Not every game that hits my table is a multiple-hour marathon. Not everything has to be packed with countless miniatures or handfuls of colourful wooden cubes. It’s safe to say that a fair few games I own could even be considered as being for kids, though we’re not talking Twister or Buckaroo here; there’s plenty out there that is not only accessible enough for younger players to get into but also offer older gamers enough of a challenge. The newly reissued version of Dungeon! from Wizards of the Coast fits into that space in spades.
Now, since the original RPG system was first released, Dungeons & Dragons has spawned countless spin-off games that attempt to entice non-role players into the fold. They act as gateways into the harder stuff, trying their damnedest to start them on the path to sitting around the table for months on end conducting unending campaigns. Some of these are excellent, including the splendid Adventure Series comprising of Castle Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon and Legend of Drizzt (which I’ve already written about for EN World). Some are less impressive, especially the dross that was shifted out by TSR in the eighties…
Now we have Dungeon! which thankfully sits on the side of Decent Games Based On D&D, the original version of which was designed by David R. Megarry and first came out way back in the seventies. This is a slightly refined version of that first edition, as you’d expect, but what’s the story in the game?
Simply put, we’re looking at a quick playing and extremely simplified dungeon crawl that is based in the D&D Universe. There’s no leveling up, no extensive combat rules… everything has been done to keep Dungeon! a simple experience that anyone can get into easily. Between one and eight players get to explore the immense board, wandering about and attempting to smash up monsters of increasing power. The further you venture from the middle of the board’s safe zone, the harder monsters will be to defeat. They’re selected by checking the colour of the room or chamber you enter and flipping a card of the same hue, then it’s time to roll some dice…
Depending on which of the four types of character you selected at the start of the game – either Fighter, Cleric, Rogue or Wizard, there are two of each available – you’ll have to check the card for the number that is shown beneath your symbol. Roll equal to or higher than that number on two dice and you’ll have defeated the enemy and will be allowed to grab a treasure of equal level (so, beat a level three monster, take a level three treasure). Fail to do so and the beast hits back, meaning you roll again. Most numbers will see you lose your hard earned treasures, but a twelve means you’ve been killed and will have to start all over again.
Once a monster has been beaten in a room (or three if you’re fighting in a larger chamber), tokens are placed there to show that they have been cleared out – nothing else will spawn there. It’s a simple concept but one that works well, forcing all players to move deeper and deeper into the dungeon to take on stronger opponents that could well offer much more loot. Each hero class requires a certain amount of gold pieces that, when reached, will let them race back to the centre of the board. Manage to do this and you win. Nice and simple.
But is it a little too simple? Well, perhaps, especially if you’ve been a gamer for a while but really Dungeon! isn’t aimed at people like you. Like I mentioned earlier, it’sreally a game for kids, aimed at a much more for a younger audience. It’s the kind of game for those who may not be too sure about what the whole D&D thing is all about but still want to play along with the grown ups. Dungeon! is a great way of getting people, younger ones especially, into the kind of games that we love. Sure, at its heart it’s essentially a roll and move, but there’s enough added complexity to make sure that you won’t switch off after five minutes of play.
Now, it may not end up hitting your table too often, but if you want something sitting in your collection that will keep a wider audience happy, there’s not many better choices out there. It helps that the game is nicely presented; the board is bright and easy to navigate, and everything you need to know about how to play is printed right on the end. The many tokens and chits that come in the box are a bit small and the cards somewhat flimsy, but that’s not much of a surprise when you see the price point that Wizards has aimed at. Thankfully the game is good enough to make up for this slight lack of production quality, so why wouldn’t you give it a shot?
Now we have Dungeon! which thankfully sits on the side of Decent Games Based On D&D, the original version of which was designed by David R. Megarry and first came out way back in the seventies. This is a slightly refined version of that first edition, as you’d expect, but what’s the story in the game?
Simply put, we’re looking at a quick playing and extremely simplified dungeon crawl that is based in the D&D Universe. There’s no leveling up, no extensive combat rules… everything has been done to keep Dungeon! a simple experience that anyone can get into easily. Between one and eight players get to explore the immense board, wandering about and attempting to smash up monsters of increasing power. The further you venture from the middle of the board’s safe zone, the harder monsters will be to defeat. They’re selected by checking the colour of the room or chamber you enter and flipping a card of the same hue, then it’s time to roll some dice…
Depending on which of the four types of character you selected at the start of the game – either Fighter, Cleric, Rogue or Wizard, there are two of each available – you’ll have to check the card for the number that is shown beneath your symbol. Roll equal to or higher than that number on two dice and you’ll have defeated the enemy and will be allowed to grab a treasure of equal level (so, beat a level three monster, take a level three treasure). Fail to do so and the beast hits back, meaning you roll again. Most numbers will see you lose your hard earned treasures, but a twelve means you’ve been killed and will have to start all over again.
Once a monster has been beaten in a room (or three if you’re fighting in a larger chamber), tokens are placed there to show that they have been cleared out – nothing else will spawn there. It’s a simple concept but one that works well, forcing all players to move deeper and deeper into the dungeon to take on stronger opponents that could well offer much more loot. Each hero class requires a certain amount of gold pieces that, when reached, will let them race back to the centre of the board. Manage to do this and you win. Nice and simple.
But is it a little too simple? Well, perhaps, especially if you’ve been a gamer for a while but really Dungeon! isn’t aimed at people like you. Like I mentioned earlier, it’sreally a game for kids, aimed at a much more for a younger audience. It’s the kind of game for those who may not be too sure about what the whole D&D thing is all about but still want to play along with the grown ups. Dungeon! is a great way of getting people, younger ones especially, into the kind of games that we love. Sure, at its heart it’s essentially a roll and move, but there’s enough added complexity to make sure that you won’t switch off after five minutes of play.
Now, it may not end up hitting your table too often, but if you want something sitting in your collection that will keep a wider audience happy, there’s not many better choices out there. It helps that the game is nicely presented; the board is bright and easy to navigate, and everything you need to know about how to play is printed right on the end. The many tokens and chits that come in the box are a bit small and the cards somewhat flimsy, but that’s not much of a surprise when you see the price point that Wizards has aimed at. Thankfully the game is good enough to make up for this slight lack of production quality, so why wouldn’t you give it a shot?
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