to a unit’s roll)

  • Heroes (PCs): Add narrative interventions to shift a clash, delay a rout, or turn the tide. One per battle, unless magically enhanced.

Example: “Yen leads a desperate counterattack on the left flank.”
→ Advantage to that unit’s clash this round.

5. Battle Turns

Use simple turns rather than round-by-round action. Each turn represents 5–15 minutes of combat or a phase.

Each turn, resolve:

  • Major clashes (left, center, right, rear)

  • Morale checks

  • Command effects

  • Optional: event or chaos roll (fog rolls in, reinforcements arrive, magic released)

Run the battle in 3–5 turns max. End when:

  • One side breaks

  • A goal is reached (e.g., hold the hill for 3 turns)

  • A major narrative moment occurs (duel, betrayal, etc.)

Optional: Resolution-Only Method (for Faster Play)

If you don’t want to play out turns, resolve a battle with a single opposed roll:

Each side: 2d6 + total army Power + general’s bonus + terrain bonus

  • Margin of victory determines narrative outcome and casualties

  • Use player choices beforehand (terrain, deployments, spells, scouting) as modifiers

This is great for strategic domain-level wars when the real interest is in outcome, not tactics.

Summary Table

Step Mechanic
Unit strength Power (1–5) + Morale (mod)
Clash resolution 2d6 + Power vs 2d6 + Power
Morale check 2d6 + mod vs target 7
Battle length 3–5 turns, or single-roll option
2 Likes
2

It might be interesting to note that in some earlier presentations (B/X and BECMI) the ability to Build a Stronghold is a Class Feature that is accessible much earlier for a few Classes.

Fighters have a super secret Special Ability to begin engaging with this kind of Play at any level once they have sufficient funds to establish a Stronghold. Now, this needn’t be a Fancy Castle or Majestic Keep at those lower levels. Sometimes it’s a Reclaimed Bandit Hideout, an Old Manor they’ve cleared of Monsters, or even just the Floor of an Inn they’ve Leased long-term from the Innkeeper.

Establishing a Stronghold allows them to begin to influence the Surrounding Lands, and in turn, the Surrounding Lands begin to notice as well. The scope of this influence is usually in proportion to the size and importance of the Stronghold though, so the Fighter may sometimes “outgrow” their current one and make improvements or seek another. Renting an Empty Building as a “Homebase” isn’t going to attract undo Attention from all the Movers & Shakers in the Setting just yet, but it does start those wheels a-turning.

Functionally in the Game, this serves as a really good money sink at the lower levels, and canny Parties will help the Fighters establish Strongholds (by contributing Treasure!) because they provide benefits that are accessible to the entire Team. In addition to serving as a great place to store all that hard-earned Treasure, a Stronghold really facilitates what I like to refer to as the “Six R’s of Downtime:”

  • Rest/Recuperation
  • Research
  • Retainers
  • Rumor Mongering
  • Revelry
  • Re-supplying

There may be additional benefits and some drawbacks though of course: The Stronghold can serve as a source of Adventure Hooks or take center stage as a focus of Play occasionally. In addition to making those “Rs” easier, I like to include some details/events from a few of my d100 Tables that can help spice things up a bit:

Halflings also have this Ability, and it’s sometimes overlooked as well. The interesting thing about their “Stronghold at any Level” though is that while they can establish it, the Stronghold (Termed a Shire for them) is actually controlled/administered by an NPC: The Sherriff. Until the Halfling reaches their Name Level at 8 (and becomes a Sherriff in their own right!) This can lead to some interesting conflicts and opportunities as well!

These days, the type of Sustained/Consistent Campaigns required to reach those Higher Levels necessary for Domain Tier Play for the other Classes is often quite rare in Contemporary Play Culture. This is really a shame, because Domain Play is one of the many ways Players can make a significant mark on the Setting/World they’ve been Playing In. Many of the types of longer term goals and scheming machinations that Players come up with may not bear full fruit until this Tier. So with the two Classes above gaining access to it much sooner it is possible to experience a bit of it nowadays, even though Name Level is much further away and requires a truly significant investment of time for the other Classes.

Engaging Domain Games generally rely very heavily on a Preponderance of Prior Play though. I often joke that those higher level games are much more likely to run themselves at this point, because of all the People, Places, Challenges, Triumphs, and Setbacks that the Players have experienced can feed into the Gameplay Loop to assist with Prep. It can feel very Flat to be just Handed a Castle and Rumors of an Invading Army when these don’t have the Personal Stakes that would be present for a Castle one Adventured to Capture, or built over time using Hard Earned Treasure. An Invading Army led by the Faction you double-crossed a dozen levels ago is going to be more meaningful and create more interesting opportunities than something rather generic :slight_smile:

Domain Play unlocks a lot of Special Abilities and Features that make some of the former Challenges much less of an issue or even seem trivial (especially with access to Higher Level Magic, Legions of Mercenaries, Spy Networks, an Army of Fanatical Followers willing to die for your Church, a Woodland teeming with Wildlife watching every move and reporting back to you, a Clan of Stout Warriors awaiting Undermountain and producing beautiful goods, etc.) but one Challenge remains despite all of this: Difficult Choices. It’s not always possible for the Players to be in two places at once and a lot of the Tough Choices revolve around having to make these decisions of where and who to leverage their considerable abilities upon. As a Referee, I’m always relying on that Prior Play to help us generate these situations and conundrums: they have a lot more Stakes when they’re bespoken to the game we’ve been playing after all!

3

Thanks for the reply and tables.

What are your thoughts about the Sustained/Consistent Campaigns you mentioned?
Maybe they are a result of players not knowing about domain play? If they think that the standard low level adventure loop is all my character is ever going to do then they get bored and start over. If they know from the beginning that they can work towards domain play then that might keep them motivated to stay in the campaign.

This could be because a DM isn’t starting to intruce domain play elements from the beginning. Maybe by having the party hirelings comment on how they have friends would form a guild or collective and be faithful followers. by having townsfolk say they’d love for the party to be the new rulers instead of the current jerks. by having a npc in town be a realtor giving the party prices for property for houses or guilds etc.

another solution is to start the party or campaign off with a domain asset like a guild and a large sum of money that’s entrusted to them for the purpose of advancing the guild/ their faction / the city.

Another idea is when a campaign ends the party can retire and hand off their treasure to the PCs of the next campaign. That way there’s still the setting of known factions and things being meaningful and an explanation for the party to get a “quick start” for domain play.

do you that information should be added to the document?

4

I think the main reason for it’s rarity is that it takes an awful lot of Play to reach those higher levels for all the Character Classes to engage with the Domain Tier directly since many have to wait until Name/9th Level to construct their own Strongholds. In the past, our leisure time wasn’t so scarce, and there were far fewer tantalizing options so we spent a lot of time Playing these Games and this led to longer Campaigns that ended up seeing Domain Play regularly.

Video Games were only found in an Arcade that was a long, hot bike-ride away (and cost quarters!) so they didn’t really compete for our attention, there were only a few channels on TV and they seldom showed anything super interesting (maybe you had a Betamax or VHS, but probably only a handful of movies!), you’d probably listened to all your records/tapes a hundred times. Nowadays we have a lot more competition for our free time, and a lot of it is more accessible than ever. But these games had the capacity to remain fresh and compelling and didn’t have much by way of cost associated with them after the initial Rulebook purchase. So we played constantly back then :slight_smile:

I do think it is important to mention these Options to the Players, especially if you are using a presentation where the Fighter might be able to get a Head Start. I usually mention it casually when we’re discussing Character Abilities during Character Generation. I find a lot of Referees tend to overlook that ability, and this often leads to lamentations about how the Fighter doesn’t seem very Powerful in these games. But having a Safe Place to store Treasure and participate in those Downtime activities is incredibly useful, nearly all Parties will have one, and it really can give the Players a taste of Domain much sooner!

But I do often stress that not all games will last long enough to really see a lot of what we tend to think of as more conventional Domain Tier shenanigans (Castle Building, Massive Armies on the March, Diplomacy between Local Rulers, Hex-Clearing, etc.), and that’s perfectly fine. Sessions are shorter these days, more bite-sized. We may only meet once every week or every other, so it will take a lot of games to earn all that XP and Treasure.

Even if we do see higher levels, it is completely “Optional” though, some Parties might decide not to engage with it, others might have different goals they want to pursue, etc. We have had an interesting thing that happen from time to time related to Character Retirement. A Fighter who suffers a sever Injury or Malady that takes them out of the Adventuring life can always settle down and become an NPC and might decide to establish a Stronghold. These types of NPCs are generally a lot more memorable and the Players are much more interested in their outcomes and activities which is a nice bonus!

5

In addition to ktrey’s great answer, I think another big issue for domain play is that there’s just not a lot of support out there. Because it’s less common, people make less stuff for it: less homebrew, less actual play, less advice, etc… And that there is the makings of a vicious circle.

There’s just not a lot of practical stuff out there for domain play, little common wisdom on how to budget time and focus, on how to handle domain vs. non-domain characters in the same campaign, etc… No “Jacquaysing the Fantasy Political Landscape,” no “A Quick Primer for Operating a Thieves’ Guild,” etc… Domain play rules are a bit like a mule with a spinning wheel: nobody knows how they got there and damned if we know how to use them. It’s not just the time it takes to actually “unlock” this side of play, but also the fact that the amount of bookkeeping overhead and conceptual complexity that it introduces to play is too much for a lot of people, especially with the absence of solid guidance.

Arguably some of the most popular systems out there for domain play are geared towards domain play primarily, at the expense of the “traditional” adventuring play, which I think gives a glimpse at the kinds of compromises that people often make to get it working satisfactorily, and explains why it’s mostly disappeared from the “modern game”.

6

thanks for the reply yukamichi. I make this and started this conversation because of the lack of support and this is my attempt to address that. Do you think this doc addresses those concerns satisfactory?

For Bookkeeping my solutions given are Use simplified domain turns (e.g., 1 action per season per domain).

Automate with tools (e.g., Notion, Google Sheets, Obsidian templates).

Use abstracted mechanics (e.g., morale, prosperity, unrest meters instead of detailed ledgers).

Abstract Pricing

Best for narrative-first or OSR-style campaigns.

  • Use broad tiers:
    • Cheap: 10–100 gp
    • Costly: 500–1,000 gp
    • Major Expense: 5,000+ gp
  • Assign rough values to domain assets:
    • Basic outpost: 500 gp
    • Fortified keep: 5,000–10,000 gp
    • Army unit (20 soldiers): 100 gp to raise, 10 gp/week upkeep

For budgeting time a few suggestions

  • Solution:
    • Run domain turns between sessions, via email or Discord.
    • Use seasonal domain phases, alternating with traditional adventuring arcs.
    • Treat it like a mini-game: 15 minutes at the start or end of a session, then move on.

and in general there’s the

QUICK RECOMMENDED PRACTICES

Tip Why It Helps
Use a “domain turn” format (e.g., seasonal actions) Structures downtime, limits analysis paralysis
Abstract resources (e.g., Wealth levels, Manpower dice) Reduces bookkeeping
Create simple action menus per domain Keeps choices clear and quick
Tie domain problems to character backstories Increases investment
Use progress clocks / countdowns Tracks threats and time-based challenges visually
Keep 1–3 active threats or goals Avoids overwhelm for DM and players