Flames of Orion: Dark Spirit artwork and lore

“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.” ― Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian

Flames of Orion, a mech combat game designed by Steve (sovthofheaven) of Under the Dice/Hive Scum, is officially out in the world in its finalized form! The physical rulebook is still forthcoming, but you can buy a digital version of the book here. Furthermore, you can download a streamlined version of the book with the complete rules for free (so you have no excuse not to check it out)! I took part in a playtest session of the game in the autumn of 2023, and developed an enigmatic character and their mech, known as Dark Spirit. At the time, Dark Spirit was just a minimally equipped mech with a light weapon which managed to do really well in a handful of games. Since then, my brothers and I have been playing the game intermittently over the years at different events, and Dark Spirit’s legend has continued to grow. I am very happy to say that Dark Spirit was included in the Flames of Orion rulebook as a mercenary that you can use in your own games. Beyond just having in-game rules, Martin McCoy created two pieces of artwork of Dark Spirit that are included in the rulebook, as well. I wrote some background lore for Dark Spirit which I wanted to share, along with Martin’s wonderful artwork, and some photographs of the model that Adam converted and painted to represent Dark Spirit.

One of the incredible pieces of artwork that Martin McCoy created for the rulebook. Dark Spirit looms menacingly on the horizon with a pilot that looks suspiciously like Steve at the forefront. The pilot with the data slate bears a striking resemblance to a certain someone.

A miniature to represent Dark Spirit was converted from a base model sculpted by Ana Polanšćak of Gardens of Hecate.

The lore that I wrote for Dark Spirit is as follows:

In the Orion sector, the name Dark Spirit and its enigmatic pilot <UNKNOWN> elicits strong emotions: either admiration from the natives of the sector, or rueful dismay from anyone wishing to make a quick fortune on the ruins of the sector, whether it be the greedy Mega Corporations or cunning mercenaries. A glowering crimson skull adorns the hull of Dark Spirit, imprinting a harrowing image in the memories of those who have confronted it. Beyond that unsettling imagery, those who have seen Dark Spirit on the battlefield speak of its uncanny ability to vanish, as if it steps between space and time, appearing right where it is needed most to those still trying to survive in their ruined homeland. The exploits of Dark Spirit have become legendary. Much ink has been spilled detailing Dark Spirit’s role in the catastrophic reactor failure of the cyclopean Divine Beast of Sumar. The reports state that the behemoth mech’s unlikely and fiery demise came from the strident bark of one of Dark Spirit’s light weapons, unleashing a torrent of depleted uranium rounds into the massive warmachine. Additional reports speak of Dark Spirit being able to invoke the fury of the heavens, awakening long-dormant weapons satellites to force opponents into submission. 

The second piece of artwork depicting Dark Spirit by Martin McCoy.

The Flames of Orion rulebook has rules for Dark Spirit, so you can use them in your own games!

"The Divine Beast’s concentrated firepower destroyed most of the surrounding structures and points of cover, leaving no place to hide from its wrath. In the final action of the game, Dark Spirit fired its lone light weapon and finally brought the Divine Beast down. In the smoldering wreckage of the massive warmachine, the pilot of Dark Spirit found access codes for Heavy Rain, an orbital weapons satellite."

I am very excited that Flames of Orion is finally ready for everyone to enjoy. It has been a privilege to play a small part in the development of the game, and an honor to have one of my mechs immortalized within the book’s pages. Steve has created a superb skirmish game in Flames of Orion, one that is simple enough to get playing quickly but has enough nuance to be thoroughly engaging and satisfying. Flames of Orion is not something to ignore.

- Greg Wier