Better To Reign In Hell

Then serve in heaven. As Lucifer put it in Milton's "Paradise Lost." The past few days I've been tinkering around with Vic Davis's wonderful indie game Solium Infernum. Explaining this game can be kind of tough, mainly because it's so complicated. Let's start with the setting: you play as an archdemon in hell who is vying for the throne after Satan's abrupt and unexplained absence. As far as atmosphere goes, this game delivers brilliantly. When the king of hell disappears, then the likes of Baal, Abaddon, and Mammon will battle it out, and Solium Infernum (SI) captures this quite nicely. Now, how the game actually plays out is a bit harder to get a grasp on.

If I had to explain SI in one sentence I guess I could say that it's a turn-based diplomatic strategy board game. Though this doesn't do the mechanics much justice. Most turn based strategy games, to me, seem completely based around the warfare. Even the likes of Civilization and Galactic Civilizations have diplomatic options that seem a little tacked on when compared to the straight warfare options available. Well, that's not exactly true, but such games always seem built up from the battle mechanics. SI on the other hand is based entirely around the diplomacy. See these fiends battling it out might be demons, but more importantly they're royalty, and spending eternities as dukes, barons, and princes has left its mark on their attitudes. As evil as these fiends are, they aren't without their rules. You can't just tear ass through hell looking for the shit, no there's a group of demons, the Infernal Conclave, and they vote on who will be the new ruler of hell. That's right, they're practically a democracy (guess it spreads everywhere eventually). And if you plan on being voted the new ruler, then you better play by their rules (though there are ways around it if you're feeling frisky).

The biggest difference between SI and other turn based strategy games, that I first noticed anyway, is how warfare is handled. You can't just attack your neighbor when you've expanded as far as you can. You have to have a reason, and you have to have it cleared by the Conclave. This is where the diplomatic options come in, you can make demands of your opponents, and if they refuse then you can claim vendetta. Or they may insult you, giving you another reason to bust through their borders and eff them up. Further, all this politicking is how you can gain (or lose) prestige, which is what determines who's voted the winner. Now just cause you can't blast through opponent's randomly, doesn't mean you can't be the evil bastard you really want to be. In fact, lying, stealing, and manipulating is fair game. For example, if your hated opponent wont let you have vendetta, but he's at war with someone else, well there's nothing stopping you from stealing his stuff, or messing with his soldiers.

Yes, you can be very evil in this game, and this brings me to one of my favorite things about it so far. This game twists you into an evil bastard, and does it extremely fast. In my first game played against the ai, I had a run of really bad luck. I lost a vendetta horribly, and on the next turn an opponent played an event that made me lose a stat that I had just raised (which took a lot of work btw). The next turn an opponent played an event that made me lose all my legions but one, right as I had set up another vendetta that I had to cancel, wasting some prestige, since I couldn't win it. At this point I was seething, I wanted to strike out at someone, anyone. I wanted to make someone hurt, I didn't care if it was the person who did this to me, but someone was going to bleed. I look at the map, yes, to my east lived the boot sludge Shax, he was a very low rank, and I was a duke. I had been demanding things of him all game, and he had usually conceded because he feared my wrath. Yes, this is who would pay. I made another ridiculous demand, and he refused, knowing I was gimped now. Now, when you declare vendetta you wager prestige on what you think you can do in a certain number of turns. I bet that I could destroy 3 of the pathetic Shax's minions. I didn't actually think I could do this, I didn't even care, I just planned to lash out. If I could destroy one legion I would be happy, he just needed to pay, I had focused all my hatred into this little simpering dog who had been mewing under my boot all game, and who suddenly had the gall to refuse me.

I proceeded to pimp out my last legion, and tore through his border, to counter he sent his legions up to meet me (no one else knows what you wagered for the vendetta but you, which makes things fun). I wasn't nervous like I usually am waging war in these types of games. No, I was running on pure hate, pure anger. I sent off the order, possibly sending my last peon to his death, hoping only to cause Shax as much torment as I could. The next turn I'm told that my peons obliterated his legions into the darkest crevices of the abyss. I did it, way to go peons! And Shax, you'll know better next time, you pathetic sniveling cur. Just because I've lost my armies doesn't mean I'm not still your master. Don't forget whose Duke!

And this very thing is what I love about this game. My first run through, against the computer, in a matter of 3 turns, I turned from my usual easy going self into a wrathful, hate-filled, revenge seeking monster, and I didn't even care who I was getting revenge on. Shax might not have had anything to do with it, but someone was going to pay, and he just happened to be close by. This game will turn you evil, it will cause you to steal from your opponents, feed them false information, and manipulate them in any way you can. And this is why I cannot wait to get a game of this going with my friends, effing over a computer is one thing, but your (soon to be former) friend, oh ho ho. Yes, this game is great.

Another thing I love about the game, did you notice what I did above? The first game I ever played against the computer created a pretty awesome story. As suggested in this great interview, SI seems to fuel wonderful in-character monologues while playing. This game turns you evil sure, but I also think it eases you into your character, and before you know it you're screaming at the computer screen. "Damn you Belial! I will break you! I will crush your legions and eat their bones! You will pay for crossing me! Mark My Words!" And that's no exaggeration, and any game that causes you to slip into character so completely and unwittingly is a masterpiece in my book. If this sounds like your cup of tea you should read the game diaries that went on the last few weeks at Rock, Paper, Shotgun found here. You can get the game itself here. If you're reading this and want to play with someone, give me a shout, I don't need much convincing to return to hell.

Oh, and because I dont think I can talk about this game without showing this picture:

You can play as this guy! This can be your player character! This makes Solium Infernum a must play!