Thursday, November 14, 2013

#15: Dungeonquest (Mark's 100 - 2012)



Dungeonquest

Mark's Ranking
  • 2012: 15th
  • 2010: 9th
  • 2005: did not appear
BoardGameGeek
  • rank: 767
  • rating: 6.69
Print Status
  • out of print (both the original edition as well as the FFG reprint)
Why It's On The List
  • I have always described this game as "similar to playing Dungeons & Dragons with a DM who hates your guts" - it's a short (no more than an hour...and often shorter!), brutal & intensely fun experience game/dungeon crawl.
Tips & Tricks:
  • While I appreciate what Fantasy Flight did in reprinting Dungeonquest, I wasn't a fan of the goofy combat system they loaded onto it or the seriousness they added to the proceedings by transporting the game into their Terrinoth universe. (Part of the charm of Dungeonquest is the off-beat dark humor - which I attribute to the unique blend of Swedish designer & British publisher.)
  • If you manage to track down a copy of the original game + the two expansions, consider yourself incredibly lucky. It took me nearly 8 years to find the expansions - and even then I had to replace some of the missing miniatures from the used copy I bought.
  • The FFG edition includes some of the expansion stuff - so if you can find that at a reasonable price, it's still a good deal. (But look on BGG for alternate ways to do combat that don't slow the game down.)
  • We have a house rule... you can't win by simply surviving (running in a couple of spaces & running right back out). You must find SOMETHING of value - and no, a potentially poisonous healing "potion" does not count.
  • Do not under any circumstances (a) get too attached to your character, or (b) take the game too seriously. It's just a rousing chance to roll dice, fight monsters & generally find creative new ways to die.
Extras
  • In honor of my faithful readers, I played Dungeonquest last night with my sons - the resulting mayhem included: Ironhand the Mighty (Son #1) dying 5 turns into the game thanks to a relentess Doomshadow; Fhyll Madaxe (Son #2) falling into a Bottomless Pit; and Rildo the Crafty (me) managing to careen about the dungeon with only 1 life point remaining, thanks to an Amulet of Teleportation... only to be teleported into the clutches of the dragon by another Amulet, picked up in desperation as time ran out. Yes, we all died... Man, I love this game!

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If you feel a need to catch up on my admittedly-aging Top 100 as of February 2012 list, you can check out:

1 comment:

Craig said...

Hey Mark, here is a link to a site with some great alternative combat methods. I used the dice rules and made some nice indented dice. It's quick and takes nothing away from the game. Great fun!

http://www.fantasticdiversions.com/2011/03/fixing-part-1-quickest-and-dead.html#.UoW5ZGS8tCQ