{ERS Publishing} Dungeon Dwellers Preview

[frank walls]

Some of you out there may remember the old d20 version of the Dungeon Dwellers game, well we’ve been busy revising and streamlining the game to incorporate easier and faster game play. Here’s a brief description of some of the game components and mechanics.

The Basic game supports two types of play, Competitive and Cooperative.

In Competitive play you need an equal amount of players, divided into 2 (or more) teams. From there, it's basically a challenge to clear the dungeon and get the most treasure.

In Cooperative play (which is the Standard version) all the players work together to fight through the dungeon, support each other, etc. This version can play in single games, or as a campaign.

Ideally, Cooperative play style can work solo also. It might be a bit more challenging, as initially the game was not designed for solo play, but it should work just the same.

The game has a handful of character types to choose from, each listing their stats and abilities. These pre-generated character types are also presented in card form, with image, and all info needed. We also provide a blank character card for you to create your own.

The Character Types are: Warrior, Gladiator, Archer, Thief, Barbarian, Knight, Sorcerer, Priest.

Each Character Type has an Offensive and Defensive Ability.

Monsters Included:
Basilisk
Chimera
Demon
Dragon
Dwarf
Elementals (cold, fire, lightning, water)
Elf
Gargoyle
Giant
Goblin
Hag
Harpy
Kobold
Lich
Lizardman
Mimic
Mummy
Ogre
Shadow
Skeleton
Skeleton Archer
Giant Spider
Troll
Vampire
Zombie

By using our Dungeon Tiles you’ll be able to create an endless variety of game boards.

Here’s a mock-up of the game in play:


For more information and updates visit our Dungeon Dwellers section on our forums.

[pigames.net]

So this is basically a d20 hack and slash board game, right?

[frank walls]

We're actually eliminating the d20 aspect of the game. We want something that people will be able to sit down and set up, learn, and play in a short amount of time.

However, we are also working on a set of advanced rules that will contain more complex game mechanics and stats tracking as well as character creation. There will also be future expansions that will add new items, monsters, treasures, etc. to the base game.

[pigames.net]

I would think that d20 would lend itself very well if it looked something like the original red box version in its simplicity. What's the new system like?

[frank walls]

Well, I don't want to give to much away just yet, and some mechanics are still being tweaked, but movement and combat use a d6 only.

The counters with the ? are turned over as you enter a room, and if it's a monster then you'll draw a monster card and start fighting. Once the monster is defeated you draw the allotted number of treasure cards for that monster.If you visit our Dungeon Dweller's page at our forums you'll see larger images of some of the monster cards.

Treasures consist of weapons, armor, magical and ordinary items, and power-ups. These items can either be kept or sold for money.

That's the basic rundown of the gameplay, but there are a few more things I can't discuss just yet. As we get closer to the release date (which we're hoping will be late January or early February) more info will be available.

[rick_hershey]

Hey Brett,

The reason for the move away from the original use of the d20 system was that the game seemed to play a lot less like a boardgame and more like a miniatures combat game with heavy map usage and skills.

I wanted to first free the rules up and offer something very simple and bare bones. That's our basic game. It's fast, fun, and something that can be played with kids, which was a bonus for me.

The advanced rules will include a lot more of the elements found in a pen & paper rpg, but still exist as a boardgame. We'll have additional classes, abilities, races, rules for using skills, items/weapons, creatures, etc.
Additional rules for solo play, more details on playing campaign versions, rules for moving out of the dungeon, all kinds of stuff.

So, a lot of the elements you might be familiar with a fantasy rpg or d20, but a lot simpler game play, and a more boardgame feel.

[pigames.net]

Sounds good. I'll be keeping my out for it.

[Vigilance]

Originally Posted by pigames.net

I would think that d20 would lend itself very well if it looked something like the original red box version in its simplicity. What's the new system like?

In addition to what others have said, I felt that if people wanted to play a RPG, they'd play a RPG.

For Dungeon Dwellers, my goal was a game that required no preparation and no dungeon master, so it could truly be a pick up and play experience, just one with a ton of replay value that could allow for campaign play, cooperative play or competitive play.