¶ Darts
Darts is a quick wagered duel between two players. You each throw nine darts over three rounds, choosing how boldly to aim before every throw, and the higher total takes the pot. No skill, stat or item is involved: it all comes down to your nerve.
¶ How to start
Darts is run by the Dice Master, who stands in the street outside the Cat’s Lair tavern in north-west Britain.
- Talk to the Dice Master and choose Play Darts to open the challenge board, or Darts rules to read the rules in game.
- You can also say the Dice Master’s name followed by darts (or darts rules) while standing nearby.
On the challenge board you can:
- Pick a stake. Click one of the preset amounts (1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000 or 100,000) or type your own whole number in the Amount box. The board shows the table’s lowest and highest stake.
- Open a challenge that anyone nearby can accept, or type a name in the Player box and choose Challenge a player so only that player can accept.
- Accept someone else’s challenge from the Open challenges list. A challenge marked FOR YOU was aimed at you.
Your stake is taken the moment you open or accept a challenge, and it is held safely until the match ends. Before you commit, the board also shows your gold, the pot, the fee and what the winner takes.
¶ How to play
- A coin decides who throws first.
- A match has three rounds. In each round one player throws three darts in a row, then the other player throws three. The player who starts swaps each round.
- Before every dart you choose one of three aims. Each aim button shows its chance of a bullseye and its chance of a miss:
| Aim | What it does | Bullseye | Miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safe | Outer board. Rarely misses, rarely high. | 3% | 5% |
| Steady | Middle of the road. | 6% | 32% |
| Bullseye | Go for the centre. Often misses, big hits. | 12% | 57% |
- Where the dart lands decides the points:
| Ring | Points |
|---|---|
| Bullseye | 50 |
| Inner ring | 20 |
| Middle ring | 10 |
| Outer ring | 5 |
| Missed | 0 |
- After all 18 darts, the higher total wins.
- Tied? Sudden death: one dart each, repeated until one player scores more than the other. If it is still tied after ten sudden-death rounds, a coin flip decides.
Which aim should you pick? All three aims score the same on average, ten points a dart. They only differ in how wildly the result swings. Trailing late? A wild aim can catch up. Leading? A safe one keeps your lead.
¶ Stakes and fees
- Stakes run from 1,000 to 100,000 gold at a standard table. The challenge board always shows that table’s limits.
- Both players put in the same stake, so the pot is twice the stake.
- The house keeps a 5% fee from the pot. This gold leaves the game for good.
- Your stake is paid in one go from a single source: the coins in your backpack, the coins in your bank box, one bank check, or your bank balance. The gold amount shown on the board is the largest stake you can pay that way.
| Stake each | Pot | Fee (5%) | Winner takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 2,000 | 100 | 1,900 |
| 10,000 | 20,000 | 1,000 | 19,000 |
| 100,000 | 200,000 | 10,000 | 190,000 |
¶ Winning and payouts
- The winner gets the pot minus the fee, added to their bank balance. You get a message when it arrives.
- Refunds go back to your bank balance too.
- After a match you can choose Rematch to challenge the same player for the same stake (they need to be nearby), or Back to Table to return to the challenge board.
- The board’s Last games list shows recent results. Big challenges and big wins can be announced across the shard, never with names.
¶ Good to know
- The clock: you have 30 seconds for each dart. The first time you run out, a Steady dart is thrown for you. Run out twice in a row and you forfeit the match.
- Stay close: keep within 15 paces of the Dice Master while you play. If you walk away, log out or die and stay away for 90 seconds, you forfeit. If both players leave the board, the match is cancelled and both stakes are returned.
- Resigning: the Resign button asks you to confirm, then gives the pot (minus the fee) to your opponent.
- Forfeits: a forfeit pays the pot (minus the fee) to the other player. If a match ends this way before anyone has thrown a dart, both stakes are returned with no fee.
- Challenges expire: an open challenge lasts 10 minutes. If nobody accepts it, your stake is returned. You can also Cancel it at any time before it is accepted. If you log out with a challenge open, it is cancelled and refunded.
- Server restarts: any open challenge or unfinished match is cancelled and every stake is returned.
- You cannot open or accept a challenge while dead or in combat, and you can only have one challenge or match at a board at a time.
- You cannot accept a challenge from your own account, whichever character opened it.
- A board holds up to six open challenges and three matches at once. If it is full, try again shortly.
- Only stake gold you are happy to lose.
