The end of the world is a daunting prospect. Will it be a pandemic? A meteor strike? Nuclear war? Maybe it’ll be that piece of half-eaten toast that fell down the back of the sofa a few years ago.
The bottom line is we just don’t know, so rather than worrying about it why not give Doomlings a play instead!
The end of the world is a daunting prospect. Will it be a pandemic? A meteor strike? Nuclear war? Maybe it’ll be that piece of half-eaten toast that fell down the back of the sofa a few years ago.
The bottom line is we just don’t know, so rather than worrying about it why not give Doomlings a play instead!
Doomlings is a beautifully illustrated, easy to learn card game about the end of the world, which tasks players with building a gene pool full of synergised traits to ultimately score the most points when the inevitable Armageddon takes place.
So… let’s put these little critters under the microscope and find out what they’re all about!
Doom Never Looked So Good
The first thing you’ll notice about Doomlings is just how pretty it is, even before you open the box. Even the standard edition of the game (don’t worry, we’ll come to the Deluxe version in good time!) has a holofoil box with a selection of the cute little characters etched onto it.
Inside things continue in the same vein. Every standard copy of the game comes with a random holofoil card that can be inserted into the Traits deck, or kept in a nice protective sleeve if you’re anything like me. These cards vary massively in rarity, and some are worth £100’s if you should be lucky enough to find one that is extra hard to come by.
Although the rest of the cards may not be as blinged out, they still look fantastic and are printed on nice quality card stock.
Simply put, Doomlings is a gorgeous looking game with an art style that it’s hard not to love.
Playing With Destruction
Doomlings might look stunning, but how does it play?
Well, between 2 and 6 players can battle it out, and games take roughly 20 to 40 minutes. The core mechanic of the game sees players adding Doomlings to their trait pile in order to create the most pointilicious pile of puny particles when the World finally ends.
All the little Doomlings have a colour set and point value. This value counts toward (or against) that players total when it comes to the ‘End of the World’. Some cards are only worth points, while others carry with them actions, benefits or detriments which are often weighted by their points value to offset any card becoming to OP.
After each round a new ‘Age’ is revealed.
A game can run between 9 and 12 rounds depending on where Catastrophes occur, but we’ll get to those shortly! Each age comes with a stipulation that will help or hinder players in the up coming round.
These vary from the fairly innocuous like ‘Arid Lands’ which prevents anyone playing Blue (water based) cards to The Messiah which reverses the order of play or the Comet Shower which forces all players to discard a card from their hand at random. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can really mess with your gameplan.
Then come the Catastrophes. 3 in total are distributed through the Ages deck, and when the third one appears the game is over.
Catastrophes are similar to Ages but with more severe consequences, although there are a couple in there that aren’t as bad as they seem.
When the third Catastrophe is revealed the game ends, but not before one final World’s End event.
Players tally up their score (using the very helpful score calculator on the Doomlings website) and the one with the highest total spends their final few moments on this mortal plain celebrating being the winner.
Doom Mongering
I absolutely love Doomlings. In fact, I think it’s probably our most played game this year because it’s quick to set up, quick to play and easy to pick up for new players.
But I have to say it isn’t for everyone. If you’re not a fan of tit-for-tat Take That mechanics, and the possibility that someone could absolutely ruin your game out of nowhere, then you might not appreciate the chaotic nature of Doomlings.
But if these are things you either don’t mind or (like me) absolutely love in a game, this one is for you! Kids will likely love the bright colours and cute little characters too, and it really isn’t too difficult to understand even for younger minds.
What’s Better than SOME Doomlings?
The answer? MORE Doomlings, and that brings me nicely to the Deluxe Version!
Doomlings has become a powerhouse of a franchise, sitting somewhere between a traditional card game and a Trading Card Game, with expansions and even booster packs available.
The Deluxe Version is a great place to start as it comes with a playmat which shows you where everything goes, and a massive 81 additional cards including the Multi-Color, Dinolings, Mythlings,Techlings and Meaning of Life expansions!
Plus 3 Mystery Holofoil Cards rather than the 1 included in the Standard Edition.
And the box. Oh, the box! Sporting a Mardi-Gras design, the box features Holofoil, Gold Hot Foil, UV Coating, Metallic Ink, Embossed areas and a linen finish.
Wow!
The End Times
In a world fraught with uncertainty and a million things to worry about, Doomlings is the silly, wacky, pretty bit of fun I think we all need.
The Deluxe version takes what was already a great offering and increases the bling, the mayhem and the chance to pull a really rare little shiny bacteria… and who doesn’t need more of those things intheir lives?
