Although higher level legions can carry around a lot of equipment, a legion can only ever have one leader. The leaders are called praetors, which is Latin for "the guy what's in charge". That somber looking praetor up there is Temeluchas, a demonic general who inspires extra loyalty in my Defilers, making it more difficult for deceitful archfiends to bribe them away. He also makes the Defilers hit twice as hard during the melee phase of a battle. There's nothing like an elephant leading the charge to add a little extra oomph. Make Dumbo jokes around him at your own peril.

But praetors aren't just generals who lead your armies and give them nifty bonuses. They're also secret weapons.

After the jump, read about how a lone praetor can win a war.

Imagine if Japan fought World War II not by attacking Pearl Harbor and then exhausting her industry in a four-year war at sea. Instead imagine they got to set their own terms for the war by proposing a one-on-one combat with America's most powerful general. So the US would send Patton or Eisenhower into battle. And then Japan would send in Godzilla, who they'd kept hidden away all those years.

That's what Solium Infernum is like. Wars can either be the bloody brutal clashes between armies jockeying for position, or they can be quick surgical encounters between two praetors. When you declare war, you get the advantage of setting the terms for victory and the time limit. This is usually a matter of how many spaces you'll capture, how many legions you'll kill, or how many special locations you'll seize. But praetor combat a fourth option with a completely different set of rules. So even if you're outnumbered and outgunned - or if you want to declare war against someone with whom you don't share a border - a good praetor can be the key to a successful war.

Most combat in Solium Infernum is above board with minimal hidden numbers and die rolls. But the risk of praetor combat is that you have to go in blind, queuing up your battle orders with no concept of whom you'll be fighting. If you're really committed to praetor wars, you can collect recipes for special praetor abilities like Lava Orbs, Tentacle Ruptures, and Veils of Smoke. These aces up your sleeve are every bit as powerful as a massive army when it comes to successfully prosecuting a war. Hell isn't just for legions.

In my first praetor war, I used a bruiser with a high melee value. But some praetors can do an end run around melee combat by using infernal bursts, which do a straight up die roll's worth of damage that can't be intercepted by defenses. No muss, no fuss, just roll the dice. The enemy praetor got in a good roll before I could punch him hard enough, and I lost the combat, the entire war, and my praetor in the process. So in my second praetor war, I brought in a fellow who could start the battle with a pair of infernal bursts. That's two die rolls. I had this one in the bag, right?

He proceeded to roll a 1 each time. He then got punched to death. Not cool.

Tomorrow: touched by an angel

(Click here for the previous Solium Infernum game diary.)