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  #1  
Old December 12th, 2006, 02:08 PM
vernz vernz is offline
 
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Descent: Journeys in the Dark

i was wondering if anyone has this game or heard of it i just seen it the other day and i was thinking of buying it

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  #2  
Old December 12th, 2006, 02:11 PM
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I've heard of it, its a dungeon crawl game. I am currently satisfied with Dungeoneer as my Dungeon Crawling game, but Descent is on my wishlist, so I will eventually get it.

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

There are reviews of it there. Check em out.
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Old December 12th, 2006, 02:13 PM
vernz vernz is offline
 
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thanks nether and thanks for the link ill put it on my list

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  #4  
Old December 12th, 2006, 02:28 PM
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I've heard of it. Actually I've GOT it, and have played it a few times.

There's a LOT of stuff in the box, it all looks really shiny and fun, and it's probably the best "dungeon bash" game, but it is mighty long. Think approx 4 hours long and you won't be far wrong.

If you've played Doom: the boardgame, Descent is very similar; both games are probably too long for the fun that they deliver, and both have problems coping with different numbers of players. Ultimately I thought that Doom was a poor relative of GW's old Space Hulk boardgame (now THERE is a classic game, that can hold it's head up high even when set against more modern games), but Descent was just that little bit better (hence when I decided to buy the expansion for ONE of the two games, it was the Descent expansion that got bought).

If you buy a copy, make sure you download the errata - the rules as published contain a few unbalanced situations that can lead to a pretty unsatisfactory game.

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Old December 12th, 2006, 02:28 PM
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I almost bought this Saturday, but decided against it being that I haven't ever played any dungeon-esque/crawl games. I thought it better to wait until I found a dungeon gamer around my area and get their thoughts.

I haven't read much on it but so far it seems good, Nether's link should provide an accurate description as to what the game is about,

Sorry I couldn't be of any real help,

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Old December 12th, 2006, 02:28 PM
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I've heard of it. Actually I've GOT it, and have played it a few times.

There's a LOT of stuff in the box, it all looks really shiny and fun, and it's probably the best "dungeon bash" game, but it is mighty long. Think approx 4 hours long and you won't be far wrong.

If you've played Doom: the boardgame, Descent is very similar; both games are probably too long for the fun that they deliver, and both have problems coping with different numbers of players. Ultimately I thought that Doom was a poor relative of GW's old Space Hulk boardgame (now THERE is a classic game, that can hold it's head up high even when set against more modern games), but Descent was just that little bit better (hence when I decided to buy the expansion for ONE of the two games, it was the Descent expansion that got bought).

If you buy a copy, make sure you download the errata - the rules as published contain a few unbalanced situations that can lead to a pretty unsatisfactory game.

Q - "Are you one of those people who does The Times crossword puzzle in 10 minutes?"

A - "I have NEVER taken 10 minutes!"

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  #7  
Old December 12th, 2006, 02:51 PM
Dreaded Gazebo Dreaded Gazebo is offline
 
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Descent is an excellent game. I've had it for awhile now and also picked up the expansion when it came out last month (or whenever that was!). It has a ton of replay value as you get to pick from a pool of characters that are assigned random skills and you'll find random treasure throughout the dungeon.

There are two things that make Descent stand out. First, the game puts a party of heroes against the Overlord player. You'll have 2-4 heroes (3 is ideal, 2 often too weak and 4 can be a little powerful) who are working cooperatively to complete a dungeon. The Overlord controls all of the monsters in the dungeon and their job is to kill off the heroes before they can complete their goal. What I really like is that the overlord has a hand of cards they draw throughout the game and these cards let them play traps, spawn monsters, make monsters more powerful, etc... it makes playing the overlord fun rather than just leading the heroes through an adventure. You are actively trying to kill off the heroes

Second great thing is the modular board. You get a bunch of tiles that represent rooms and hallways and they connect together however you want to build up a dungeon. The game comes with 9 scenarios I believe (and the expansion has 9 more) but you can easily create your own. There's even an editor available online that'll let you make a scenario and print it out to look just like the ones that come with the game.

Overall I feel the entire system works very well. Combat is interesting and while there's lots of dice rolling there is plenty of room for strategy both for the heroes and the overlord. You'll clearly see a difference between good and bad players although sometimes the dice just don't go your way. There are some ambigiuities in the rules but nothing that the FAQ and a quick discussion and houserule among your group can't fix.

My main complaint is that the game doesn't scale particularly well. There are cards that show the monster strength based on the number of hero characters you have. Unforunately I don't think the game scales down well enough for 2 and doesn't scale up well enough for 4, especially given how insane the high-level treasures are for the heroes.

A lot of that can be fixed with good scenario design. Unfortunately many of the scenarios that come with the game are tipped heavily in favor of either the heroes or the overlord. It's not easy to come up with a good balance when there are so many random factors but still, I feel like their designs aren't the best. You'll find some good ones online and after a few plays you'll probably be able to create your own scenarios that are far more enjoyable to play. They also have very large dungeon designs so they can be long.

The game does take awhile to play. My games typically clock in around the 4 hour mark although it can easily go faster or possibly longer. I've found the more people you have playing the longer it takes. I often prefer to have two players controlling two heroes each, and even one player controlling three heroes isn't bad once they understand the game. The more hero players you have the more discussion they have while planning strategies and the longer the game will take.

Still, I think it's a fantastic game and I wish I got to play it far more often. You have to go in knowing:

A) It is not a roleplaying game. You have to accept some rules for what they are even if they don't "make sense" and you have to understand that there will be a winner and loser. Sometimes the overlord loses, sometimes the heroes lose... even four hours into a scenario it's possible for the heroes to lose. The two sides are competing, not trying to tell a story.

B) The game is not always very balanced. Sometimes you'll get weak character combos, sometimes you'll get insane character combos, sometimes the overlord just won't get the cards they need. Even when the game isn't balanced I still think it is fun and you need to just enjoy playing it out; next time you play it'll be an entirely different experience.
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  #8  
Old December 12th, 2006, 02:57 PM
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Re: descent journey into the dark

Quote:
Originally Posted by vernz
i was wondering if anyone has this game or heard of it i just seen it the other day and i was thinking of buying it
Buy it NOW!

Yes its four hours on average but its worth it.




GAME OVER Moon Pie!
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  #9  
Old December 12th, 2006, 03:05 PM
Dreaded Gazebo Dreaded Gazebo is offline
 
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And a few links for you:

Fantasy Flight Descent support page. You'll find FAQs and a link to the editor there.

Descent quest database at Fantasy Flight Games

Jail Break - My first complete custom scenario. I think it's quite good Have a few more in the works.
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  #10  
Old December 12th, 2006, 04:20 PM
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justjohn justjohn is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by netherspirit
I've heard of it, its a dungeon crawl game. I am currently satisfied with Dungeoneer as my Dungeon Crawling game...
I feel the same exact way. Britt and I just got into Dungeoneer, and we REALLY like it. It's dirt cheap to expand, and it's tons of fun. I've looked at Decent several times, and now looking at it, it just seems like a more complicated, more expensive, dungeon crawl. Plus, we don't have 4 hours to dedicate to a single game. Given, it would be a lot cooler if Dungeoneer had figures instead of cards, but I'm happy with the way Dungeoneer plays.

smallboxgames.com
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  #11  
Old December 12th, 2006, 04:21 PM
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netherspirit netherspirit is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justjohn
Given, it would be a lot cooler if Dungeoneer had figures instead of cards, but I'm happy with the way Dungeoneer plays.
There are some coming out for it. (I think) I will see if I can find the link real quick.

EDIT - Found it there isn't any information, but looking at the company's other stuff they should be amazing. http://www.aberrantgames.com/dun/
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  #12  
Old December 12th, 2006, 04:53 PM
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I've seen the figs at gencon. They're unpainted and damn pricey.



I've got descent. Not perfect, but a lot of fun. The expansion is out.

"Y'know, I sort of assumed this hero of destiny thing would involve a lot less devastation in our wake."
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