Sandcrown
| Rank | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 10,960 |
About Sandcrown
Sandcrown is a real-time strategy game in the tradition of the classic desert RTS games, drawn in pixel art and playable in the browser. You command the Imperial Guard on Ashar, the desert world where the Guard trains its recruits, against the Black Guard, soldiers still loyal to the old Tox Emperor. The sand holds glimmer, a violet crystal that pays for everything you build.
The economy is the heart of it. Harvesters drive out onto the glimmer fields, scoop the crystals and haul them back to a refinery, where they go into your stock of glimmer. Every structure and every unit is paid for while it is being built, so the money drains as the progress bar fills. Structures can only stand on rock and must be placed next to the rest of your base, so the shape of the plateau decides how your base grows. Solar plants supply the power, and a base that uses more power than it makes builds at half speed.
From the barracks come troopers with rifles and lancers with rockets. The factory builds fast raiders, heavy tanks, rocket launchers with long range and new harvesters. Each weapon has its targets: bullets cut down infantry, shells and rockets crack armour, and tanks simply drive over enemy soldiers. Turrets guard the base. Damaged structures can be repaired for glimmer and unwanted ones sold for half their worth, and each side can field up to 40 units at once.
The open sand belongs to the sandmaw. It travels under the dunes, surfaces under whatever moves across the sand and swallows it whole. Rock is safe ground, so every trip across the dunes is a gamble.
The campaign has four missions: set up your first camp and harvest 2500 glimmer under raider attacks, destroy the beacon the Black Guard needs to bring in its armies by fleet catapult, break into a base walled in by cliffs, and finally storm the Crown, the Black Guard's stronghold above the richest glimmer field on Ashar. The Black Guard harvests, rebuilds and sends attack waves that grow over time.
The score counts every enemy unit and structure destroyed, the glimmer you harvest, a bonus for each mission cleared and a bonus for finishing quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sandcrown like Dune II?
It follows the same idea as the classic desert real-time strategy games: harvest a crystal resource from the sand, build a base on the rock, train an army and watch out for a giant worm. The world, the factions and all of the art and music are its own.
How do I get more glimmer?
Build refineries. Each one comes with a harvester, and you can build more harvesters in the factory. A harvester fills up on a glimmer field and drives back to the nearest refinery to unload. More harvesters and a second refinery near a big field mean faster income.
Why can't I place a structure?
Structures can only stand on rock, on ground you have already explored, and right next to one of your other structures. They also cannot block the unloading pad in front of a refinery. The footprint turns green where the structure fits.
What is the sandmaw?
A giant worm that lives under the dunes. It surfaces under units that move across the open sand and swallows them whole, then dives and rests before it hunts again. It never comes onto rock. Harvesters are its favourite prey.
Which units should I build?
Troopers are cheap and good against infantry. Lancers and rocket launchers fire rockets that hurt vehicles and structures. Raiders are fast scouts. Tanks are tough, hit hard and can crush enemy infantry. A mix wins more fights than a single type.
How is the score calculated?
Every enemy unit and structure you destroy is worth half of its cost in points, and every 10 glimmer harvested adds a point. Each cleared mission adds 3000 times its number, plus 2 points for every second you finish under the par time.
Can I sell or repair structures?
Yes. Click or tap one of your structures and the panel shows SELL and REPAIR. Selling gives back half the cost, scaled by the damage it has taken. Repairing heals the structure over time and costs glimmer while it works. The construction yard cannot be sold.
What is the story of Sandcrown?
Ashar is a desert world in the Imperial sector where the Imperial Guard trains its recruits. The Black Guard, still loyal to the old Tox Emperor, lands to take it, first through a catapult beacon, then from a base in the cliffs and finally from the Crown, a plateau over a Forebear relic. Warden Ben Gunts briefs you before every mission.
Can I play Sandcrown on my phone?
Yes. The map sits above the command panel in portrait mode. Tap to select and command units, drag to scroll the map, tap the minimap to jump, and tap twice on the map to place a finished structure.
