Doomlings - Shadow Puppets Bolster Expansion
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Someone hides cards behind the curtain, someone gambles everything on chance, someone silently blocks others. And at the end of the game, everyone will want to know what the hell you did.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Four dark species emerge from the velvet curtain
Shadow Puppets is the first Bolster expansion for Doomlings, designed by Justus Meyer and Andrew Meyer. It introduces forty new cards divided into four thematic mini-expansions, each with a new species: Deeplings hide, Glitterlings gamble on chance, Moonlings block, Fuzelings combine everything. Dark art and illustrations by Justus Meyer bring the theatrical curtain into the post-apocalyptic world of Doomlings.
At the table, you play cards that change how you manage your hand and Gene Pool. Deeplings use the Suppress mechanic to hide your cards from others. Glitterlings make you draw randomly from the deck and hope. Moonlings lower your Gene Pool to unlock powers that block opponents' hands. Fuzelings mix the three species and boost Drop of Life effects. Each species changes the dynamics of the base game, adding unpredictability and lateral strategies.
What they say abroad
The expansion that makes you play with shadows and chance, not just cards.
— FroGames
Deeplings hide, Glitterlings gamble, Moonlings lock. Shadow Puppets is chaos with a plan.
Deeplings hide, Glitterlings gamble, Moonlings lock. Shadow Puppets is chaos with a plan.
— FroGames
Doomlings: Shadow Puppets Bolster Expansion
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and gameplay sessionsThe four dark species
What you find in the mini-expansions
Deeplings
Eleven cards that use the Suppress mechanic: hide your cards behind the curtain. Others don't know what you have, you don't know what they're about to do. Bluffing becomes part of the game.
Glitterlings
Eleven cards that make you draw randomly from the deck instead of choosing. Forgotten toys with glittering gears: chance decides, you hope. High variance, high rewards (or disasters).
Moonlings
Eleven cards that speak in riddles. They lower your Gene Pool to unlock powers that block opponent's hands. The more you risk, the more you can sabotage. But the price is high.
Fuzelings
Four cards that combine the mechanics of the other three species. They boost Drop of Life effects and activate new combos. Fuzelings are the glue that makes everything work together.
In a few hours, you'll discover what kind of player you are: the one who hides, the one who gambles, or the one who blocks. Shadow Puppets will make you understand in the first round.
Come si gioca
Video dimostrativo di gameplay.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Species Selection
Before the game, choose which mini-expansions to use. Someone suggests Deeplings, someone else wants Glitterlings. In the end, you decide to mix Deeplings and Moonlings for the first time. You don't yet know what you're about to unleash.
The first Suppress
Turn three: someone plays a Deepling and hides two cards behind the curtain. The others look at each other. What the heck are they hiding? A bluff or preparation for a devastating combo? The table starts talking less and thinking more.
The Glitterling that changes everything
Mid-game: someone draws randomly thanks to a Glitterling. They pull out a card perfect for their strategy. They shout. The others beg the deck to be equally generous. It won't be.
The Moonling block
Someone lowers their Gene Pool to dangerous levels to unlock a Moonling power. They block the hand of the top-ranked opponent. The table explodes. The player who was blocked must rebuild from scratch. The one who did it knows they spent everything.
Final Revelation
End of game: the cards hidden with Suppress are revealed. Someone had been bluffing for three turns, someone else actually had the winning combo. The winner is never who seemed to be ahead. The table wants to play again immediately, but with different species.
How to play
The flow of each round (with Shadow Puppets)
Shadow Puppets doesn't change the basic flow of Doomlings, but it adds mechanics that alter how you play cards and manage your hand.
You draw cards as usual. If you have a Glitterling, you draw randomly instead of choosing. If you have a Deepling, you hide cards played with Suppress: others don't see them.
Deeplings let you hide, Moonlings ask you to lower your Gene Pool to unlock blocking powers. Fuzelings enhance Drop of Life effects and trigger combos between other species.
With Moonlings in play, the Gene Pool becomes a resource to sacrifice. The lower you make it, the more powers you unlock. But you risk losing the game if you go too low.
The expansion includes two new Age cards and a Catastrophe. These change the pace of the game and force everyone to recalculate their moves.
Why it's different from the others
Six mechanics that make a difference
Suppress: hide cards
Deeplings introduce Suppress, a mechanic that allows you to hide played cards from other players. They don't know what you did, you don't know if they're about to react. Bluffing becomes an integral part of the game, not an option. It's the first time Doomlings makes you play with hidden information.
Random draw with Glitterlings
Glitterlings replace choice with random drawing from the deck. Instead of drawing the card you need, you draw randomly and hope. High variance, high adrenaline. It works great in party games, less so if you seek total control. Glitterlings are chaos accepted as a mechanic.
Gene Pool as a sacrificial resource
Moonlings ask you to voluntarily lower your Gene Pool to unlock blocking powers on opponents' hands. It's a trade-off: you sacrifice points to sabotage others. The lower the Pool, the more powers you have. But you risk losing if you overdo it. It's a push-your-luck mechanic applied to scoring.
Fuzelings: cross-species combos
Fuzelings are four cards that mix the mechanics of the other three species. They enhance Drop of Life effects and create unprecedented combos. They are the glue that makes the expansion coherent: without Fuzelings, the species remain isolated. With them, everything clicks.
Modular: choose what to use
Shadow Puppets is divided into four mini-expansions. You can use them all together or just one or two per game. The table decides the level of chaos: Deeplings + Moonlings for high interaction, only Glitterlings for pure chaos, all four if you want mayhem. Modularity is the strength of the expansion.
Dark and theatrical aesthetic
Justus Meyer's art brings the velvet curtain and shadows into the post-apocalyptic world of Doomlings. Deeplings emerge from the darkness, Glitterlings are broken toys, Moonlings speak in riddles. It's not just mechanics: it's an artistic direction that makes the expansion recognizable at a glance.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Shadow Puppets doesn't change Doomlings' victory conditions, but it alters how you arrive at the final score.
Victory
- The player with the highest Gene Pool at the end of the game wins, just like in the base game. But with Moonlings in play, those who lower the Pool to sabotage others must recover in the final turns.
- Cards hidden with Suppress are revealed at the end of the game: someone who bluffed for three turns might have a winning combo. The winner is never obvious until the very end.
- Glitterlings create huge swings: a lucky draw in the final turns can turn the game around. Luck matters, but so does the timing of when to gamble on chance.
Elimination or defeat
- If you lower your Gene Pool too much with Moonlings and don't recover, you finish last. Sabotage is costly if you don't calculate the remaining turns well.
- If others block your hand with Moonling powers, you lose valuable turns. A blocked hand means zero actions, zero points. You have to rebuild from scratch.
- If you bet everything on Glitterlings and draw poorly, you fall behind. Chance is unforgiving: a series of unlucky draws cuts you out of the race.
Shadow Puppets is the expansion for those who want Doomlings to be dirtier, more unpredictable, more theatrical. It doesn't change the game: it darkens it. And that's exactly the point.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Doomlings: Shadow Puppets Bolster Expansion
Does Shadow Puppets work alone or do I need the base game?
You need the Doomlings base game. Shadow Puppets is a Bolster expansion: it adds forty new cards, but it is not stand-alone. You need the base deck, the base rules, and the Gene Pool to play. The expansion is shuffled into the main deck during setup.
Can I use only some species instead of all four?
Yes, in fact, it's recommended. Each mini-expansion (Deeplings, Glitterlings, Moonlings, Fuzelings) works alone or in combination. For your first game, use only one or two species: all four together create too much chaos even for a party game. Modularity is Shadow Puppets' strong suit.
Are Moonlings that lower the Gene Pool unbalanced?
No, if you use them well. Lowering the Gene Pool gives you strong powers (you block opponents' hands), but you risk losing if you don't recover in the final turns. It's a trade-off: you sacrifice points to sabotage. It works if you calculate how many turns are left until the end. If you overdo it, you finish last.
Is the Mystery Holofoil Collectible card playable?
No, it's a collectible card. It's part of the Shadow Puppets Collection and is not used in play. It's an aesthetic bonus for Doomlings collectors, not a game mechanic. The playable cards are the other 39 in the expansion (plus the 5 dividers).
Is it available in Italian?
No, this edition is in English. The cards contain text (Suppress, Glitterlings, Moonlings, Fuzelings mechanics), so language matters. If your group doesn't speak English, you'll need to translate the cards or use Italian references (not included). Doomlings LLC has not yet announced an Italian localization of Shadow Puppets.
Doomlings: Shadow Puppets Bolster Expansion introduces forty new cards and four new species into the post-apocalyptic world of Doomlings. Deeplings hide cards with the Suppress mechanic, Glitterlings rely entirely on random drawing, Moonlings lower the Gene Pool to unlock blocking powers, Fuzelings combine the three species into devastating combos. Designed by Justus Meyer and Andrew Meyer and illustrated by Justus Meyer, the expansion works for 2-6 players in 20-45 minutes (ages 10+). Published by Doomlings LLC, Shadow Puppets is modular: you can use just one species or all four, modifying the level of chaos at the table. The expansion also includes two new Age cards, one Catastrophe, and one Mystery Holofoil Collectible. Available on FroGames.it.
Doomlings - Shadow Puppets Bolster Expansion
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