👾 Darkwood: Building an API-First Tactical Game

on March 7, 2026

Darkwood is now playable entirely via API.

There is no dedicated UI. No frontend required. No graphical client.

You interact with the game through HTTP.

What “API-First” Actually Means

In Darkwood, the game loop is simple and explicit:

  1. GET /api/darkwood/state → observe the current situation
  2. Interpret the JSON response
  3. POST /api/darkwood/action → decide what to do
  4. Receive the updated state
  5. Repeat

The game behaves as a state machine over HTTP.

Every response includes:

  • state — where you are (main, combat, info, shop, etc.)
  • mode — sub-phase (in fight, victory, death, etc.)
  • data — contextual details (life, enemy, stats, combat session)

Your client — whether it’s curl, a CLI tool, a script, or an AI agent — reads the state and decides the next action.

There is no hidden UI logic.

The protocol is the game.

Two Layers of Access

Darkwood separates access into two layers:

1️⃣ API Access

Every request must include:

X-API-Key: <your-key>

The API key controls:

  • Whether you can call the API
  • Whether you are part of Beta Season 0
  • Whether you have premium access
  • Your daily action quota (for free keys)

2️⃣ Player Identity

To play as a specific character (persistent progression, combat, stats), you authenticate with:

Authorization: Bearer <jwt-token>

The JWT identifies the player account. The API key controls access and monetization.

They are separate by design.

Full documentation is available on GitHub: https://github.com/darkwood-com/darkwood-com/blob/main/docs/

Free vs Premium

Darkwood currently runs as Beta Season 0.

Two types of keys exist:

🎟 Beta Access (Free)

  • Personal API key
  • Limited daily actions
  • Access to the current playable state
  • No archive access

💎 Founder Premium

  • Personal API key
  • Unlimited daily actions
  • Access to archived puzzle snapshots
  • Early supporter status

Archives are read-only snapshots of past playable states. They expose historical game states without modifying live gameplay.

Limited Founder Release

To keep this launch controlled:

  • 5 Beta Access keys
  • 5 Founder Premium keys

That’s it.

This is not a large-scale launch. It’s a focused release to validate the model.

Sales are handled through Bonzai:

Each key is personal. Keys can be rotated if needed.

Why No UI?

Because the interface is optional.

You can play Darkwood with:

  • curl
  • Postman
  • a custom CLI
  • a small web client
  • a script
  • an AI agent

The API defines the game contract.

The client is just an interpreter.

Beta Season 0

Gameplay logic remains untouched.

The focus of this phase is:

  • API stability
  • Clean monetization model (API-key only)
  • Deterministic state flow
  • Documentation clarity

No overengineering. No unnecessary features.

Just a tactical game exposed as a protocol.

Darkwood is not just a backend project.

It is a game that lives entirely over HTTP.

And Beta Season 0 is now live.