Horn & Dice is an indie RPG roguelike built around dice-driven combat and Slavic folklore. Players descend through a world where every fight hinges on rolls and the choices made after the dice land. The game places a set of dice at the center of each build, with faces that represent attacks, effects, and options rather than fixed cards or abilities.
Gameplay
Combat begins with a roll of the hand. Players then decide how to spend limited rerolls: locking in reliable results, pursuing higher values, or risking another throw for greater potential. Each decision shifts the immediate odds and the longer-term build. Artifacts and potions collected during runs modify dice faces, introduce new effects, or alter status interactions.
Enemies draw directly from Slavic legends and behave according to their traditional traits. Domovoy interferes with rerolls, Rusalka counters strikes with retaliatory damage, and Baba Yaga applies curses before delivering a finishing blow. Status effects accumulate, fade, or interact across turns, creating layered tactical layers on top of the core roll-and-resolve loop. Runs progress through three acts, with power gained from artifacts, potions, and die faces shaping each attempt differently.
The system supports 27 distinct die faces, 14 status effects, 21 artifacts, 16 potions, and 19 events that carry lasting consequences. Thirty-six enemies appear across the acts, each with unique mechanics tied to its folklore origin. No two runs repeat the exact combination of tools and outcomes.
Game Modes
Horn & Dice centers on single-player roguelike runs. Each attempt starts from the beginning and ends either in victory or defeat, with permanent loss of progress on failure. The structure encourages repeated descents to test new combinations of dice, artifacts, and potions while learning enemy patterns and event outcomes.
Progression occurs within a single continuous journey divided into three acts. Players gather resources and upgrades only for the current run, with no persistent account-wide unlocks or separate campaign branches confirmed at this stage. The focus remains on adapting to the randomness of rolls and the specific threats encountered in each descent.
Setting and Enemies
The game draws its atmosphere and mechanics from Slavic myth. Forests hold old debts, and the dead do not remain quiet. Encounters reflect the legends they reference, embedding retaliation, interference, and curses into the dice resolution itself rather than layering them on as separate systems. Events during runs present choices with tangible results that can alter the remainder of a descent or end it abruptly.
Build variety stems from the 27 available die faces and the ways artifacts reshape them. Status effects stack and interact in ways that reward careful timing of rerolls and resolution. The result is a combat loop where luck and foresight both matter, but neither alone guarantees success.
Is It Worth Playing?
Horn & Dice sits in Early Access on PC. Its core appeal lies in the dice-first roguelike structure combined with folklore-inspired enemy behaviors that feel distinct from generic fantasy encounters. Players who enjoy tactical decision-making after each roll, rather than pure chance or predetermined decks, will find the reroll economy and status interactions engaging.
The game offers no multiplayer components or additional modes beyond the standard roguelike runs. Its current state reflects the listed features of three acts, dozens of enemies and items, and mechanics that mirror the source myths. Those drawn to short, replayable sessions with high variance in outcomes and a consistent thematic focus may find the experience rewarding as development continues.
