Game profile: Doom The Boardgame

October 23, 11:37 PMPittsburgh Board Game ExaminerRobert Moyer

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In 1993, id Software released the videogame Doom. This first-person shooter cast the player in the role of a space marine who has been assigned to a security detail on the Mars moon of Phobos. When a teleportation experiment goes wrong, a gateway to evil is opened and the moon base is quickly overrun with demons. Suddenly your boring security assignment just got a lot more interesting.

Its addictive mixture of advanced graphics (for its day), immersive first person game play and buckets of gore made Doom an instant - though controversial - classic. Over the years sequels were produced, each one adding better graphics and new levels of adventure.

In 2004, Doom made the leap from video to board game. Published in the US by Fantasy Flight Games, Doom The Boardgame is a battle between two to four players. One player assumes the role of the demonic invaders while the others play the one to three Marines.

Fans of the video game will be able to use their favorite weapons like the chain saw, rocket launcher, plasma gun and of course, the BFG. Unfortunately, the invaders from the video game are also well represented. Zombies, Imps, Hell Knights, Cyberdemons and more are all there in force.

The marines as well as the invaders are all displayed via sixty-six plastic miniatures. In fact, with over 400 different game components, the sheer number of items in the box is staggering. But like other Fantasy Flight Games, each component is of high quality in both construction and appearance. Fans of the Doom3 video game will notice the extensive use of that game’s artwork throughout Doom The Boardgame. It is very beautiful artwork in a horrific kind of way.

To keep the game play fresh, multiple scenarios are provided. The scenario will explain how to lay out the game tiles, describe any special rules and outline the objectives.

If you think that all of this sounds a bit like Space Hulk, I would agree with you. Both Doom and Space Hulk feel inspired either directly or indirectly by the movie Aliens. Both games come with map tiles which allow you to reconfigure the game board each time you play. And both games capture the adventure, desperation and firepower you would expect to find in a high tech environment that has been overrun with nightmares.

But Doom has two distinct advantages over Space Hulk. First off, more than two people can play Doom at a time. And secondly, with a list price of $70 dollars, Doom is less than half the price. That’s still not cheap, but when you factor in all of the components you get as well as some fun and fast game play, 70 bucks might turn out to be a bargain.

For more info: Read the rules at the Fantasy Flight Games website.