Fantasy Flight Games

Bringing DOOM to the Tabletop

Published 10 January 2017 | DOOM

Bringing DOOM to the Tabletop

An Interview with id Software's Sean Bean and FFG's Derrick Fuchs

Inspired by the blockbuster video game franchise by id Software and Bethesda Softworks, DOOM®: The Board Game is a fast-paced combat adventure between Hell’s most vicious demons and the elite UAC Marines. You may take your place on either side of this bloody battle, battling to overtake the earthly realm as the Invader player or fighting to protect humanity as one of four hardened soldiers. Wherever your sights are set, you’re sure to face death and destruction on your path to victory, or you may even fall to the overwhelming power of your opponents. But that’s the fun of DOOM, isn’t it? Excessive force and unrestrained warfare.

To explore the development of DOOM: The Board Game and chat about its unique gameplay experience, we sat down with two major players in the development of both DOOM, the 2016 video game, and DOOM: The Board Game. As Lead Producer of the Single-Player Campaign for the video game, Sean Bean of id Software had some unique insights on how the tabletop game recreates key elements of the video game. We were also able to peek behind the curtain of development on the board game with some help from FFG producer Derrick Fuchs.

All About DOOM

FFG: What about the DOOM games sets the universe apart from other classic game settings?

Sean Bean: DOOM has never made a pretense about the why of the action. You are fast, armed, and angry; they are demons. I think people love that speed, the overwhelming enemies, the minimal narrative trappings, the distinct personalities of the weapons, and the over-the-top comical bloody bits.

Derrick Fuchs: Absolutely. When we first saw DOOM, the video game, we were struck by just how fast it was. That, and the absurd amounts of demon killing.

FFG: How did that first experience influence the plans that you and designer Jon Ying made for the board game?

DF: Well, we knew immediately that we wanted our board game to mimic many of the elements that have been at the core of DOOM since the original back in ’93. Those elements became our ‘pillars’ so to speak: speed, action, and lots of death. Ultimately, we wanted the tabletop version to capture the experience that is DOOM—a game that immersed you just enough to get that DOOM feeling—but at the end of the day, was just fast, fun, and exciting to play.

FFG: So from those early conversations to the final game, were there any major changes to the design or elements that you realized might not work out the way you’d initially thought?

DF: Before we even saw the 2016 DOOM game, we had planned on adding more of an ‘exploratory’ element to the game, wherein the Marine players would not know what rooms they were walking into until it was revealed to them. We wanted to fit this element into the Invader player’s actions, giving that player the ability to plan out the various rooms, enemies, and events that the Marines would encounter. Elements of customization certainly remain, but the ‘exploration’ bit was set aside as we found it distracted from other, more essential game mechanics. When we finally got that crucial look at the latest iteration of the DOOM video game, our vision shifted to be a bit to be more in line with its main focal points.

FFG: Are there any elements of DOOM that the board game captures particularly well? Pacing, excitement, teamwork, fear, anxiety, etc…?

SB: Movement and Weapons work really well together in this game. DOOM has always treated weapons tactically (e.g., given the room layout and enemy placement, I’ll go in with the Rocket Launcher, circle-strafe with the Plasma Rifle, and close distance to finish with the Super Shotgun), and the board game is no different. Because weapon cards have movement and damage associated with them, they really speak to that “never stop moving” style of DOOM.

DF: I also think the board game does an excellent job of just putting a few weapons into the player’s hands, filling the map with tons of demons, and saying, “Have fun!”, which is what DOOM has always been about.

SB: I do love that out-of-the-box, ready-to-go co-op campaign that comes with the board game. While DOOM (the video game) has a robust, user-generated content component in SnapMap, which allows for multiplayer co-op experiences, we didn’t ship it with any pre-made co-op campaign content. The board game lets me scratch that itch, running and gunning with my board gaming group.

A Bit of Fun

FFG: What’s your favorite weapon to wield in DOOM?

SB: In the video game? Chaingun with the Mobile Turret mod. It just melts demons until you burn through your full stock of ammo.

In the board game, I’m a huge fan of the Rocket Launcher with its massive direct damage and splash damage to adjacent units. In this game, one doesn’t lack for adjacent enemy units.

DF: In the video game, I very much enjoy the Combat Shotgun. There’s a certain rhythm between shots that I find satisfying as I clear a room of demons.

In the board game, however, I normally enjoy playing the Invader player, so I think I’ll mention the weapon I despise the most: the chainsaw. My demons whimper every time a Marine picks up that weapon. Tip for all you Invader players: take down the Marine with the chainsaw, or watch as your Demons are slaughtered by a rampaging, frenzied murder machine.

FFG: Is there a particular demon you’re excited to control as the invader player in the board game?

SB: I didn’t get the chance to play the Cyberdemon, but the Baron just wrecks in this game, especially up close. His ability to cancel movement to enact a second attack is ruinous to any UAC Marines unfortunate enough to be within range.

DF: The Cyberdemon is fun, but I have to say, I absolutely love the Revenants. First of all, they’re one of my favorite sculpts, but maybe more importantly is that they just rain absolute Hell (pun intended) down on the Marines. It’s good fun for all!

Experience the heart-pounding action of DOOM: The Board Game now—find it at your local game store!

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Journey to Hell

Published 6 December 2016 | DOOM

Journey to Hell

Gear Up for a Fight in DOOM: The Board Game

Some months ago, we announced DOOM®: The Board Game with an article entitled "The Invasion is Imminent," and now, that promise comes to fruition. Next week, DOOM: The Board Game will hit store shelves and you will have your first opportunity to bring the fear and fury home to your very own tabletop.

In recent weeks, we've dug into the game's dynamic gameplay elements such as the marines' Action Deck, the invader's summoning abilities, and the high-intensity in-game atmosphere. You've grown more familiar with the roles on either side of the table and glimpsed a few of the many events and experiences you'll encounter throughout the game. In our final preview today, we will take one last look at what makes up a mission, other ways the invader may function in a mission, and what the road to success might look like—if you're lucky.

A Marine's Orders

Each mission in the game begins with a debriefing, which provides a short description of what the marines are trying to achieve. This introduction will designate one of six objective cards, instructing both parties, marine and invader, on what their goal will be, as well as any special rules associated with the task at hand. From eliminating all demons to collecting assets, the marine team's goals may vary from mission to mission. Their opponent, the invader, has but one ultimate outcome in mind—destruction and devastation. Though marines are able to respawn when they are killed, each death earns the invader player a frag token. When the invader has obtained six frag tokens, the marines' mission is deemed a failure, and they must return to attempt it another time.

A number of the mission maps take place in the Union Aerospace Corporation, some of which have been featured in previous previews. However, in the struggle for control, you must also cross dimensions and descend into Hell for a portion of each operation. These expeditions will put the marines assigned to them in considerable danger, facing the largest numbers of demons they have yet encountered while attempting more challenging feats than they have experienced before. As a marine, you may be called to escort a drone to a secure location, protect valuable UAC technologies from the formidable demons, or even investigate the demise of combat teams much like your own.

New Threats

You may notice in the debriefing above a threat card we've not yet explored. In previous articles, we spent time discussing the summoning powers of the Horde threat, though the mission featured in this article utilizes the Assault threat instead. While the marine team may gain experience and skill as they progress through more and more missions, each one may provide unique challenges. Differing threat cards are an example of this, challenging any strategies the marines have developed in their time on the battlefield.

Here, you can see how the Assault Threat works. Using Horde, the invader summoned from one to two portals at the beginning of each status phase, discarding portals once they had been used. With Assault, however, the invader will collect threat tokens throughout the game, spending them as desired to flip up portals. Instead of discarding the tokens, though, portals are flipped facedown once summoned from. Thus, no area of the board is ever cleared of demons for good, offering an opportunity for an endless stream of Imps, Revenants, and Possessed Soldiers to overtake the map.

The Battle Begins

Fortunately for the marine team, UAC training is comprehensive so your soldiers are adaptable. At the beginning of each mission, the marines are able to choose any of a number of classes. They may do so randomly or by using any of the six designated fireteams, each made up of four highly specialized marines: frontline combatant, long-range marksman, high-mobility scout, and heavy-weapons specialist. Fireteam: Tomahawk, for example, includes the quick and agile Ranger, the tactical Requisitions Officer, the resourceful Utilitarian, and the fast-thinking Combat Engineer.

The exceptional speed of the Ranger is particularly useful in a mission where you might be best served running past enemies rather than fighting them, and could find quite a bit of value in the mission featured here. With the support of the Requisitions Officer's discard abilities, the Ranger could dart out onto the battlefield, efficiently collecting pickups, activating teleporters, and escorting the drone across the map. The Utilitarian's movement abilities would make for an effective backup escort, while the Combat Engineer could cycle rapidly through their action deck, accessing powerful cards to take down demons and clear a path for the drone. Strategic teamwork will make each Fireteam far more effective than any combatant could be on their own.

Every step you take in the game will have an impact, so whether you're in the business of slaughtering demons or summoning them, you'll have to make swift and strategic decisions from the very first round. Your starting map will look something like this, and depending on which side you're on, you may think you've got this in the bag. You never know, however, what tricks your opponent has up their sleeve. The moment you take to relax may be the moment the tables turn, so take note of every pickup item, health pack, grenade, and portal. You might need it later.

Your Doom Awaits

So here you stand, face to face with the enemy on the landscape of Hell itself. Success is either squares or strikes away, but with a tough team standing in your way, it may not be as easy as you think. Every move you make will edge you closer to either victory or vanquish and it's nearly time to find out which that will be.

DOOM: The Board Game will be available on store shelves next week.

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In a Hail of Bullets

Published 16 November 2016 | DOOM

In a Hail of Bullets

A Closer Look at the Gameplay of DOOM

The UAC's marines have trained endlessly in all manner of combat, with expertise ranging from offensive action to invaluable support. Each member of the team has unique strengths and skills, a string of commands to follow, and specialized equipment. On the battlefield, they know their orders, and they know their place. As multitudes of terrifying monstrosities pour out of the portals to Hell, however, there's no time for cautious tactical strategy. The marine team's only chance at survival is to force their way into the fray, guns blazing, and hope for the best. Throw everything you thought you knew about order and efficiency out the window—chaos has arrived, and it's coming straight from Hell.

As the release of DOOM: The Board Game draws ever nearer, we continue to dig into the roles you can take on and how they function in the grand scheme of the game. In our previews so far, we've explored both the collaborative efforts of the marine team and the vicious onslaught the invader player can bring about. This time around, we'll take a look at how these players interact with one another over the course of the game and the opportunities and obstacles each mission affords both teams.

Hold Them Off

Once you're familiar with the rules, your first point of reference when preparing for a game of DOOM is the Operation Guide. The guide will walk you through the setup for twelve different missions, each with its own unique map and set of objectives—one for the invader player and one for the marines. The missions also come with recommendations for the invader's event deck and invasion card for an optimized play experience. More experienced players should feel free to mix things up, however, trying new combinations in their attempt to slaughter the marine team.

Throughout the mission, the actions of both sides will be driven by their ultimate goal, indicated on the mission’s Objective card. The card shown alongside the map below, Asset Extraction, requires the marines to gain four progress tokens, representing UAC employees who have survived the fight so far. These orange tokens are scattered across the map, some easier to reach than others. In order for the invader player to stop the marines and claim victory for themselves, they must gain six frag tokens, which are obtained whenever a marine is killed.

The starting positions of the demons will be determined by the mission’s specific threat card. The mission shown here uses the Horde threat. During each status phase, the invader must flip more portals faceup, allowing him to summon more demons. With every faceup portal, more demons will spill onto the board and into the game.

In the upper right corner of the diagram, you can see a lit teleporter, with unlit teleporters scattered across the rest of the map. Marines will begin the game at the lit teleporter, though as they reach and activate the others, they can respawn at other spaces across the board, like a video game checkpoint. Deciding where to spawn may be the difference between reaching your objectives or becoming overwhelmed by vicious creatures, so choose wisely.

The Summoning

While the marines can grow and change throughout the game, picking up new weapons and abilities, demon life spans are considerably shorter, and their deaths more permanent. The invader player, however, has far more bodies to call upon, and the portals revealed will become progressively more dangerous as the game moves along.

Not only can new portals be revealed with time, but each portal also has two sets of demons that the invader can choose to summon. On the Deadly Force Invasion card, the invader may call either a Pinky with an Argent Power or two Possessed Soldiers from blue portals. The invader will need to decide whether it's more beneficial to have more dangerous demons in play or to have intimidating numbers.

The First Strike

If the unpredictability of spawning demons wasn't enough to shake up each round, the initiative system of DOOM is sure to do it. Initiative is first determined randomly by shuffling the appropriate marine cards in with a number of invader cards. When an invader card is drawn, the invader player may select which of their demon types to activate. Because of this, the invader has the unique ability to activate whichever invader is most beneficial in the moment.

Not only are the invader cards quite flexible, but there are also other ways to influence progression through the turns. On the marine side, both your fighter's class and the number of players in your game can impact the deck. The Tactician, for example, may view the top two cards of the initiative deck before the round begins, with the option to replace them unchanged, or place one of the two cards at the bottom of the deck. The Shocktrooper, on the other hand, may remove their card from the deck before it is shuffled and then place it on top each and every time, ensuring they go first every round.

The invader player also has an opportunity to influence the initiative deck with the Ambush event card. While most event cards influence the actions and abilities of the demons under the invader’s command, Ambush allows the invader player to take the top three cards of the initiative deck at the start of the activation phase and reorder them any way you please. Initiative can make or break your strategy on either side. If a marine or demon on the edge of death doesn’t go first, they may not be able to save themselves.

Incoming Invaders Detected

You can almost feel the anxiety… the tension… and the possibilities as you walk the line between victory and annihilation on either side of DOOM’s brutal gameplay. Whichever side you're on, though, you'll have to charge past your nerves to claim victory before your opponents can sweep you off the map completely.

DOOM: The Board Game will be available at your local game store next month.

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Rip Them to Shreds

Published 8 November 2016 | DOOM

Rip Them to Shreds

The Invader Role of DOOM: The Board Game

The Union Aerospace Corporation Martian Facility has been compromised. A malicious plot, masquerading as a grave mistake, has opened the portals between Hell and the mortal world, and you could not be more pleased. With a taste for blood, this new array of victims has you drooling, and your appetite for power has been stirred by the chance to corrupt bodies and minds beyond your wildest dreams.

Unleash the savagery within as the invader player in DOOM®: The Board Game. Acting as a puppet-master from Hell, you will command hordes of demons to eliminate the UAC’s protective forces and take one step closer to interdimensional domination. Send your demon underlings careening through portal after portal, Hell’s power at their backs as they subdue each mortal marine. Read on to learn more about the demonic forces at your disposal as you strive to cross over and take control of the living world.

Vicious Fiends

Your horde of demons is comprised of a variety of ferocious creatures. Some are small, but numerous, while others tower menacingly over the mortal forces, taking blow after blow without effect. While many of the marine abilities are determined by the size of their squad, their individually assigned class, and the weapons in their arsenal, demons have much more information directly on their cards. This information can indicate inherent strengths as well as abilities that identify a demon’s unique interactions with event cards.

The values and symbols along the right side of the demon card are present on each demon, guiding most actions of your dedicated servants. All of the demons are quite agile, with speed values of four or five, but the demons’ range and power of the attack dice are much more varied. The Revenant shown here can move quickly, but may instead choose to attack from a far, using two red dice and one more powerful black die.

The remaining card values will influence how effective your demons are at defending themselves, and how careful you may have to be should they take damage. Health is straightforward—if a demon takes damage equal to their health, you must remove them from the game board. However, unique to DOOM is a demon’s stagger value, which represents the amount of damage they must take before a marine can barrel into their space and execute a brutal and instantaneous Glory Kill.

Hellish Power

Opposite the many attack and defense values on the demon card are special abilities which may allow for extra attacks, damage adjustments, and unique actions. Some of the special abilities are not always available, however, but can be triggered by spending Argent Power. Argent Power tokens are collected through a few different means, such as discarding or using event cards or summoning certain demons—all of which we will dig into shortly.

Once you have Argent Power tokens, though you will distribute them between your demons, allowing you to spend them later on and take advantage of those special abilities. While the abilities cannot be stacked and used for the same action, they may be used more than once per turn, so accumulating Argent Power can be exceptionally powerful. After all, it’s the resource the UAC was so determined to extract from Hell in the first place.

Demonic Resilience

If your demons weren’t already intimidating enough, the actions and abilities in your event deck are sure to send a chill through each of your opponents. These cards function very similarly to the marine’s action deck, providing defense for your demons when they become the target of an attack and offering your demons more options when attacking or defending. During the status phase of each round, you will draw event cards until you have six in your hand, and with so many possibilities and combinations, you’ll always keep the marines on their toes.

Summon Your Worst

When you set up each mission, you will be presented with a game map covered in pick-up weapons, health packs, and objective tokens for the marines. Scattered amongst these various elements are the portals which will allow you to summon demons of increasing strength and number. Each mission will be accompanied by an invasion card, presenting six different invasion groups, each corresponding with one of the three different portal colors. When a portal is activated, you can select one of the two groups of demons associated with each portal to summon.

Once you activate a portal in a stack, as shown above, the next one becomes available. With the Hellfire Blast invasion card, you could overwhelm the marines with a flood of Imps from the blue portal, send in a Mancubus and a Cacodemon from the yellow during the next turn, and finally, summon two hulking Barons of Hell from the red. When you call demons from the first blue group or either yellow group, you will also gain Argent Power which you can use enhance the power of any of your active demon groups.

In the previous example, the demon groups on the Hellfire Blast infestation card are summoned using the rules of the Horde threat card, which allows you to summon from all faceup tokens. Portals function differently in some other missions, though, instead calling for the Assault or Infestation threat cards. When using the Assault threat, for example, you will accumulate threat tokens which you can use to summon from portals of your choice, and with Infestation, the mission map starts teeming with demons and then allows you to summon more when doors to new areas are opened. The varied combinations of infestation card and threat card create vastly different invader experiences with each and every mission.

Yours For The Taking

Now is the time—it’s your chance to turn the tables on the gripping fight, seizing control of the forces you’ve long held at bay. Use your loyal underlings to extinguish the dwindling marine team once and for all to take control of the mortal world. You are the invader from Hell, and you are here for a fight.

Prepare for the portals to Hell to open by the end of the year, when DOOM :The Board Game is expected to hit store shelves.

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Not Your Average Soldiers

Published 31 October 2016 | DOOM

Not Your Average Soldiers

Join DOOM’s UAC Marines in Battle

Prepare to embark on a hellish thrill ride with the heart-pounding action of DOOM: The Board Game, hurtling into stores soon. In this preview, we will take a look at your role as a valiant marine, as well as the skills and abilities that guide your every action in the game. Taking on the role of one of the UAC’s most dynamic and disposable marines, you have been tasked with protecting humanity from the corruption of Hell’s most vicious demons. As Imps and Cacodemons flood from the numerous interdimensional portals, you and up to three other marines must storm the UAC facility to keep them at bay. Once the facility has been cleared, you will have to enter the depths of Hell itself in order to eliminate the hostile before they have a chance to cross into your world and destroy everything you’ve ever known.

Prepare for Battle

The asymmetrical gameplay of DOOM pits one Invader player, controlling the masses of demons, against a team of one to four marines, each with unique skills and abilities. The game is optimized to a four-player unit, giving each marine ten points of health, a hand size of three cards, and the special ability to sprint away from dire situations for a mere discard. If there are less than four marines on your team, special rules will be applied to bolster your strength against the snarling demons. A solo operative, for example, will gain double-initiative, activating their marine twice in a given round instead of just once, as well as gaining additional health, expanded hand size, and the ability to perform two Main Actions rather than just one. A pair of combatants benefits from the same increased Action powers and expanded hand size, while a trio of marines gets to double their actions as well as draw extra cards throughout the game.

A distinctive combination of weaponry and special skills will help personalize the marines to each member of your team, further preparing you for battle. At the beginning of each mission, you will choose a class card to represent the specialized training your soldier has undergone. Each of the twenty-four unique class cards provides at least one ability that is unique to your marine, and often more. Many class abilities are ongoing, triggering effects when specific conditions are met; some take place at various, defined moments throughout the game; and still others function as extra actions, but may only be activated once per round.

If you’re looking for some guidance, the Operation Guide will provide you with a selection of pre-made fireteams, carefully designed to optimize the abilities of a four-member squad. These teams each feature four key roles: a frontline combatant, a long-range marksman, a high-mobility scout, and a heavy-weapons specialist. The four class cards shown above come together to make up Fireteam: Halberd, an elite unit that cooperates as a well-oiled machine.

Instruments of Extermination

While your marine’s class will influence your approach to the intense combat ahead, nothing is quite so impactful as the destructive weapons with which you can obliterate each demon. At the beginning of your game, you will prepare your marine for battle, gearing them up with a standard issue loadout. A variety of shotguns and rifles make up the four loadout pairs, each contributing three cards to your action deck. Between three core pistol cards, your UAC Combat Armor, and the six loadout cards, you will have built a ten-card deck which will determine how you attack others, defend yourself, and traverse the mission map throughout the game.

You will begin each activation with a number of cards equal to your hand size, the various values and abilities on each card indicating how you can use them. Each card constitutes a powerful Main Action, a lighter Bonus Action, or an adrenaline-fueled Reaction. Depending on the number of marines on your team, you may be permitted to resolve one or two Main Actions, followed by as many Bonus Actions as are available. You will find your most powerful attacks on Main Action cards, though Bonus Actions and Reactions can lead to epic attack chains, useful special effects, and enraged retaliation against demon attacks. The three pistol cards in your initial deck each constitute a Bonus Action, so with a hand size of four, you could perform one Main Action, shoot your pistol twice, and move away from the enemy, all in the same turn. If you have Bonus Actions that allow you to draw cards or if your squad size allows you to take more than one Main Action, you could potentially make an even larger chain of actions.

Your action deck also comes into play in your attempts to defend yourself against the vicious beasts. When you would take damage, you will defend yourself by revealing the top card of your action deck. Depending on the symbol (or lack thereof) in the upper right-hand corner of the card, you will either take the full amount of damage inflicted, cancel a portion of the damage points, or dodge the attack in its entirety. Some reaction cards, such as your standard issue UAC Armor, can be played to bolster your defenses, as well.

Don’t breathe just yet, because the destructive fun doesn’t stop at your standard issue loadout. Every mission map is dotted with merciless weapons which will allow you to beef up your action deck. When you pick up a new weapon, the weapon’s three cards are added to the top of your deck immediately, expanding your range of available actions going forward. Whether you want to get up close and personal with a brutal chainsaw or cause immeasurable pain from afar with an explosive rocket launcher, you’re in luck. The weapons you find across each map are more savage even than the demons bearing down upon you. For example, adding the Chaingun to your arsenal will give you access to Endless Fire, which allows you to attack three times in just one Main Action. The card also gives you the ability to roll up to two extra attack dice each time by discarding other cards from your hand, making for extremely powerful rapid-fire attacks.

Face to Face

Between the marines’ inherent abilities, the skills designated by each class, and the weapons they wield, each of your soldiers is a force to be reckoned with, though perhaps not fully equipped to take on the more intimidating demons. To face off with the bloodthirsty Mancubus or the commanding Baron of Hell, you’ll need just one more trick up your sleeve. Fortunately, you are uniquely trained to charge and Glory Kill injured enemies, and Glory Kill you will.

Each ferocious beast has a Stagger Value, indicated below their health. Once you have inflicted enough damage to match or exceed that number, you may rush into the demon’s space and slaughter them once and for all, freeing you up to pursue your mission’s objective or continue your elimination of Hell’s corrupt servants.

The Road to Hell

The hulking Cyberdemon has his sights set on the vulnerable UAC facility, and with countless underlings to clear his path to multidimensional dominance, you had better bring the best. Assemble your team of specialized soldiers in preparation for the most brutal fight of your life. The corrupt have been allowed to breach the gates of Hell, thanks to the daring aims of your organization. And that leaves just one question…Was it worth it?

Find out later this year when DOOM: The Board Game hits store shelves for the holiday season.

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The Invasion Is Imminent

Published 28 July 2016 | DOOM

The Invasion Is Imminent

Announcing DOOM: The Board Game

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of DOOM: The Board Game, a completely redesigned tactical combat experience for two to five players based on Bethesda’s blockbuster video game, DOOM.

Glory Kill your way to victory as one of the Union Aerospace Corporation’s elite marines or grab control of the legions of demons threatening to take over the complex. Each side of DOOM’s asymmetrical gameplay introduces an entirely unique way to play, whether you're struggling to save Mars from being overrun by Hell’s most merciless demons or fighting to crush each marine and conquer the planet once and for all. You and up to four friends will play through a series of missions, the marines attempting to achieve a variety of objectives and the invader orchestrating a barrage of savage demon attacks against them. While the marines can respawn after death, they can only do so a set number of times before the demons claim victory over the mission, threatening not only the UAC’s operation, but the survival of humanity as a whole.

You Have Your Mission

DOOM provides two operations of six missions each for your invader and marines to battle through. Every mission takes place on a unique map and presents a different set of objectives and threat levels. The objective cards designated for each mission describe the victory conditions for both the team of marines and the invader, in addition to all associated special rules. The marine’s objectives can vary from securing the battle area to collecting valuable assets, while the invader has just one goal—to kill the marines…repeatedly.

The invader’s method of summoning demons is determined by one of three assigned threat cards—Infestation, Horde, and Assault. Portals scattered across each map designate areas where new demons will spawn from, but how those portals behave will vary depending on the threat card, throwing demons onto the map in unique ways and forcing the marines to approach each mission with a customized strategy.

Humanity’s Last Hope

Each of the four marines, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, begin with the same special sprinting ability and equal health points, but differing classes and weapon loadouts will help each marine establish a distinctive set of strengths, abilities, and strategies. Class cards are selected at the beginning of the mission and provide your marine with unique skills, from increasing your defenses to loading your action deck with grenades.

You will also begin each mission with a ten-card action deck, featuring armor, three pistol actions, and three cards each for your marine’s designated guns. Throughout the game, you will take a number of these cards into your hand and play them as actions. Every card in your deck will give you either a main action, a bonus action, or a reaction. While main actions will deal significant damage to any advancing demons, the less powerful bonus actions may be easily chained together to execute additional unique and useful attacks, movement, or other actions. Both main and bonus actions may only be used during your activation, though your deck will also contain a reaction or two, such as your armor, which can be used to respond to an attack at any time. These cards can help you avoid damage, retaliate with an attack, or draw more cards into your hand.

Even if you are without reaction cards in-hand, you are not without defense when targeted. Whenever your marine comes under attack, you will flip one of the cards remaining in your deck. The symbol in the upper right-hand corner of the flipped card designates the strength of your defense, either limiting the damage you take, denying the attack altogether, or forcing you to take the full force of the demon’s strike. The most effective defense will often come from cards that perform less powerful actions, so every draw from your ever-cycling action deck is a thrilling gamble, whether you’re filling your hand or defending yourself.

Not only do your marines begin the game with this ten card deck, but they will also have opportunities to expand their arsenal with pickup items. The marines are only as dangerous as the weapons they wield, so your game is heavily defined by both their initial loadout and the equipment they collect. At the start of each mission, the map will be populated with health packs and weapons for the marines to find as they pursue the mission’s objective. Health packs allow the marines to recover health, and can make the difference between life and death in a dire situation. Weapons, on the other hand, expand a marine’s action deck with new, often more powerful cards than those in the starting action deck. The earlier you set out to collect these weapons, the more quickly you may be able to gain the upper hand in your fight to save humanity.

Hell Has Arrived

One player in your game of DOOM will take the invader role, commanding the legions of Hell in an attempt to terminate the UAC Marines. As the invader, you are able to spawn hordes of demons throughout the mission from portals scattered across the campaign map. Your band of relentless fighters and the way they spawn will vary depending on the threat and invasion cards designated by each mission. The threat cards mentioned earlier apply unique rules to the portals around the map and at what point you may introduce new demons, while the invasion cards, kept hidden from the marines, indicate exactly which demon types you’re able to summon. While the marines have the ability to respawn when they die, you instead summon masses of increasingly terrifying demons.

Each of the three portal tiers has two invasion groups which you may choose spawn, increasing in strength and ability as the mission progresses. Early on, you’ll be able to summon less powerful demons, such as a mob of possessed soldiers or a single armored Pinky. While both of these demons are a threat to the marines, they are less intimidating than, for example, the Mancubus or Baron of Hell. You will be able to summon these menacing monsters and others like them when the red, higher-threat portals become available to you, increasing the challenge to the marines as they draw nearer to achieving their objectives. Because the invasion cards are not available to the marines, they will also be unaware of the terrors headed their way until the demons actually spawn.

Where the marines have action decks to indicate many of their abilities, each class of demon has specific speed, range, health, attack, and special abilities indicated on their demon card. Some of these abilities are inherent and may be used at any time, while others require special Argent Power to trigger. These tokens may be collected by discarding event cards or spawning an invasion group which includes additional Argent Power. Once the tokens have been assigned to a demon type, they cannot be moved, so it is in your best interest to spend them before each demon dies, again adding difficulty for the marines as they progress.

Event cards are the invader’s equivalent of an action deck where defense and special abilities are concerned. The cards in this deck vary depending on the mission being played, and are indicated alongside objective, threat, and invasion cards. At the beginning of the status phase, before activation for all characters begins, you will draw event cards until you have six in your hand, and may then discard up to three to generate Argent Power. The cards kept in hand can be used throughout the activation phase to modify attacks, defenses, and more. The cards remaining in the event deck serve as your demons’ defense when attacked by marines.

The Glory of the Kill

One of the most unique elements of the game of DOOM is that death is viewed as more of an expected inconvenience than a total failure. Each marine will certainly leave a trail of deceased demons in their wake, but not without taking lethal damage along the way. Not only are these elite soldiers able to die, but they are expected to do so. In fact, the invader’s sole objective in any mission is to not only kill the marines, but kill them a number of times. The idea of the game is to run in, guns blazing, without fear, and then keep on running—there’s a job that needs doing here, and respawning is just part of the fun.

Fear of death has no place in this game, and it is this reckless abandon that will allow your marines to take advantage of two exceptional abilities—the Glory Kill and Telefragging. Below each demon’s health is a stagger value, signifying the amount of damage they must take before a marine can perform a Glory Kill. Once a demon has become staggered, a marine may charge into the demon's space for two movement points and dispatch them with ease. Similarly brutal is Telefragging, an action in which a marine may move from one active teleporter on the map to another. If occupied by a demon, you immediately remove that monster from the game. With that in mind, the invader player would be best served by avoiding active teleporters at all costs.

Face Your Doom

Gear up and lock down to bring the thrilling experience of Bethesda and id Software’s DOOM to the tabletop with DOOM: The Board Game. Whether you aim to charge through the mob of demons with your team in pursuit of a larger goal or flip the switch and command Hell’s death-dealing masses to slaughter the UAC’s best and brightest, a descent into the fiery pits of DOOM is sure to bring out the master combatant in you.

DOOM: The Board Game is expected to arrive at retailers during the fourth quarter of 2016!

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