The Doomed: Apocalyptic Horror Hunting: A Wargame - Hardcover

by Chris McDowall (Author), Helge C. Balzer (Illustrator), Ana Polanscak (Illustrator)

A quick-playing, rules-light skirmish wargame of Horror hunting set in a bleak sci-fi world on the brink of impending doom.

Hunger, Hatred, Domination, Oblivion, and Ruin. The world is dying, poised on the brink of falling to one of these great dooms. Factions pursue their own interests, as likely to be the heralds of the world's destruction as they are its saviours. Horrors - monstrous abominations that defy logic, science, and nature - roam the land. Bands of hunters follow bold leaders, seeking out and destroying Horrors, gaining fame as word of their deeds spreads amongst the desperate survivors. Rival bands compete for prestige, clash over ideology, and pose as much of a threat to each other as the Horrors they hunt.

The Doomed is a quick-playing, rules-light skirmish wargame in which small warbands of hunters compete to hunt unique Horrors in a bleak sci-fi world. Scenarios are defined by the Horror being hunted and by the Conflict in which the hunt takes place. Each Horror has its own strengths, weaknesses, and tactics, often breaking the rules in unique ways, and must be approached carefully - stealth, cunning, and brute force will all have a role to play. Each Conflict, meanwhile, provides a distinct set-up for the scenario and a secondary objective that pits the warbands against each other as well as against the Horror. Campaigns build towards a climax, with hunters gaining prestige and renown, offering access to new, unique options for their warband. In the background, the five dooms also grow in power, threatening to deliver their own climax to the campaign if the hunters are not successful enough.

Author Biography

Chris McDowall is a game designer based in Manchester, creator of the Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland RPGs. He also writes at bastionland.com and produces regular video and podcast content around game design. His games aim to combine minimalist rules with an evocative sense of flavour to create exciting, memorable moments at the table.

Helge C. Balzer was born in northern Germany and, as a teenager, made short films, advertising spots, and worked as a storyboard artist. Later, he studied computer animation and concept art at the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg, going on to work as a matte painter, sculptor, animator, and concept artist for numerous international game productions. Alongside this, Helge has created award-winning short films as a director, production designer, and producer. Today, Helge lives in Germany, working as a freelance illustrator, concept artist, and art director in the entertainment industry for clients such as Wizards of the Coast, Games Workshop, Black Library, Fantasy Flight Games, Cubicle 7, Paizo, and many, many more.

Ana Polanscak is a Croatian miniaturist specialized in crafting heavily customized gaming and display pieces in her distinctive macabre style. Her work is focused on materializing grim, immersive worlds through tabletop miniature projects. This encompasses everything from modelling, sculpting, painting, building scenery and making gaming paraphernalia, to writing, game design, graphic design and miniature photography. Ana works as a freelancer for private collectors and gamers, as well as companies in the tabletop miniature industry.