Doom is a lot of things. It’s the classic boomer shooter that popularised the entire FPS genre. It’s a sprawling open world with dragon-riding and demon-bashing. It’s a high-octane, adrenaline-fuelled race through Hell. It’s a soundtrack to a generation of gamers. With so many iterations over tဣhe years, it’s a little surprising that it hasn’t made a splash in the tabletop world. Ben Maunder wants to change that.

As the main developer on the Doom: Arena and Doom: Arena ‘The Dark Ages’, Board Game, Maunder admits that Fantasy Flight’s 2004 (and subsequent 2016 follow-up) co-operative game didn’t scratch that tabletop itch. As a man with Doom quite literally inked on his skin, he was dead set on ripping and tearing through th꧃e tabletop space. First, he sat down to figure out exactly how to “capture the essence of D🥂oom” in the medium.

The Doom: Arena Board Game

“I always describe [Doom: Arena] the same way: ‘heavy metal chess’,” Maunder tells me via email. “It’s a game about making quick decisions, playing around and reacting to your opponentꦬ’s moves; and most importantly, spilling a whole lot of blood!”

In Maunder’s eyes, Doom has four core tenets: speed, mobility, violence, 𒁏and a kickass soundtrack. “I can provide three of those things,” he says, but Doom: Arena also has mechanics that attempt to simulate the thumping soundtracks of Mick Gordon and Finishing Move. We’ll dive deeper into the Tempo System a bit later, but Maunder was keen to explain how the two games work moment-to-moment, how they differ, and why Modiphius decided to make two games in the first place.

“We wanted the game to feature movement at its forefront,” he explains. “There’s no rolling to hit with an attack—only for how much damage is dealt. For that we use our Combat Dice, which come in four flavours: Low, Medium and High Caliber,ܫ and my favourite—the BFD—I’ll let you work that one out.”

Colour me intrigued. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:I’m a dice man, and a Doom-themed BFD is exactly what is needed to instantly sell me on a mechanic. Violenc𒁏e sorted, it’s time for Arena to check off speed and mobility.“Any turn where you weren’t moving just felt wrong—it wasn’t Doom if you weren’t pushing around the board and then rolling the dice to see something (or multiple somethings) explode,” Maunder says. “We wanted to mirror that in Arena by the use of our Tempo System, rewarding fast and brutal play with more exciting options that in turn push to even faster, more brutal play.”

The Tempo System keeps things pacey, ince🔯ntivising the high-speed movement the video games are known for while also simulating a thumping Mick Gordon-esque beat pulsing bꦍehind your actions. Maunder doesn’t go into detail about the mechanic, but says it will reward “the call that deals the most damage” and that different Tempo abilities can be unlocked.

Just as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Doom Eternꦯal can fe☂el like a rhythm game when you get into a flow state, I hope that the Doom: Arena Board Game can evoke 🐓the same effo🌌rtlessly musical vibe.

Two Games, One System

I was interested as to why designers Resurrectionist Games, who are working under the Modiphius banner for the games, decided to make two Doom board games at the same time. One based on the 1994 original title and another based on 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:2025’s medieval prequel, I asked Maunder how similar the two games are, 🧜and why fans would buy both.

“It’s actually a bit of a misnomer to say that the two are different games,” Maunder explains. “They actually share the same core rules, the same skeleton—it’s just the muscle and skin that differ. How ♎an Imp plays in Doom: Arena, and how an Imp plays in Doom: Arena ‘The Dark Ages’ are very different—they have different attacks and Tempo abilities—but the core game functions the same around them.”

The Doom: Aren🤡a Board Game is “more straightforward” tactically, he goes on to say. Distance and positioning are key. As with the video game, The Dark Ages variant is about getting up close and personal. The iconic shield saw – one of Maunde☂r’s favourite mechanics in the game – adds complexity. It offers more upgrades and crunch to the otherwise shooty game.

The Doom Arena and Doom: Arena ‘The Dark Ages’ Board Games have been designed with speed, movement, and violence seeping out of their every pore. Gen Con attendees will be the first to know if those design principlꦛes build an exciting tabletop adaptation of Doom, as the game is being demoed at the convention, but I’m excited to ch🌸eck it out for myself.

As for Maunder, his passion for the series is palpable. He’s excited by the art, the Tempo System, and the miniatures – Serrat is his personꦰal favourite in that regard. But most of all, he’s excited to hear feedback from players who love Doom as much as he does.

“Every time someone plays and says, ‘Yeah, that felt like Doom’,” he says, “That’s a moment of pride. That’s when 🦹I know that something came out right.