An epic board game adventure for people with imagination - and lots of time
13.11.2017
Translation: machine translated
When the packaging can be used to lift weights and the instructions are half a book, you know you're in for some heavy board game fare. But don't let that put you off. An evening of gaming with "Descent: The Journey into Darkness" is an unforgettable adventure.
A board game evening with friends is one of my favourite leisure activities. Add generous portions of food and drink and fun is guaranteed. I particularly like elaborate games that you can really sink into. One such game is "Descent: The Journey into Darkness" (Second Edition).
Like so many fantasy role-playing games, "Descent" has its roots in "Dungeons and Dragons". The founder of pen-and-paper games is the basis of "Descent". This means that one player takes on the role of the Dungeon Master, known here as the Overlord. The Overlord is the villain who controls the game. Opposite him is a brave group of up to four adventurers who try to get through the levels, which are littered with monsters and traps, alive. The adventurers are a team and join forces to fight against the Overlord and his minions.
Not in the mood to read? No problem
Before you can embark on your adventure, there is a 24-page bible to understand. That's still a little easier than the much more complicated first version of "Descent". But because I didn't fancy having to read up on it, I did what Generation Y always does in such cases: I searched for videos on YouTube. You can find numerous practical guides in German or English that explain every move step by step. It takes time, but it was much more interesting than having to try to understand these usually complicated instructions yourself. We did have to consult the instructions from time to time while playing, but on the whole you're pretty well prepared with the YouTube tutorial.
Tactical and hands-on
"Descent" is a very tactical game. The heroes can choose between eight characters. Some cast spells, others fight with axes and still others fire arrows from a distance. The villain has different monsters at his disposal depending on the mission. The whole game is incredibly beautifully designed, from the cards with which the level is laid out to the character cards and the detailed hero and monster figures. The latter are a particular joy to touch. If you're on a budget, you can buy additional special figures, which are otherwise only represented by round tiles in the standard game. The range of figures, dice and cards gives the imagination a huge boost.
The game is played in turn order. The heroes determine their own order. It is often crucial who plays first. Each turn, players have two actions to choose from. If you use stamina points, you can even take a third turn. The use of the numerous hero abilities, weapons and spells makes for an extremely tactical game. What I particularly liked as a game master: the overlord also has various options at his disposal. They can use different cards to attack heroes directly, strengthen their own monsters or set traps.
You fight with different dice. They determine the attack strength, the distance from which you can attack or how well you defend. If a player dies - and this is not uncommon - they can pick themselves up again or, better still, another player can help them. This ensures that a player doesn't suddenly have to watch for an hour.
When playing the campaign, which consists of several connected levels, the heroes and the overlord receive individual missions. At the end, the overlord may have achieved his goal, but the game still goes to the next round. In this case, the overlord simply receives a bonus instead of the heroes. The appeal of the campaign is also that you can take collected skills and weapons with you.
Conclusion: The familiarisation time is worth it
Allow enough time for the first game. Two to three hours pass quickly before the first credits are read out. We immediately added another level and it wasn't until 1 a.m. in the morning that the last henchman was killed. Players should therefore have enough patience and enjoy fantasy games. The five of us had an intense and fun evening. Although there were always some ambiguities until the end, we always found a solution together.
"Descent" is extremely varied and tactical without being over the top. The scenarios are interesting and the eight characters play very differently. It offers plenty of depth and scope for players who have already played one or two role-playing games. You will have internalised the rules to a certain extent after one game and if you can muster a regular adventuring party, you will have a lot of fun with "Descent: The Journey into Darkness".
A small selection of optional extra figures
If you haven't had enough of the main game, get the expansions
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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