Descent: Legends of the Dark | Review | With Mike

[@OneStopCoopShop]

COMPONENTS - The miniatures are hard plastic, and very nicely detailed. The terrain takes a bit of work to construct but looks awesome on the table. The game has a high price tag, but I can't complain about the components! 0:00 - Introduction 0:31 - App Integration 1:06 - Scenario Design 1:45 - Characters and Story 2:32 - Slow Upgrading 3:23 - Actions and Fatigue 4:39 - Final Thoughts

[@Hybban]

This is exactly how I felt watching a video. For the hefty price it's sold at, I'd rather get a Middara or a Sword & Sorcery.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I can't argue with that. I enjoy parts of Descent, but think either of those is a better game.

[@krazikrucial707]

@@OneStopCoopShop Would either of you say this holds true for Sword & Sorcery: Ancient Chronicles (2021) as well or just the original?

[@OneStopCoopShop]

@@krazikrucial707 from the OSCS people who have played them both, I've heard Ancient Chronicles has more going on (a lot in the town, for example), but is also generally better in scenario design. Original was pretty slow in act 1.

[@krazikrucial707]

@@OneStopCoopShop Thanks. It caught my eye at GenCon, so I think I will pick it up. Keep the great videos coming. 🙂

[@boardgamerants]

Sweet, was hoping u might get to this. And confirm my thoughts on saving a big chunk of change. Playing through Middara currently, made the "mistake" of allowing my family to play once, now I'm not allowed to play it solo anymore. :) Thanks for the great insights, Mike!

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Hahah, a mistake AND a boon. Get more crawlers in the mix ;)

[@mistletoemonkey]

I love this game. As a painter the minis are fantastic with great detail. I love building up the 3D terrain and going up the stairs, just great table presence. I've been looking at building terrain for other games because I know I will miss having it around when I get done with this.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Yes, fantastic minis, amazing presence. It looks great overall

[@jean-francoistalbot7256]

Thank you Michael for this honest review. I am still debating if this game is for me or not. I'm affaid that I won't enjoy the app component of it. For the price of this game I will probably pass. It is always fun to watch your 5 min. segment! Continue the great and fun work you do!!

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Someone told me there might be a TTS mod floating around, if you want to give it a try yourself.

[@paultapping9510]

ah, the review I've been waiting for!

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Hope it fulfills all your hopes and dreams! :)

[@DieNische]

I highly disagree on some of your points. :) Playing on warfare really elevates the game. Due to the bigger armor, more health and the increasing damage buffs over time, Descent´s resource management system really works well there. Preparing cards, saving actions as good as you could is crucial to win the game. Especially the fatigue system is a huge improvement over D2 and IA. Thank God, FFG took that road for this Descent. ;) The slow upgrading is another point. Yes, you it takes time to get 2 XP. But due to the traits system you are unlocking several new skills and recipes very fast. Recipes and crafting is the main improvement here. Vaerix´ warbell makes more damage depending on the amount of status effects on a specific monster. So forcing monsters to receive status effects (while dooming them of course / using fatigue etc.) results in huge damage outcomes very fast. After three missions your attacks will be twice as good as from the start. After a few missions you will make 30+ damage on monsters. So killing a Golem with 79 HP and doubled armor is only possible on warfare via the clever usage of the resources and the crafting So I highly recommend to try out the warfare difficulty setting. I think it is a much better game for you then. ;)

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Fair enough, we have not played on warfare much so can't speak to that. But I already find the scenarios overstay their welcome and high health enemies aren't much fun to fight against, so having things take even longer doesn't necessarily sound like it would improve stuff for me :) That said, we are well past the middle of the campaign now so I think I'll finish it!

[@DieNische]

@@OneStopCoopShop On Warfare, enemies receive a +1 damage boost every 4 rounds. So it is not just about making combat longer, but forcing players to improve their overall damage output. Otherwise you will get crushed without optimizing your turns. :)

[@_Strauch_]

Heute wieder mit einem Freund auf Warfare gespielt. Es gefällt uns sehr gut. Bin froh das ich auf dich gehört habe 😉

[@DieNische]

@@_Strauch_ Mich wundert das Echo schon ein wenig. ;) Also nicht deins. ;)

[@_Strauch_]

@@DieNische Habe nur einen einzigen Kritikpunkt, der bei dem Spiel nie aufgeführt wird. Die App ladet immer Assets und braucht einige Anläufe bis sie startet. Auf mehreren Geräten getestet. Ansonsten Top. Versteh das Echo nicht wirklich. Man hat sich immer gewünscht das aus den Crawlern die fiddlyness verschwindet. Kein stundenlanger Aufbau. Keine 60 Seiten Regeln lesen. Keine 150 Effekte nachschauen. Keine Line of sight Diskussion. 3 Wochen nicht gespielt? Kein Thema. Man kommt sofort wieder rein. Das macht es für mich persönlich doch sehr innovativ da viele Crawler Krankheiten wegfallen. Die Expansion wird blind gekauft.

[@TheHexyBeast]

oof a lot of people have found the leveling slow. i generally thought getting new cards was slow but there was always crafting options after most scenarios and u gotta love a bit of shopping lol great video mike Stay Hexy!

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I dunno. I found the shopping really slow in multiplayer (it's fine for solo), and most of the parts were things like "10% chance to daze", which is the opposite of exciting for me :)

[@idjester]

Thanks Mike... your spot on as usual.,... I just ordered Robinson Caruso and all expansions for just over 100 and think I will end up having more fun adventure and more total gameplay then this game for about 2/3 the price I would of spent.... I wasn't planning on getting this unless you have it some major PROS in your review and without that I will be passing on this one for sure... Happy gaming...

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Oh, RC with all expansions is a TON of good gameplay. Hope you enjoy it!

[@Tombonzo]

Thanks for another great review, Michael! Some apps for games are an enhancement and a great addition to gameplay and game management (Mansions of Madness/Imperial Assault) and some apps are not. Not sure where this one falls, but maybe wasn’t even necessary? Many did like the prior edition, though and had no problems with it.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

It wouldn’t be possible to have the cool character dialogue and narration without the app… but that stuff can also really drag!

[@Why-Ron75]

A great review! Subscribed..

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Awesome, thank you!

[@RonGArmstrong]

I appreciate your review, but I’m throughly enjoy my play through, 75% in I estimate. How far did you get Mike?

[@OneStopCoopShop]

We haven’t stopped yet! I think we finished… scenario 9 last night?

[@RonGArmstrong]

@@OneStopCoopShop *enjoying 😉

[@RonGArmstrong]

@@OneStopCoopShop very cool keep it up

[@olsonjonathan]

Hey Mike do you guys do a top ten? Any chance you can throw your current top two here? Thank you en advance!

[@OneStopCoopShop]

We have a ton of top 10s and 20s around the channel, some focused on specific genres or player counts or the like. My top two haven't changed much in a long while - Arkham Horror the Card Game and Spirit Island.

[@Democosoh]

I largely agree with the review, except for point 1. I vastly prefer this stamina system over the 2nd edition's...being basically forced to Rest every few turns was awful and I'm glad they changed it. The gameplay of this new Descent is absolutely a Pro for me and part of that is because of this change.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Ah, that’s a good counterpoint!

[@iangill5353]

As someone who doesn’t like solo gaming that much in general I am finding it really good so far I am controlling all four characters and the system works for this. I wouldn’t cope with the levelling up being drastic every scenario. Most people who loved Descent 2 are not going to be as open to the changes being made (much like players of Descent 1 when version 2 came out). You apparently love D2 and so I feel D3 is suffering in comparison for you. However, whilst I have played and own both previous versions, D2 wasn’t great for me except that you could play coop.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I didn’t make this clear enough in my review, but I think solo and 2-player (2-handed each) is absolutely the way to go. Having more heroes makes the leveling and scenario issues less extreme because your attention is divided more. Glad you are enjoying it!

[@iangill5353]

@@OneStopCoopShop it is quite a strange game to judge. If it wasn’t by FFG the high retail price would have been a massive issue for an unknown product but I suspect that there would be little adverse comment about the potential gameplay. As it is FFG and a new version of a much loved game, whilst the price is high a lot if people will give it the benefit of the doubt and buy it (like me) based on company history. However, those who love Descent 2 are quick to be against the change and look for reviews that support that decision. I regularly saw people quote Tom Vasel’s mixed review without having the game themselves. I think Joel Eddy gave a very positive review. Personally the best part for me is they have nailed “the unknown” element of going into a dungeon

[@BoardGameTime40]

Thank you for the review!! :) Such a divisive game. Great job as always

[@OneStopCoopShop]

It’s got some great elements though

[@pencilpauli9442]

Thanks Mike. You mentioned a scenario involving a ritual? Please tell me it's a ritual that the players have to perform, and not one that has to be stopped a la Arkham Files games lol

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Dude, sorry to say, but the entire campaign is basically stopping a ritual, lol.

[@pencilpauli9442]

@@OneStopCoopShop hahaha What an original premise from FFG! lol

[@OneStopCoopShop]

@@pencilpauli9442 but it's a BLOOD ritual, so like, TOTALLY different ;) Like I said in the review, the main plot is not the selling point here, but I enjoy the characters and their arcs.

[@patriziopastore9895]

Nice 5 point review, I'm still enjoying a lot the game the with a nice tablet give an amazing immersion experience. Also ready the book of Terrinoth give a lot of interesting background

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Oh that’s really neat! They certainly mention a lot im not familiar with in the lore, so a guide book sounds great.

[@patriziopastore9895]

@@OneStopCoopShop yeah a bit geek…

[@DrMcFly28]

I just can't get over the immense stupidity of that helmet. How the hell does she pass through a door? Or turn around with people in vincinity?

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Haha, I like Brynn's art otherwise, but YES! Even the mini looks kinda dumb.

[@astronomicafilms]

It’s like a Three Stooges skit waiting to happen!

[@hovhannesbeaver8161]

6th mission? We got skills on the 2nd mission and someone earned a 2nd skill during the 3rd mission.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I meant the max XP level (how many skills you can bring to a mission). For me the skills don’t get interesting until I have more than one to combo with

[@stickandmud]

It made me sad they went with this direction. But at least I save a lot of money, in the next 5 years x)

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Yes, it is not cheap. Glad my friend was the one to buy it!

[@CesarIsaacPerez]

Easy skip, sadly. Loved Descent 2nd.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Me too, especially with the app! Played that with my game group and family a ton.

[@warpaint9385]

Totally agree with you. FFG can’t cut it anymore. You get better games and better value for money on Kickstarter. Most of the real talent left the company and there’s not much left. Honestly, aren’t people getting a bit over all the reimplement, revised, 3rd Ed of games? It’s laughable. How long before they ditch it? I mean they just announced no more big box releases for JIME and that game hasn’t had many expansions. Just smells like a quick cash grab to lure all the fanbois in.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I don’t mind the reimplements if they are good. I thought descent 2nd, Eldritch horror, and imperial assault all were better than their inspirations. But not so much anymore. Runebound 3rd, Arkham 3rd, descent 3rd… all steps back in my opinion.

[@yusenhe9325]

awsome review. exactly how i felt. i dont mind app driven games. but this one is going too far.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Am I odd in that I actually like running enemy AI and tracking health and stuff? I don’t need apps for that (felt the same about JIME).

[@mabos555]

Nice review, I'm sorry to say this but ffg has nothing to offer new in the past few years 🤦 One of the games I really don't care about this review convinced me I was right 😁

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I think they are still doing innovative things with the LCGs, and there ARE cool mechanics here (though for me they didn't come together as well as I would have liked). But yes, judging by the latest in-flight report, I'm not sure how much they are able to innovate at this point. But I'll hold out hope!

[@warpaint9385]

Couldn’t agree more. Most of their releases now are reimplement, 2nd/ 3rd Ed, revised. The company has become a joke.

[@mabos555]

The lcg are also repeatable Agot lcg was great but it's dead now

[@earlofdoncaster5018]

Play along with a video game.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

It didn't feel this way for us, except maybe for upgrading in the town phase. That felt like watching one player purchase micro-transactions ;)

[@earlofdoncaster5018]

@@OneStopCoopShop I'm pretty sure it would have been better without the app.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

@@earlofdoncaster5018 unless they changed the core mechanics, like the fatigue system, it wouldn't have made me enjoy the game more.

[@IlPiTube]

The more I hear about this game, the less I’m interested.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Hey, more money for other games right? :)

[@jcapo5]

This game is fantastic. I freaking love it. I dont think its for every one. I loved descent 2 and this to me is better in every way.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

That’s awesome! Glad you are having such an awesome time with it. We still have 4 or 5 scenarios left, so we are close to finishing!

[@anab0lic]

app driven tabletop games... bleh... its either all digital or all non digital for me when it comes to games , not a fan of mixing the two.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I’m fine with some mixing. For example, I’m happy to read a bunch of flavor text in an app (in something like Lands of Galzyr) instead of wasting time flipping page after page of a giant book.

[@PickleTheHutt]

I don't have anything against app assisted games in general, but I haven't played one yet that I really enjoy over many other non-app games. Perhaps I just don't like how FFG uses apps. I do agree that an app in place of a storybook is totally fine (even if I really disliked Forgotten Waters... a lot) and I do use some 3rd party apps to replace mechanics or enhance some games. I don't play Arkham LCG any more, but when I did I much preferred an app for the chaos bag rather than a physical bag. The chaos tokens, even after putting them in coin capsules with a huge bag, always seemed to cluster in groups at the corners and it took way too long to shuffle them up properly before drawing.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

Good call, and yeah, forgotten waters had issues beyond the app!

[@Boss-zo4lw]

The art is horrible imo as well, some of it looks like the cheap art on the Pathfinder adventure card game, cheap and nasty.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I like a lot of it... and don't like a good bit. Like the elf and hybrid heroes aren't my favorite. And when I saw the basic hybrid enemies I was like "those are half-dragons?" But other stuff I really like!

[@pencilpauli9442]

It's small beer but the thing that irks me is the water tiles. For a dungeon crawler, not sure a swimming pool is the ambience I'd be going for. Plus the ripples make the water look like crepe paper and are less convincing when the ripples on different tiles are at different angles. Not a hill I want to die on but imho it was a poor design choice.

[@citruesilver]

1st Con: Price... after that I don't care any more...

[@OneStopCoopShop]

But there are lots of crawlers in the same general price range (with this one having a 16 scenario campaign and more digital content likely coming). So I think you need to look at whether it’s GOOD, since all these crawlers are too expensive ;)

[@alexpartenopei1021]

This looks so generic and dull to me. wish I lked vanilla 'fantasy' as there is so much stuff in that genre/theme. give me Okko or Fireteam Zero over this any day.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

I just got a copy of Fireteam. Can't wait to play after all the love Colin's given it over the year. But I'm with you. I like less standard crawler settings, but fantasy sells!

[@PickleTheHutt]

Generic fantasy is my jam (D&D and LotR specifically being the favorites) and I have no issue with Terrinoth at all, but this game feels completely bland and repetitive with poorly written narrative and dialogue. I would much rather play Heroes of Terrinoth, Descent 2nd with the app, or Runebound 3rd with Unbreakable Bonds if I want to play in Terrinoth. In general, I've never been impressed with FFG's attempts at connected narratives. I think they do fine regarding interesting narrative when it doesn't need to connect to a larger purpose (like the short flavor text on Eldritch Horror cards), but they've always failed for me when trying to make me care anything about their ideas of a larger campaign story. I doubt making me hate the characters I'm playing through the dialogue is something they're aiming for.

[@OneStopCoopShop]

My exception to your rule is Arkham Lcg. I find the connected narrative for those to be pretty cool!

[@adammccourt301]

@@OneStopCoopShop And while it's not done by FFG I highly recommend Cthulhu Death May Die too! No campaign there though... but boy is it fun lol :)

[@OneStopCoopShop]

@@adammccourt301 oh that game is fabulous for sure.