Doom: The Boardgame (2004) – Board Game Guys

Why is Doom: The Boardgame Popular?

Doom: The Boardgame is popular among fans of the Doom video game series and board game enthusiasts. It is significant because it allows players to experience the world of Doom in a new way, using strategy and cooperation to defeat enemies and complete objectives. The game has received positive reviews for its immersive gameplay and attention to detail in capturing the feel of the video game series.

Game Components of Doom: The Boardgame

Map Tiles: Numerous sturdy tiles of various shapes and sizes with understated graphics to represent rooms and corridors.

Miniatures: Well-detailed soft plastic miniatures for marines and invaders.

Chits and Tokens: Cardboard chits for tracking health, armor, and ammo, along with specialty dice for combat.

Dice: Four different colored dice with unique stats for combat resolution.

Cards: Decks of marine and invader cards for advantages and spawning enemies.

Player Boards: Large player boards and reference sheets for tracking equipment and stats.

Expansion Set: Adds new miniatures, tokens, rules, and terrain pieces, including airless terrain with suffocation rules.

How To Setup Doom: The Boardgame

To set up the game, the invader player selects a scenario from the scenario guide or internet, sets up the first room, places the marines on their starting locations, and distributes any initial equipment and tokens. Each marine player receives a cheat sheet with monster and weapon statistics and an equipment bin with armor, wound, and ammo tokens. The invader player shuffles their deck, draws five cards, and places other tokens and monster figures nearby. Marines are given a set of marine cards for advantages in the game.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Player Roles: One player controls the invaders, while the others control marines.

Turn Structure: Marines take their turns first, followed by the invader.

Marine Actions: Each marine can move up to four spaces and make one attack, using dice to resolve combat.

Combat Resolution: Dice rolls determine if an attack hits, and symbols on the dice indicate range, ammo usage, and damage.

Invader Actions: The invader draws cards based on the number of marines, plays one spawn card to place enemies out of marine sight, and activates each creature on the board.

Objectives: Invaders aim to get six “frags” (marine deaths), while marines must reach the exit to win.

Respawn Mechanism: Marines respawn in an already discovered space, 8-16 spaces from where they died, retaining their weapons but losing accumulated health and armor.

Player Experience

Doom: The Boardgame offers a highly immersive and tense experience, particularly appealing to fans of shoot ’em ups and dungeon-crawlers. Players must strategize and work together as a squad to survive, preparing for potential threats and executing tactics like scouting and flanking. The game is fast-paced with minimal downtime, and the invader player has significant strategic depth as well.

Pros

Thematic Accuracy: Strong thematic connection to the DOOM video game series, especially DOOM 3.

High Replayability: Multiple scenarios and the ability to create custom scenarios using freeware editors.

Tactical Depth: Encourages strategic teamwork and planning among marine players.

Included Expansion: The Expansion Set adds new content, multiplayer modes, and enhanced gameplay mechanics.

Cons

Complex Setup: Numerous components and a small storage box can make setup and storage cumbersome.

Scaling Issues: Game balance can be affected by the number of players, with some scenarios favoring fewer players.

Limited Scenarios: The base game includes only five scenarios, though more can be found online.

Personal Thoughts on Doom: The Boardgame

Doom: The Boardgame is ideal for fans of science fiction, dungeon-crawlers, and tactical miniatures games. It is particularly suited for those who enjoy cooperative gameplay and the DOOM franchise. While it can be challenging to balance with more players, the game’s immersive theme and deep strategy make it a standout in its genre. If you’re looking for a game that combines the intensity of a shoot ’em up with the strategic depth of a board game, Doom: The Boardgame is an excellent choice.

We are supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no extra cost for you. Learn more.