Demonworld
Demonworld is a tabletop game. It was designed, produced and sold by the Oberhausen company Hobby Products (Metal Magic) until around 2006 . Hobby Products had to stop sales due to business development. In June 2011 the rights were bought by Ral Partha Europe (RPE). The new owner started to bring the miniatures back on the market in July 2011.
The German developer Ikarion published a strategy game for the PC in 1997 on the basis of the license; A second part followed in 2000.
Demonworld simulates warfare in a classic fantasy world. This is where races such as elves, dwarves and humans cavort, but also orcs, goblins, isthak and dark elves. In addition to strategy and tactics, the use of magic plays an important role. Details on the background and rule-specific information on the individual factions can be found in the so-called army books . These could be downloaded free of charge as PDF documents until the official manufacturer's website was closed.
matchfield
The game area divided into hexagonal fields with an edge length of two centimeters ( hex grid , compare Battletech ) distinguishes Demonworld from most other tabletop games and enables great accuracy in the handling of battles, because there is no need to measure and interpret the rules resulting from it. The figure scale of 15 millimeters used allows playing with a large number of miniatures in a relatively small space.
Gameplay
In a Demonworld game, two armies that consist of several units usually compete against each other. Each of these units is made up of several elements . These are hexagonal bases on each of which several miniatures are housed. Most units consist of ten elements of four miniatures each. This results in a unit size of 40 figures. In addition to the units, an army also contains various individual and special models (heroes, monsters, devices, etc.) and can contain several hundred tin figures.
Each unit or special figure is represented by a recruitment card on which all relevant game-related information is noted. The sum of all miniatures and recruitment cards of a player represents his army. The cards make the written creation and processing of army lists (such as with Warhammer ) superfluous.
Battles are conducted in successive game rounds, which are divided into phases . Each phase corresponds to different commands ( e.g. moving , attacking , shooting, etc.), which are announced by the players at the beginning of each round. Both players come into play during each phase of a round, which makes Demonworld a game with a comparatively high level of interactivity.
Tournaments
In Germany, the Berlin Demonworld Championship and the Oldenburg Tournament take place once a year , where Demonworld can be played under tournament rules. There is also the possibility of participating in Demonworld tournaments at various conventions , such as the Feencon or the Dreieichcon.
The first tournament took place in Switzerland in 2011.
There is also an organized scene in France that occasionally organizes Demonworld tournaments.
Others
A special feature is the division of the rule book into beginner, standard and expert rules, which should make it easier for new players to get started in Demonworld.
The game system is now available in a second revised version in which the existing rules have been optimized and supplemented.
Various attempts to port the game world to other areas usually failed. There are three novels by Ulrich Drees published by Heyne-Verlag. Namely, these are "The Secret of Soron", "The Ice Witches of Harrané" and "The Mission of the Knights of the Order". The books together form the so-called "Nordmark Trilogy". In 1999 MG Publishing released a comic book. The series was never continued and was discontinued after issue 1. The two turn-based computer games "Demonworld" and "Demonworld II - Dark Armies" experienced somewhat longer popularity.
Further developments
Hobby-Products had developed a modified version of the Demonworld game system that was more suitable for living rooms - "Empires". The rules for "Empires" have been greatly simplified so that, for example, there are only dice with hit or shield symbols. Furthermore, the financial and strategic development aspect was added. In addition to strategic banter with other peoples, players have to find villages, towns, monasteries, shipyards and much more. build and can even send warships across the seas to new land regions. With all these things, however, the player must not lose sight of the money he has earned. New funds are generated from the existing villages and towns on a turn-based basis.
In addition to expanding the players' provinces and kingdoms, people-specific, special locations can be "found" (rolled). The players of the people "Imperium" (humans) can only "find" a dragon nest on mountains in this way. You can then recruit a powerful dragon every round (provided the player has enough funds in his treasury). The people of the "dwarves" can find the "magic stone circle" for example.
As usual in "Demonworld", all models in "Empires", including ships, villages, city walls, ..., are shown on the game board with tin models. As in "Demonworld", the game board itself is in a hex grid.
The "Empires" game system, however, does not offer the same depth of play as the larger "Demonworld" version; In addition to the simpler tactical approach of the various types of troops, the establishment of a kingdom and the financing of individual types of troops are now equally in the foreground, as is the armed conflict with the enemy. Due to its simplicity, it is also ideal for people who otherwise have little to do with classic tabletop or role-playing games.