D&D General Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked Is A Multiplayer Co-Op Tactical Video Game

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, coming later this year on Steam, PS5, and Meta Quest, is a Dungeons & Dragons expansion for the dungeon-crawling videogame.

Demeo is a tactical combat dungeon crawl video game. It describes itself as "a cross-platform cooperative adventure for up to four players that recreates all of the magic and camaraderie of gathering around a tabletop with friends to do battle against the forces of evil." The viewpoint is that of a 3D virtual tabletop looking at 3D miniatures. In Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked you and up to 3 friends will control adventurers in the Forgotten Realms' Neverwinter setting. The game boasts quick, turn-based combat and 3D environments, big animated dice, animated miniatures and spell effects.

The system itself is the Demeo Action Roleplaying System, a turn-based card-based system which builds hands of abilities. In this iteration, it uses the monsters, spells, and so on from Dungeons & Dragons. It's not D&D exactly, but Demeo says they're trying to "emulate the feeling of playing Dungeons & Dragons with your friends".

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Wizards of the Coast's SVP of Digital Strategy & Licensing, Eugene Evans, said in a press release that "BATTLEMARKED continues Hasbro’s strategy to leverage our extensive catalog of world class IP to create digital games through licensing and internal studio development. By partnering with the best developers in the industry we can deliver new games and innovative experiences across all platforms for our fans to enjoy.”

You can already check out two previous Demeo games--Demeo, and Demeo Battles--from the game studio Revolution Games. Demeo launched in 2021. Resolution Games CEO Tommy Palm says that "Demeo and Demeo Battles quickly became a game night substitute for Dungeon Masters who wanted an out-of-campaign way to have fun with their groups, and for D&D players to introduce their friends and family to tabletop miniatures games. DEMEO X DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: BATTLEMARKED opens up that appeal even further by adapting the classes, actions, and lore of Dungeons & Dragons to this system for all new adventures and a whole new experience built from the ground up with D&D in mind."

He also spoke of modifying Demeo for D&D's more story-focused approached by adding cut-scenes and richer dialogue, with narrative lead Matt Sernett's calling on his experience working on Dungeons & Dragons and earlier Baldur's Gate video games.

The adventure takes place in Neverwinter Wood, and features locations such as Cragmaw Castle and Mount Hotenow. There will be a second adventure revealed later in the year.

 

[The Real Pixie]

It isn't "every game" it is roguelikes and roguelites, because the deckbuilding aspect supports repeat runs.

Sounds lame, I've been playing D&D for years without cards. We start from level 1 every once in a while.

But to stop being facetious, as a bona fide hater of deckbuilders it frustrates me that this is such a common format. Yes the randomness of card draws offset against the 'RNG Control' of deckbuilding makes for a lot of replayability (through a moment-to-moment soft-randomisation) but I think that's a shortcut that game developers have become over-reliant on.

You can introduce soft-randomisation and broad replayability without ever having to touch cards as a subsystem.

Monster Train
Slay the Spire
Inscryption
Griftlands
Black Book
Hellcard
naughty word Midnight Suns

I am so sick of drawing cards that determine what I can do on my turn instead of just making decisions. The limitation was cool the first time, it is lame now.

I think deckbuilders are lazy. I think card battlers are lazy. I think we are within our right to yearn for something more.

I'm on my 6th playthrough of Divinity Original Sin 2 and I am still finding new ways to play and new things to enjoy. That's replayability. If I wanted cards I'd play MTG.

Or Euchre...

 

[Reynard]

I think deckbuilders are lazy.

then design your own game. There are lots of tools out there to do that now.

I think card battlers are lazy. I think we are within our right to yearn for something more.

There are literally millions of not-deckbuilders on Steam. Play one of those.

Why do people think it is reasonable to wish something they don't like not exist? It is the most myopic, entitled attitude possible.

 

[The Real Pixie]

then design your own game. There are lots of tools out there to do that now.

jUsT bUiLd YoUr OwN hOuSe

There are literally millions of not-deckbuilders on Steam. Play one of those.

Why do people think it is reasonable to wish something they don't like not exist? It is the most myopic, entitled attitude possible.

I do play them, Obviously.

I don't wish deckbuilders would cease to exist, I wish games that didn't need to be deckbuilders weren't deckbuilders. It's no different to wishing every restaurant didn't serve Eggplant Foam just because it's trendy, or every pop song didn't feature a trap beat just because that's what seems to chart.

No need to get snippy with me. I'm not getting snippy with you. I'm getting snippy with the medium, by all means defend it but don't go calling me entitled just because I think a certain type of creator is phoning it in. I don't care what they make, it's just disappointing that they make it.

 

[AlViking]

I think it depends on how the decks are built. It could easily just be a different way to depict a wizard deciding what spells to prepare for the day. Having a deck to represent that prep may just be used because it's easy to understand, familiar and is easier for the developer.

Until it's released we don't know.