Board game - Dungeon Twister

[Ottmeister X]

Anyone played this? It seems to have received some fairly good reviews and I'm contemplating about purchasing it.

[Spiff]

I like it a lot, but there's a lot of people complaining that it's not "light" enough to be a dungeon crawl. It's very much a thinking man's game, like chess but less abstract, as opposed to giant dice fests and general slaughtery that a lot of other dungeon crawl games seem to be. Opinions on the game seem to be fairly polarized, between people that like the thinking aspect of it versus the people that found it a bit dull, but it's slanted higher towards people liking it.

Just be warned that it's a fairly heavy game, and not very "beer and pretzel"-y, and if it still appeals to you, then go for it. Like I said, I like it a lot. If you want to lighten it some, replace the combat cards with a D6. Rules and such are available online, and www.boardgamegeek.com probably has a ton more I can tell you. Also, a small caveat, if you're addicted to expansions, your wallet may take a hit, because so far there are 5 expansions planned for this game (only 1, Paladins and Dragons, released so far in the States).

I'd also recommend Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation, for a similar combat resolution mechanic and characters with a special power mechanic.

[Ottmeister X]

I think that's what I have read about it. I'm assuming that if I have enjoyed games like Fortress America, Shogun, Supremacy, and Diplomacy, along with playing D&D back in my youthful days, that I would probably enjoy this game. I can get the first two sets on-line for around $35, not including the more expensive figurines.

[Spiff]

I'd recommend going for the base set first, see if you like it, and then get the second one. Unless you're concerned about shipping, or you're fairly confident about liking, then go ahead and get both.

Hope you have fun!

[Shellhead]

I read the reviews at BoardGameGeek, and it sounds great! I will give the base set a try soon.

[Ottmeister X]

I bought both sets and enjoyed my first game with my son. He's 14 and was excited to jump right into the expansion set next, but I think we'll hold off until we become a little more well-versed. Rules took me about an hour to really flesh out the game and how everything needed to be setup and run. I was probably tedious about it and it would take others maybe a half-hour to learn. We had to reference the manual, like any new game with rules, but wasn't too difficult to do. I would have no problem recommending the game to people who enjoy D&D type environments. Upside that might appeal to many people, very little randomness involved. Just in the very beginning when you mix up the rooms and they stay hidden until revealed. Lots of strategy!

By the way, my son beat me so now I'm out for vengeance!

[Shellhead]

Lack of randomness isn't a selling point for me. I don't know why so many people at BoardGameGeek are obsessed with lack of randomness as the holy grail of gaming. To me, lack of randomness can easily become lack of replay value.

[Ottmeister X]

Lack of randomness isn't a selling point for me. I don't know why so many people at BoardGameGeek are obsessed with lack of randomness as the holy grail of gaming. To me, lack of randomness can easily become lack of replay value.

Randomness has never really bothered me either, considering I was playing the Mexican Train Game a few times over the weekend. To me, nothing beats a good card game.

I can see where DT appeals to those who don't like a dice roll or a drawn card controlling things. There is still randomness involved in how the tiles are laid down and how your opponent places your hidden markers once a room has been revealed. The game has some good replay value from what I can tell. For the $20 I spent versus some of those $50 board games you can take a chance on, it's money well-spent.

[Spiff]

I read once in a developer interview for the game Duel of Ages (my favorite boardgame, yes, beating Catan, Caylus, Carcassonne, et al) that they strove for a game that's 20% luck, meaning, that somebody who's playing the game for the first time has about a 20% chance of beating a veteran through sheer luck.

I think that's a pretty good philosophy, because without that luck element, a lot of games would devolve into chess, where it's only fun when the skill levels are relatively close together. But then again, if you have too much luck (see: Munchkin), you hardly feel in control, and victories aren't satisfying.

Not to mention that luck element makes for those great underdog moments.