Descent ~ a (too?) high-paced adrenaline rush of Monster Bashing
or "is killing 50 monsters in 4 hours better quality than killing 10?"
a review from a dungeon crawl addict
Edit: This turned out to be a lot longer than I thought at first. For those familiar with dungeon crawls and just want to find out what Descent is about, scroll down to "Game system". For those already familiar with Descent, scroll down to "Actual Gaming".
For most reviews, it's good to know the reviewer, in order to get some sort of idea about from what perspective the review was written. So I'd better start with saying that I am a nut for dungeon crawls. Although I am 34 years old, and an omnivore when it comes to board games, enjoying almost every kind of board game as long as they're not taken too seriously, I've realised that it's figurines on the board, doors and caverns, some monsters here and there and heroes, some swinging swords, some hiding in the shadows and some wielding spells that really and truly sets me off into this "ooh… OOOOH… OOOOOH!" kind of mood.
I bought Descent after having decided to give myself something, some really boy-ish board game, some expensive something. I had never heard of it, but I took one look at the cover, checked the back illustrations and realised that This is It, I can't be disappointed. It had all: hero figurines, spells, corridors, rooms, doors and huge creatures. Wow. I can't wait setting up some huge adventure where you battle dragons!
So I got home, read the rules, tested it with myself and was thrilled. This might be the best thing ever invented in the genre, I thought. It was dungeon-master run (something that in most cases is a drawback in my notebook) but the system for the dungeon master was really well done, integrating the dungeon master as a participant in the game more than being just a walkthrough guide like in the others I'd tried (Dragon Fire, Dungeon & Dragons boardgame et al).
After one play with my game group, I felt baptized into this most modern of all dungeon crawls, but I found I looked at the D&D boardgame box with new eyes, rather fondly, not being really sure of why. And after two more days (a month apart) of Descent I feel this review had ripened enough. It was time to explain.
DM-mastered dungeon crawls and their inherent problems.
Most readers of this will know what a Dungeon Master-mastered dungeon crawl is. 386
For those who don't, it's a cooperative game where all players except one do the heroes, taking turns moving their miniatures around the board, exploring room after room, whacking monsters, collecting treasure, trying to "complete the mission" which usually means kill everything on the board. Combat is resolved by rolling a set of special dice to determine hit or miss and damage done to the creatures. All characters usually have special abilities, some might be good at fighting whereas others might be better at unlocking doors, finding traps or casting spells.
The last player (most often the owner of the game) takes the role of the Dungeon Master, who controls all the monsters, sets up the board, explains what new surprise just jumped onto the heroes, at most times following a pre-written scenario which can be found in the rulebook.
Now, there is an inherent problem with this. Some people really enjoy being the Dungeon Master, but he sits in a rather strange gaming position. He is the one revealing the secrets, the rooms and the new monsters, but he never gets the surprise. He tells the tale but doesn't get to play it. His "role" in the game is to "hinder" the heroes, but slaughtering without mercy, concentrating all the evils of the dungeon onto the most fragile character, throwing him out of the game prematurely, in the sole purpose of "winning", doesn't make a fun game for the group. Following a preset scenario, only the Dungeon Master knows the monsters' strengths and special abilities, where the traps lie and what the secrets are. The Dungeon Master IS the Rules, but must still obey them. Shortly, you're sitting with the power of God, having the mission to Give the Heroes a Good Match and every ability in the world to bend the rules, but you still have to hold back. This makes the DM only partly a participating gamer, and mostly the role of a sort of benevolent yet punishing parent.
This is where Descent differs from all other dungeon crawls, making the role of Dungeon Master (here called Overlord) slightly different. This is where Descent shines. Let me explain.
The game system
Heroes
As in most other dungeon crawls, the hero players select a hero, all having their special traits. 884