Solium Infernum lives!

[El Guapo]

I really should know that by this turn in the game ghostlobster has reached his "immune to all rituals" stage.

[Zarathud]

We really need to hate-buy the resistance artifacts on him. And attack him more!

[Zarathud]

And the bastard each game now locks me down with the “no rituals” and “no regent” ritual in the same turn. I need to improve my tribute flow to get ahead of him.

[Zarathud]

At least I feel better in how I’m achieving plots each game and timing vendettas.

[hepcat]

I had built up ANOTHER good legion and was attempting to take the City of Dis (part of a plot I was given) when all of the sudden, I was unable to attack the owner. I really need to figure out how to time vendettas...or do them at all, to be honest.

[baelthazar]

We really need to hate-buy the resistance artifacts on him. And attack him more!

Yes, both of these

[El Guapo]

We really need to hate-buy the resistance artifacts on him. And attack him more!

I've been doing that this game! I mean I got one, and I feel like I haven't seen other ones come up. Presumably he has resistance rings or something too, but I also have bonuses so I don't totally know how he's functionally immune.

But then one of my other gripes about this game is how it keeps so much hidden from player view and requires you to do research to figure out how the game works and what your actual odds are.

[Zarathud]

The deceit/destruction protection rituals are huge, as well as rank bonuses.

[ghostlobster]

I see we're at the point of the game where everyone NOT leading in prestige begins to casually start moving towards Pandomonium ... I think it's going to be a roller coaster to the finish! Let the shenanigans commence!

[AWS260]

I'm so confused! This is what I get for fast-forwarding through the turn recaps.

[ghostlobster]

So, a hail Mary move is to try and frame someone else when you cast a dmg ritual on pandemonium, but if has, at best, a 50 percent chance to work, otherwise it excommunicates you instead.

[El Guapo]

So, a hail Mary move is to try and frame someone else when you cast a dmg ritual on pandemonium, but if has, at best, a 50 percent chance to work, otherwise it excommunicates you instead.

Honestly seems pretty lame. As far as I know there's no way to defend against that, right?

[Zarathud]

ghostlobster, you evil Devil. That was not me casting spells against Pandemonium. It's not easy to pull off.

Thankfully, I am leaving all of you who still care about Prestige a nice big Leviathan as my parting gift.

[ghostlobster]

There is no way to defend it, but there is an event card which restores you from being excommunicated, or you just have to win by taking pando or you can eliminate other players strongholds. Some try to use the no rituals event near the final turns to prevent it, or leave a legion near pando. It used to be easier to do, and the devs changed it to make the success rate cap at 50%. Someone could also take Pando which stops the winning by prestige victory.

It is a lame move, but it's just one of the many lame, unpreventable moves you can do in this game. Earlier Belial used his insult ability to make it so Murmur could attack me and almost eliminated me from the game, and I couldn't prevent that either. You could make the strongest super legion that's unstoppable and someone can kill it with that event that kills s random legion.

I'm sure more craziness will ensue in this game. I certainly didn't think that both of my framing rituals would work, RNG gods at work again.

[baelthazar]

To be fair, in an earlier game where GL was winning handily, I tried to do this over and over to him (but the ritual failed each time).

[El Guapo]

It's part of the game no doubt, it's just something I hate personally. Like you play 50 - 60 turns for things to turn on a coin flip. Personally I think they should just take it out of the game entirely, but it is what it is I suppose.

[ghostlobster]

I do think if I could choose House Rules, they would be 1. No taking Pando before the assembly of the concave starts (to give everyone time to become strong) and 2. No framing to excommunicate.

[El Guapo]

Yes let's implement those as of last turn.

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[El Guapo]

So baelthazar, you and I should use as many rituals as possible to try to frame the remaining three non excommunicated players this turn

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[ghostlobster]

So you can't frame someone to be excommunicated if you already are, but Bael or AWS could. At least, I think that's what I read?

[El Guapo]

So to win I would have to occupy Pandemonium or eliminate three players in 1 - 3 turns?

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[El Guapo]

There is a plausible end to this game that I find quite funny.

[ghostlobster]

All hail the new ruler of Hell Well done!

[Zarathud]

That would be fast. Round 5 just started!!!

[El Guapo]

So to win I would have to occupy Pandemonium or eliminate three players in 1 - 3 turns?

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Well I managed to get 2 in two turns, which isn't bad. Might have pulled off all three if Beezlebub hadn't killed my stolen Ettin, or if I'd had just one more turn.

But of course as everyone predicted a few rounds ago, Beelzebub wins an election victory with a total of 51 prestige.

[ghostlobster]

That would be fast. Round 5 just started!!!

So each round increases the percent chance it will advance to the next stage. So round 5 is like 50 percent chance so it goes really fast.

[Zarathud]

Nice work! Beaten to both eliminations. My monster was so beefy, but so slow.

[baelthazar]

Well done El Guapo! You got the jump on me and I think - due to an error on my part - the legion I bought to defend my Stronghold arrived after you got me.

I am realizing that I don't think I have what it takes for this game. Either the mechanics evade me or I haven't exactly figured out the strategy.

[AWS260]

Holy shit, I just won Solium Infernum for the first time, in the only way that I could possibly win Solium Infernum: by accident.

Those last few turns were batshit insane.

I am realizing that I don't think I have what it takes for this game. Either the mechanics evade me or I haven't exactly figured out the strategy.

This has been true of me since I started playing the first Solium Infernum in 2009. And yet I love it.

[Zarathud]

It's just a brutal game and that's why it's fun. I've been able to regularly execute on a strategy then see it fall apart after it gets bogged down end-game.

[ghostlobster]

Congrats AWS! A brilliant strategy of letting everyone else kill each other and then lightly walking over their fresh corpses to take the throne it's also what I like about this game, is you can never feel safe, as there are so many events and shenanigans that can upend everything.

But I do think trying out a few house rules might make it more fun for everyone, as I posted before. I was also wondering, do you guys think they are any starting relics that are too powerful? I know that the most popular ones are the Promotion ring, the Ritual rings, and the amulet that let's you start up a rank. The only one I thought was way too OP was the crown of Bureaucracy, but they've nerfed that into oblivion.

[Zarathud]

Everything in theory has a counter. The issue is you can’t do everything.

And after a while, people adjust. Last game everyone built up strong Legions, which is what I had been doing farming the Striders. I gained a lot of Prestige with territory battles, and didn’t lose a lot to Praetor battles. Which was a shame, I had a ringer waiting.