HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King Review - with Tom Vasel

[@DonoghueLozon]

So glad DT finally got around to checking this out. Tom's criticisms are valid and he was very fair in his review. I can say that Volume 2 - The Forests of Adrimon plays a bit smoother than VotDK....and I'm sure Volume 3 will be even better as they are constantly tweaking and changing things to the point that the games themselves have enough variance that they aren't just retreads of the same thing just a different environment.

[@bahasainggeris7884]

HEXplore It! is the name of the series/system; they are planning on 6 volumes (games) in the series. Volumes 1 & 2 are available today with Volume 3 (Sands of Shurax) being produced now with estimated delivery date to KS backers of October 2020. In addition, the volumes can be mixed which will increase replayability.

[@dall1786]

yeah the different modes and being able to mix content is the real value in this game. So much replayability and an incentive not to just "beat the bad guy" but also to complete the achievements.

[@martinsouchay7532]

My favorite game! Love it so much!!! So excited to get the second and third volumes later this year.

[@rogerstone9353]

The Adventure Games Top 10 is one of my favorite ones you've done and I'm glad that Jeremy's mention of this game got you to try it out.

[@jaypob]

Great review; well balanced and fair. I love the game. It's the closest I've come to having a board game that felt like when I was a kid in the late 80s playing tabletop RPGs and old school RPG computer games. You didn't mention it, but the components are really good quality, too. Thick cardboard and feels premium.

[@antoyal]

I think that if this game had been out when I was a kid my buddies and I would have lost whole summer vacations to it. I look forward to playing it!

[@rudigerkipferl4479]

Yeah I wasted hours and hours on playing Monopoly and Hotel when I was a kid, what would it have been to have such an immersive game to play solo and with my friends... Oh my... 🤦

[@Otherspersons]

One of my favorite games!

[@TheoChem1to1]

I love the idea of the rebel rouser stuck under a tarp pouting because of inclement weather! XD

[@RedCubTX]

I own the first two, both the expansions for the first two, and all in for the Third Kickstarter. Highly agree with your review, but I would also encourage you to find one or two others who like this style, because that is where it goes from good to great. I am a Pathfinder (1e) GM because my group loves "crunchy" so I also agree this is a group dependent game more than most. But if you have the kind of group I do... this game is a blast to play.

[@rootzm]

Good job. Now do Folklore The Affliction. It’s a similar feel from a different angle

[@shaneannigans]

Before watching this review, I predict this won't be Tom's cup of tea. But, man, I really like this game!! I wish it had more art however I loved the survival/food mechanics-something I usually find to be an unnecessary layer of complexity however in this game it's quick, highly thematic and rewarding. I play it solo using 2 characters 🙂 EDIT: Well, Tom liked it more than I thought he would but I wasn't surprised by his criticisms. 🙂

[@AxelRavens]

But the art present - especially on the hero sheet backs - is more than gorgeus

[@klinktastic]

The new game 4 DoMN on GameFound the cards have art.

[@BodyWellnessHub]

One of my favourite games. I am an old Hexcrawler where everything you criticised is part of the appeal of a hexcrawl. The detailed complexity of deciding what the impact is of your decision is, in my opinion the best part of the game. A pen and paper, some dice, a sheet of hex paper and your imagination. Now that's a GAME. Good review, I guess this isn't for everyone.

[@NovaGirl8]

We have illustrated encounter decks now for enemies but it would change the circumstance layout a bit

[@jdebarr]

This is a real good game, 3 versions now. Another great review Tom.

[@timbur666]

Excellent review. I’m a big fan of HEXplore It, but have many of the same annoyances as you do. Volume 2, The Forests of Adrimon addresses several of your gripes although the combat still is not intuitive or well enough explained, at least not for me since I only ever play these about every 6 months. I’m giving the campaign preview for Volume 1 a try tomorrow. That looks very intriguing. (It is part of the Volume 3 KS content for returning backers I think.)

[@AxelRavens]

is there any indication that the campaign vor VotdK is available for non backers?

[@dall1786]

@@AxelRavens you can just add on a second edition of Valley of the dead king to the newest volume(3) kickstarter at a discounted price.

[@jasonmiller3543]

There is quite the learning curve for this game. Once you get over that hump, though, it is a tremendous blast! I have played enough 2-character solo games to try every class in the game (and I backed the original kickstarter so I got all the hexclusive classes/races). You can mitigate the luck a bit. You can see the encounters that are available, so if you look to the sky and see a young dragon flying around you're going to want to move cautiously and avoid that encounter. Little things like that helped draw me in. Such a great game and I am really looking forward to the Sands of Shurax (Vol 3).

[@JambalayaPlaysGames]

Thank you Tom.

[@thedicetower]

It was you! Thank you!

[@dall1786]

You really should have played the Forest of Adrimon instead of the VoTDK first. They had a good idea in the first game dead king but they hit their stride with FoA and made an amazing and immersive game. The second edition is a rework of first edition and smooths out a lot of the rough edges and the expansion is the first product they made with their new design philosophy. The different modes of the game really are what make the game so much fun along with striving to get the rewards from the games achievement system. Combat is absolutely a math puzzle but so is Gloomhaven. I don't really see a problem here other than this game removed all the unnecessary fiddly bits. Would love to see a review after you played Forest of Adrimon though.

[@z3r0slugfm]

This looks like a really nice modernization of the Hexcrawl. Can’t wait to pick up a copy.

[@psybadge]

If you like the variety of roles and classes in VotDK, wait till you see when you add the ones from the other two volumes and the three expansions... at least 3,640 combos!

[@DVCBear]

Have volume 2, waiting for 1 and 3 later this year. Agree would like to see the combat improved as its just math with very little surprise. The adventure and exploration part makes the game worth it for me. I feel they are stuck with the generic card layout art due to the ability to combine the games. I would be perfectly ok, if they started with better layout and art starting with volume 3. Looking forwards to the improved app.

[@timbur666]

DVC Bear right I forgot about the app and should try with that next game

[@beckystreet7756]

I'm looking at buying this game as it looks great but can't find it anywhere in the UK? Am I missing something? Is it not being made anymore?

[@NovaGirl8]

It is in short supply. They recently finished a Gamefound campaign for Volume 4 and reprints of the first 3 volumes. Go to Gamefound and get notified when the pledge manager opens for late pledges and you can get any of the current volumes next year. If you want it now, you have to find it in the 2ndhand market or a retailer who has leftover core boxes.

[@beckystreet7756]

@@NovaGirl8 thanks for the reply! I actually managed to get it through their website, turns out when you go to pledge for the most recent game, you can select to buy the older games instead!

[@garryknox1614]

That looked like an interesting game, I come from an RPG heritage so this did appeal to me. I am wondering how it may compare to the upcoming release of Euthia: Torment of Resurrection (that got my interest tweaking). I would like to hear your thoughts, thank you for your time and expertise, keep it up legends.

[@zachb6243]

Hexplore it feels waaayy more sandboxy to me where you can kind of run around the whole map and do whatever you want and it really gets that adventure feel. Euthia has much more straight forward gameplay because you just get the same action tokens every turn, but it’s also a bit more contained- it has a strong diablo/ Witcher feel to me whereas hexplore definitely feels *closer* to more of a tabletop rpg. The biggest thing for me is that hexplore is very good solo, since all heroes share movement, and euthia has a mediocre solo mode.

[@rudigerkipferl4479]

This is quite a well-balanced review about an interesting game that is not for everyone. I came onboard with the third Kickstarter, and liking the Playthroughs I saw, I ordered the third box and the first one. Still waiting for fulfillment so I did not play it myself yet. Why I liked it is that it really has a lot on the side of exploration and character development and a huge amount of variety. I also think that Hexplore it might have a balance problem especially at the beginning when the characters are still weak - of you meet the wrong monster people first, you won't meet any further monsters. But playing solo there is always the option to rewind and start again at an earlier moment... 🤷 So all in all I have high hopes for this game and hope it will not disappoint me with being too swingy. It's definitely something else, but I don't know if it's actually a good game to play in a group with all the characters having to stay together all the time...

[@nothing3376]

This looks awesome. I wonder if it’s worth getting into this one or the sequels

[@timbur666]

The designers seem to improve with each Volume, so going with Volume 3 might be best place to start, unless buying a used copy to get Volume 2 or 1 now.

[@shaneannigans]

This one has a bucket-tonne of races to choose from. If it appeals to you, I think this first one is worth getting just so you have that variety-which can then be used if you get the sequels. 🙂

[@jerrodwarr9706]

The leveling system and its speed is my favorite part of the game.

[@talkietoaster0]

The best artwork the game has to offer is hidden the entire time and you mostly stare at numbers and walls of text. Why, oh why :)? Character creation and leveling look good, though. For an RPG-like feel I'd probably go for Folklore: The Affliction or Sword & Sorcery. I just need artwork in my games.

[@chadnine3432]

I was gonna say. It looks like Talisman and Outdoor Adventure had a head on collision on the freeway.

[@mechazookie]

Okay. I'm convinced. I'll get it.

[@xshadowscreamx]

Crazy amount of classes and races in a base game. The lack of art besides characters and big bosses is very unfortunate. I like to see my items and stuff, not just numbers and words. Also too mathy for me.

[@raziel2273]

You all should try Folklore The Affliction..you will be amazed trust me..

[@treviswighton4025]

so what I'm hearing is...wait for the second edition...

[@craigsmith4181]

Yeah, the 1st edition owners got kind of screwed since they changed a ton of skills and cards, and offered no upgrade path.

[@dall1786]

@@craigsmith4181 actually first edition owners got the new second edition at a discounted price. However all the games going forward were made the same as the second game Forest of Adrimon, which incidently is where most people should start with this system.

[@All_Ice117]

Now you need to try Street Masters out =P.

[@yamahkogribbis6212]

I make an angelic barbarian, but the picture on barbarian is a dwarven barbarian... This is why the art had to be abstract at points, they don't know what you were going to choose.

[@charleslatora5750]

It's like full blown D n D in a box...I think I need to get this game. And as for the cards, sleeve them with sleeves with artwork.

[@Rodinov_Claw]

Wow..what a long overdue review...

[@tempestfury8324]

Solid review! I love the upgrade system in this game. The artwork is beautiful! Oh but the combat is just wonky and unnecessarily "mathy". I hate the combat in this game. And really wish publishers would stop making rulebooks in landscape format. I've played this and Sands of Shurax several times but own neither..... that's the last problem; this is a fairly expensive game....$20-40 more than it should be.

[@AxelRavens]

Do you think so? I find it ok. The box is sturdier, inlay etc is WAY better than fox example FFG crap. There is a lot of content in the box and it seems like the designers are kind of customer and fan friendly, as they upgrade a lot of problems and negatives - mentioned by players - with each coming edition and game.

[@tempestfury8324]

@@AxelRavens : Oh I agree with you on FFG. The cardboard inserts are a joke and they never include enough dice! The insert and components are nice but it all comes down to gameplay and price. This game goes for $80-120 and that's way overpriced for what it is. Inserts or no, I'd still rather play Descent than Hexplore it.

[@jazRock13]

APPROVED!!!..... but not for everyone XD

[@Steve-L]

I beta tested this a few years ago, here in Wisconsin.

[@69robtaylor]

Really like this game. Volume 2. Forest of Adrimon is a heck of a lot better IMO. I Feel volume 3 went too far and I’m not quite as big a fan of that one.

[@Peter_Scholtz]

I love the game much more, when the art wasnt show. It was cool without art so the players can imagine it on their own. So not have arts in front is a big plus for me. It seems like it want to be hexcrawl (TTRPG form) for board gamers.. therefore i wonder how good the storytelling aspect is in this game. If this is only a stat - combo min maxing chase like DnD i ts a hard pass.

[@mabos555]

As a solo player? You? Hahahahahhaa You never was a solo player but you are now, finally

[@danielsprague6921]

Lol " tree-ants "Tom

[@MrFuckethead]

What a huge fail to not have the monster art for each monster card, and also the heroes should have a small picture of them in some section at the front. This game assumes players know what the monster is and looks like, terrible mistake. You alienate new players by it. I have been a D&D DM for over ten years so I know any monster that might be mentioned but what about new players??? I really liked the board to write on, the mechanics, the simple character creation yet with variation, this all looked and sounded like a great intro and simple version of D&D. BUT, without the monster artwork on the cards, I would NOT play this with any new players or people that are not acquainted with the D&D or fantasy lore. They have nothing to grasp on or rely on.... what a simple and huge mistake. I hope this game gets re released with the actual MONSTER artwork and the hero artwork in the front! It motivates the player and also makes him/her play more in the role of the character, it allows to relate to the image and think "yeah Im a huge dude, I'll tank and beat everyone, vs hmmm I seem to be frail and sneaky, I will use my wit, hide, and attack from far". New or inexperienced players NEED this visual aid imo to get out the best possible experience.

[@nydaloth]

Art is a huge con.