Descent: Legends of the Dark Review - Enter the Digi-Dungeon

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[cauldronofsoop]

Quinns:"Can I be candid with you for a second?"
Fantasy Flight: *Gained +7 Sweat Tokens*

[HelloFutureMe]

A huge number of games have basically tried to mimic D&D but in a board game without a DM, and I feel like half the time they lose what the board game framework is good at while still missing what makes D&D special.

[Nixitur]

Quinns dressing up as a wizard and talking about Descent, it's like 2011 all over again.

[Qwarky]

I kept listening to Quinns describing the mechanics and the app and all I could think of was "Why is this a board game? What's the purpose of the board if everything is actually happening and has to be input in an app? Isn't this functionally more of a mobile game, with a companion board for colour?"

[kiruppert]

It looks like, instead of a board game enhanced with an app, this is a mobile game burdened down by cardboard greebles.

[SlayerOfWorlds]

Human loading bar.... that is this game in a nutshell, greatest three word description of all time

[golgarisoul]

Gloomhaven is cheaper than this? Damn, that's the most damning sentence in this entire review.

[MichaelZipkin]

You guys really blew your entire special effects budget on this one episode. Well played.

[steve]

Everything that I've heard about this game makes me think it would be a pretty decent video game. I mean, they're basically halfway there with the app. I just feel like the seemingly slightly tedious gameplay mechanics would be a lot more tolerable without the incredibly tedious setup of each section of each scenario. It may just be a sign that I'm getting old, but all I can think is "ain't nobody got time for that".

[CoronaMobius]

19:40 Leigh spittin' facts.

It's nice to finally have a review that doesn't sugarcoat the fact that this game is 90% technology and 10% gameplay.

[kev_whatev]

Wow this started out so promising, and turned into a brutal beatdown

[moltenboyo]

Ironically these miniatures and terrain would be fucking incredible for a dnd campaign that sounds much more fun than this game

[cowgba]

When this game was revealed my first thought was "what is the point of having so much folded cardboard terrain?" I assumed it must affect combat in a big way, like taking cover behind pillars, or climbing trees, or the cauldron example Quinns came up with. Finding out that the terrain is mostly just glorified gathering points is incredibly underwhelming. I can't help but roll my eyes when I think that the box is so large mostly to hold terrain. which it seems would be just as effective as a single punchboard of flat tokens.

Thanks for this review Quinns, with all the hype this game has been getting I was starting to feel tempted to buy it. Your review pretty much confirmed my worst suspicions and I think you've saved me a purchase.

[poliboy]

One of the best reviews for a boardgame. Not holding back. Honest. Even the funny comments deliver a meaningful message. Subbed.

[RyanEdwardsVA]

I don't think I've ever seen a more diametrically opposed review between SU&SD and No Pun Included. NPI gave an absolutely glowing review, putting the game on par (though they noted in the comments, as a different experience than) Gloomhaven, Efka saying he literally can't remember the last time he had this much fun with an adventure game. That's absolutely wild to me, and even having watched both reviews, I couldn't put my thumb precisely on why they came out with such different experiences. I suspect I'd have to play the game myself to figure that out, but being as the consistent criticism between the reviews is "holy crap, that's expensive, " I don't think that's a curiosity I'll be indulging any time soon.

[watcherfox]

“Board game publishers, stop making games that come in cubes”

Yes. As someone that uses public transportation to get around and always has to pack my games to other places to play them, I really dislike the trend of games coming in bigger boxes.

[jesseclark]

Nothing kills my interest in a board game like "But look at all the pretty pieces!" That just means you're spending even more time with a game you don't enjoy.

[Hawkster]

Honestly, at that point of app integration you might as well just play a video game. The app doing everything for you short of set up completely defeats the purpose of a board game. Hell, it even does RPing for you. Just play something like Divinity Original Sin 2 with MP, or if you wanna get old school play Baldurs Gate 2 with six people.

[leannesilvestro]

I think my fave line was “well well well” at the end. It’s always the tiny things that make me chuckle the most!

[StefanSochinsky]

If they've already gone so far with the app, why didn't they just finish it and turn it into an ACTUAL video game?

(Edit: The question was rhetorical)