Dragons Down - An Adventure for the Ages (Review)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Please remember, this is not a teaching video. I know I made a few mistakes in some of the details covered. If you want to watch and learn, check out these videos: www.youtube.com/@@ChrisHanger kzbin.infoMCE8kJphgLg?si=nlkFOzteBsqX2gqQ kzbin.info7e7R3QcYhyE?si=6d6bBPvDWjH-8yQU

[@scottdemers9442]

Thanks for the detailed review of Dragons Down, Daniel. I am humbled that you chose it as a game to review.

[@TheDungeonDive]

You bet!

[@normang3444]

I owned Magic Realm when it first came out. I was 14 and that game was never matched by any future game I bought. I based all my future games on Magic Realm being the standard. Now that I am back into gaming I wanted to buy an old copy of Magic Realm. In my search for the game I found Dragons Down was in the making. Thrilled it was in the making I backed it fully with the money I saved for buying Magic Realm. Delighted I own it. Still haven't got to start playing it because my gaming time is presently spent on HoM&M3 boardgame. Thank you for your video!

[@BeatRag28]

How is hom m3 for solo ?

[@Wrycon-Inc]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Put it on my wish list and will look for release in 2025.

[@Blasoflang]

This game is such a wonderful experience. This was also one of the best Kickstarters I had ever been apart of. (coming in a very close second to Dungeon Crusade). But I am very happy to see that you enjoy this game also. Been following along with DDs development since the 1st design diary showed up on BGG. I think everyone should have the opportunity to play and hopefully be able to own when the Natives expansion KS is up. Having owned Magic Realm for many years, this is as close as it gets. If anyone is on the fence about the game, take this video as your beckon call as the Dragons Down awaits! Great video as always!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Do think this gets pretty close to capturing the feel of Magic Realm?

[@Blasoflang]

@@TheDungeonDive I think so. Its for sure not a 1 to 1 game play experience. But, it will be hard to get MR to the table now since I have this. DD pretty much gives me the same experience emotionally, if that makes sense. My copy of Magic Realm deserves a well earned rest. It will get that rest as DD is now carrying the torch.

[@ekted]

1:10:00 The spell you put down to show how a purple-enchanted tile works was a blue spell. 😉

[@TheDungeonDive]

Like I said, not a learn to play video. Never use my videos to learn how to play a game. I often joke that I’ve never once played a game totally right! :) especially when I’m making a video!

[@geoffdenham5063]

Took me a few sessions to get through this video but I am now convinced to keep my copy and get into it. It comes at an interesting time when I finally have grown weary of big box games with a ton of mechanics wherein I am looking to feed a desire first a deep narrative experience. I think you called it a “ distilled experience” which I can appreciate. Also, it was worth sticking around for the restaurant analogy: the whisky, the prime rib and the parking… what else could I body desire?

[@ekted]

47:45 Are you sure monsters use the BEST result when rolling ranged dice? I can't find it in the the rules, the FAQ, or any hint of it on BGG.

[@TheDungeonDive]

You always take worst results for hero. Most dice are rolled at disadvantage. Thats the way I interpret that. Seems consistent.

[@ekted]

@@TheDungeonDive Scott has confirmed that's it's the worse DIE for the monster when they roll.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Nice! Makes the game easier.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I disagree now with the way that rule is written. In the book it says the players roll the range dice and take the worst results - it doesn't say anything about the player rolling for the enemies. I think it's far less fiddly and consistent to take the worst result for the player when range dice are rolled.

[@ColinLindsly]

The game and the expansion are available directly from Mr. B games. Each one has the vanilla edition and the deluxe edition.

[@GroovusGamesUnlimited]

As always, a marvelous review Daniel! :) We like many of the same games, and I will pick this up on the reprint. I love the art, the gameplay, and everything else. Thank you for taking the time to make this longer review. Wishing you and everyone reading this the very best, happy gaming, talk to you soon... Rodger :)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Rodger! Thanks for the kind words!

[@plazma2891]

Rodgers in the house or should i say dungeon! i know that was corny lol

[@GroovusGamesUnlimited]

@@TheDungeonDive No problemo Daniel, always enjoy your content/videos. You really put this game on the radar for tons of people, happy the designer is getting tons of exposure. Thank you for everything you do Daniel, talk to you soon. :)

[@GroovusGamesUnlimited]

@@plazma2891 LOL, hey there Plaz! :) Hope you're doing good. "Crusader" up in da house! LOL, that was even MORE corny! Have a great Monday Plaz, talk to you soon. :)

[@ADungeonDelve]

Not only do the human males all have long hair, but 3 of them look like the same guy.

[@TheDungeonDive]

The art is definitely not the selling point of the game. :)

[@yodaforclass]

I've been waiting for you to cover this. I've been playing DD constantly since I got this game a couple weeks ago. It's SO wonderful!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep. It’s great. I love it.

[@Seth717]

Wanted to back it, but it didn’t have world wide shipping, hopefully I will be able to get it in the future somehow

[@denoxy]

I've played it a bit on video too. So far I can say that it's the best reworking of Magic Realms for modern times. It lacks Native interaction, but that will be in a future add-on. :)

[@benja6902]

Poker chips are a great alternative to miniatures - credit to Chip Theory Games for the idea.

[@KellyBC]

I have Magic Realm and I love it, but it is a tough one to get to the table. We instantly backed Dragon’s Down. We have played one game so far and regret not also backing the expansion and all of the upgrades. It is so much fun.

[@TheDungeonDive]

How close does DD get to MR for you?

[@KellyBC]

@@TheDungeonDive It has a lot of the same feel with less complexity. I don't have the expansion so overall DD feels "smaller" than MR. I am not sure if the expansion would fill in some of the missing elements (from MR) or not, but it would at least expand the map and character options. I don't see quite as much interaction with the "natives/denizens" as in MR - the natives don't seem to have an option to be hostile at all and I don't think you can hire them out (at least as far as I have seen). There are not any mounts but there seem to be a good bit more items available at the start of the game - maybe I should say a more random set of items. On the other side of that, there is less/no randomness in the monsters that will appear on a given tile. The combat in DD is more forgiving and I think I like it a bit more than MR's version. Overall, there is plenty in DD to make me want to keep playing it, but every now and then I am probably going to want to break out MR and really dig in.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Interaction with the natives will be greatly expanded upon in the upcoming Natives expansion.

[@rcub3577]

I got the KS in the mail. Haven’t played it yet, unfortunately, so I’m looking forward to watching this video to enjoy some of it vicariously. 😊

[@TheDungeonDive]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@the_Mike_d]

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear this turned out great. I was a backer, but after being burned so many times by other KS projects I just couldn't get myself to trust that this would be as good as promised so I dropped my pledge. I'll definitely be watching in 2025 to jump in and get a reprinted copy - it really does look like a fantastic sandbox adventure. I also really like the dice and poker chips - hope they are part of the next printing!

[@gabrielnorena]

I mistakenly decided not to back the game because the graphic design looked too amateurish for me. (I am a profesional graphic designer). However, I regret it now that I am seeing the end result, as the gameplay looks great (even if the graphics still do not). I will get it in the next campaign.

[@sethpeterson8261]

Thanks for the deep dive Daniel! I can see why you like the game so much. I absolutely love similar games (especially Runebound 3rd, Zerywia, Doomrock, Arabian Nights etc...) and from how you describe it, it sounds like there's a lot for me to love. But seeing it in detail there's even more I really don't like. Still I followed the reprint project so I can take another look at it later. Thanks man!

[@MrDragonkin]

This game deserves better graphic design. Especially tiles.

[@mrjspancakehouse]

Sorry if it was mentioned, do you have the unweighted or weighted version in this copy? Trying to see if weighted is worth the premium price in the kickstarter.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I only have unweighted. I don't really see the point of weighted chips. As a matter of fact, I prefer it if they were just cardboard.

[@mrjspancakehouse]

Thanks for the response! I tend to agree cardboard is fine with me. I think the quality in your videos is perfectly fine too. That helps with my decision!

[@BenjaminMarra]

Definitely going to pick this up for the 2025 release. I didn't know about the crowd-funding campaign. I have a feeling I may use it as a template for a lot of homebrew TTRPG adventures.

[@pucksta]

thanks for another great video Daniel. This game looks really exciting. I love the way you weave stories into your gaming (I have visions of Knights infiltrating Renegade Knights keeps then hiding to blow up the keep). The one thing that i am put off by is that it doesn't look very colour blind friendly. Any game that has green brown and red cubes makes me wary. Looking at the number of different colour cubes, if I had this game, I may have to go mark each cube and possibly card with the colours initial. I wish games designers would consider this more.

[@TheDungeonDive]

The colors of the cubes are off from what Scott originally wanted. The production company made a mistake. I don’t know if the corrected versions will be any more color blind friendly.

[@pucksta]

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the next kickstarter

[@rhubahb]

YES! Been qwaiting for TDD treatment for this!! Thank you Daniel!!

[@jarldjevel6111]

Great video. I believe it gave me all the information I needed for having a first good idea of it. It looks for sure a labor of love and a great quality game. Although complex, the fact that the narrative and the variety are stripped down to the essential might tell me it's not for me. I'm not the best when it comes to creating the narrative. Not because of a lack of imagination but because it kills the effect of surprise. So it feels a bit dry for me after a first look. I'd love to try it, though, but I will probably not back the next b reprint.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I thought it would by a dry experience as well, but was totally surprised by it captivated me.

[@retretlol]

Was tempted to back this last year but I think the AI art and the price turned me off on it. Glad to hear the game turned out well.

[@plazma2891]

i hate finding out about cool games after its to late lol thank you for the video!!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Not too late! Early next year it’ll be back.

[@taylorkowbel7078]

Watched this because I am curious and excited to back natives in a short bit here, but you mentioned youre a fan of games with massive piles of random encounters. Just curious if you had some recommendations for games in that vein as well, because I am a big fan of those as well.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I would watch my top 10 Dungeon Crawls / Adventure games list from earlier in 2024. Lot's of those kinds of games on those lists!

[@MultiArashA]

Thanks for the good review. Will back it when it comes back in 2025

[@josh1674]

How does it compare to Hexplore it?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Somewhat similar in theme and scope, but very different in execution.

[@Scotch5ailor]

Awesome look!

[@ソルグル]

02:42 While I do feel you, I say it is worth the time, really.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’m good. Especially now with DD. :) life is too short for massive rule books.

[@jupiterloner999]

Woah you put this game on the same level as Darkest Night 2E... Interesting. DN2E is my top favourite. And so this intrigued me... I'm still on the fence about this game after your video, though...

[@TheDungeonDive]

That’s good. Not trying sell you on it. Just presenting information. Never buy something because of what I say.

[@jupiterloner999]

@@TheDungeonDive Last time I did mentioned that I was waiting for your review, and wondering what cons that would bugs you, but now I didn't expect you like it so much 😅 For me I still hesitant. Maybe because of the combat steps... Still a bit confused...

[@Lhorbrum]

I realise they're not that similar but: I played Euthia online, and i enjoyed it to a point. The combat and the lack of monster personality put me off, but i must say, i still miss it, and want to play it. I'm currently in the late pledge for Cruel frost, and the game comes at a cost of close to £600..... Dragons down has like 2 days left on kickstarter, and i really like the look of it. I dislike the map art however, but really enjoyed the video, and that comes at a cost of about £300 with the expansion, deluxe stuff etc. I can't decide which to get! I know what to expect with Euthia, regardless of its faults. Dragons down i've only seen in video format. Unsure if anyone can help here.

[@palo569]

where and when can i buy this?

[@TheDungeonDive]

I mention that in the first few minutes of the video.

[@Scubasgamecorner]

Man I can't believe I did not know about this one. can I still late pledge or preorder it anywhere?

[@TheDungeonDive]

I mention this in the first few minutes of the video!

[@Scubasgamecorner]

@@TheDungeonDive thanks I jumped ahead to much and didn’t catch that bit , sorry

[@TheDungeonDive]

No worries! Just wanted to make sure you knew I addressed it.

[@allanoipistoupe4843]

hi , can you make or did you make an sci fi only board game video ???

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’ve covered some SF games. I just don’t have too many. Just yesterday I posted a video about Neon Hope!

[@allanoipistoupe4843]

@TheDungeonDive thx i ll check! again let me tell you that your channel is the best one about boardgaming and solo crawling around. You can be proud of your work!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thank you! I appreciate that. :)

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

Here’s my question for you, Daniel: If you have the following games on your shelf-Hexplore It, Runebound 3E, Arkham Horror (either 2E or 3E), Eldritch Horror, Dungeon Crusade, Secrets of the Lost Tomb, Euthia, Mage Knight, and Sanctum-would you consider culling all of them in favor of this new game? Setting aside any emotional or nostalgic attachment to these titles, would you say that if you only had this game, you wouldn't miss the others because it would satisfy your needs for a dungeon crawl?

[@TheDungeonDive]

No, I would not. I would never get rid of Lost Tomb, Runebound, or Arkham Horror for any game.

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

@TheDungeonDive interesting response. I know we have our favorites, but I was hoping you'd be able to say yes or no without, you know, letting our preferences tainted the answer. I'm gonna wait for the new campaing.

[@TheDungeonDive]

All I know is what my personal preferences are. Lost Tomb is my favorite game of all time. Why would I give that up for a game that isn’t my favorite game of all time? Dragons Down is a completely different kind of game than Lost Tomb, is it wouldn’t give me the things that Lost Tomb does.

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

@TheDungeonDive i understand that. You've made that clear. I've seen your videos and your discussions on that subject. I have my own ride or die game. In fact two of them Fortune and Glory and Defenders of the Realm. I love them blemishes and all. I've culled, twice, collections of upwards of 2 thousand games with some OOP games and never did these games leave. Wasn't even a thought..however all that said, Hypothetically, would I Don what I asked you..yes, I might. If the game offered me the same things or better. Now I've never played Dragons Down, but if you go back to my original question, I would gladly give up all the games I mentioned regardless of mechanics or anything specific about the game, if I could find one that entertained me the way the others do. To give context as to the origin of the question. I saw a fellow youtuber, I forget husband name and he said something that was an epiphany. He said, and I guess thus is true of any of us. All you need is one game. The amount of content and replayability in these games make so that one game could offer a lifetime worth of fun. I thought about it and I thought I'd ask you. To have a conversation.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I’m totally not understanding your question or point of the topic. Sorry! I just can’t grasp what you’re wanting me to answer. I don’t know how to address what you’re looking for without utilizing the accumulation of knowledge that has informed my opinions. :). I would never only want one game. But I guess if I had to have only one game it would probably be Scarlet Heroes.

[@12345gerrard]

My wallet can't handle all the board game reviews that you do! Lol 😆 I can't buy them all. Why do you have to review so many good games?

[@sandrorapana2173]

Too few scenario, it would need more story and a long campaign and then it would be worth the price. What a mistake, everything else works very well.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Not that kind of game. We don’t really need more story / campaign games. This is a game all about making your own story through actions.