I know what you're probably thinking: "Solium What-um?"

Solium Infernum is the latest from the indie developer of Armageddon Empires, a brilliant turn-based game about conquering the post-apocalypse using a custom built deck of cards. It's available for download for $30. But Solium Infernum is about creating a custom-built archfiend to rule hell by hook, crook, diplomacy, magic, conquest, and/or subterfuge. It'll be out within the week. And unlike Armageddon Empires, it's built for multiplayer games. But first, to give you a sense for how it plays, how about a few game diary entries?

After the jump, I'll tell you how I (pictured) intend to the seize the Palace of Gluttony.

I am a fat lazy greedy archfiend named Spall who hasn't moved any legions from my stronghold since the game began 12 turns ago. Since I'm merely a baron, I start out with a lousy starting legion anyway. It packs a passable punch when it comes to infernal combat, but it would be slaughtered by anything with ranged or melee ability. The more noble demons get the better starting army.

I recently bought Defilers, a group of middling melee warriors, from the Infernal Bazaar, which is where you get all your units. But I haven't bothered to move them out yet. The problem is that I've been using all my orders yelling at my minions to bring me more resources. More souls! More ichor! More hellfire! And especially more darkness! Lots more darkness! Now go. Fortunately, fat lazy greedy demon that I am, I'm also fairly charismatic, so the minions are pretty motivated. They bring me back a decent good selection of loot. Furthermore, there's been a fortuitous resurgence of evil in the human world lately. It's one of the events that can pop up in the game when a player plays an event card. I played a similar event earlier and got a spectacular windfall of resources.

The reason I've been hungry for resources is that I'm using them to raise my cunning stat. This costs lots of souls (everything costs souls) and lots of darkness (only certain things cost darkness). And once it reaches a certain level, I can issue an additional order every turn, effectively making it easier to command both my legions. And the reason I want to do this is because together they can move to the northeast to capture the Palace of Gluttony, a prominent landmark that will net me a hefty income of prestige every turn. When the game's clock runs out, the winner is the guy with the most prestige. My strategy is to sit on the Palace and rake in the prestige income. Since my demon is also gifted with Monumental Vanity, he earns extra prestige for each place of power. That's how I built Spall: as a vain charismatic archfiend.

So now my lousy starting legion, called Blood of Spall, and my middling Defilers are about to move out to capture the Palace of Gluttony. But they're not quite ready.

Tomorrow: bring on the giant worms!