Tag: Hell Or High Water

Hell Or High Water is an account of a single game of Solium Infernum. The game lasted two months, and the account took twice as long to write, coming in at more than 25,000 words in total. I was inspired by the Gameboys From Hell writeup over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun that originally convinced me to buy Solium Infernum, but while that condenses things a little to focus on the most important events, I wanted to capture the scheming and tension that comes with each and every turn in the game. The result is an enormous and detail-filled account, but one that I hope is both informative and entertaining.

If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, I recommend reading my earlier post that gives an overview of the game first. Otherwise, read on below. And if you are interested, you can buy Solium Infernum directly from developers Cryptic Comet. Feel free to drop me a line, as I’m always happy to host a game.

The Complete Hell Or High Water:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, you may wish to read my earlier post about the game. And you should definitely read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6 first. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Last time, my archfiend pair Rufus and Big beak were getting desperate. Far behind in Prestige, they were just about to try framing other archfiends for excommunication — making them fair game for open war — when Xaklyth beat them to it. His framing failed, however, and he was excommunicated himself. But with a big army, Xaklyth may be able to win by force of arms anyway. Rufus and Big Beak are hoping that Xaklyth will take out some of the opposition, so they can sneak into the top position with a few last-minute praetor duels against the champions of Pandemonium. It’s a long shot, but maybe they can turn this to their advantage after all.

Here is what happened.

Read More

If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, you may wish to read my earlier post about the game. And you should definitely read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5 first. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Last time, my archfiend pair Rufus and Big Beak completely bungled their first attempt at a praetor duel, which is especially unfortunate since praetor duels were to be their primary strategy. They then spent eleven turns trying to boost their infernal attributes and managed to get up to four order slots, and enough Deceit ability to steal another archfiend’s praetor. They put in an order to steal Beowulf’s praetor Decarabia, and hope to use him and some Destruction rituals to claw back some Prestige. If it’s not already too late.

Here is what happened.

Read More

If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, you may wish to read my earlier post about the game. And you should definitely read part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 first. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Last time, my archfiend pair Rufus and Big Beak had finally managed to arrange a duel in the Grand Arena of Pandemonium for their praetor champion, Morax, against the champion of Beowulf. Rufus and Big Beak’s Arena Gambler perk gives them double Prestige rewards for single combat victories, so I’m hoping this will be the start of a long string of victories. Here is what happened.

Read More

If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, you may wish to read my earlier post about the game. And you should definitely read part 1, part 2 and part 3 first. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Last time, my archfiend pair Rufus and Big Beak had finally amassed enough Prestige to arrange a duel for their praetor, Morax. But first it looks like they’ll have to deal with Xaklyth, to the south, who demanded some resources that they didn’t feel like paying. Here is what happened.

Read More

If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, you may wish to read my earlier post about the game. And you should definitely read part 1 and part 2 first. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Last time, my archfiend pair, Rufus and Big Beak, had just acquired the services of Morax, a praetor who will win fame and fortune for them through single combat in the Arena. But to arrange some duels, they need to earn some Prestige to wager with. So I decided they should hurl an insult at Inquis, who seems to be in no position to retaliate. Here is what happened.

Read More

You should definitely read part 1 first. If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, you may wish to read my earlier post about the game first. Lastly, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

Six archfiends are vying for the throne of Hell. In part 1, I described designing my archfiend(s), Rufus and Big Beak, who will focus on winning Prestige through praetor duels in the Arena. I took stock of my opponents, and decided that my top priority was to purchase the praetor Morax. Since I didn’t have enough resources, I used both of my order slots to demand more. Here is what happened.

Read More

If you are unfamiliar with Solium Infernum, you may wish to read my earlier post about the game first. Also, as always, you may click on images to view larger versions.

I’ve written about Solium Infernum before. At length. That was three years ago, and I haven’t played Solium Infernum since. Until now, that is. Over the winter holidays, I realized I had a hankering for its long-form, slow burn brand of strategy and treachery. But the group I used to play with had long since disbanded, so I needed to find some new opponents. I tried the Cryptic Comet forums, which were historically the best place to find other players, but it seemed no one visits them anymore. Without much hope, I dropped by the RPS Solium Infernum Steam group and left a message in the void.

I heard nothing for a couple of days, and was certain that everyone who used to play Solium Infernum had moved on. It was a complete surprise when I finally got a response. And then another, and another. And some of them knew other people who might be interested. Soon, I was starting a brand new game of Solium Infernum against five strangers from different places across the globe.

Now, two months later, that game is finished. This is the first of a series of posts detailing the game turn by turn, inspired by the Gameboys From Hell series on Rock, Paper, Shotgun that originally inspired me to buy Solium Infernum way back in 2010. Before getting started, I recommend you read my earlier post about the game, to give you an idea of what it’s about.

Read More