Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf King's Quest - An Excellent D&D Tool Kit

[@chrismcknight7164]

As someone who's been painting flagstones on my HeroQuest bases, I appreciate the paved dungeon texture these bases come with 😅

[@Jez-Hunt]

I picked up a second hand copy of this just before the beginning of lockdown, and got a few hours painting it in here and there. Not played yet, but looking forward to it! Lots of lovely useful components, as you say, especially for rpgs and Rangers of Shadow Deep. Good video!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a very tempting game just for the stuff, because it's all so useful. Game looks solid too, but trying to play anything that requires a group at the moment is pretty much out of the question.

[@seankavanagh3742]

Darn now I feel the need to buy this as well!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I probably should have pointed out in the video that Mantic do sell large packs of dungeon scenery and miniatures separately. Depending on exactly what you need those may be better, but the game gets you a nice mix of everything at a good price with a game attached to it, and I was interested in the game as well.

[@daveswinburne7946]

Looks a lot better than the new version of Heroquest and the selling price is far, far more reasonable.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a really good game, and I've enjoyed it a lot. The heroes don't feel overpowered, and they really have to work together to win. And yes, the price is very reasonable for all you get. My biggest complaints are (1) the text on the cards is very small, and (2) it can be difficult to find all the map pieces you need in a timely manner when heroes open doors. Ideally, you need to find all the bits in advance and have them organised in piles just off to the side, ready to grab. I've also noticed the expansions don't seem too easy to find.

[@daveswinburne7946]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Ah!! Nice one. I'm not a board gamer. I owned the late '80s version of HeroQuest but for some reason I don't remember playing it with a group of mates. Although I think my mother gave it to a charity sale about twenty years ago, while I was at university in a different town. Darn it! Ha. If the card design isn't great, I was wondering would the company who designed it not produce better versions of the cards at a discounted rate, like a computer game 'bug fix', if enough people advised them on social media?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@daveswinburne7946 I think they probably heard plenty of people complain, and I expect took it into consideration with their later games. Not much chance of them redoing the cards though. They're still functional, just a bit difficult to read (especially in low light), and it's mainly the spell cards that are an issue. It hasn't really stopped me enjoying the game. I expect there are lots of people all around the world who experienced the same "vanishing HeroQuest" moment you did when their parents decided to clear out the attic one day.

[@daveswinburne7946]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yeah, all understandable. You're probably right about that! More than likely! Ha. I think I may have only realised some time in past ten years, as it may have 'vanished' when my parents moved house in the early-2000s. Haha.

[@TinyDiodes]

Wow, I agree, that is very tempting just for all the tiles and the furniture! Two questions, if possible to answer; How does the furniture size compare to Heroquest? Could it be used IN Heroquest or is it too large? And, how does the tile size measure up to Shadows over Hammerhal? These tiles look like they might integrate excellently with that set. (I am working on my own custom Dungeon crawl so being able to use all from both games would be super rad.)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You should be fine with Heroquest but not Hammerhal. Dungeon Saga is 28mm scale, and the map tile spaces fit 25mm square bases exactly. That means the miniatures and map tiles are too small for Hammerhal, which uses 35mm squares on the maps to accommodate the larger scale of Games Workshop miniatures. The furniture is all scaled appropriately for 28mm, with things like bookcases being just shy of 50mm so they fill two spaces on the board. Doors are 25mm or 50mm wide, and things like chests fit neatly in a 25mm square.

[@TinyDiodes]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thanks so much for the reply!

[@bradp6452]

Mantic has a range of terrain to cater to fantasy RPG players called Terrain crate. They even have like a Game Keepers Dungeon Starter box full with the Heroes and 1 set of minions from this game, plus 1 set of Orc minions, a dragon and more terrain pieces. They are just now releasing a new wave designed for more modern gaming (specifically for their Walking Dead games but with varying usability in time frames from WWII to post zombie Apoc or some Dystopian future. Dungeon Saga is a very simple game but it has a surprising amount of tactical depth due to the rigid rules structure. It is almost more of a puzzle game than a traditional dungeon crawl where you go from room to room and kill everything and collect the loot. Most of the core game involves a fairly tight clock to cross that section of the Dungeon. Since the character has to move then act and you cannot move through models or easily around enemies, ordering the hero moves and precisely placing the models and their facings is the core of the game. The Adventurer's Companion gets a bad rap and it has small problems in each section which makes it seem worse but I think a lot of the reaction was more based on poorly managed expections for what "RPG Lite" means. I think a lot of people were thinking it as "Lite" on DM work but it is more "Lite" as in you do not talk to bar maids in character and such.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah, I was aware of the TerrainCrate range (I mentioned it in the video description and have suggested it to several people in the comments). There's some very cool stuff in the range, and I might grab the campsite kit at some point. However, I wanted the game too! It's one I've wanted for ages, and the fact it comes with a nice selection of terrain and miniatures just makes it even more appealing to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the game and the Companion.

[@johnmascardo7047]

I bought this a year ago and I still haven't played it. I even got the Companions pack. I also backed the new iteration on kickstarter (which the bad guys are the main characters).

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I don't know how you've done it. I'm itching to get this one to the table.

[@johnmascardo7047]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I've done mechanics testing, but I wanted to paint the stuff first before playing it my kids...then WH40k stuff happened... LOL 😂

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah, 40K can do that.

[@bradp6452]

Mantic literally announced products from this range packaged with a 5e adventure as adventure kits in a box today.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Interesting. Kind of like Steamforged’s Epic Encounters but with terrain instead of enemies. Seems like a great idea.

[@bradp6452]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I think you get scatter terrain, enemies, and printed map sheets. I think they said they were showing the contents today.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@bradp6452 Oh, I didn’t see enemies mentioned in the announcement but I only skimmed it.

[@bradp6452]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring no reading it again it does not mention the monster models.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@bradp6452 I will be checking out the unboxing information for sure. These could be really good, even if there aren’t monsters.

[@nickgraney2119]

Hi. Did you ever do a play through and thoughts on this game? Looking at potentially getting it for my lad and I as a heroquest alternative

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I've never done a playthrough or review on the channel. I've shared some thoughts in comments, and the dungeon terrain turns up in other games on the channel, but that's it. It's a game that leans very heavily on HeroQuest but tries to "fix" common complaints with that game, so the dungeonmaster is more of an antagonist who is actively trying to win and has a lot of tricks to pull. There is also a very (very!) strict time limit on most scenarios which changes the game into more of a race than an exploration. Combat is also more tactical, and it has a really cool dice combat system. Miniatures and card components aren't the best, but you get a lot for your money.

[@nickgraney2119]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks for your thoughts. Looking around it seems to be the closest available (at a reasonable price- £40 on amazon currently) HQ comparable game I can find, just trying to weigh up getting this or holding out hope that HQ makes it to retail. Appreciated, thanks

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@nickgraney2119 No worries. I have a new HeroQuest video going up later. Retail is still up in the air, but I would say things are looking very positive for it.

[@nickgraney2119]

Purchased DS second hand on our favourite auction site for £23, my 8 year old lad loves it even with all the well known faults of the game. Tye two training missisons and our first adventure completed and he's hooked. I did have a reply on the mantic FB group after I asked if an updated version would be a possibility taking all the kerning of Star Saga on board and the two cryptic replies would lead me to think Mantic are working on this. I also spotted on a store site a late summer release date for some dungeon saga material so may be connected. Two expansions on their way for a steal of a price will keep us both engaged for the foreseeable

[@johnmiddleton4291]

Pretty nice haul of minis. I actually have the follow up Star Saga set but haven't done much more than glance through it. I need to just stop buying random stuff.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Star Saga looks pretty cool, and I would imagine the miniatures are slightly better quality than Dungeon Saga. I was tempted to grab one of the Star Saga door sets to replace the terrible ones you get in Alien vs Predator the Hunt Begins.

[@johnmiddleton4291]

Most of the terrain is pretty good, though my tables are all sort of wonky. It all needs hot water at some point. I have a mantic giant kit too that I need to build someday. That's a really cool kit with lots of options for variety.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The terrain looks great in the pictures I've seen, and I thought the Dungeon Saga stuff was excellent. It's made me consider some of their TerrainCrate packs a bit more carefully.

[@johnmiddleton4291]

I have the blacksmith box and another set that escapes me now as detail bits when I get around to them for the 4ground blacksmith.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I liked the campsite set. Seemed like that would get a lot of use for D&D and Burrows and Badgers.

[@TinyDiodes]

Looks like you can pick up just the tiles! "Dungeon Saga Halls of Dolgarth Tile Pack" Around $20. Not sure if it has ALL of the tiles you showed but I think so.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You can buy lots of the bits separately. There are different miniatures and terrain packs too available through the terrain crate range. Some have all the bits from the game and some have more. The game gets you a nice mix at a good price, and obviously is a game in its own right. Lots of options.

[@mackbolan1733]

Did you ever end up playing a game of this and reviewing it...I just had a quick look on your channel and couldn't find one? What about Gavin Thorpes other fantasy game for Mantic...Dwarf Kings Hold, did you ever play that?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I've never played or reviewed it on the channel (although that's not to say I won't at some point). It doesn't get a whole lot of table time, though. Dwarf King's Quest is basically the evolution of Dwarf King's Hold, moving it away from a Space Hulk style skirmish to more of a dungeon crawl, so I never felt the desire to go back to those earlier iterations after playing Quest.

[@PincheHugo_130]

Hello my friend, so I'm about to pick this game up, and I'm here looking for reviews to help me make up my mind.......recommend or not really!? LoL sry to bug yea!!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Not really. It has some clever ideas and some decent components, but it fell flat with my group. They didn't like the time pressure, which makes the game feel like too much of a race, and the board was a pain to set up. We never play it now. We always end up playing HeroQuest, one of the D&D board games, or Warhammer Quest if we want to play a dungeon crawler board game.

[@PincheHugo_130]

Ok. Thx for the info, I didn't make the purchase yet and I'll hold off. I did pick one called Dungeon Heroes, looks similar to "pocket dungeonquest" I'll have to check it out when it arrives next week 😀 👍

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It has good things going for it, but it wasn't really what we were looking for. It was nowhere near my top 50 list. You might like it though.

[@holysmoke8439]

I would recommend the infernal crypts. These aren't 28s like Conan..can't believe everything mantic says