Doomlings: Imaginary Ends (Saturday Review)

There is something fascinating about making things up that could never exist. The mind wanders. Ideas that go against all logic are conjured up. Taken to the edge of existence, to a time when everything ceases to exist, it creates a sense of weird foreboding. Ultimately, we all know that there is no escaping the grand finale. All we can do is watch the Doomlings: Imaginary Ends by Justus Meyer and Andrew Meyer from Doomlings.

Doomlings Upgraded

Doomlings is a wonderful mix of set collection, take-that and mad card play. Thematically, players craft bizarre species by stacking trait cards, going from the beginning of life until the eventual, and unavoidable, global catastrophe in which all life comes to an end. Mechanically, players play cards that are worth points, that mess with other players, or that trigger clever combos, until the final catastrophe card is revealed and everyone tots up their points.

If you’re curious about the base game, please check out my review.

In this article, I focus on the game’s latest expansion, Doomlings: Imaginary Ends. Like the Doomlings: Upgrade Pack, which I also reviewed, this expansion adds even more cards to what’s already a massive deck. Additionally, it adds mini objectives that introduce a new mechanism and thereby affect the gameplay in a small, but interesting way.

However, the new trait cards are the most obvious addition. They push into sillier, stranger territory, introducing creatures and characteristics that turn the base game into an even crazier collection of the mad and ludicrous. Yet, that’s the whole point of this and other Doomlings expansions.

The additional trait cards come in three sets of 21 cards each: Glitterlings, Moonlings and Deeplings. Each set has its own theme and abilities. Glitterlings are all about chance, while Moonlings allow you to give unwanted cards to opponents and even reward you for having a lower Gene Pool. Deeplings introduces a completely new mechanism, called “suppress”, which allows you to turn trait cards face down. They’re great at turning negative points into a positive point.

Finally, there are also 13 Fuzelings, which are a mix of the other three sets and allow you to get bigger bonuses at the end of the game or trigger unexpected combos.

Imaginary Expansions

On top of the new trait cards, Doomlings: Imaginary Ends also introduces new catastrophes, which add a few more interesting twists. Some of these disaster cards are actually contradictory, with effects that are strangely beneficial, while also being harmful. Having new catastrophe cards is always welcome. While the cards in the base game are fun and varied, after many plays, they become a bit boring. So getting not only new trait cards, but also more and more inventive disasters, as part of the package, is great.

However, the most significant addition in Doomlings: Imaginary Ends is the Magical Merchants expansion. It introduces cards that represent player objectives and special bonuses or even disadvantages. If you can complete the objective, you pocket the card for points. The harder the objective, the more points it’s worth. At the same time, these objectives can give you a special power or restrict you in what you can do, which makes things more complicated.

That’s not all though. The Magical Merchants expansion also introduces new age cards, which are called trinkets. They replace six of the base game’s age cards during setup. Many of them allow you to get a new objective or swap the one you have with a different one. So if you are ever unlucky enough to end up with an especially tough objective that you just don’t seem to be able to complete, not all is lost. If a trinket comes up, you get a second chance at scoring extra points.

By adding another way of scoring that nobody else around the table can really mess with, this expansion gives players an additional option. The objectives also help players focus on a specific goal that is quite specific and tightly defined, which can be helpful to new players.

Variations of Play

Like with the other Doomlings expansions, you can add the sets from Doomlings: Imaginary Ends to the base game individually or several of them together. For the best effect, I’d say you should mix them all in, maybe even taking some cards out of the base game, so that the chance of seeing the new cards is increased. However, don’t make the mistake of playing just with the expansion sets on their own. It won’t work. You need the base game to get an enjoyable experience.

Doomlings: Imaginary Ends introduces so many new cards that make playing the game a fresh experience, with new ways of scoring and plenty of surprises. Traits that make no logical sense encourage players to make up their own stories, and new catastrophes that are even more chaotic lead to even bigger point swings, upsets and unexpected victories.

Of course, the randomness in Doomlings is always unavoidable. Some of the new traits lean heavily into this, creating the potential for huge point swings in unpredictable ways. For players who expect a strategic game where everything is finely balanced, Doomlings will be frustrating. Doomlings: Imaginary Ends creates even more chaos, so those players will feel even more frustrated. If you can embrace the spirit of the game and welcome the madness, you will love this game and its expansion.

The interplay between old and new cards is done really well. The expansion’s traits are designed to interact with the base set in surprising ways, opening up the potential for new combinations without complicating the rules. Seasoned Doomlings players will be able to discover new synergies that they might never have considered before.

The strength of Doomlings: Imaginary Ends is in its variety. The deck now holds more possibilities, even if some are sillier than others.

The End of The World

A major part of what makes Doomlings appealing is its art, and Doomlings: Imaginary Ends continues in the same vein. The bright colours, the crazy trait creatures, which are both endearing and bizarre, are the game’s signature trademark. Each card from the expansion feels like it belongs to the same universe, while still surprising players with its strangeness. The artwork plays a vital role in maintaining immersion. It ensures that even the craziest ideas feel grounded in something weirdly explicable.

Doomlings: Imaginary Ends fits right into the base game, and every set and mini expansion comes with its own rule cards. They are all easy to learn that way, but it’s up to you if you want to include them all or leave some out. So you set the pace at which you want to learn the new sets. There is no pressure, and you can pick and choose.

After all is said and done, as we reach the end of the world, or at least this review, Doomlings: Imaginary Ends offers just what you would expect: more of what players already love about Doomlings, plus a few fresh ideas in the form of new mechanisms and a mini expansion. For fans of the base game, this expansion tells us that the end may be inevitable, but it is also very imaginary.

Useful Links

• Doomlings: Imaginary Ends: https://www.doomlings.com/products/imaginary-ends
• Video: https://youtu.be/pUb6-KryCNY?si=9Aq-6wiMS834pJG0
• Doomlings: https://doomlings.com/
• BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/424143/doomlings-imaginary-ends
• Doomlings review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/06/01/doomlings-saturday-review/
• Doomlings: Upgrade Pack review: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/11/23/doomlings-upgrade-pack-saturday-review/

Videos

Transparency Facts

I feel that this review reflects my own, independent and honest opinion, but the facts below allow you to decide whether you think that I was influenced in any way. Please also read my Ethics Statement for more information.

• I was given a free review copy of this game by the publisher.
• At the time of writing, I have not received financial support from the publisher or anyone working on their behalf.