Descent: Journeys In The Dark

“Quite in-depth, but setup time could be a problem for some.”

Description:

“Descent: Journeys in the Dark,” is a dungeon crawl game using modular boards and scenarios. One player acts as the dungeon master while the others take on the roles of adventurers cooperatively exploring a fantasy dungeon. The game is set in Fantasy Flight’s Terrinoth universe (the same as used for Runebound) and was designed by Kevin Wilson.

The first thing you notice about Descent is that it is a BIG game. Sometimes a big box means a lot of empty space. This is not the case with Descent because literally every nook and cranny is filled with game playing goodness. It is stuffed it with figures, cards, tiles and tokens. There are 60 plastic monster figures in here, ranging from skeletons to giants, it even has demons and the dragons. There are two colors of monster figures, which are red and white. Red monsters are your “elite”, or “master” monsters. The white monster figures are just your basic monsters with no real special, or additional traits. There are also 20 plastic hero figures that you have to choose from and those are a wide range of characters which are comprised of good and evil.

Also inside the box is 61 map pieces representing the hallways and rooms of the dungeon. They fit together like puzzle pieces, allowing you great freedom in building your dungeon. There is also the inclusion of pits, water, rubble, stairs, and other fun little traps. The dungeon doors are inserted into little stands to divide up the dungeon and also act as a sort of “fog of war.”

Most of the information in Descent is kept track of with tokens. There are tokens for the health and fatigue  of heroes. Other tokens track how much money your character has. Certain monsters and effects might afflict you with one or more status tokens, such as webbed, burn, or poison. Conquest tokens track how well the heroes are doing, while Threat tokens are use by the Overlord to power his/her abilities.

Each hero has a character sheet, while each monster has its stats on specific cards. Other cards list the special talents heroes may learn. Item cards cover store bought items as well as the magic items found in chests. Finally, there is the Overlord’s deck which contains the various powers, traps, summons, and effects the Overlord is able to use during game play.

And as with every good dungeon crawl, there are the dice. Descent comes with a dozen custom six-sided dice. The three base dice are red, blue, and white, and they refer to Melee, Ranged and Magic attacks. There are two each of the modifier dice, and those are green and yellow. They represent extra damage and range respectively. Each dice face contains some combination of damage, range, and surges; the red, blue, and white die each have an “X” on one face, indicating a missed attack. There are also five black power dice, or bonus dice. These have one blank face, two faces with a single surge, and three faces that add one to range or damage.

Also there are two books: one that is the rules, and one that is the quest guide and is used specifically by the Dungeon Master.

So, how is this game played?

Descent is kind of like Dungeons & Dragons in a way. One player is the Overlord, otherwise known as the Dungeon Master and the other one to four players are the heroes. Each hero player randomly selects a hero , or by choice is the Overlord deems it okay. And the Overlord controls all the monsters, traps, maps, and story in the dungeon.

Now, this is the part that is a bit tedious, and may turn off some players. Descents game setup is longer than most games. First, a quest must be selected by the Overlord from the Quest Guide. Each quest has a map to lay out with the tiles, monsters and obstacles to place, and flavor text giving the quest background and brief descriptions of each area. The Overlord is responsible for all monsters, and also draws two cards from a special deck each turn. A typical setup time is at least 10 minutes a map, maybe more for the more involved ones. Luckily you don’t have to set up every single thing on the map because if a door is closed on a map then you can’t see into that room. This means that only the room the hero’s are in, or have been in can be seen by the players.

The Overlord accumulates Threat tokens each turn to pay for these cards, and can also discard to gain extra Threat. There are four types of Overlord cards: Spawn cards introduce new monsters into the dungeon with the requirement that the spawned monsters must be placed outside the line of sight of any heroes. Traps are played when trigger conditions are met, such as pits when a hero steps in an empty space, or explosions when a chest is opened; Events give one-time benefits to monsters or penalties to heroes, such as allowing a monster to move twice its speed or make two attacks; Powers are expensive but permanent bonuses to the Overlord, such as allowing an extra card to be drawn each turn.

Each quest has an objective stated at the beginning. Typically, the heroes are trying to kill a Named Monster which is a red colored monster figure and usually has extra traits and bonuses. And in return the Overlord is trying to kill the heroes. Death is not permanent; the hero is returned to town at full health and allowed to re-enter the dungeon next turn. Half of the hero’s accumulated gold is lost, and the heroes lose 2-4 Conquest tokens, depending on the hero. The heroes also start with a set number of Conquest tokens, normally five, and can gain more in chests and by completing certain events. When these run out, the Overlord wins.

Each turn, a hero chooses one of four actions: Battle allows the hero two attacks but no movement; Advance allows the hero to move and make one attack; Run lets the hero do a double move; Ready combines a move or attack with a special order. Movement points are not just for moving on through the grid dungeon they actions, like drinking a potion or opening doors. Monsters are limited to a single move and attack.

Combat is a major part of Descent and is where all those dice come in. The dice rolled in an attack are listed on each weapon and on each monster card. An axe rolls a red and a green, signifying a powerful melee attack, while a bow uses a blue and a yellow die, meaning it is a long range, low damage attack. Additionally, heroes add in power dice if they have any skill in the weapon. As long as an X doesn’t come up, the attack hits. Damage is totaled up and surges are spent to activate the weapon’s special abilities.

Along the way, the heroes will find Copper, Silver, and Gold chests. Opening these chests grant each hero one or more draws from the appropriate treasure deck. Treasures include weapons and armor far more powerful than the store-bought equipment, as well as special items. The Copper treasures represent a slight increase in power, while a Gold weapon can kill even the strongest monster in a single hit.

The treasures are part of the reason Descent works best for one-shot dungeon crawls. A party equipped with Gold treasures would blow through everything in a dungeon, preventing the Overlord from ever gaining traction. There are campaign rules presented in the game, but they are limited to giving heroes more starting gold as they win more quests, but also giving the Overlord bonuses to keep pace.

Final Thoughts

The quests are designed to be played in order, with each quest introducing new monsters and elements to the game. Descent is not a short game, with quests typically lasting around four hours. The first few times you play the game play will be longer than normal, but usually once you remember all the rules and get the setting up down to an art this time will change. This time figure also doesn’t include quests that the heroes lose. Players will usually get beaten once or twice before they’re able to figure out how best to win the quest.

The game’s biggest obstacle is how it balances out. The game starts out pretty balanced, with the heroes at a minor disadvantage. As you find treasure chests and gain new cards, things will start to tip more toward the heroes. Eventually though, the heros will become almost unstoppable. Thus, most wins by an Overlord are early in the game. And it’s kind of anti-climatic when the heros can defeat the final boss before he even gets a chance to act.

Overall, I definitely recommend Descent. It’s a fun way to spend a day when you have some time to kill. It’s a good group game. The nine quests included should keep a group busy for a while, and after that, there are several quests online, you can create your own, and even check out the many expansions that are out in stores.

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