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Solium Infernum: To Reign is Worth Ambition!
durandal4532
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
What is Solium Infernum (2024)?
Solium Infernum (2024) is a follow-up/remake of Solium Infernum (2009), a legendarily neat but also legendarily obtuse game that you could only play against other people either via hotseat or play-by-email. It's a 4X game about conquering Hell in the wake of Satan leaving the throne empty! It was considered a strategy classic (there's a great Rock Paper Shotgun blog about people playing a long game of it), but one that required a lot of arranging ahead of time or six friends who wanted to play on the same PC over the course of 12 hours. It costs $40 on Steam, and it's made by the same folks who made Armello, League of Geeks. The 2024 version is also slightly simplified in that it no longer has you create your own custom Archfiend every game, instead splitting a bunch of playstyles into 8 characters you can choose. It does allow you to do mixing and matching of what special abilities they have, but so far I've been playing with the default kit because I'm still new to this.
What Sets Solium Infernum Apart From Other 4X Games?
A lot of things, but the central distinction to me is that it's much more of a board game than other 4X stuff. It's designed around systems that are extremely reactive. Decisions you make will interfere with the decisions other people make, and a lot of the play is about being able to predict people, or compel them to behave how you'd like. It's a bit of a weird distinction to make, but this feels like you could just take the existing mechanics, plop it onto a board, and have it slot in alongside the COIN series or something.
Some fun examples of mechanics:
- There's a lot of hidden information, and it's all very significant. Depending on what people focus on upgrading other players can have the ability to rob your Vault, bribe your Legions and Praetors away from you, incinerate them with magic, command twice as many troops as you, use Strategems that turn the tide of battle, etc. The only way to find out what other players are working with is to pay extremely close attention or to focus your own play on improving your Prophecy. I've taken to writing myself a little note every turn about what was bought from the Bazaar, who was just standing still and therefore probably gathering coin, who moved where and what that indicates, etc.
- Diplomacy is integral. The only way to engage in direct combat is to establish a Vendetta. You can only do this diplomatically via either a Demand or an Insult. If you Demand some coin and they refuse, you can start a Vendetta because how dare they. If you Insult them, they can choose their own Vendetta because how dare you. Each offers different rewards and risks, and the fact that you can never be absolutely certain your provocations will result in a Vendetta means it's hard to time things properly.
- Speaking of timing, this is hell and so everything happens agonizingly out of step with how you want it to. That Vendetta you managed to start begins next turn, allowing your opponent time to mess with you. Desperately need to purchase that particularly important item in the Bazaar? You may need to spend a turn consolidating your resources to do so, leaving it up there for your enemies to grab. Want to start a Vendetta with someone? Well, they've already made a Demand of you because they come first in the turn order, so that takes precedence. I think they've done a wonderful job of setting players up for a lot of near-miss strategic moments. You need to be thinking at least two turns ahead.
- While the Legions marching about conquering the infinite plains are the obvious muscle, you can resolve Vendettas by challenging people to Praetor Duels. Powerful demons from each player will be sent to the Colosseum to engage in gladiatorial combat. Of course, you can bribe the refs, and some Archfiends specialize in this. Now you need to decide: do you attempt to overcome their cheating in the Colosseum, or do you accede to their Demands and try to force them into more advantageous Vendettas when you have a chance?
It's just stuffed full of things you want to do every turn, and you'll never manage to do them all.
What's Asynchronous Multiplayer Like?
Fun, to start with! I was nervous about this because it seems like a pretty big time commitment to be leaving in the hands of internet randoms. But I've played two games so far and they've both been delightful.
You set a turn timer from as little as a day to as long as a week, and then you play your turns just like you would against an AI. The only difference (beyond the fact that you're facing real people) is that there's a countdown clock, and once that ticks to 0 everyone's turn is submitted and played as-is. If everyone submits before the clock ticks down it resets and you can go again. It's a relatively elegant way to make this lengthy strategy game fit into the lives of people who don't have like 8 hours to sit down and play right now.
The other fun thing about playing against people is that you can Message them in-game with a message of up to 666 characters, naturally. And the fun part about that is that seemingly of their own accord every person I message does some light role-playing as their Archfiend. All flowery language and threats, insinuation and arch-toned mocking, it's legitimately great. Plus, the messages take a turn to arrive, so it slots into the larger game systems well to be like "Do you want to ally? -> 1 turn passes -> sure, do you mind if I grab X -> another turn passes -> no! I need that you fool -> another turn -> argh! you've ruined my plans, I hate you!" It's so delightfully hard to really coordinate.
Has anyone else been playing? Anyone want to set up an async game?
Oh, and what about solo play?
It's fine! But it's much more of just a tutorial at the moment. The AI isn't awful or anything, but it's about what you get from your average like boardgame auto-play thing. It's more of a way to get familiar with concepts and specific Archfiend abilities than it's meant to be the primary way to play.
We're all in this together
durandal4532 on
+2
Posts
Is there any place online in particular that games tend to get organized? It might be worth keeping an eye on, at least. I might actually be better-equipped for playing a game in one or two marathon sessions, if anyone is actually doing that.
It looks like the Buried Treasure discord I’m on also has some players, and I’d of course be down to arrange games with PA people!
The single-player AI is definitely just serviceable. They’re making improvements but I think in general it’s just not exactly a game where AI is going to be quite up to snuff. Mind games never really work with an AI. Though honestly I don’t think I know of a 4x game where I think the AI is actually great so much as games where they’re a fun roadblock.
There is a relatively substantial set of campaigns introducing you to the various Archfiends, but that’s more a very extended tutorial.
I think you could also have a pretty solid time playing with just one or two human players and then some AI to provide sort of neutral mobs to work against.
I think the most fun I've had thus far has been playing very aggressive as Astaroth. In the group I'm playing it feels like if I don't do aggression nobody else will and the game can get pretty same-y if no one's kicking off conflicts.
I had a lot of fun doing some mild role-playing with strangers, I think the tedious messaging system makes that work pretty well.
I highly recommend leaning into each Archfiend’s whole deal, there’s definitely some Optimal Strategies you can do but it’s much more fun to try to figure out for example how to make this one your Sorcery game.
Are you in contention for the throne of Hell?
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
Are you still in?
Also Mammon I know what you're doing, and I know why, but I don't know if I can turn down that sweet sweet loot
And also, I only offer the finest of capitalism I'll have you know. Think how much we both stand to prosper!
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
Welp if people want to spin up another one I'm always down for it! This is also reminding me to buy this game for friends this holiday season
There's a lot of actions that won't be visible if it doesn't affect you and it won't show in your log. If you just relog anytime before the turn rolls it'll replay the actions
hmm. I'm only now getting a notification that you may have to be booted/replaced.
I will say, 24 hours that can only be done on my desktop PC is rough. Even like... 36 would be easier.
If I tax, and then miss the next turn, do I miss my tax income?
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
Shrug. I don't mind. It's my first real game I'm gonna lose anyways lol
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
So putting the kingmaker relic on you may not be the best choice....
Depends on what we pick. If we pick Banish then you are just evicted from the game. Possess an AI takes the turn so if you rejoin you did get the tax but don't know what the AI did
Wait do people get that choice for every missed turn? Lol sorry everyone for making you click more!
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
I swear my list of games didn't include this at all for a couple days, I assume that was an unrelated issue maybe? Time for me to pick up where the surely brilliant AI has left me.
Edit: Wait, or I can't do that at all? This is such a confusing interface. It said that I had been taken over by an AI, but then allowed me to give orders. In fact, it allowed me to give 3 orders instead of the 2 I should be limited to at the moment. But submitting the orders didn't give me the little flame thing indicating I've gone.
Well! If this game starts being too ai-heavy I'd be happy to start a concurrent one with folks that has a more generous timer to account for holiday interruptions!
If we all manage to get in that and get it started up, we can abandon the currently running one.
I got in, so I think it should be correct. I just verified it too.
However... it's only the two of us there
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile