I want to start out by saying that I love fantasy themes, I love dungeons, I love dragons, and I especially love dice. It's no lie when I say that I'm a dice junky. So Dungeon Roll was a no brainer to me. I had to have it. The kickstarter version is so many levels of awesome!
The game delivers for me on a high level. The theme is very well done. All the characters fit, on both levels. The art work is excellent, and the overall quality of the components is superb. I really couldn't ask for anything to be better. With that said, let's get to the meat of this review, GAME PLAY.
I played my first game as the Crusader, and to get acquainted with the rules and phases of play, I played while reading the rule book. One play through was enough to pick up the rules as the overall gameplay is simple to understand. 211
But don't think that I'm calling the game easy, as more often than not you won't make it past level 5 with out strategy and some luck. I didn't score very well on my first play through
My next two games I just kept the Crusader. This helped me understand the strategy of the game, and to pay attention to decisions I made rather than blazing through them. I managed to score 24 points in the last game I played as the Crusader.
Over the course of my next several games, I played as the Guild Leader (Kickstarter character), the Scout (expansion pack character), and the Knight. Playing with different characters showed my the depth of the game, and no game felt the same. The different skills and abilities of each character are awesome, and to really score points you have to level up and use their abilities wisely. I did manage a 22 point game with the Scout (very interesting specialty), and I squeaked out a 30 point game with the Knight.
Now as with any dice rolling game, luck plays a major role, but not a single Legendary Champion became legendary with out some luck. It's going to happen, sometimes you'll roll badly, sometimes you'll roll good, and sometimes you just get lucky. But even the lucky rolls can be screwed up if you make bad decisions. My biggest piece of advice: DON'T FOCUS ON JUST YOUR DICE, USE YOUR HERO AND TREASURE WISELY! A leveled up hero can usually push from level 6 to 7, or level 7 to 8 using little or no dice.
Well, that's all I've got for now. Maybe I'm a little biased because I'm a dice junky, but I give Dungeon Roll a solid 8 out of 10. It's fun, it's easy to learn, and it's quick to play, but it won't hit every gamer's style. 528