Doom: The Board Game

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This article is about the 2016 release. For the 2004 release, see Doom: The Boardgame.
Cover art.
A mission in progress in Doom: The Board Game.

Doom: The Board Game (not to be confused with the 2004 release of the Doom 3-themed Doom: The Boardgame) is an officially licensed table-top board game released by Fantasy Flight Games on July 28, 2016,[1] adapting the themes and settings of Doom (2016). It is a game for two to five players (up to four marines and one invader) and typically lasts for two to three hours per game. It is suggested for players ages fourteen and up.[1] It was designed by Jonathan Ying, and developed by Derrick Fuchs and Andrew Wyshock.[1]

Overview[edit]

The game plays much faster than its predecessor, with quick exploration and invasion mechanics. It has been compared favorably to similar board games such as Star Wars: Imperial Assault by critics.[2] Up to four players take on the roles of UAC marines in a fireteam and oppose a single invader player who controls the game's monsters. A significant departure from the earlier game is the lack of ammunition; instead, players can attack based on the cards in their action deck.

It has especially been noted for the quality of its figures for the players and demons, which are large, detailed, and neutrally colored.[2]

Game contents[edit]

Demon and marine figures.

The following pieces are included:

  • Rules reference
  • Operation guide, containing two prebuilt operations consisting of six missions each
  • 37 figures (4 marines and 33 demons)
  • 6 dice (4 red and 2 black; all six-sided)
  • 8 demon cards
  • 36 event cards
  • 73 action cards
  • 12 invasion cards
  • 3 threat cards
  • 10 initiative cards (4 marine cards, 6 invader cards)
  • 4 marine cards
  • 6 objective cards
  • 24 class cards
  • 12 glory kill cards
  • 4 squad cards
  • 4 stun cards
  • 18 portal tokens
  • 7 stun tokens
  • 55 damage tokens (35x 1-damage, 20x 3-damage)
  • 9 health pack tokens
  • 6 teleporter tokens
  • 6 objective tokens
  • 21 frag tokens
  • 18 Argent power tokens
  • 23 weapon tokens (6 grenades)
  • 16 progress / threat tokens
  • 24 double-sided map tiles
  • 8 doors

Rules[edit]

Preparation[edit]

The game begins by assembling the map for the current mission. Players then choose a role as invader or marine, with marines choosing between one of four characters: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, or Delta (named for letters of the NATO phonetic alphabet). Each begins with a specified loadout consisting of two weapons (additional weapons can be found on the map during play). A player action deck is constructed by each player consisting of ten cards, including UAC Marine cards and two sets of three weapon cards corresponding to the two loadout weapons.

Preparation for the invader includes assembling a deck of 18 event cards, and selecting the proper demon cards for the current mission - cards for demons may be face up or face down, depending on the beginning status of the mission. Though marines are able to see the Operation Guide information for the mission, they are not allowed to see the invader's invasion card, nor the face-down demons.

Rounds[edit]

Game play proceeds in two-stage rounds.

Status phase[edit]

The invader player constructs an initiative deck which determines the order in which players will move and attack with the pieces under their control. Any demon cards exhausted in a previous turn are returned to the ready position during this phase, and the invader draws event cards until he or she is holding six cards.

Activation phase[edit]

In the activation phase, the invader reveals the top card of the initiative deck. If a marine card is revealed, the corresponding player is activated. Otherwise, if an invader card is revealed, the invader chooses one active type of demon and activates each figure of that type in turn. This process continues until the initiative deck is empty.

Marine activation[edit]

During a marine's activation, the player can spend movement points and can attack using action cards in their hand. Normally, one main action can be taken during an activation, and any number of bonus actions can be performed. Once all actions are done, the player discards any used action cards and draws until he or she holds three cards in their hand. Movement can be performed at any time except during an attack. Movement points are typically gained from certain action cards.

Demon activation[edit]

When the invader player chooses a demon type, he or she changes its demon card to the exhausted orientation by rotating it 90 degrees so that it rests with the longer side horizontal. Each figure of that type is then activated one at a time, in an order the invader player chooses. Demons gain movement points according to their indicated speed value and can attack. Demons also have special abilities for which the instructions are printed on the demon card.

Victory[edit]

For the marines, victory is obtained by completing all of the stated objectives of the mission. For the invader, victory occurs once a specified number of frag tokens have been earned by killing marines.

Mechanics[edit]

Attacking[edit]

Attacks are determined by use of dice. Upon declaring an attack, a marine or invader specifies the target, or defender. In order to be chosen as the defender, the target must be within the attacking range of the attacker, and there must be a line of sight to the target - this exists if a line from any corner of the attacker's grid square on the map can be connected by a straight line to any corner of the defender's grid square without crossing any walls, closed doors, or blocking terrain.

The attacker then rolls the number of red and black dice indicated on the attack action card and tallies up the number of damage icons that were rolled. After the attacker rolls, the defender uses one defense card (for marines, this is the top card of the action deck; for demons, this is the top card of the event deck). The number of defense icons revealed (if any), plus the toughness of the demon if any, are subtracted from the number of damage icons. If a demon has a special defense ability, it can be activated at this time. The resulting amount of damage is then recorded on the card with the use of damage tokens, and if the monster or marine's health is depleted, then it has been fragged.

When defending, the defender may reveal a dodge icon. When this occurs, all damage is negated.

Frags[edit]

When a demon is fragged, its figure is removed from the map. When all demons of a specific type have been fragged, the invader player flips that demon type's card face down.

When a marine is fragged, he or she removes their figure from the map and places it on the marine card; all damage on the marine card is discarded. The marine shuffles their hand of cards and the discard pile into the action deck and redraws three action cards. A marine respawns on his or her next activation at any of the active teleports. The invader gains one frag token each time a marine is fragged.

Movement[edit]

Movement by most figures can be performed in any of eight directions on the square grid, straight or diagonally. All squares that touch the current square by either a side or a corner are considered "adjacent," excepting any that are on the other side of a door or are blocked by walls or impassable terrain. A move of one square usually costs one movement point, with the following exceptions:

  • Moving onto the same square as an enemy unit costs one additional movement point.
  • Doors require one additional movement point to open.
  • Movement across difficult terrain costs one additional movement point.

Movement can pass through, but cannot end on, a square occupied by another figure.

Large figures are affected by several special case rules when moving:

  • They cannot move diagonally.
  • They are not allowed to apply cover mechanics (see below).
  • Figures that cover two or six spaces can rotate 90 degrees by spending one movement point. However, when doing this, they must still contact at least half of the spaces they previously occupied.

Demons with the flying attribute have some special abilities with respect to movement. They can ignore difficult terrain, they can move through enemy-occupied spaces without paying additional movement points, and they can navigate blocking and impassable terrain. Marines are able to gain line of sight to a flying monster if it stops in such terrain, however.

If marines move into the same square as a teleporter, they activate it. From that point on, it can be used as a spawn point for marines who have been fragged and are re-entering play. Additionally, moving marines can use active teleporters to move quickly around the map - all active teleporters are considered to be adjacent to one another for marine movement. If a demon is occupying the teleporter's space, that demon is instantly fragged if a player chooses to move onto it, and the normal additional cost of an extra movement point is not required in this case.

Stun[edit]

If a marine or demon is stunned, then when attacking, one die is removed. When defending, a card cannot be revealed for defense. This applies once only per instance of becoming stunned, and additional stuns do not stack while one is already in effect.

Sprinting[edit]

A marine can choose to sprint during his or her activation by foregoing their main action and discarding one action card. The player is then awarded six additional movement points.

Reaction[edit]

Action cards with a reaction icon can be activated during another marine's activation.

Items[edit]

Two types of items can be found placed on the map, with positions and amounts varying by mission:

  • Health packs restore five damage points to a marine when taken
  • Weapons can be picked up. When this occurs, the marine adds one copy of each of the weapon's three action cards to his or her action deck.

Doors[edit]

Doors are placed on the map initially. While closed, they block line of sight, and spaces on opposite sides are not considered adjacent. A figure can open a door by spending one movement point, and then the door is removed from the map.

Portals[edit]

Portals are used by the invader player to place demons into the fray. Portals occur in three different colors (red, yellow, and blue), and each can be used once and is then removed. Portal placement depends on the type of threat in effect for the current mission. When spawning monsters, the invader player can usually choose between two different invasion groups.

The three types of threat are as follows:

  • Infestation - Demons will enter gradually as the marines explore the map.
  • Horde - Demons spawn in a continuous swarm.
  • Assault - The invader receives a steady supply of threat tokens each round.

Advanced rules[edit]

Class cards[edit]

Players receive class cards which determine their special player skills. These remain in effect throughout a mission, but some class cards can be exhausted after activation, which requires them to be rotated 90 degrees for a turn, during which time they cannot be reused.

Argent power[edit]

The invader player can make use of Argent power by spending Argent tokens. These can be used to activate special demon abilities. The invader player can discard up to three event cards per turn to gain one Argent power point per card, which can be placed on any living demons or on the player's invasion card. Summoning demons in invasion groups also often earns the invader additional Argent power, which can be distributed between the newly summoned demons. At that time, the player can also move Argent power points from the invasion card to the new demons, and then discards any remaining unspent points from that card.

Cover[edit]

When attacks are calculated, cover must be taken into consideration. If a line from the attacker to any corner of the defender's square is blocked, then the defender is considered to have cover. A unit with cover can reveal an additional defense card, ignoring the first card that was drawn.

Glory kills[edit]

Once a demon's damage points are greater than or equal to its stagger value, a marine can instantly frag it by moving onto the same space. The marine player also draws a glory kill card and recovers two damage. The effect on the glory kill card is activated.

Toughness[edit]

Some demons have a toughness rating, indicated with a special shield icon. These demons receive one additional defense point when defending against attacks.

Play with fewer players[edit]

In order to automatically balance the game, special rules apply when there are fewer than four marine players:

  • Three marines: One marine player receives a "Taking Point" squad card
  • Two marines: Each marine receives a "Combat Veteran" squad card
  • One marine: The marine receives the "Solo Operative" card. The invader also shuffles an extra marine initiative card into the deck each round, meaning the marine player will activate twice per round.

Elements[edit]

Monsters[edit]

The following demons occur in the game:

Weapons[edit]

There are three categories of weapons in the game: those available to marines in their loadout, those which can only be found on the map (indicated by gray stripes on the weapon token), and grenades, which have special mechanics.

Weapon Category
Combat shotgun Loadout
Super shotgun Loadout
Heavy assault rifle Loadout
Plasma rifle Loadout
Burst rifle Loadout
Static rifle Loadout
Rocket launcher Map-only
Chaingun Map-only
Chainsaw Map-only
Gauss cannon Map-only
BFG 9000 Map-only
Frag grenade Grenade
Siphon grenade Grenade
Decoy grenade Grenade

Operation Guide[edit]

The Operation Guide contains two stock operations, each consisting of six missions.

Operation: Black Bishop[edit]

Mission Description
1: Knee Deep in the Dead A containment breach has occurred at the Lazarus Labs. Recover all assets with minimal losses.
2: Molten Retrieval An Argent containment failure has occurred at the Ganymede Foundry. The UAC wishes to recover any surviving personnel for interviews so that they can learn from the incident.
3: Spring Cleaning The Tharsis Labs have been overrun by a hostile force. Destroy all the gore nests.
4: Leaving the Nest Your fireteam has been assigned to a Lazarus Manned Expedition to the Great Steppe in Hell.
5: Territorial Dispute Hostile forces have been detected approaching a valuable UAC tethering site in the Kadingir Sanctum. An Argent energy storm has knocked out the automated defenses. Defend the site until the defensive protocols are rebooted.
6: Breaking and Entering The UAC has located the powerful demon responsible for the recent rash of attacks deep within the Titan's Realm. Eliminate all hostiles.

Operation: Exodus[edit]

Mission Description
1: To Whom It May Concern Investigate the last fireteam's disappearance in the Titan's Realm and recover any combat data they may have left behind.
2: All You Can Eat The tethering site in the Kadingir Sanctum has been overrun and the demons are consuming your fireteam's Argent energy supplies. Repel the invaders and recover the energy you need to survive.
3: Collect Call Disturbed by your findings, you need to get the truth out. Find parts from busted drones on the Great Steppe to construct a transmitter that can communicate through the Fracture to alert your comrades on the mortal plane.
4: Out of the Frying Pan The distorted message you received two weeks ago has been proven true - the UAC is insane. Your fireteam has planned an escape from Tharsis Labs.
5: Bringing Down the House Rendezvous with the other fireteams at Phobos Station, the heart of the corrupt UAC experiments. Your mission is to escort an Argent explosive to the station's power core.
6: End of the Line Cancel the lockdown at the Ganymede Foundry by eliminating all hostiles so that the marines can procure a long-range space ship and escape.

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fantasy Flight Games staff (28 July 2016). "DOOM: The Board Game." Fantasy Flight Games. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Plunkett, Luke (13 February 2017). "Doom: The Board Game: The Kotaku Review." Kotaku. Retrieved 22 April 2018.


Games in the Doom series
Classic Doom
Doom 3 Doom 3Doom 3: BFG EditionDoom 3: VR Edition

Expansions: Doom 3: Resurrection of EvilThe Lost Mission

Official ports: Doom 3 (2019 version)

Related: id Tech 4

Doom (2016) Doom (2016)Doom VFRDoom Eternal

Related: Development of Doom (2016)id Tech 6id Tech 7

Mobile games Doom RPGDoom II RPGDoom ResurrectionMighty Doom
Canceled games Doom AbsolutionDoom 4 1.0
Tabletop Doom: The BoardgameDoom: The Board GameAssault on Armaros Station
Related: Commercial gamesExpanded universeList of booksList of commercial compilations