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(More customer reviews)Let me get this out of the way first.
I'm a proud owner of the original 1985 edition published by Games Workshop, along with the Heroes of DungeonQuest and Catacombs expansions. There are an absolute myriad of unscripted ways in which you can die, and your job is to survive with as much loot as possible. Thank DungeonQuest for turning me into a connoisseur of rogue-like video games such as NetHack, Diablo, ADOM, and even ToeJam & Earl.
DungeonQuest (1985 edition) has been an almost unmatched favorite board game of mine for over 20 years. In fact, I purchased Descent: Journeys in the Dark in an attempt to find an newer game with similar gameplay to DungeonQuest. Alas, Descent is great, but doesn't scratch the itch. When I heard that Fantasy Flight Games picked up publishing rights, I anxiously awaited their release with skepticism. I could finally stop worrying about losing/damaging the long out-of-print contents, but only if they could reproduce the experience!
I've played this 2010 edition of DungeonQuest very aggressively both solo and with up to 3 players (age 30+). Ready to pass judgement. I'll try to clarify for new players, though there are many references to changes from the 1985 edition.Pros:
- Custom characters. Each of the 6 unique characters has meaningfully distinct perks. Depending on which character you draw at the start, you will significantly change your combat or exploration strategy.
- Catacombs. Including what was previously an entire expansion (as well as 2 extra characters), is very generous. Catacombs are much more dangerous, but offer faster, diagonal movement beneath the dungeon floor.
- Extended sundown. Game lasts longer than before, giving chance to survive after the doors would normally have locked you in the dungeon to die. The increasing chance of death looms like a game of Russian-roulette (why not, since you should be dead by then in the original anyway).Cons:
- Sell-out. Obviously, some things were changed just to fit Terrinoth, rather than having Terrinoth fit DungeonQuest. Most of this is not bad, and, in fact, the 6 new cross-over character sheets for Descent more than make up for this downside! However, it's more than a bit unnatural to run into "easy" demons and trolls in the once goblin-filled dungeon. Similarly, the combat system uses melee, ranged, and magic instead of the more natural melee-only stances.
- Chance of survival has increased. Based on my 28 plays, there's a 32.1% chance of survival. The original survival rate was 15%. I've had games where all 3 smart players successfully survived with loot. Terrible. Life should feel much more fleeting and precious.
- Combat card mini-game is complex. In the original, I enjoyed reading my opponent's face in the "slash > leap > mighty blow > slash" intuitive combat. Some immersion is lost in the new combat card game. It's much more strategic, but also more abstract. Though, even newcomers to board gaming can pick it up after about 2 games.
- Catacomb movement is unintuitive. For instance, in the catacombs, movement is only diagonal, but the player is asked to declare a compass direction (N, S, E, W) upon entering. In the original, this compass direction was the predominate movement direction, but in this version, the player is necessarily offset into a NW, NE, SW, SE direction on exit.Changes:
- Includes Catacombs; an expansion in the original.
- Includes 6 heroes; the original started with 4.
- Rules are clearer; addition of ~10 official optional rules.
- Combat is more complicated, but retains rock-paper-scissors elements.
- Heroes are more legendary; likewise, mundane orcs are now trolls, golems, demons, etc.
- Arrows are gone, so bows no longer have ammo; they're abstracted into new combat.
- Pets are gone, hence no separate HP; they're abstracted into new combat.
- Not limited to 26 turns; sun has increasing chance to set after turn 26.
- Rings are now runes (and different).Complex combat rules and much better chance of survival slowly become less of a downside as you play. In fact, you get used to the combat, learning to build feeling into it. The more abstract combat mostly comes when using one of the characters that has no pro-combat perk or lame combat cards. I'm loving the extended sundown and unique, unpredictable potions and other new loot. Catacomb deviation isn't crazy either when you look at it as diagonal movement from the start.
As in the original, there are numerous cases where a player must remember to resolve certain rules in following turns, despite no on-board representation. Also, many tiles have special rules that need to be frequently looked up until remembered. However, most of the time, these special rules add a dynamic flair that keeps the game fresh and immerses you further into the story.
Bottom line, this is a game about survival. It's for those who love randomity and randomly generated dungeons. It's also a game that tells a story. Win or lose, each game you'll have totally unique experience to talk about, and walk away fulfilled.
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DungeonQuest is a re-imagining of the classic board game of dungeon exploration for 1-4 players. Set in the vibrant fantasy realm of Terrinoth (first popularized by Runebound), DungeonQuest retains the peril, tension, and brutality of the beloved original game while updating both mechanical and thematic elements. Players take on the roles of brave (or foolish) heroes willing to brave the legendary dangers of Dragonfire Dungeon. Fortune awaits those able to venture into the dragon's lair. In DungeonQuest, Players must guide their heroes through the twisting halls of Dragonfire Dungeon in pursuit of unimaginable riches hoarded by the Dragon Lord Kalladra. Whoever can amass the most wealth and make it out of the dungeon before the closing of the doors seals their doom will emerge victorious. However, merely surviving the harrowing dungeon is a feat all its own.
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