Dark Souls The Board Game 2nd Edition - Compatibility with 1st Edition and Rules Changes

Always Board Never Boring is a huge fan of the Dark Souls board game. It may have a few rough edges, but he has enjoyed every game of it, whether playing solo or with a group of up to three other people, and as such he never really felt it needed a significant rules overhaul. However, Steamforged Games recently announced a second edition of the game with two new core sets, and a revised rules set.
The second edition introduces a new campaign system, but more importantly, it includes a number of small changes to the existing rules that people with a copy of the first edition can introduce to their own games immediately. So, in this video, ABNB glances through the new rules and picks out the most important changes. He also talks about compatibility between the first and second edition.
If you would like to read the new rules for yourself, you can download them now from the Steamforged Games website, here:
steamforged.co...
And here are some time stamps for the video, should you need them:
00:00 Intro
00:57 Compatibility
02:50 Rules changes
07:52 Final thoughts
#darksouls #steamforgedgames #boardgames
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[@raysandrarexxia941]

I am making a "Combined Edition" ruleset. It takes what I like from both editions, and puts it in the official dungeon crawl format! (as well as a couple house-rules that I love)

[@Simp4Gwyn]

Any updates?

[@hlorridirudel9627]

Did you use the 2.0 Rules?

[@lolzr0xx0r]

I like the new "official" rules. We were actually using some of these as house rules already.

[@dfgd2402]

One, they are official and two, you only used house rules because you couldn't beat the game, so instead you wanted to slap the company in the face.

[@dfgd2402]

Piece of advice: learn how to play.

[@Wildgamer-hs9xt]

​@@dfgd2402 piece of advice: people can play how they want and you're replying to a 1yr old comment douche

[@goodjessehobbies]

First rule, stamina bar. That is how I house ruled mine from the beginning. It always brings me a sense of joy when a rule I implement on my own becomes a standard. The dodge/block combined rule doesn't really make sense to me, thematically. I would lean toward taking additional damage for fudging an evade where a character is completely open when they are struck. I like how I never know what I am going to get from the item deck because it encourages working with what I have and therefor changes up how the character build will play out. For me this adds re-playability rather than just hunting for the same build repeatedly or for what I 'know' works.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Funnily enough, the first time I played Dark Souls I played the way the rules are now, because that's how it works in the Warhammer Quest games - you have to fill your health bar and then take one additional damage. Combining dodge and block will speed things up. I think a happy medium would be, if you choose to dodge, also roll just the defence dice from your armour to mitigate a failure. That would represent how you didn't actively use a weapon or shield to block but still had some protection from your armour. I think the new treasure rules will force people to work with what they have more than the current rules. At the moment if you really can't use what you draw, you can always keep spending souls until something better turns up, but with the new rules you are only allowed to draw four treasure cards per trip to the bonfire, so although you have more freedom in how you spend your souls and you will never waste souls on stuff you don't want, you are getting less build options overall.

[@MultiRelyt]

I like the shift from “combat” to “combat puzzles” adding a lot of variety to how the game plays. I’ve seen in interviews that they’re doing the same with Elden Ring which is really exciting!

[@MultiRelyt]

That being said, I’m not as sold on the campaign dashboard with the selection of encounters. I think it loses a sense of “dungeon crawl” aspect and loses the linear boss rush feel

[@xChikyx]

love that 2023 will get the backwards compatibility thing

[@shadypielover]

I hate how the new one doesn’t have those white and red and black pieces, those look super convenient to use compared to needing to lift up the whole character board and take out the little cardboard pieces everytime, that absolutely sucks how they scammed me out of that thinking I was getting the original

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a shame they changed the character boards. I much preferred the original, and cubes are much more convenient.

[@JevousGaming]

i’m going to pick and choose some of these rules to use but certainly not all. One reason I read that they changed the stamina recovery to 3 is that it made two-handed weapons more viable. And, I’ve always liked the difficult choice of dodge vs block, and how that influenced build decisions, so I won’t be using the new combined defense rolls rule.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I certainly think there will be some people who don't like the combined defence and dodge rolls. It definitely removes one of the decision points of the game, but I do see why they did it. Overall, I do like the idea of having a little more stamina to juggle, I think it will keep things moving along. But if the game starts to skew too easy or it starts to feel less engaging, it's nice to be able to pull those changes out again.

[@R1BARA]

You missed that visiting the bonfire for any reason uses a spark and rests the party. Also when you beat the mini boss you only gain 1 spark rather than resetting it. Main boss treasures are also added to the treasure deck after beating the mini boss

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I considered those to be part of the new campaign rules that I didn't go into here. I was looking at things that port back to first edition.

[@R1BARA]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring wouldn't the changes to sparks work by porting it backwards? I don't see why it wouldn't, it basically encourages you to push forward

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think it could if people want or need that extra push. For me, it felt like something baked into the new campaign structure rather than something to pull out and use in the first edition, and it's not one of the things that Steamforged Games included in their list of things that can be ported back (although that may not mean anything, of course). It was something I wasn't going to look at adjusting until they released the campaign cards next year, but I think it's nice that they have delicately tweaked the rules and made it something people can pick at and tweak until they get something that fits more with their vision of how the game should play, or what it needs to do to be fun for them.

[@Aoshi312]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring according to the designers, the bonfire visit using a spark was supposed to be in the original rules of the original edition but it wasnt written clearly

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@Aoshi312 I heard they said this but that doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t see how the game can feasibly run that way under the original rules set. Also, why didn’t they immediately release an errata for it? The game has been out for years.

[@PureBrawler]

I like the changes overall. While the game is intended to be a hard, rewarding challenge like dark souls, getting to the final boss with a group of friends, then losing with no bonfire charges to use, can be quite disheartening, and I've seen a few people lose interest in playing again due to how often we lost cause one player got cornered. I think these new rules get closer to the perfect difficulty of challenging enough to feel earned without being malicious.

[@adammorro2237]

Glad to hear they are going to be doing updated cards for the original content. Glad they are also making it an option to purchase. I would hate to have to print and use. I am still not convinced on all of the changes, may be a pick an choose.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think that's the great thing. It's like a little menu of plug and play rules. I think the new terrain rules are probably designed to work better with the new campaign structure and multi-room map layouts, so I'm just going to ignore those for now.

[@darkstranger777]

Where can I purchase the printed cards I can't find them

[@joselazo9799]

There is a backwards compatibility review on the Dark Souls reddit, that is specifically for using the stated new rules in the old game without using the new components as you cannot get your hands on the new campaign system just yet. The backwards compatibility does not look good, it trashes the game balance. The review has a good breakdown for solo, duo, and bigger groups players; as well as thoughts on improving these rules for the core 1.0 experience.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

From tinkering with the new rules I think I pretty much agree with that. The new rules feel very much designed to work with the new campaign system and scenarios. The game had a very tight balance before - it was challenging, but winnable, and it often came down to the wire. Extra health, extra stamina, extra movement, extra souls, and better dodging may speed up gameplay, but they all swing the needle too far in favour of the heroes. Fortunately, I really like the game as-is so will probably just continue like before, only adding in the new rules for purchasing items (no more than four cards per bonfire visit). I am still contemplating the change to the stamina bar of needing to go to 11 cubes before dying.

[@1000jjwalker]

Very cool

[@thedude-gb8vb]

I love the changes but I was expecting a change to the hero and luck tokens, like you can reset them for clearing an encounter, that would add some serious versatility to you're characters 👍

[@SimonSilverberg]

Can I play with these rules if I only own the yellow box core game?

[@connorpascoe4796]

Should I buy the 1st edition still? Or the new core sets? I was looking to the board game and I just ordered the 1st one..but should I refund it and get the new ones?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I can't really tell you which you should go for. For me, the first edition offers better value - you get more monsters, and more heroes than in either of the new core sets. Also, the four heroes in the existing core set don't appear in either of the new core sets, so if you buy those sets later you won't be getting any duplicates. You can also download the new rules for free online, so the only thing you miss out on by buying the original starter is the campaign rules. If you buy the new core sets you are getting previously unavailable monsters, and the new rules with the new campaign system. You are also getting the heroes from the separate Characters expansion. I did another video on this subject when the new core sets were first announced. There may be some more information in there that might help you decide: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYa2mIavoNJgeJo

[@DustyLamp]

Rules aside, they're still trying to sell less than the original core sets worth of content for over $150. I'm tempted to wait for next Halloween and the inevitable sale.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah, I talked about pricing in a previous video, and I think the starters seem steep. But with a free download for the rules and the option to get cards for first edition content next year, it looks like I don't need to worry about picking up these new sets right now.

[@TheJML1975]

Have you sleeved your original core set cards? I want to buy some sleeves and need some recommendations?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm afraid not. I only ever sleeve vintage games. But if you go to a website like Sleeve Kings and search for Dark Souls you can find bundles of sleeves.

[@Trailerparkbubbles]

Are these new rules available anywhere to download in form of PDF file? That would be nice.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Like I said in the video, the link is in the video description.

[@DamtheMan50]

For some bizarre reason SFG decided to make everything within the encounters themselves easier. Regain more stamina, have more health, block + dodge one roll and dodge doesn't even cost stamina. And worst of all, free movement during other characters' turns which is just completely broken in favor of the characters. Like so broken it's mind-blowing they actually introduced such an idiotic rule. Any enemy with movement of one and no range will never ever hit a character under these new rules. Why even have these enemies anymore? Under 1.0 you actually had to plan ahead with your positioning knowing where you ended your turn would be where you would remain through the following enemy activations until it wa your turn again, now it's free movement everywhere. Absolutely no clue why they would make all those changes to make one of the easiest games ever even easier. I also don't buy the three stamina recovery to make 2-handed weapons more viable, 2-handers were already far superior to 1-handed weapons, mainly thanks to reach allowing you to attack and move rather than move and attack, not to mention packing more dice. Personally I don't care about getting to use old stuff under new rules, including the encounter cards, I'd want to be able to use the new stuff under old rules. But seems I'll get to save my money and stick with my all-in set of 1.0.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think a lot of these changes will probably make more sense with the new campaign and scenario structure. Under the new system characters are fighting across multiple boards, and may be doing something like protecting an alter from being destroyed. It's probably necessary to be able to move a little faster and adapt more to changing situations across a larger area rather than moving around within the single-room grid we are used to with the first edition encounters. That's why I think that people like us with first edition will have to pick and choose and test to see if there are any changes they like, and I suspect some of the changes will not be a good fit under the original game structure.

[@matthewmayton1845]

@Always Board Never Boring Thete is literally an encounter card which states if an enemy unit is adjacent to a shrine, they move on it and you lose the encounter. I'm not sure of the free movement yet, I would try it before house ruling it (possibly make it cost one stamina).

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah, that's the sort of thing I'm talking about when I say the extra movement might make more sense with the new scenarios. I think giving people the option to move one space but making them pay one stamina for it might be a good compromise for using the extra movement with the first edition if it seems too powerful.

[@farmil7142]

Where i can find the new free resources? On the site there are only the rulebooks for the boss expansiona

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Link in video description has the new rules.

[@farmil7142]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks, but nothing new for the campains for the old sets right?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Not at the moment that I'm aware of, I'm afraid.

[@hunghoang6718]

If I dont open the treasure chest before ending the encounter, do I lose it?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

That seems to be the case, otherwise there would be no reason to give up an action to open it during the encounter. You would always just choose to wait until the encounter was over.

[@leoleo1035]

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringSeems like a horrible new rule. That means you risk your life AND a mimic fight for ONE treasure? Thats insane

[@hlorridirudel9627]

@@leoleo1035 I like it ;) . I use this with the 1.0 rules. But the other changes make the game easier, so i skip them.

[@MikeB-nn4nh]

Not a new/2nd edition, more a 1.3..

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

While the core mechanisms of things like combat are largely unchanged, the new campaign system is a completely different approach, creating a very different style of gameplay, so I think it's reasonable to think of it as a new or second edition. It certainly makes it easier to talk about in a video like this to refer to them as editions to try to be as clear as possible.

[@MikeB-nn4nh]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring even SFG themselves don’t consider it a new edition- at its core it’s the same game… kind of like how they update street fighter.. they’ve just added or expanded it

[@HivisoftheScale]

Or.... We could use 5th edition rules and just make up the stats for these monsters... 😁

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ha. The Dark Souls miniatures are a bit oversized. Apart from the bosses, everything else looks too big against the regular 28/32mm stuff a lot of people use for D&D. Besides, Dark Souls is higher in my top 10 list than D&D!

[@HivisoftheScale]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring ahh I relish the challenge..!

[@matthewmayton1845]

@@HivisoftheScale Funny enough, I am using the Herald hero figure (I think that's the one with the spear) as my halfling for the D&D campaign I'm in right now.

[@devilmaycry273]

I like all of the changes except for the new rule when it comes to dodging I don't think your Shields should be added but at least your base armor to negate some of it that way it makes sense and doesn't feel too strong in a punishing game

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a pretty neat idea to have the option of tanking a hit with armour and shield, or spending one stamina to dodge, but also getting to roll for armour in case your dodge doesn't work out.