Review of Demonworld

A few months ago I was in a local games store when I saw Demonworld. I noticed that there were several packages of 15mm minis hanging from the wall next to the game box. Not wanting to add yet more grey metal to my collection I begged off. I DID look on the net for reviews or game information, but came up with very little. Even the game’s website told very little beyond showing what products were available and a synopsis of the game’s ‘historical’ background. Obviously, I finally took the plunge and I am glad that I did.

Hobby Products is a German game company. I would even be so bold as to call them the Games Workshop of Germany. Similar product lines aimed at similar audiences (at least in the fantasy vein…to my knowledge they have yet to offer a futuristic game). The rules translations from German to English are very well done. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the rules are typically written better translated from German than many rules sets that were originally written in English.

Opening the box you will find the 140 page rulebook, two sets of reference sheets, a set of orders and book keeping counters, a cardstock set of unit counters and templates to cut out and use to make a basic Empire and Orc army (something to play with while deciding if you want to invest $$$ in miniatures), recruitment cards (each card has a different regiment’s or leader’s statistics), and four mapsheets. The components are good quality and attractively drawn. I liked the idea of only paying $30 for the rules set without miniatures instead of paying $60-$70 for a rules set with a bunch of plastic miniatures you are unlikely to use.

Background: There is nothing really new here at all and if it weren’t for other great features in the game I would have given the game a 3 on style…or even a 2. If you have played Warhammer Fantasy Battles (WHFB) you have seen this before. We have the same races (Empire, orcs, elves, chaos, dwarves, etc.) with many of the same types of specialty units (cannons for the Empire and dwarves, rolling siege towers for battles…not sieges, etc.). They are so similar in fact that I had completely missed the Empire army book on the shelf because it looks almost exactly like the old WHFB Empire book. The background of Demonworld is so derivative of WHFB that I wouldn’t be surprised if a lawsuit cropped up here in the near future. It wasn’t the background that caught my attention when I first started to look at this game. It was the smaller scale of the figures and the promise of a different rules set and I was glad that they did catch my attention because this is where the game shines.

The first feature that I liked about the game is the scale, 15mm. 15mm works for me for a couple of reasons. First, there is the cost. For $30.00 you can purchase an entire regiment. This includes your musicians, standard bearers, and leaders. The company that has been contracted to make the figures has done a beautiful job of sculpting. The smaller scale also lends itself to more realistic ranges and movement distances. Finally, the smaller scale makes transporting a large army possible without a significant investment in the local foam rubber supplier. I carry my Empire army around in a Tupperware tote, which really beats the 4 gun cases I used to carry my WHFB army in. The only real downside to the smaller scale is painting the damned things, but my optometrist is happy so perhaps it’s all good. A decent army is still going to cost over $100.00 to put together, but I think that given all the other benefits of the new scale that this is a positive move for fantasy miniature gaming.

The second feature I liked was the rules. They are cleanly written, grammatical errors are few, spelling errors are non-existent. Not bad for a set of rules originally written in German. The rules are more complex than other sets out there, but there are numerous examples to help clarify the more confusing bits. The rules are also broken up into beginner, intermediate and advanced sections. Being the hardcore, experienced gamer that I am I pooh-poohed the idea and figured my first game would start with the advanced rules. After reading through them, though, I wisely decided to follow their advice and learn the game in stages. Not only are the rules well organized and well-written they also play well too.

Demonworld is played on a hex board unlike other miniatures games. This means the game is much more confining than typical miniature games. Turns and wheels are limited to 60-degree increments, forward movement is limited to x hexes, and there are only 6 possible facings for each ‘element’ or stand. Initially, I felt this was almost too abstract. Gone was the subtlety of moving my archers up to a position just beyond their target’s charge range hoping to provoke a charge that would fall disastrously short. On the plus side, though, gone also are the ‘fudge’ moves where a large portion of a game’s victory will end up relying on a two mm distance from one unit to the other. It’s hard to fudge forward movement or range when you have a specific hex outlining where you are or aren’t. I guess the main downside of the hex based map is the ugliness of the grid, itself, and the fact that you won’t be using your freshly painted terrain pieces or your geo-hex boards. On the bright side, there IS now a use for all those hex printed geo-hex terrain maps now.

The best part of Demonworld is unit interaction. Formation movement is very well choreographed. Leaders can significantly impact a unit’s ability to maneuver and fight, but they don’t run away with the game. Unlike WHFB, a lone leader on foot in the middle of the board will not be able to destroy an entire regiment of heavy cavalry. Attacks to unit flanks are damaging, and attacks to their rear are devastating. Movement of units who are already in melee contact is just as important as movement outside of melee. The issuing of orders is very simple (it’s similar to the original 40K Epic rules). At the beginning of each turn you place a counter face down next to each unit indicating whether a unit is going to Move (lots of movement..no fighting), Skirmish (moderate movement, ok combat adds, good range attack), Attack (moderate movement, good combat adds, no ranged combat), and Hold (no movement, good combat adds, ok ranged combat). Depending on your general’s quality you can put down multiple orders counters allowing you to change some orders after you have seen what the enemy is doing. Generals also help in the standard ways (rallying troops and assisting in combat). After you play a few times the rules become transparent and moving the units becomes more instinctive. I have yet to play a game at the advanced level (large creatures, spell casting, and siege engines) so I really can’t vouch for these parts of the rules yet. If you are curious please feel free to e-mail me and I will give you my impressions once I have had a chance to tackle fighting a dragon or creating Orc Flammbé.

Conclusion: If you are looking for a miniature rules set with a unique background you will need to look elsewhere. Once again, there is really nothing new here, but then again, while Demonworld is derivative of WHFB, WHFB is derivative of D&D/Chainmail, which is derivative of Tolkein…etc. This game shines on all other counts. It has quality components, tightly written rules, simple and elegant movement and combat, and is affordable (for a miniature based game anyway). Now, if the game would just have more of an internet presence I’d be real happy.

Caution: Do not associate the tabletop game with the computer game of the same name. True they both exist in the same milieu, but the similarity ends there. While the miniature game is great the computer game bites the big one.