Sources Say: Reign In Hell - The Oculus Spear

Name: The Oculus Spear

Produced By: Snarling Badger Studios

System: Reign In Hell

Genre(s): Horror, Demonic, War

 Not too long ago, two YouTube wargaming guys put together a simple wargame about demons beating the hell out of each other in Hell, cut off from the mortal world. While the game included a campaign rule set, it didn’t have rules for solo play. Well, now we’ve got a little campaign for solo and co-op play! Let’s break it all down.

The first scenario needs six (or ten) Carrion demons, who are fighting over the remains of of two cabals that beat the snot out of each other. There’s three objectives you’ll need, so you’ll want to get those looking good, too. The Carrion demons are about as powerful Mephits but are much more deadly if they gang up on you. You NEED to kill them as quickly as possible. Thankfully, you can continue the campaign if you lose, but losing will really hurt you in the next game. The important part is that you learn the location of the Oculus Spear.

Which brings us to our next scenario, where you’re going up against eight Slaughter Fiends, protecting a shrine. So, yeah, fun times. And they’ve got a chance to heal up during the game, meaning it’s going to be a rough one. You have five rounds to kill the Fiends and/or get as many of your demons as close to the Shrine as you can. While you can replay this scenario if you lose, it’s going to make it much harder than it was the first time around.

The third scenario is going to be even harder, as you’re up against an Executioner and five Spined Demons, and you have to survive against these monsters for five rounds. At least your leader does. Losing this scenario doesn’t end the campaign but it punishes you pretty harshly for failing.

The next scenario has you facing a Lord of Flame and nine Flame Minions, and you have three lava pools that will explode you need to avoid. Oh, and the Flame Minions explode, too. So, explosions for everyone! To win, you have to keep your leader alive and kill the Lord of Flame, which doesn’t sound easy, what with all the explosions. If you lose, you can replay the scenario, but it gets harder every time you play it again.

The fifth scenario doesn’t start with any enemies on the board but they might pop up as the game goes on. Instead, you need at least three ruins and have to search them. Every time one of your demons moves, you have a chance of having some baddies pop up. Carrion demons, Slaughter Fiends, Spined Demons, Serpent Knights (because you’re going to have six of them laying around), Demon Geists, and Quick Tar. Oh yeah. This is going to be fun. If you get lucky, or have the right Cabal, this scenario can be really easy. If you’re unlucky, you’re going to get buried quickly. And the bookkeeping for it is going to be a nightmare. Good luck. Because, you’re going to have to keep searching again and again until you finally find it. Thankfully, you can keep playing it until you finally find it. Suffering more and more penalties until you either give up or manage to squeak out a win.

The final scenario requires a single big demon on a big base. This is the Soul Emperor and he will absolutely wreck your shit. He’s very powerful, moves quickly, and hits like a freight train. Oh, and he doesn’t die automatically. You have to hope that he doesn’t heal a bit or a lot. If you lose, you have to start all over again. If you win… Well, you’ll just have to buy it and find out for yourself.

Whew. That’s quite the book. I like it but I don’t like how many specific minions and terrain you need. I mean, most of us will have ruins and something we have use for a shrine but I doubt many of you have crags and pools of lava laying around. Or have a half dozen Serpent Knights or the others just laying around. I don’t mind the Soul Emperor, as it’s a great excuse to track down something impressive to add to your collection.

Well, now that I’ve reviewed this (and picked up a few things), I’m going to play through it. I don’t know when but it’s on my list.