Descent: Journeys in the Dark boardgame in stores

[Turtle]

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/17226

Well, this boardgame just hit my local game store.  Unfortunately, I haven't the cash to buy it.   (See my trade forum posts )

Basically, it's an $80 boardgame, similar to Doom the boardgame (based on the same rules) but set in a fantasy setting with much updated rules.  Yes, it's really worth $80 considering the high quality materials you get.

Basically, the game comes with a large number of thick cardboard pieces that are rooms and corridors in a dungeon, these all interconnect to form a dungeon map.  You layout this dungeon as per a scenario that comes with the game (or player made scenarios).

One player plays as the Overlord and basically runs the scenario/adventure and plays the monster.  He also has special cards he can play that represent traps and whatnot.  Unlike a true pen and paper RPG, the Overlord's task really is to defeat the players.

Up to (I think) 4 other players join in, each getting a character (out of 9 possible) with various strengths and weaknesses.  They use a starting amount of gold to buy equipment from "town", these equipment pieces are cards that let the player know their effects.

With that setup done, the players place their miniatures at the start of the dungeon and make their way through.  Anytime they open a new door the overlord player places any monsters or objects they see in the new room.

It's like an RPG-lite pretty much.  In fact, an enterprising RPG GM can buy the game and use it for dungeon diving.

[Dreamshadow]

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

Wow, that looks AWESOME.

I wish I knew geeks big enough to play it with me.

[Bullwinkle]

You can get this for as low as $51.97 at Thought Hammer.  http://thoughthammer.com/product_info.php?products_id=640&osCsid=be9c8536060fbf4294a64f22b1b0904a

I also love shopping at Funagain Games, though it's not in stock there and is $63.95, but their customer service is excellent.  http://www.funagain.com/control/product/~product_id=015340

[Chaz]

My copy has been on order with Thoughthammer since early September.  Unfortunately, I cheaped out and went with the free shipping, so it'll take longer to get here.  I probably won't get mine before late next week at best.

Fortunately, a guy I know is also getting a copy through our game store, so he may have his as early as tomorrow night's game night!

[Turtle]

I like to support my local store, so $80, while expensive, is basically paying for my right to play at the store I bought it.

[Sepiche]

I picked this up at my local store the other day.  I even gave a small sob story about how I almost bought it on ThoughtHammer, but decided to get it in the store instead because I wanted to support him.  He ended up giving me $15 off.

Even for $80 though the game comes with an impressive amount of bits.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a game in in the near future.

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[Chaz]

Got mine in yesterday.  I was disturbed to find that one of the spiders had broken off of its base.  I emailed FFG about it, and supposedly a replacement is already on its way here.

Components are excellent, as expected.  All the tokens and dungeon tiles are on heavy, linen finished cardboard, and the minis are uniformly well-done.  There's some definite warping on the bases, but that's a minor thing.  One dragon has wings that are improperly bent, but I kind of like it.  The skeletons seem very prone to doing the limbo.  I have one that's bent almost 90 degrees forward, which makes him look like he's leaning around a corner.  My buddy's copy had one of those, plus one doing a Neo impression, leaning 90 degrees back.  Again, should be easily fixable with the hot water trick if we want.

The heroes seem to be more susceptible to warping, since they're smaller and with more thin bits like swords and spears.  My Verikas the Dead fig has a sword bent way over like it's rubber, and that needs to be fixed.  

One final note about the components is that FFG has finally put together an insert that actually works.  Once everything's punched, it all fits nicely into the two compartments the insert forms, and should resist jumbling.  

Hopefully I'll get a playthrough tomorrow or over the weekend, but based on the components alone, I don't regret picking it up.

[Turtle]

How's the gameplay, and has it actually improved over the Doom mechanics, or are there still balance issues?

[RedJak]

I got to play this the other night.  After I got Runebound a buddy of mine "needed" to get a boardgame (the lure of snazzy artwork and plastic figures) so he got this one.

It was pretty fun and like Runebound it seemed complex flipping through the rules but became fairly straight forward during gameplay.  Our intro game took roughly 6 hours which will be cut down once the Overlord player stops checking the rulebook every turn.  

The game is very much PnP-lite.  The game comes with a book of quests which each feature a map, monster/treasure layout and room descriptions.  The Overlord player does all the overseeing of the the map and controls the monsters.  He also gains cards with extra monster spawns and curses and accumulates points to spend to invoke the cards.  As the game goes on the Overlord can get more card draws which leads to more points which leads to more ways to pick on the players.  

The players have some ultimate goal in the dungeon to accomplish and win when they acheive it.   I had a warrior type and my compatriot had a caster type.  I think have a third PC would have been nice since it would have made for more of a party feel instead of a choice of 2 targets for the Overlord to smack.   Since my tank was fairly robust and my friend's caster was easier to damage, she kind of got smacked down a lot.  

It seems like the fans can handle a big chunk expanding the game by making new monster stats and designing new quests.  On the game company side I would like to see additional map pieces and treasure cards.

[Destructor]

These descriptions remind me of the classic board game HeroQuest from about a decade or so ago. Anybody here remember playing that?

[Hapfloyde]

These descriptions remind me of the classic board game HeroQuest from about a decade or so ago. Anybody here remember playing that?

That was my thought exactly.  I loved HeroQuest, even had both expansion packs for it.  Of course, I was always Zargon and crushed the pathetic players like the bugs they were.  Always fun watching someone open a door, placing down a room full of orcs and that gargoyle, and then chasing said player down the hall into a pit.  Good times...

[RedJak]

I have Advanced Heroquest and, yes, there are definite similarities.