Descent Board Game Review - Shedding Some Light On Descent: Journeys in the Dark

Descent: Journeys in the Dark is an extremely popular fantasy/rpg board game developed by Fantasy Flight Games. It is for 2-5 players, but is best suited for groups of 3 or more. Often described as a 'dungeon-crawl,' the Descent board pits the evil Overlord (1 player) against 4 heroes (the remaining players) in an epic battle of Good vs. Evil. The Heroes goal is to reach the end of the dungeon and slay a particular boss, while the Overlord's goal is to use various tricks, traps, and monsters to slay the Heroes.

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There are 20 Heroes to choose from, each with different attributes (Health, Fatigue, Armor, Movement), traits (melee combat proficiency, ranged combat proficiency, and magic proficiency), special abilities, and starting skills. Each Hero starts with 3 random skill cards and 300 gold for equipment. They also begin the game with 5 Conquest Tokens.

Conquest Tokens are gained and lost as the Heroes progress through the dungeon. Dying causes the Hero to lose 1-4 Conquest Tokens, while opening a chest or activating a glyph will cause the Hero to gain 2-4 Conquest Tokens. There are many other ways to both gain and lose Conquest Tokens, but it is important to realize that if the Heroes ever run out of Conquest Tokens, the game ends and the Overlord is victorious!

Combat is quick and easy to understand. Each weapon has a specific range and dice color associated with it. Simply roll the associated dice to simulate your attack. Depending on your roll, you will either hit the monster or, if you're unlucky, miss it. To determine if you actually hurt the monster, take the damage you rolled and subtract the monsters armor. This is how much damage you have actually caused. When the monsters health is reduced to 0, it dies.

Descent Board Game Review - What You Get In The Descent: Journey in the Dark Core Set

The Descent Core Set contains everything you need to start playing Descent (except for other players!). It is pricey, but everything is made of extremely durable, high-quality materials. So what is included in the Descent board game core set?

•  Rulebook
•  1 Quest Guide
•  20 Hero Sheets
•  20 Plastic Heroes
•  60 Plastic Monsters
•  12 Custom Dice
•  61 Map Pieces
•  180 Cards
•  10 Door Markers
•  Hundreds of other tokens and markers

Descent Board Game Review - Overall Impression of Descent: Journeys in the Dark

Although it is not without its problems, Descent: Journeys in the Dark is an excellent board game. Its simplified combat and mechanics make it an easy game to learn, while its high production values make it a great introduction to fantasy board games.

Quests are quite lengthy - which can be both good and bad. There are 10 quests included in the Core Set, and you can realistically expect to spend 4-6 hours going through each one. Your first few run throughs will take even longer as you will probably need to consult the rulebook on more than one occasion. Expansion sets are available, so Descent offers tons of replayability - you won't be running out of quests any time soon!

Game flow and balance is a bit off, at least until the Heroes acquire better weapons and treasures. The Overlord definitely starts off with an advantage, and can annihilate some of the weaker Heroes at will (if s/he so chooses!). This can lead to multiple trips to town and not much action. However, once the Heroes gear up, they become much more powerful and the pace picks up quite a bit.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark is one of the best fantasy/rpg board games ever produced. Epic quests, intuitive game mechanics, and addictive gameplay make for an exciting adventure. The game rewards cooperation and strategic play, making it great for groups of 3-5 players. If you're a fan of fantasy or rpg board games, Descent: Journeys in the Dark is a must have!

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