tear on desktop

It's hard to imagine what today would be like without first-person shooters, if first-person shooters actually existed. Original “Doom”released on December 10, 1993, for MS-DOS. A lone super soldier, the legendary Doom Guy, fending off an horde of demons from hell is one of the quintessential images of PC gaming, and to this day still shocks and amazes fans with every new gory entry in the series. Now, Modiphius Entertainment is launching a Doom tabletop game, Doom tabletop game is coming soon CrowdfundingI had a chance to spend some time with the prototype and see how well I could tear it up in a restaurant.

While Arena of Doom isn't the first cardboard adaptation of the series, the latest version is a bloody contest between players controlling the Doom Slayer and those controlling demons. The story takes place in – you guessed it, an arena – as two players manipulate their plastic powers in a hexagonal grid-based warzone, competing to see who can inflict the most pain.

Every point of damage done to your opponent gives you health, which is a victory point. In the three-round game, the winner is the winner of the two rounds with the most blood. Each round has six rounds for both sides. Between turns, both Doom Guy and Demon can upgrade their arsenal. Doom Guys gain new weapons and armor, while Demons replace weaker enemies with more powerful ones, such as Pinky, Cacodemons, or powerful Cyberdemon.

Arena of Doom is a game that's perfect for a game day as a filler between some heavier games, or when you just want to have some fun while drinking a cold game and munching on some snacks. The gameplay is a clever dice game where strategy takes a back seat to running around in a hail of bullets to see how much pain you unleash, which is very reminiscent of its source material. The only real “strategy” I found myself thinking about was which upgrades I would spend resources on between turns.

I appreciate the simpler ruleset behind Arena of Doom because you can quickly explain the rules to a friend and then be rolling the dice in no time. That being said, I wouldn't complain if there were more in-depth discoveries. To be fair, the prototype and work-in-progress rulesets I have access to only include two people game modes, and the final game will be playable for 2-4 players, so I hope that extra depth will be found in the final rules and other game modes. Regarding the game modes, I would say that having more official rules for leveling up would be wise and would make for a lot of chaotic fun, and I could see some great matches happening by going with a choice/anti-choice approach.

The version of Arena of Doom I played featured miniatures that showcased the classic looks of Doom and Demons that players of the original game from the '90s will recognize. But those who have jumped on the chainsaw bandwagon in recent decades will have a version to suit them, too. Morfius is making a mechanically identical version, but its arenas, models, and weapons are taken from the latest Doom: Dark Ages, in which the Doom Slayer is replaced by menacing doomsday slayers and demons including Mancubus, Imps, Imp Stalkers, Hell and Battle Knights, Pinky Riders, Arachnotrons, and Soldiers. For those who may be short on storage space, Modiphius will also offer a version that replaces the plastic miniatures with acrylic columns, reducing box size and cost.

When I first heard that Modifius was designing a new Doom board game, my mind immediately pictured playing as the Doom Slayer, exploring corridors and finding keys to open doors, ultimately leading to a battle with a terrifying archdemon. More akin to saying Betrayal at House on the HillCthulhu: Dead May Die , or zombie slaying. I still enjoy Doom games like this, but I can't deny that Doom Arena captures the spirit of those games brilliantly.

This is a series about killing as many things as quickly as possible, and Arena delivers on that premise in an exciting and easy-to-understand way. Even playing dice in this WIP version resulted in tense moments where I had to hold my breath while rolling the dice, or let out a long sigh of relief when my demon avoided being brutally dismembered by a chainsaw. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what additional elements or add-ons will be playable and what other game modes will be released in the final version three and four players. With the Arena of Doom board game, Mordefis hopes to give fans of both video games and board games a box to enjoy, and I'm counting down the days until I can rev up my chainsaw again and take it to some demons again.

Arena of Destruction Board Game Activity Run until November 21, 2025, with expected delivery date in October 2026.

Scott White is a freelance writer for IGN, helping with tabletop gaming and guides coverage. follow him X/Twitter or blue sky.