What Are the Planet Apocalypse Lord Expansions, and Which Should You Get?
Planet Apocalypse ships with Baphomet as its demon lord. A strong, well-designed final boss that holds up across many plays. But Petersen Games has built out a full roster of seven additional Lords, each sold as a standalone boss expansion. Swap in any one of them and you're facing a different threat with different mechanics, a distinct miniature, and a new set of decisions your team has to make. The core game stays the same. The Lord changes everything about how it ends.
This guide runs through all seven Lord expansions currently available in the Planet Apocalypse collection: what each one represents, who it's for, and how it shifts the co-op fight.
Why Do the Lords Matter So Much in Planet Apocalypse?
Seven Lords. Seven final bosses. Seven different games.
In Planet Apocalypse, the Lord isn't just a hit-point sponge at the end of a session. It's the force your team builds toward throughout the entire game. Your choices in recruiting troopers, spending Courage, and positioning heroes are all colored by which Lord you're facing. A Lord that rewards aggression demands a different strategy than one that punishes you for clustering your heroes. Swap lords and you're playing a meaningfully different game, even with the same map tiles and the same heroes.
That's the design philosophy behind the Lord expansion line. Sandy Petersen has been building asymmetric boss encounters since long before tabletop was his main medium. The original Doom's roster of distinct monster types came from that same thinking: no two threats should fight the same way. Each Lord expansion carries that forward.
Lord 1 Jabootu: The Kaiju Threat
Jabootu is a massive, cinematic boss, visually and mechanically. The miniature commands attention when it's on the table, and the encounter leans into a kaiju-style confrontation where scale and spectacle are part of the design. For groups who want a final-boss fight that feels like a monster-movie climax, this is the Lord to reach for first.
Who it's for: teams that have cleared Baphomet a few times and want a boss with a distinct threat presence. Also a strong pick for players drawn to the miniature collecting side of the hobby.
Lady 2 Scylla: The Multi-Headed Horror
Scylla brings a mythological sea-monster sensibility to the demon lord role. The multi-headed design shapes how the encounter plays out: a boss that presents multiple simultaneous problems for your team rather than a single focal point. Your group can't just pile onto one thing and grind it down.
Who it's for: experienced groups looking for a boss that punishes tunnel-vision tactics. Scylla rewards teams that communicate and split resources deliberately.
Lord 3 Asmod: Corruption and Control
Asmod (the Planet Apocalypse demon lord, not the board game publisher Asmodee) brings a corruption theme to the table. The encounter revolves around control and creeping influence rather than raw combat pressure. Groups fighting Asmod will find that their usual approach to managing the board breaks down faster than expected.
Who it's for: players who want a boss that forces the team to rethink positioning and resource timing. One of the stronger picks for groups that have the base game down cold and want a fresh strategic problem.
Lord 4 Procrustes: Reach and Punishment
Procrustes is built around the concept of reach. Multiple spined arms and an encounter design that punishes heroes for being in the wrong position at the wrong time. The tactical problem here is spatial: you can't use standard hero-clustering approaches, and the safest board state from the previous session might be a liability when Procrustes arrives.
Who it's for: groups that have grown comfortable with their hero positioning and want a boss that specifically attacks that comfort. Good for repeat-play groups who feel like they've figured out the core approach.
Lord 5 Pulgasaur: Overwhelming Force
Pulgasaur is raw demonic power made physical. Where some Lords play mind games or punish specific tactics, Pulgasaur hits hard and keeps coming. The encounter is a test of whether your team has built up enough hero strength and resources to withstand the damage output. Defense-light builds that squeaked past earlier Lords will get exposed here.
Who it's for: groups that enjoy a straight-up attrition fight where preparation and resource management are the deciding factors. Less about clever positioning, more about showing up ready.
Lord 6 Great Cthulhu: The Crossover Boss
This is the one collectors have been waiting for.
Lord 6 drops Great Cthulhu (the Great Old One at the center of Petersen Games' flagship Cthulhu Wars) into Planet Apocalypse as the final demonic threat. Two of Sandy Petersen's major game worlds collide in a single encounter. The miniature is built to the same premium standard as the rest of the line, and the encounter brings Great Cthulhu's characteristic cosmic scale to the co-op format.
Who it's for: players who own both games and want a crossover moment on their table. Also a strong purchase for anyone deep into the Petersen Games ecosystem who wants their collection to feel interconnected.
Lord 7 Spider Mastermind: A Doom Legacy Boss
The Spider Mastermind has history. Sandy Petersen designed the original Spider Mastermind for Doom in 1993, one of the most recognizable boss encounters in video game history. Here it arrives as a Planet Apocalypse demon Lord, bringing that legacy into the tabletop format as a distinct final-boss encounter with its own miniature and mechanics.
Who it's for: anyone with a connection to classic Doom who wants that design heritage on a tabletop. Also a natural pick for collectors who want the full Petersen design lineage represented in their collection.
How Do You Choose Which Lord to Run Next?
Start with Baphomet. The base game Lord teaches you what a well-designed Planet Apocalypse encounter feels like, and every expansion Lord makes more sense once you know the baseline.
After that, pick by what your group wants to stress-test. Jabootu or Asmod work well as first expansions. Scylla and Procrustes push experienced teams into unfamiliar tactical ground. Pulgasaur is for groups that want a fight that hits back hard. Great Cthulhu is the crossover pick. Spider Mastermind is for the Doom devotees.
Any order works. Each Lord is a self-contained encounter, and the only bad choice is stopping at Baphomet with six other bosses sitting unused.
Where to Get the Planet Apocalypse Lord Expansions
All seven Lords are available directly from Petersen Games. The Planet Apocalypse collection page shows current stock and checkout pricing for each one. US in-stock orders process within 48 hours and ship via USPS Ground Advantage (2-5 business days). Buying direct from the publisher is the most reliable way to get accurate stock and edition information.
New to the game? The Planet Apocalypse base game is the foundation. It's a complete, satisfying game before you add a single Lord expansion. Play it a few times, then bring in the roster.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Planet Apocalypse Lord expansions?
Lord expansions are individual boss add-ons for Planet Apocalypse. Each one adds a new demon Lord with its own large-format miniature and encounter rules. Seven Lords are currently available: Jabootu, Scylla, Asmod, Procrustes, Pulgasaur, Great Cthulhu, and Spider Mastermind.
Do I need the base game to use a Lord expansion?
Yes. Lord expansions require the Planet Apocalypse base game. They're add-ons, not standalone products.
Which Lord is the best starting point after Baphomet?
Lord 1 Jabootu and Lord 3 Asmod are strong first picks. Both introduce new mechanical wrinkles without overwhelming a table that's still building familiarity with the core system.
Is Great Cthulhu a crossover with Cthulhu Wars?
Lord 6 Great Cthulhu is a Petersen Games crossover. It brings the iconic Great Old One from Cthulhu Wars into Planet Apocalypse as a demon Lord. It's built for players who know both games and want to see the two worlds meet at the table.
Where can I buy Planet Apocalypse Lord expansions?
All Lords are available at petersengames.com/collections/planet-apocalypse. Buying direct from Petersen Games gives you current stock information and accurate checkout pricing.
BoardGameGeek's Planet Apocalypse entry (BGG #232459) tracks community ratings and session reports across the Lord expansion roster. The Sandy Petersen Wikipedia entry covers his full design history from Call of Cthulhu through Doom through Cthulhu Wars and Planet Apocalypse.
0 comments