Inferno

First off, it is a 6mm game (of sorts). Standard human-sized infantry figures are about 6mm tall and based very much like Titan Legions infantry (square base with 5 figures). The next largest figure in the game are the Lieutenants, demons who are much more powerful then the hordes of human souls. These are approx. 25mm figures and are very well sculpted and cast (as is standard for a Global Games product). The largest figures in the game are the Archfiends, the powerful demons who do most of the damage in a fight. These are 55mm figures, and are a complete and total pleasure to paint.

Playing the game feels rather like playing Battletech - the archfiends take many many rounds of combat to die due to their regenerative abilities, while hordes of infantry die rather quickly (only 2 or 3 successful attacks to elimiate most hordes). Each figure starts the round with a certain number of action points (between 4 and 20 depending on a figure's powerfulness). Each action takes a certain number of Action Points, and the figure with the highest AP total is the one who must act. In other words, you don't start acting with a certain figure, then keep going until you finish. Control of the action swaps back and forth with most every action, leading to a very realistic combat system.

One note: this is not a medival fantasy combat system. If the game did not take place in Hell, it would be a very good sci-fi game. There are no rules for the standard historical troop formations found in a true historical-type fantasy game. Instead, infantry acts much like modern/futuristic infantry, split into fireteams of 5 men with a sargeant to lead.

All in all, the game is fun. The rules are rather poorly edited, but a quick trip to Global Games website to pick up the FAQ answered most every question I've had about the game.

And, of course, it's a perfect way to use your old Titan Legions infantry now that you refuse to play Epic40k ;-). Since the game lets you create your own figures, you can use your titans, knights, and anything else you like...

In a nutshell, it's a miniatures combat system based on Dante's Inferno. In the game, you play one of the generals of one of the Lords of the Abyss. You can call upon Archfiends (very powerful entities, most of whom are fallen angels), Lieutenants (less powerful beings, which act as the more rank-and-file troops of the Lords), and the Hordes (masses of souls that are mostly used as cannon fodder).

The game is very well done, and the rules are amazingly short (8 actual pages of rules - the rest of the book is devoted to descriptions of the various offensive and defensive acts, and the "character sheets" for the Archfiends, Lt's and the hordes).

First off, the game is fun to play, so kudos on that aspect. The background makes it fun to pick your favorite archfiends, and easy to work up a "reason" for the battle...I like the idea of exploring the politics of Hell.

I must say I'm a bit disappointed with the editing/playtesting of the game. I've seen a reference to a nonexistant passage, had to search hard for very crucial rules (e.g. how many times a power can be used per turn) which were either buried in an unexpected section of the rules (i.e. in the optional rules for making your own fiends) or had to be communicated to me via e-mail.

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

• realistic action/reaction mechanics, with easy-to-learn stats and quick resolution.
• plays a bit slow due to the fact that initiative keeps passing back and forth between multiple combatants (probably a corollary to the above statement).
• great background, with nice artwork and presentation.
• easy to "dive right into" - comes with a hex map with specific terrain effects, and lots of counters to correctly represent size differences between the fiends and the smaller lieutenants and hordes.
• lots of potential for campaigning and generating your own "armies." Kinda like the original 40K Rogue Trader rules in that respect (although not as confusing and detail-oriented).
• the figures are very nice (as are most GG figs), but a bit expensive (as are most GG figs :-)...but nicer than GW for the price.