Hi, I'm thinking about buying Doom exp, but I have some problems with it. I really try to love the original game but my group don't even try )).

I hate when it get's tedious sometimes and I hate the process of preparing the game (I get headache just thinking about getting it all out). I hate when some scenarios tend to be waaaay too long. I hate to see mariners get to lose half of their lives because of some lucky attacks of demons. I hate to see gloomy faces of my friends when they strife to get past those hordes of invaders.

So in general I hate this game, but for some reason I just can't give up on it and my favorite part about this game is home rules, I'm crazy about it and can't stop adjusting the game. Also I like all these minis

For some reason I've got a feeling that Doom exp will "cure" the game for me, but I'm not sure ...

Does it shorter/faster????? Maybe a bit?

Does sentry bot help that much?

Soulcube better than BFG?

Will the new campaign be fun and fast/short?

Is DM fun or who gets better skill cards wins?

The new invader deck "easier" on marines?

The new monsters look too tough and angrier (ravenant, zombie commando, "new flying trite" and even maggot), so how can they make it easier for marines?

I hope your replies and advices will help me. Thank you.

WeLLius said:

The expansion itself doesn't make much difference to the game length, it's based on the scenario.

Sentry bots are very useful since it's like a remote control machine gun. Good for covering your back or meatshielding.

Soulcube INSTANTLY kills an invader on a hit and heals you. BFG can kill numerous invaders at once though if you're lucky.

New campaign is fun, and I reckon shorter than the original campaign

DM is really fun, so is CTF. Skill cards on their own doesn't help you, it's HOW you use those skills to call frags.

New invader is roughly same threat, although the new abilities make a nice change.

They trade out some of the original invaders that's about 'the same threat' (although some people say Revenant is overpowered compared to an imp). Keeps the game balanced.

A lot of people feel that the expansion is crucial to Doom, since it balances out the Invader a lot. Not necessarily how the extra missions play out, but the new Invader deck isn't so overwhelming and requires some forethought on the Invader Player's part.

Having CTS and DM maps is a bonus, but my group has yet to play with those...

-shnar

shnar said:

At least you got permission to unwrap SH3 !

Thank you guys! Those comments helped me to make a decision, especially big thanks to Knuckles Eki (I like details )

Well because of Runewars announce I was a bit confused on "what to buy??", but now I decided to spent money and time on Doom expansion.

Runewars is good ( I presume so ) but these bloody monsters just need to learn their lesson!

Dam said:

Yes, yes, at least one of the copies. We're saving the other one for my son for his birthday in April. We should have played through a few of the missions by then and he'll be wanting his own copy, "But it's out of print, so I don't think we can find you one..."

Yes, parents are evil

-shnar

WeLLius said:

Personally I think the expansion adds some great stuff to the game, however, I don't think anything it adds will really address the concerns you seem to express here. Nothing in the expansion speeds up game play all that much. Set up time, long scenarios, etc. It all takes about the same length of time. The new invader deck does make things easier for the marines, but a good (read: cruel) Invader player can still make things a living hell for the marines (see what I did there?) In short, if your friends don't like the game now, I doubt the expansion will change their attitude too much.

Some common house rules we use might help make things easier for your troop though. If the main complain they have is that it's so hard for the marines to win, try using some of these (if you haven't already - a lot of these are suggested in the book/forums:)

- every gun comes with a unit of ammo (this can make a big difference for marines)

- every unit of ammo printed on the map gives two (we don't use this one ourselves, but if your friends need SUPER easy mode =P)

- marines can pick up medpacs and carry them, to be used when needed.

These house rules might not sound like much on paper, but they do make the game much easier for marines. We prefer a hard game, and thus use these rules in addition to only giving each marine one life (when you die, you're dead) but that's probably not a good idea for you given what you've said already. Play with the above house rules and normal frag death rules, maybe it'll breathe new life into the game for your friends =)

Normally I would never discourage someone from spending more money on this fantastic game, but I would suggest trying this with the base game and see how your friends like it. Like I said above, the expansion is great, but nothing it provides is likely to change how your friends currently feel. I'd suggest seeing what you can do to get them into the game before you spend money on an expansion you might never get to use.

Well, I tried to play the first scenario of the original game on the easiest difficulty with my friends, but after they managed to get BFG from the top left room I scored 6-th frag on them ... so, they were still "a bit' unsatisfied with the game (and I've even kept DUD cards on my hand the whole game)

After some talking we realised that the only way to play this is solo (yep, all by myself). And the problem is, that the only managable solo variant from BGG plays Invaders as AI and you as marines, but to tell the truth I hate marines (playing all these monsters is sooooo much fun )

Anyway, I'll buy it (expansion) sometime later ... maybe.

Thanks guys, if only I had a group of dedicated gamers like you are

This game, especially with the original Invader deck, is *very* unforgiving to the marines. If they don't play well, they will get creamed. You should try the "intro" mission that FFG put on the website. It's shorter and the goals are a bit easier on the marines. It allows the marines to ease into the game better. If new players have a hard time, then they tend to not like the game and never want to play again. As the Invader, if you want them to continue playing, either go easier on them, or maybe let them play the Invader (that usually helps see strategies for the marines too).

-shnar