Dungeons and Dragons Adventure System Board Games [review/ramble]
Posted by SamuelF on Nov 11, 2011; 11:03am
URL: http://the-lost-and-the-damned.71.s1.nabble.com/Dungeons-and-Dragons-Adventure-System-Board-Games-review-ramble-tp6985031.html
The geek-monopolising empire that is Wizards of the Coast have just released a third board game (The Legend of Drizzt) in their recent 'Adventure System' series. The dust is just starting to settle on these games, and since no dedicated thread has appeared on tLatD for any of them as of yet.. here we go!
For the uninitiated: The games are touted as a fast-play dungeon-crawl with miniatures for 1-5 players (note the 1; meaning solo play). They are set in the D&D universe, designed to be be playable without a DM within around one hour. Most of these selling points were carefully aimed at the cries of board gaming geeks who either A) didn't have a group to play with, B) were sick of always having to be the DM, or C) were high-flying executive geeks and limited in their amount spare time.
What has been produced meets these goals pretty well and is, in my opinion, a fun co-operative game which is light enough for 'normies' to enjoy without too much eye rolling, and has enough meat to keep seasoned fantasists fairly sedate. The games, however, lack depth in the role-play department due to the fairly abstract nature of the rule mechanics. (I must say that I own both Ravenloft and Ashardalon, and have had a fair amount of fun from them due to the great success in getting my less goblin-centric friends and family involved in the action.)
Before I go any further, lets have a look at the three recent nerdy offerings from WotC of which I witter:
1) CaStLe RaVenLoFt - (released Aug 2010)
There was much ado when this game was announced. It was hailed as the coming of the new HeroQuest/WarhammerQuest/InsertWhateverYouLikeQuest. Some searchers for 'The Ultimate Dungeon Crawl' were crying out: "Could this be the one!?". Men wept with joy openly in the streets (okay I made that last bit up). Excitement. When the first reviews and play-tests came in there was division. Some D&D role-play enthusiasts were not amused. They hated how mechanically driven the game was, and felt there was not enough room for theme, or the role-playing they loved. Others seemed to take the game as it was, and loved it for bringing some dungeon crawling action back into their lives.
2) Wrath of Ashardalon - (released Feb 2011)
The next game in line was delayed, perhaps in response to some of the criticisms of Ravenloft. The result was a campaign system of sorts, doors, and larger chambers for boss battles. The general consensus was that it was an improvement on its predecessor.
3) The Legend of Drizzt - (released Oct 2011)
The most recent game of the lot cashes in on the popularity of the famous character Drizzt Do'Urden. It brings caverns, cavern edges (for sealed dungeons), PvP, and lots of more powerful heroes. From what I gather, this is said to be a further improvement over its predecessors.
I've played my way through all of Ravenloft with my group, and we've played a hand-full of missions from Ashardalon so far. Our games tend to go on for around two hours due to the set-up time and amount of chatter going on. One thing my group likes is the interaction between us all. We always discuss what we think is the optimal strategy for what ever situation we're in. Its beardy heaven. Games often feel close and brutal from the outset to the end.
My feeling is that these games will be fairly influential. The method for controlling the monsters by using in-built commands and cycling their activation around the players is good, as is the semi-random dungeon construction, but as a fan of games like HeroQuest /WarhammerQuest/Mordheim etc., I can feel slightly empty after a game. Should we have concerns about the plight of DM-ing and roleplay if this is the direction that board gaming is going? Will a generation miss out? ..Don't look at me.. I don't flippin' know!
I have to stop typing now and get on, but I'd love to know what you guys make of it all.
TLDR: These games are cool, especially if you are limited for time and have £40 burning a hole in your pocket.
URL: http://the-lost-and-the-damned.71.s1.nabble.com/Dungeons-and-Dragons-Adventure-System-Board-Games-review-ramble-tp6985031.html
The geek-monopolising empire that is Wizards of the Coast have just released a third board game (The Legend of Drizzt) in their recent 'Adventure System' series. The dust is just starting to settle on these games, and since no dedicated thread has appeared on tLatD for any of them as of yet.. here we go!
For the uninitiated: The games are touted as a fast-play dungeon-crawl with miniatures for 1-5 players (note the 1; meaning solo play). They are set in the D&D universe, designed to be be playable without a DM within around one hour. Most of these selling points were carefully aimed at the cries of board gaming geeks who either A) didn't have a group to play with, B) were sick of always having to be the DM, or C) were high-flying executive geeks and limited in their amount spare time.
What has been produced meets these goals pretty well and is, in my opinion, a fun co-operative game which is light enough for 'normies' to enjoy without too much eye rolling, and has enough meat to keep seasoned fantasists fairly sedate. The games, however, lack depth in the role-play department due to the fairly abstract nature of the rule mechanics. (I must say that I own both Ravenloft and Ashardalon, and have had a fair amount of fun from them due to the great success in getting my less goblin-centric friends and family involved in the action.)
Before I go any further, lets have a look at the three recent nerdy offerings from WotC of which I witter:
1) CaStLe RaVenLoFt - (released Aug 2010)
There was much ado when this game was announced. It was hailed as the coming of the new HeroQuest/WarhammerQuest/InsertWhateverYouLikeQuest. Some searchers for 'The Ultimate Dungeon Crawl' were crying out: "Could this be the one!?". Men wept with joy openly in the streets (okay I made that last bit up). Excitement. When the first reviews and play-tests came in there was division. Some D&D role-play enthusiasts were not amused. They hated how mechanically driven the game was, and felt there was not enough room for theme, or the role-playing they loved. Others seemed to take the game as it was, and loved it for bringing some dungeon crawling action back into their lives.
2) Wrath of Ashardalon - (released Feb 2011)
The next game in line was delayed, perhaps in response to some of the criticisms of Ravenloft. The result was a campaign system of sorts, doors, and larger chambers for boss battles. The general consensus was that it was an improvement on its predecessor.
3) The Legend of Drizzt - (released Oct 2011)
The most recent game of the lot cashes in on the popularity of the famous character Drizzt Do'Urden. It brings caverns, cavern edges (for sealed dungeons), PvP, and lots of more powerful heroes. From what I gather, this is said to be a further improvement over its predecessors.
I've played my way through all of Ravenloft with my group, and we've played a hand-full of missions from Ashardalon so far. Our games tend to go on for around two hours due to the set-up time and amount of chatter going on. One thing my group likes is the interaction between us all. We always discuss what we think is the optimal strategy for what ever situation we're in. Its beardy heaven. Games often feel close and brutal from the outset to the end.
My feeling is that these games will be fairly influential. The method for controlling the monsters by using in-built commands and cycling their activation around the players is good, as is the semi-random dungeon construction, but as a fan of games like HeroQuest /WarhammerQuest/Mordheim etc., I can feel slightly empty after a game. Should we have concerns about the plight of DM-ing and roleplay if this is the direction that board gaming is going? Will a generation miss out? ..Don't look at me.. I don't flippin' know!
I have to stop typing now and get on, but I'd love to know what you guys make of it all.
TLDR: These games are cool, especially if you are limited for time and have £40 burning a hole in your pocket.
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