"Descent Board Game" Topic

Hi Guys I don't have Descent but I'm thinking of getting it and using Hasslefree's newest adventurer's

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to use as heroes it sounds like the sort of thing they would do – so my question is would it work?

oops bad link, sorry. here you go

TMP link

Some of the archetypes are basic enough to fit a wide range of figs. I enjoyed Descent but the constant combat slog fest turned me off a bit. Think Hero Quest with about 10 times as much fighting.

Maybe..maybe not. Do you mean the meddling kids or the adventurer collection that includes Bubba and Rose? Which ones do you have?

From my experience you'd have to change so much with Descent mechanics either case- characters, equipment, etc. that I think it would be too much work and you'd only end up using the tiles and monsters. The dice used in my opinion aren't easily converted to other things.

Do you want other suggestions beyond Descent? There's a lot of skirmish rulesets out there that would fulfill either a meddling kids game or a shotgun and katana game.

I mean the meddling kids and yes please other suggestions are most welcome but I don't want to outlay a lot of money, niether do I have room to store loads of scenery and it has to be in spirit of said kids.

To be honest I don't know the game, just by the reviews and it was the tiles and monsters and card system that attracted me.

But please do advise on other options, thanks very much. Options are appreciated.

For a meddling kids game I'd recommend .45 Adventure. Disclaimer- I know the game designer very well, however I feel it has the following things going for it:

1) The game is setup around a small play area. Alot of the scenarios are around a 2x2 area so in that respect it is akin to boardgame space and would require less game terrain. To save on money you may want to look at some of the professional looking paper terrain out now. (I never thought I'd say that )

2) It is geared around scenario based play with encounter markers and random events. You can tweak the events to something like finding clues or running into the bad guys. You can also set it up as a solo game.

3) The character archetypes have different skills and these situational skills can be applied across the meddling kids to allow some better chances of succeeding at certain event based challenges. And you can probably make up additional skills if you'd like geared around a specific scenario.

4) High level heroic characters don't die, they just end up "unconscious". In the spirit of the type of game you're looking for, this fits the bill perfectly.

Thanks for that – I'm afriad I couldn't build paper terrain if my life depended on it LOL. So that means getting loads of scenery – hmmm I'll think about it thanks

Anybody else got any comments on Descent as an option?

Sorry Doctor…I didn't fathom that you were talking about the Scrooby Drew gang. I was thinking of the dwarven warrior, etc.

Yeah, I can't really envision the Scrooby Gang wandering around slaughtering goblins and giant spiders and undeads and stuff…

You could use the Scooby gang for "Betrayal at the House on the Hill" ( a ver fun little horror game by Avalon Hill)

They would be right at home in Betrayal, but you'd really need to find a Scrappy Doo figure for the endgame, once he shucks his disguise. Everybody knows that miserable SOB (and I use the term literally) is always the traitor. :)

Descent, though…decent dungeon crawl game, but not so helpful for the Gang.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, Betrayal looks good except for that betrayal thing – It would be ideal except for that – maybe I could adjust it somehow – I guess nearly all the scooby tales include some one dressing up as a ghost, hmmm

Anyone know if it could be tweeked a bit? I always think a good guide is if it might be played solo

It ought to work fine.

Descent's a weird game – kind of a boardgame version of a computer game version of a paper-and-pencil RPG…
-Kle.

Every time I look at it, I back off. Does anyone know the scale of the figs? I really don't want yet another scale (which is what put me off Halo and Mutant Chronicles CMG).

They look about 25mm to me. Possibly nearer 20. Of course, the non-humanoid monsters are pretty scale-agnostic.

The tallest humans are 25mm to the eyes. Painting them up has been a huge challenge for me as I've grown used to GW, Reaper, and VFM figures over the last few years.

I wouldn't use Descent for anything other than a dungeon crawl. It is built around non-stop combat. You can include some other challenges if you write up the scenario correctly, but it's basically hack & slash.

Fun game though!

Try When Darkness Comes. A mixture of roll and figure gaming, works very well. They have lots of expansions out too

Yeah, the adventurer figs are true 25mm. The parts are great for any dungeon crawl game.

I purchased Descent with hi hopes, painted the figures, built 3D terrain and discovered after only a couple plays that it just doesnt capture the Dungeon Hack feel. Its a running fight that incourages rapid movement and a rush to the final engagement. Try and approach your game with a more subtle, search and secure mentality and you are sure to lose. After 4 different scenarios that seemed remarkably similar in gameplay, no matter the attempt at diversity, it lost its lure. I sold it on Ebay for a nice profit, thankfully someone appreciated my painted figs.

After selling the thing it occured to me that something like an X-Crawl sort of approach, wherein each scenario is a sort of Fantasy sporting event might bring new life into the thing, give a rhyme and reason to some of the factors that in a traditional dungeon adventure sense, just dont make sense. MIght try it again some day, who knows.

I think I prefer Doom:The Boardgame to Descent, but that might be because I prefer the Sci-Fi setting to the Fantasy. Or possibly because I'm playing the Invader player in our current Doom campaign, unlike Descent, where I'm playing an adventurer, and getting swamped by the Monsters . Back to town about 5 times so far, and only reached the second area in the first dungeon.

Exactly – In DOOM the pace of the game, identical to Descent, makes sense as its essentially an ESCAPE situation. It gels with our vision of the situation wherein the soldiers are frantically running through the complex, hassled by critters at every corner, trying to get somewhere as quickly as they can – just what we rememeber from the video game. In Descent however, we call upon our memories and the conventional dungeon crawl and we invision our heroes slinking their way through gloomy halls, looking for traps and hearing the moan of distant threats before them. This isnt Descent at all. Perhaps if the storyline was different, say presented similarly to the flight from Moria or something, it would work. As it is though, its just kind of wierd.

I have made the Hirst Arts Descent Layout available as a kit for $89.00. It replaces the card board tiles with 3-d tiles.

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Also just available now I added tile kits for the two expansions: Well of Darkness and Altar of Despair. These are all available separately or as a single kit for $127.00.

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Feel free to email me any questions at:

imartin@castlekits.com