The Quest for the Ultimate Dungeon Crawl

Written by Paeter Frandsen

About a year and a half ago I began what I call my "Quest For The Ultimate Dungeon Crawl." As you might remember if you listened to my HeroQuest review a few weeks ago, I am a big fan of HeroQuest. Or I was at the very least.

I began playing HeroQuest in junior high (1990 to be specific) and continued playing it throughout high school, college, and beyond, adding numerous home-brewed rules to grant the game more complexity and challenge.

Although I played HeroQuest happily for almost 15 years, sometime around 2004 the formula began to wear thin, and no amount of house ruling seemed enough to keep the magic alive. In 2005 I began playing Fantasy Flight Games' Descent: Journeys In The Dark, which in many ways was structurally similar to HeroQuest, but with better components and more complex tactical rules. Descent was an amazing gaming experience that for years only became better as new expansions were added, including an epic campaign mode called "The Road To Legend" which, like HeroQuest, allowed hero characters to keep their equipment and continue advancing in their capabilities. But sometime around 2010 the rules of Descent began to feel cumbersome and the process of playing became a grind. I began to look for another way to scratch my strongly-developed itch for dungeon crawling.

For the last three years I've played a number of games in an attempt to recapture the sense of excitement and wonder I experienced for so many years with HeroQuest. Today I'm going to recall that journey and share with you which games came close, which games biffed it big time, and possibly, which game rose above the rest to finally earn the title of "Ultimate Dungeon Crawl."

First, I should state the criteria I based this list on. The phrase "Dungeon Crawl" has not been definitively established in its meaning. What it may bring to mind, or what elements may be considered vital to its essence, will vary from player to player. For the purposes of my journey, the Dungeon Crawl had to have the following elements.

1. It must be fully co-operative or utilize a "game master" player. I loathe competition and so prefer to only play games where I am either working with all other players or helping provide a fun and challenging setting for them as the "game master."

2. It must have a D&D-ish fantasy theme. Doom: The Boardgame is, in every other respect, one of my favorite "Dungeon Crawls," but I need to scratch that specific fantasy itch, and Doom wouldn't make the top spot in any case. (Though Doom and its expansion both hold a treasured place on my game shelf and continue to make for some great game nights!)

3. It must have character advancement. For me, no dungeon crawl is complete without the ability to upgrade the capabilities of your characters. At the very least this should happen during game play, but preferably it should occur over the course of many games in a "campaign" style of play.

Additional elements that were not required but that I've found extremely beneficial to scratching my itch were: a sense of exploration, a literal "dungeon" or underground environment, a party of adventurers working together, tactical combat with miniatures, and great-looking components.

HeroQuest

My evaluation of dungeon crawl board games can't even begin without first talking about Milton Bradley's HeroQuest. Since I just reviewed this game last week I won't go into depth about it right now, but this is the game to which I compare all other tabletop dungeon crawls. And it’s a game I returned to again as a part of my quest to find "The Ultimate Dungeon Crawl," to see if the magic could somehow be found again.

HeroQuest was arguably the first of its breed and few games in the same genre can match the staying power of this classic. I'd recommend checking out my review of HeroQuest, as an understanding of the basics of that game will serve as a primer for my exploration of the various dungeon crawl board games that followed it.

In many ways it powerfully distills the classic D&D experience into a much shorter, faster game that retains plenty of flavor, but is more about tactics and strategy than roleplaying. That said, the rules of HeroQuest are very simple, designed for players in their tween or early teen years. There was a time in my life when I couldn't imagine any way to improve upon HeroQuest, but eventually a number of games did.

Descent

Descent 1st Edition, from Fantasy Flight Games, was released in 2005 and used a more polished, intuitive version of the rules created for Doom: The Boardgame. Instead of the static board and changing door locations of HeroQuest, Descent used numerous dungeon tiles which fit together like puzzle pieces to form a nearly endless variety of dungeon layouts. Additionally, the game master player could spawn monsters on the board regularly and spring traps as he wished, limited by his available threat tokens, a sort of power currency gained over the course of the game.

Heroes had more tactical options as well. Instead of only four available hero options, Descent included 20 unique heroes to choose from, each with different stats and a unique special ability. Heroes could also gain new special abilities during play that created further variation. The base game alone had incredible replay value, but it lacked a proper campaign mode to allow for true character advancement. Even when this was corrected by an expansion years later, Descent still suffered from rules that were clunky and slow at times, introducing complexity that added thematic fun in the short term but a bogged down play experience in the long term.

As a part of my quest for "The Ultimate Dungeon Crawl," I revisited Descent 1st Edition with a group of players who had never played it before. They had a blast, while I continued to feel burned out on the game I once so passionately loved. I will always remember the superb production values and fantastic gaming sessions I had with Descent over the years, but the rules have long outworn their welcome at my table.

Descent 2.0

Descent 2nd Edition endeavored to clean up the rules and provide a game that took far less time to set up and play. Fantasy Flight Games succeeded in creating rules that were familiar but incredibly streamlined, making play fast paced and more consistently engaging for all involved. But somewhere along the way, the ingredients of a true dungeon crawl were left behind.

The game board is set up in full at the start of the game. Every area of the board is fully revealed, eliminating any sense of exploration. Most of the loot to be found is either simple gold or one-use items. The potential for discovered treasure to "upgrade" a hero character is virtually absent. Heroes may upgrade between play sessions with the gold and end-game bonuses acquired, but this feels less thematic and more like simply "spending points."

Finally, one of my biggest problems with the 2nd edition is the new set of objectives given to the hero and game master players. Instead of the classic objectives of "find the awesome relic and get out alive" or "kill the big bad that lives in the dungeon," objectives for both sides of the conflict usually involve taking objects from one part of the board to another or repeatedly passing some kind of non-combat check on a certain space on the board. Combat is still a big part of the game, but the only reason to engage in combat is to stop the opposing player (whether hero or bad guy) from getting in your way. Combat no longer feels like the meat of the game, but rather a necessary evil that must be dealt with in order to advance your agenda in the game.

In short, although Descent 2.0 technically meets my criteria for being called a dungeon crawl, it doesn't feel like one to me in many respects.

Thunderstone

Thunderstone is, in many ways, a departure from what I normally think of as a dungeon crawl. It does not utilize a game master and its default mode of play is competitive, not cooperative. It also doesn't utilize miniatures or have a board representing the corridors and rooms of a dungeon.

Instead, Thunderstone is one of the first examples of a "deck-building game," in which players all begin with the same set of cards and add new cards to this set as the game progresses, cycling through their deck numerous times before the game is finished. But despite these unorthodox elements, the dungeon crawl theme is strongly present in the gameplay. As you defeat monsters, you earn experience and often gain more gold to spend in town, upgrading your capabilities, hiring heroes, or training them to be more effective. The deeper you delve into the dark reaches of the dungeon, the more light sources you will need to remain effective there. And a co-op variant included in the game allows for an intense adventure with friends.

The game involves a great deal of enjoyable puzzle-solving and tactical thinking. There are no dice in the game and almost no luck involved in combat. This creates a sense of accomplishment when you figure out how to use the resources in your hand to get the job done. Mechanically speaking, the game is very satisfying. The rules are easy to understand and the game moves at a nice pace even as more players are added.

However, despite receiving so much praise, Thunderstone is not the ultimate dungeon crawl for me. It lacks the potential for long-term advancement. In each game you start from scratch, carrying over no spoils or upgrades from previous game sessions. There are also times when the puzzle-solving nature overrides the theme, resulting in a momentarily abstract experience. If the publishers of Thunderstone ever create a solid rule set for campaign play, it will probably be a must-buy for me.

Thunderstone is enjoyable, but doesn't quite scratch the dungeon crawl itch for me. So for now, it's a game I'll keep in my collection, but primarily for the nights my gaming group wants to play it. (For a more detailed description of gameplay, you can listen to my full review in Episode 218 of The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast.)

Mage Knight

Mage Knight The Board Game is a unique game in my collection. It's complex and strategic, with very little luck and a great degree of concentration required. Yet, because of fantastic player aids, there are not a large number of rules you need to memorize. Like Thunderstone, players customize a deck over the course of the game and use their cards to win in combat or achieve other feats required for victory. The puzzle solving aspect is much like that in Thunderstone, but with many more variables and possibilities to consider.

In addition to these "zoomed-in" encounters played out using the cards in your hand and other abilities at your disposal, there is a larger epic game in which your character is exploring an overworld map, attempting to conquer a new land or otherwise use it for your own purposes.

In Mage Knight you can play as either the hero or the villain. You can influence or threaten people to serve under you. You can learn secret skills at monasteries or burn them to the ground to steal precious artifacts. You can lay siege to fortresses and mage towers or seek out treasures in deep dungeons. Mage Knight lets you create a story of epic conquest, but also includes zoomed-in combat encounters.

The game plays best co-op or solo, the latter being the way I most often find myself playing it. Even many seasoned board gamers aren't interested in devoting the amount of time and focus required to play a complete game of Mage Knight, which runs at least 2 hours in the shorter scenarios (after setup) and more often lasts 3-4 hours of focused gaming. (Those who enjoy casual rabbit trail conversations over the game table should steer clear of this one.)

Mage Knight is an incredible board game experience. It's possibly the most skillfully-designed game I've ever played. If I've got the time, have had enough sleep, and don't feel especially in need of conversation, I will probably never turn down the opportunity to play this awesome game... but it's not the ultimate dungeon crawl for me.

First, and most obviously, it's not truly about crawling through dungeons. It fits much better into the category of "adventure game." Yet it contains all three of my required elements for a dungeon crawl, and so I felt it was worth consideration.

Secondly, like Thunderstone, there is no option for campaign play. Each new game is like hitting the reset button, with no spoils or skills carried over from previous games.

If somehow campaign play could be introduced, and if somehow the dungeon exploration could include the tactical movement of miniatures through a dungeon board, the game would be beyond amazing. But it would also be impossible to play with any regularity, due to the increased complexity these changes would have to bring.

Mage Knight may be the most impressive game I own, but it falls short when I need a true dungeon crawl experience. (For my complete review of Mage Knight The Board Game, check out Episode 257 of The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast)

Pathfinder

I had nearly given up in my quest for the ultimate dungeon crawl when I heard about Paizo Publishing's attempt to reduce the Pathfinder RPG to a streamlined card game experience. More than any game I have played since Descent 1st Edition, the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game evokes the classic feel of the D&D dungeon crawl. Despite the fact that many encounters do not take place in dungeons, the sense of exploration is present in every turn and the theme is surprisingly strong. Instead of using miniatures and maps, this game represents both characters and locations with decks of cards.

In this fully cooperative experience, you can fall prey to the temptations of the sultry shopkeeper's daughter, become trapped in a collapsing dungeon, recruit allies to join you by persuading them charismatically or impressing them with your skills, and enter epic combat with dragons and the undead. You can learn skills as you explore or acquire new equipment that you may immediately put to use. You can also keep the best of what you learn or find for the next game, slowly advancing your chosen character, sculpting them into your ultimate vision of what they could be. Character stats make each hero unique in both how they play and how they thematically feel.

Like Thunderstone and Mage Knight, you put the cards in your hand to the best possible use in order to come out on top. However, the luck element introduced by dice keeps any decision from being stuck in "analysis paralysis." For more details on this game, check out my previous review of it.

Rich in theme but easy to learn and play, the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game just may turn out to be "the ultimate dungeon crawl" for me... but it's too early to say. However with regular expansions published every two months that continue one massive campaign story, it won't be long before I have my answer. Even so, there may be one more contender for the title.

HeroQuest

I already mentioned HeroQuest at the start of this exploration of game titles, but I didn't go into the potential the game has. The true potential of HeroQuest is found in the numerous variant rules and expansions for the game created by devoted fans who have kept the game alive, without fail, for the last 25 years. In fact, as I mentioned last week, there is a 25th anniversary edition of the game in the works by a company in Spain, which is currently undergoing some changes in development that may allow it to be sold by U.S. retailers after all. Even if this new edition of the game falls apart, it's clear from its very existence in the developmental stage that there is a strong audience for HeroQuest.

I have recently returned to the game, using some variants of my own mixed with some variants previously established by others. In its current state at my gaming table, HeroQuest is faster and more streamlined than Descent 1st Edition, but still has all the tactical fun and rich thematic gameplay. It has such enormous and seemingly endless potential. I've played this new variant of the game a number of times with different groups and it so far has great appeal to both HeroQuest newcomers and at least one grizzled HeroQuest veteran aside from myself.

The next year will be very interesting. Pathfinder may prove to take the crown through continued innovation and an increase in the already active development of fan-made characters and adventures. A year from now we'll also likely have an entirely new version of HeroQuest, with updated rules and improved components, that will be worthy of strong consideration. But for now, I have to bring my gaming life full circle and award the title of "Ultimate Dungeon Crawl" to, what is for me, the game of all games, the "Paeter Frandsen Edition" of HeroQuest!