Hi, I'm part of the Ludic Dragon team, I'm co-author of the second adventure book as well as the mini-book The Oracle of Snake Island. I really, really enjoyed this review. I find it very deep and I can tell that you really bothered to study the game. I hope you keep enjoying it for many more hours, as the whole Ludic Dragon testing team does. I wish you all the best. I, of course, have subscribed to your channel. Seeing how you work I want to see more of your videos.
Love your tone and your relaxed, but passionate voice about it all. Thanks for covering this game. I look forward to checking out your other stuff. (Also, your video editing is on point. Great job.)
We have been playing 5ish quests with me as a Dark Player against a group of 4 players and are having a blast. So far almost all of the quests were really close - with me knocking out and injuring players and them sometimes getting the win just in time! Love that knocking out players have real consequences and can result in losing a caracter while at the same time losing a quest doesnt end the game or force you to replay the quest untill the heroes win it. And that there are no snowball effect like there were in the Descent campaign. Great review btw!
Really enjoyed the break down. If Dungeon Universalis doesn't make your top 5 dungeon crawlers, I'm curious as to what games would make that list, or even your top 10?
I did a video 2 years ago or so of my top 10 crawls, which you can find on my channel...that said I am planning on redoing it, because my feelings have definitely changed. Wander, Dungeon Alliance and Middara would def remain in the top 5, the rest of the list...who knows. I know for sure several would fall out.
I think the game is fantastic. Been playing it for over a year. I love that the character creation and the bestiary books are just so extense you can play whatever you want. You could play a party of evil characters: dark elves, orcs, gnolls, and raid human castles, or high elves. If you visit evil aligned cities you get bonuses and the opposite for good cities. I personally made a map for the Sword Coast, setting the different regions and towns and what facilities each offer: Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate, Candlekeep, also underdark cities for evil characters. And in the process of making a map for Warhammer's Old World. The app has been discontinued but the website can generate random escenarios. Let's raid a barbarian outpost, or let's raid a wood elf camp. The only limiting thing is that these random games always have the same objective (defeat the enemy leader) but the expansión will prolly give different options. Your characters slowly progress and magic is scarce. It's easy to fall in a mission and even then there's a chance your character is not lost. It can be wounded permanently Or it may be made prisoner and you can pay a ransom for him. Or you can raid the site again to rescue him. My only gripe is the art direction. It's pretty hit and miss. Some images/drawings are great. Some are terrible. The art design is a bit rough in my opinion (specially card templates).
@@HungryGamerReviews There's a section in the rules where you can assemble random escenarios (page 106). Basically you start with 6 corridor tiles and 6 rooms: 4 normal ones, one big, and the main room. You draw 3 special elements and 3 furniture elements (six in total, one for each room). For every hero over 3 add 2 rooms, 2 corridor tiles and 1 furniture and 1 special feature for those 2 rooms. You introduce your party's Value Points and the website just uses those rules and generates the dungeon so you dont have to go through the hassle. You can unveil it 1 room at a time while playing with the "Automatic Dark Player" (the game's AI) so you dont know the layout of the dungeon. It can even add secret rooms, etc. The website will also reserve dark points for the enemy leader and will tell you how many points the enemy has left. You have the AI rules to place and play enemies and play trap cards etc. It's pretty awesome. We use it all the time.
Also, in the new KS, you got something wrong. You can get the new tiles without the standees as a different addon: Tile Set II (its 19 euros in Europe). Those are used in the Campaign & Quest Book III (included in the New Challenges Expansion) so I made sure to grab them. There is a Tile Set I + Standees Set I addon so maybe you confused both.
Great and spot on review! You actually took time to learn the game and play the campaign, a lot of other reviewers don't seem to find time for it and it's a shame as the game continues to be a bit underground. You and Callasmar did it justice. Kudos! I agree on the standees, the art is good, just not cut to really shine. So if you have other kickstarter games, It's better to raid minis from those. I think League of Dungeoneers will have great ones though that can be used here also. I think it's good that they separate them in the new KS.
I'm a huge fan of DUN and backed 1$ for the expansion. This is one of my top 5 games of all time. I didn't only enjoyed playing, but also adored every aspect of it, even its rough edges. I feel it's the most precious game of my small collection. But...the kickstarter campaign - and this strictly my personal opinion and maybe unpopular one too - was a near miss for me. While previous versions were more than generous, i can't help but feel that expansion's expensive for what it is. And on top of that - and that's what made me hesitating about it - i'm not really sure what i'll end up getting. I find update images too low res, there's no actual gameplay of the expansion, not even mockups of what's new and i've found myself struggling to make an educated decision with so little information. Don't get me wrong, i think DUN is a must buy for everyone who wants a deep dive into a rich world with mechanisms that make sense and i'm 100% sure that Oscar and his team will deliver another great experience. I just wish it was better presented. There are still some days left, i'm trying to absorb as much info as i can find, hoping there's something i missed:). Wonderful review, many thanks!
Great video! Did you happen to get the large monster cards? I heard that simplified the setup quite a bit. Sidebar, I’ll take those standees off your hands if you still have ‘em 😀
When discussing saving. I am thinking of tainted grail. I used to take pictures of every tile and each menier in order to save. Had to refer to the pictures.
There’s also plans for official skirmish pvp rules with a dark player in an upcoming expansion. Some players are already trying this with a couple house rules.
This is simply an RPG system in a box. Should note that the campaign map in the core box is one of 9 or 12 maps of the continent. Each expansion over time will have another section of the world.
Of this? No. I do not currently have a plan for a playthrough. If channel members asked for it then I'll do it. But currently my next play through are Tales from the Red Dragon Inn, and Monasterium solo, and a cross channel Dungeon Alliance
I was so torn between this and League of Dungeoneers, but I ended up with LoD. It seemed just a tad bit simpler, developed for coop instead of 1vsMany (yes, I know you can play DUN solo as well) It is just around the corner. Should be delivering in Q1 or early Q2. Hope I made the correct decision... every now and then, I look at the DUN pledge/kickstarter page, wishing for it. Haha! FOMO is real!
@@HungryGamerReviews That would be amazing to see a comparison! It looks like both of these game boxes can be "used for workouts", haha! Similar weight, both have lots of standees and tiles... but the game itself is hard to gauge without having actually played it.
I also backed League of Dungeoneers. It looks great, it seems to be simpler in some areas and more complex in others (for example tracking arrows and armor damage). But I like that, they are both really crunchy, almost a simulation! I think League of Dungeoneers have the best standees ever. But DUN has great art all over that LoD doesn't have. Also DUN is more battle tested and has a fully fledged lore behind it, with a novel going to be translated. In sum I think both are great and different enough to get both :). I can see League of Dungeoneers having other editions, (like DUN) maybe with more art in the future. It's a great time to be a dungeon crawler fan!
Very good, on the point review. There is only one thing about DUN i do not like: the tokens! There are not enough tokens, and the Quality could be better.
Yeah. I pretty much have eschewed tokens that come w dungeon crawls for the most part. I have a stash of tokens and dice that I keep on my table and use those
@@HungryGamerReviews lol that works very well for you :P and to be honest I almost backed the first kickstarter but dropped out and had regret then tis second one comes through and I backed a dollar and then went nahhh..... so its not like I wasent almost there anyway lol
This game is intriguing to me, but my biggest concern is that it's one of those games that you set up and play until you put it all away and then it's so much to get out, that you don't want to deal with it, despite actually wanting to play it.
That's why I leave my games on the table for periods of time, like a week or two. And if it's a big setup I set it up and then leave it until I want to play.
I don't think it is necessarily any worse than any other crawler, P0ck below has the right idea. I usually put one out and leave it out for at least a week. Then it does go away for a while. It is def a challenge.
Hi, I'm part of the Ludic Dragon team, I'm co-author of the second adventure book as well as the mini-book The Oracle of Snake Island. I really, really enjoyed this review. I find it very deep and I can tell that you really bothered to study the game. I hope you keep enjoying it for many more hours, as the whole Ludic Dragon testing team does. I wish you all the best. I, of course, have subscribed to your channel. Seeing how you work I want to see more of your videos.
Well thank you for checking it out! I just upgraded my pledge to get all the story and map tiles. Looking forward to playing this more
I adore your game!
Love your tone and your relaxed, but passionate voice about it all. Thanks for covering this game. I look forward to checking out your other stuff. (Also, your video editing is on point. Great job.)
Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it and might be back for more
We have been playing 5ish quests with me as a Dark Player against a group of 4 players and are having a blast. So far almost all of the quests were really close - with me knocking out and injuring players and them sometimes getting the win just in time! Love that knocking out players have real consequences and can result in losing a caracter while at the same time losing a quest doesnt end the game or force you to replay the quest untill the heroes win it. And that there are no snowball effect like there were in the Descent campaign.
Great review btw!
Thank you.
Some day I will try it w a human dark player
Really enjoyed the break down. If Dungeon Universalis doesn't make your top 5 dungeon crawlers, I'm curious as to what games would make that list, or even your top 10?
I did a video 2 years ago or so of my top 10 crawls, which you can find on my channel...that said I am planning on redoing it, because my feelings have definitely changed. Wander, Dungeon Alliance and Middara would def remain in the top 5, the rest of the list...who knows. I know for sure several would fall out.
@@HungryGamerReviews Thank you!
I think the game is fantastic. Been playing it for over a year. I love that the character creation and the bestiary books are just so extense you can play whatever you want. You could play a party of evil characters: dark elves, orcs, gnolls, and raid human castles, or high elves. If you visit evil aligned cities you get bonuses and the opposite for good cities.
I personally made a map for the Sword Coast, setting the different regions and towns and what facilities each offer: Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate, Candlekeep, also underdark cities for evil characters. And in the process of making a map for Warhammer's Old World.
The app has been discontinued but the website can generate random escenarios. Let's raid a barbarian outpost, or let's raid a wood elf camp. The only limiting thing is that these random games always have the same objective (defeat the enemy leader) but the expansión will prolly give different options.
Your characters slowly progress and magic is scarce. It's easy to fall in a mission and even then there's a chance your character is not lost. It can be wounded permanently Or it may be made prisoner and you can pay a ransom for him. Or you can raid the site again to rescue him.
My only gripe is the art direction. It's pretty hit and miss. Some images/drawings are great. Some are terrible. The art design is a bit rough in my opinion (specially card templates).
Didn't know about the random encounters. That's cool
@@HungryGamerReviews There's a section in the rules where you can assemble random escenarios (page 106). Basically you start with 6 corridor tiles and 6 rooms: 4 normal ones, one big, and the main room. You draw 3 special elements and 3 furniture elements (six in total, one for each room). For every hero over 3 add 2 rooms, 2 corridor tiles and 1 furniture and 1 special feature for those 2 rooms.
You introduce your party's Value Points and the website just uses those rules and generates the dungeon so you dont have to go through the hassle. You can unveil it 1 room at a time while playing with the "Automatic Dark Player" (the game's AI) so you dont know the layout of the dungeon. It can even add secret rooms, etc. The website will also reserve dark points for the enemy leader and will tell you how many points the enemy has left. You have the AI rules to place and play enemies and play trap cards etc. It's pretty awesome. We use it all the time.
Also, in the new KS, you got something wrong. You can get the new tiles without the standees as a different addon: Tile Set II (its 19 euros in Europe). Those are used in the Campaign & Quest Book III (included in the New Challenges Expansion) so I made sure to grab them. There is a Tile Set I + Standees Set I addon so maybe you confused both.
Ah. Good to know. If you have a timestamp I can add a sub easily. If not I'll try to find it later
Great and spot on review! You actually took time to learn the game and play the campaign, a lot of other reviewers don't seem to find time for it and it's a shame as the game continues to be a bit underground. You and Callasmar did it justice. Kudos! I agree on the standees, the art is good, just not cut to really shine. So if you have other kickstarter games, It's better to raid minis from those. I think League of Dungeoneers will have great ones though that can be used here also. I think it's good that they separate them in the new KS.
Looking forward to comparing this and LoD. I have that coming!
And ty much
I'm a huge fan of DUN and backed 1$ for the expansion. This is one of my top 5 games of all time. I didn't only enjoyed playing, but also adored every aspect of it, even its rough edges. I feel it's the most precious game of my small collection. But...the kickstarter campaign - and this strictly my personal opinion and maybe unpopular one too - was a near miss for me. While previous versions were more than generous, i can't help but feel that expansion's expensive for what it is. And on top of that - and that's what made me hesitating about it - i'm not really sure what i'll end up getting. I find update images too low res, there's no actual gameplay of the expansion, not even mockups of what's new and i've found myself struggling to make an educated decision with so little information. Don't get me wrong, i think DUN is a must buy for everyone who wants a deep dive into a rich world with mechanisms that make sense and i'm 100% sure that Oscar and his team will deliver another great experience. I just wish it was better presented. There are still some days left, i'm trying to absorb as much info as i can find, hoping there's something i missed:). Wonderful review, many thanks!
I'll admit I backed the new stuff solely based on my feeling for the original
Also, thanks a lot for this review. Been thinking about this game and system a lot and great to have your thoughts
Thanks for watching. There is definitely a LOT to think about here.
The character creation is terrific.
You can do a complete custom game of thrones campaign. I even made Danareas with dragon pets.
That's awesome. Super awesome.
Great video! Did you happen to get the large monster cards? I heard that simplified the setup quite a bit.
Sidebar, I’ll take those standees off your hands if you still have ‘em 😀
looks like some one has claimed them...I do not have large monster cards I do not think
When discussing saving.
I am thinking of tainted grail.
I used to take pictures of every tile and each menier in order to save. Had to refer to the pictures.
Yeah I've resorted to using post it's lol
There’s also plans for official skirmish pvp rules with a dark player in an upcoming expansion. Some players are already trying this with a couple house rules.
Oh that's interesting
@@HungryGamerReviews I should say, with A.I. Dark Player and skirmish PvP. They were buzzing about it on the DUN FB group. Sounds really neat!
"There is a rule for everything" - Good! That's how it should be. If it's too complicated then there's always Heroquest.
BOOM! always good to have games on opposite ends of the spectrum like that.
This is simply an RPG system in a box.
Should note that the campaign map in the core box is one of 9 or 12 maps of the continent. Each expansion over time will have another section of the world.
Wow i had not heard that about the maps. That is awesome. Cheers
oh i didn't know that at all! That is cool
@Gankatron 5000 GREAT TIP!!!
RPG lite, but yeh. The good thing is... you dont need a DM. Got some friends. Take it out, set it up and lets go...
@@LohnPondai heck...don't have any friends? Take it out and let's go! That's what I did the other day 😂😆
Great review! You nailed it!
I try!
Are you still planning on doing a play through? Bairnt made promises of more content.
Of this? No. I do not currently have a plan for a playthrough. If channel members asked for it then I'll do it. But currently my next play through are
Tales from the Red Dragon Inn, and Monasterium solo, and a cross channel Dungeon Alliance
I was so torn between this and League of Dungeoneers, but I ended up with LoD. It seemed just a tad bit simpler, developed for coop instead of 1vsMany (yes, I know you can play DUN solo as well) It is just around the corner. Should be delivering in Q1 or early Q2. Hope I made the correct decision... every now and then, I look at the DUN pledge/kickstarter page, wishing for it. Haha! FOMO is real!
I have LoD coming as well. I may do a comparison video
@@HungryGamerReviews Do it. Pleeaassseeeee
@@HungryGamerReviews That would be amazing to see a comparison! It looks like both of these game boxes can be "used for workouts", haha! Similar weight, both have lots of standees and tiles... but the game itself is hard to gauge without having actually played it.
Been watching the videos about LoD. So much similar and so much different at the same time.
I think my copy is arriving in February
I also backed League of Dungeoneers. It looks great, it seems to be simpler in some areas and more complex in others (for example tracking arrows and armor damage). But I like that, they are both really crunchy, almost a simulation! I think League of Dungeoneers have the best standees ever. But DUN has great art all over that LoD doesn't have. Also DUN is more battle tested and has a fully fledged lore behind it, with a novel going to be translated. In sum I think both are great and different enough to get both :). I can see League of Dungeoneers having other editions, (like DUN) maybe with more art in the future. It's a great time to be a dungeon crawler fan!
Very good, on the point review. There is only one thing about DUN i do not like: the tokens! There are not enough tokens, and the Quality could be better.
Yeah. I pretty much have eschewed tokens that come w dungeon crawls for the most part. I have a stash of tokens and dice that I keep on my table and use those
Super informative review!
Hope it helps you decide if you want to dive in to just about the most complicated game I've ever played.
Great review!
Thanks for watching
I think that "However...." just inspired me to sell the pledge I'm currently waiting for...
Hope you get your pledge amount back! People who love it LOVE it. And life is too short for non perfect games
@@HungryGamerReviewsWow - I'm still watching and you replied to that!
@@danderson5084 that's the kind of service you get here
@@HungryGamerReviewsHaha - excellent!
@@danderson5084 so gonna keep it?
Also did you check out league of dungeoneers?
Wow!! Looks awesome!
Such a beast. You can use the box in your workouts
@@HungryGamerReviews sounds like a challenge
@@NinjaGeekGames definitely is
Run a 5k w it swaddled and cradled in your arms like a baby
Arggghhhh had about decided to pass on this now.... I may have to at least get the base game
Pm is open now!!! Or opening soon
@@HungryGamerReviews yeahhh I did the thing lol.
@@jonathanw3199 I take no responsibility for spent money...and full responsibility for any fun had by spending said money! LOL
@@HungryGamerReviews lol that works very well for you :P and to be honest I almost backed the first kickstarter but dropped out and had regret then tis second one comes through and I backed a dollar and then went nahhh..... so its not like I wasent almost there anyway lol
Over 20 min review?? Looks like this game is a hefty one haha!
Honestly. It could have easily been 40 if I tried to dig down into it in detail. So. Much. Happening here.
This game is intriguing to me, but my biggest concern is that it's one of those games that you set up and play until you put it all away and then it's so much to get out, that you don't want to deal with it, despite actually wanting to play it.
That's why I leave my games on the table for periods of time, like a week or two. And if it's a big setup I set it up and then leave it until I want to play.
I don't think it is necessarily any worse than any other crawler, P0ck below has the right idea. I usually put one out and leave it out for at least a week. Then it does go away for a while. It is def a challenge.