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How does D&D Compare to . . .
- Thread starter Mark CMG
- Start date
)Tyler Do'Urden
Soap Maker
quasidomestikat
First Post
HELL YES. I would so dress up, I don't care how much a loser I look like XD
Ever play DragonStrike?
Ever play DragonStrike?
Gentlegamer
Adventurer
Mark CMG said:
I've played all of Talisman, Descent & Runebound (and I play a lot of other board games as well), so here's the comparisons:
Runebound:
The furthest from D&D in style of play, Runebound is a bunch of solitare games. You know where the encounters are, but not what they are (just how difficult they should be). Not that might help you, as movement is crazy-random. There is a quest element to the game (you have to defeat the final boss, or enough of his minions), and play generally consists of trying to defeat enough encounters to gain the XP, allies and items to defeat him. Monsters roll no dice, so combat is just one player rolling dice against target numbers.
Characters are different from each other, but not in big ways. Basically comes down to "uses bow, magic or sword" and that's it.
Runebound is purely a race game, with little interaction between players. Whoever kills the boss first, wins.
World of Warcraft:
Well, at least on the World of Warcraft board game you get to team up. 2-3 characters on each side (controlled by 1-3 players). You know where the encounters are and what they are, and what sort of treasure they'll have and the reward (though not the actual items they guard). There is a quest element in the game: you must defeat the final boss, and there may be minions that defeating will make the game easier, or you have to find the final boss, or defeat him before he destroys the land. (Three bosses, each work differently).
Characters are distinct from each other, with different and significant special abilities (you choose the specialisation you take as well).
Movement is not random. Monsters roll no dice, so combat is just one (to three) players rolling dice against target numbers.
Interaction between players is high within the teams, as you plan strategies and decide whether you want to take on monsters all together or as lone heroes. There is also interaction between the two teams because of the possibility of PvP as modified by event cards; in 6 player games, you really pay attention to what the others are doing so as to not let them ambush you.
World of Warcraft board game is mostly a race game, with some interaction between teams, and a lot within. Either kill the boss or become powerful enough to defeat the other team in PvP battle.
Talisman
Getting closer to D&D in some respects. Another race/quest game (get to the Crown of Command before the others, you need a Talisman first). Encounters are a mix of unknown and known, and the board evolves significantly during the game (as opposed to WoW or Runebound). Movement is random, with some modifications allowed.
Characters are distinct from each other, with special abilities that often alter player interaction. Talisman is a signficant step up from either RB or WoW in interaction: there's a lot of it! The Thief can steal items, the Sorceress can beguile followers, the Assassin just kills you, the Ghoul can attack psychically and steal life for himself...
Battles have one player roll for the monster - although combat is simple (and thus fast), this really increases interest in actual battles. (Both WoW and RB can be quite tedious for the opponents as they have nothing to do).
Talisman is a race game, but with significant (hostile) interaction between players.
Descent
Very close to D&D, Descent gives the game more structure at the expense of roleplaying and options. In D&D, when you see a monster, you might be able to negotiate with it; this will never be an option in Descent - it must die! (This is fine for a board game, of course!)
Descent has a team of 1-4 heroes pitted against an Overlord (DM). Monster & treasure locations are set by the scenario, and the monsters' actions are determined by the overlord. (Although they mainly boil down to "where to move" and "who to attack").
Extra interest is added by the overlord's cards, which can be used to increase the effectiveness of monsters, play more monster, and have traps affect the heroes. Each hero has distinct abilities, determined randomly at game start that really change how it plays.
The Overlord wants to kill the players; the players want to kill the end boss. It's a quest game, not a race game (although there is a time limit). Very similar to dungeon hack D&D with a adversarial DM, and a lot of fun. Very high player interaction.
Arkham Horror
I've thrown in Arkham Horror because the new expansion (Dunwich Horror) is almost out. It's a co-operative game with no DM; you try to defeat the game. Each investigator is distinct in their abilities (and there are a lot of them - private eye, doctor, magician, etc.), and you all want to stop the Elder Horror from manisfesting and destroying the world.
There are many places in Arkham to visit, and you look for clues and items that will help you permanantly seal the gates and banish the old one. You don't really have roleplaying as such, but there's a lot of interaction as you plan you strategies, and a lot of rising horror as things go wrong...
Honorable mention to Betrayal at the House on the Hill - a flawed, but still fun, game of horror.
The big difference between D&D and board games is in how much creativity can be applied. In a board game, if it isn't in the rules, you can't do it. If you come up against Smaug and need to defeat him in a riddling contest, you must roll a dice to see if you can, there's no role-playing involved. If there's a trap, there only a set solution, you can't come up with something new (although occasionally you can combine game elements in surprising ways). They're a lot more mechanical.
D&D can be played in that mechanical way, and at times it needs to be! However, you do have the option of going either way.
Board games are great, however, because you aren't slave to the whims of a DM. You have a defined goal and methods of achieving that goal, and the result is more firmly in your hands (even if dependent on luck).
Did that help, Mark?
Cheers!
Patryn of Elvenshae
First Post
Really good summary, MerricB!
My wife is a huge Runebound fan, so we've played that more than any of the others (and we haven't played Talisman at all), but from my perspective you've got them all down pat.
My wife is a huge Runebound fan, so we've played that more than any of the others (and we haven't played Talisman at all), but from my perspective you've got them all down pat.
