Demoniac Design Diary #1: Demonology Deep Dive
“That thing upstairs is not my daughter” - Regan’s Mother
“You're designing a game about WHAT?!” - My Mother
😈 😈 😈
I was terrified of The Exorcist well before I saw it. On my ninth birthday, my Aunt Julie gifted me a book called “The Modern Horror Film,” which featured essays on all of the classics. While I couldn’t watch these movies (my parents enforced a strict ban on R-rated films), I was inexplicably allowed to read about them. The Exorcist’s transformation of a sweet girl into a violent monster gave me weeks of nightmares, yet I kept returning to the book to learn more about Regan and her epic battle with evil.
Once a spooky kid, always a spooky kid
“The Modern Horror Film,” A totally suitable book to gift a nine-year-old (yes, I now own two copies).
Four years later, I finally saw the film on TNT's "Monstervision." The experience sent me down an AOL-powered rabbit hole, searching for "real-life accounts" of exorcisms.
Joe Bob Riggs introducing The Exorcist on his midnight “Monstervision” special.
As my hobbies expanded, my love for horror remained constant. I volunteered at a haunted house in high school, conquered every Resident Evil game in college, and visited the iconic Exorcist steps on my first trip to Georgetown.
When I decided to try out board game design in 2021, it didn’t take long to arrive at my first theme. Possession offered clear game mechanics; there’s a win condition (defeat evil!), inherent obstacles (satanic disturbances!), and communal fun (battle demons!). As an exorcist, players would try to drive demons out of victims, and be the first to save a soul.
I began my game research by revisiting my favorite films. The victims in all of the films suffer mentally (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and physically (Evil Dead). They experience disturbances like bug infestations (The Amityville Horror) and really creepy neighbors (Rosemary’s Baby). A misguided séance never ends well (The Conjuring). Some Possession movies were horrifying (The Last Exorcism), while others were campy (Abby, the Blaxpoitation remake of The Exorcist). And they all culminate in a showdown between the exorcist and the demoniac.
Ah yes, the “demoniac.” My research also included a stack of demonology books such as “The Encyclopedia of Demons,” which introduced me to the term “Demoniac.” A demoniac is a person possessed by demons. My game had a name.
Over the course of six months my research files continued to grow. I learned that there are hundreds of unique demons, each with their own names, skills, and favorite inflictions (you’ll find 60 of them in the game). I learned that most demoniacs are possessed by many demons at the same time, and require multiple exorcisms to fully rid the evil.
After dozens of movies, books, and the unexpected soap opera episode (“Days of Our Lives” featured a possession arc!), I had more than enough material to work with. There was one core element of the game, though, that kept bothering me. Exorcizing a victim was starting to sound… tedious. Chanting Latin rites and sprinkling holy water doesn’t seem like a lot of fun. On the other hand, wreaking havoc and inciting chaos? That’s a blast! Perhaps instead of saving the victim, your goal… was to possess them.
Summon a horde of demons, cause evil disturbances, avoid acts of divinity, and steal the exorcist’s soul... Now THAT sounds like a good time!
Flipping the script gave Demoniac a fresh new angle to explore. The game’s tone became more delightfully demented and less serious. Putting the player in the evil seat made the experience around the table even more ridiculously fun.
An early mind map with ideas for the untitled possession game
With my research complete and my concept locked, it was time to finesse the game itself. Next up: how in the hell do you match possession with play mechanics?
