Sword & Sorcery: Immortal Souls Review with Sam Healey

Sam Healey takes a look at this new dungeon-crawl board game with a real RPG feel to it from Ares Games!
00:00 - Introduction
01:06 - Game Overview
19:28 - Final Thoughts
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Find more reviews and videos at www.dicetower.com
BGG Link: www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170771/sword-sorcery

[@uluairi]

I have been playing S&S for a while now, and i can say it has become one of my favourite crawlers of all time. My thoughts are: Positives: -Absolute delicious A.I. , probably the best out there in a dungeon crawler. Enemies activation works like a charm. -I am a big fan of areas in these cooperative games, instead squares (Descent, etc). The line of sight idea is perfect. -Very deep in tactical decissions, i have found the game difficult but fair. -The campaign is great. AMAZING solo play. Negatives: -Very fiddly. The core of the game is very classic and straightforward, and if you have played a crawler before you will get it very quickly, BUT there are many small rules, conditions, modifiers, perks, which, although they add depth to the game, are very difficult to track. When playing solo, i always miss this or that in a turn, not because rules are not clear, but because of all that tracking. When playing in a grup things are easier, because i miss something, my friends will not and vice versa. -Miniatures are cool (heroes are great) but enemies lack variety, so you end fighting the same mobs too often. I do not have any expansion, though, i guess there are more stuff in there. -Setting the game can take time, but this depends on how you have the game organized. I have all my tokens in a Plano small box, very convenient and easy. It is a GREAT game, and i would recommend it to everybody, but if you like not too much complicated, fiddly games, maybe this one could be a bit frustrating. If not, go for it, you will love it!

[@martinbesaliel423]

hi, I've been looking this game for a while and descent (with apps) as someone who have played both of them, which one you recommend? my concern is: - are there enough scenario? or should i get descent because more content? - which battle more engaging?

[@uluairi]

@@martinbesaliel423 Well, S&S (the core set) includes half of a Campaign, just the Act I, so you will need to buy expansion to finish it. I enjoyed the Act I though. Battle sure is far more engaging than Descent, in my opinion. But, as you can read in any review, the game is VERY fiddly, with lots of things to track. That affects the game´s rythm a lot. In that sense i prefer Descent, which is faster-paced and easier to play. Descent has become cooperative/solo not so long ago with the app, but i really didn´t enjoyed it, it turns the game in a race against time, a constant rush to the objective, not my cup of tea. Both are great games.

[@brianbaker3731]

19:28 is the start of final thoughts.

[@workingmanmike]

I like how the monsters draw a random bonus ability. This can really change things up every encounter.

[@christopherkillian4350]

Played this with my 8 yr old son and he loved it. Really fun dungeon crawl. I thoroughly recommend.

[@domingossavioip3942]

Christopher Killian thanks for that info, planning to do the same

[@davidm4771]

Thanks for the review Sam! Great job. Fun game and fun for solo play as well.

[@deavonw]

Look at that table! Games these days have so many components and mechanics. I can't bring games like this out without scaring off my friends. Many of these kickstarter games require classes just to learn the rules.

[@jezz2k]

I know what you mean. I have Assault of the Giants. It takes up a lot of space even with the required minimum of 3 players. We tried playing but the rules aren't very clear, to say the least.

[@shaolinlueb]

YES! this is why I will never buy gloom haven.

[@TheRmm1976]

They look intimidating, but aren't that bad. I thought the same of Gloomhaven until a guy at a local shop ran me through a scenario.

[@shaolinlueb]

TheRmm1976 yeah ive been rethinking gloom haven.

[@TheRmm1976]

Don't get me wrong, the setup is still a bear and it's not simple. I bought an organizer (broken token) to help with setup. At any rate you may want to pick up Gloomhaven now that it's more readily available. The MSRP is high, but you really get a ton of content and components.

[@TheJimmy000]

I think you're meant to reduce hits with armour and then roll the amount of blue dice equal to remaining hits (up to max value on your armour item)

[@FunRegarderFilms]

It's exactly that. I played this rule wrong for two scenarios.

[@DieNische]

So Sam. You really need to check out Galaxy Defenders. You will find a lot of these aspects you love here in it. And as a sucker for Sci-Fi, you will love it. Seriously. Check it out.

[@thedicetower]

Sam here...okay, so I will give it a whirl...promise.

[@shawn_solo]

It is based on the Galaxy Defenders system, so it is just a matter of theme.

[@DieNische]

Shawn Bowers Nah. They are quite different according to their feeling. GD is more tactical and hardcore. The hex based System feels much different. So they have both a place on the shelf.

[@Jeff321]

Haven't played S&S yet but Galaxy Defenders is great. I do think Sam would enjoy it.

[@clg6000prime]

Came here tip day the very same thing. GD plus the expansions is essentially the same game as S&S.

[@TwoGunPixie]

Thanks for this great video. I just got S&S, can't wait to have it hit the table. Maybe this weekend if I'm lucky (fingers crossed).

[@larsroth5758]

You forgot to draw a trap card after opening the door

[@TeChNoWC7]

Hi Sam, was thinking of purchasing Sword and Sorcery but wanted to know whether you think there is a lot of content in the base game - how many gaming hours roughly? And are the scenarios fairly varied?

[@captcarryon6487]

So Sam, I want to know from you; having played this and Massive Darkness... how do they compare?

[@Mortis2405]

Although they are similar, MD is lighter, more a Diablo feel to it. There is just more depth and choice with S&S. I prefer S&S 👍

[@christopherlai364]

So I really want a dungeon crawler game, but I am uncertain what to buy. Sword and Sorcery looks very good in this review. But I'm wondering how it stacks up against Descent: Journey's in the Dark 2nd Edition. Is Descent getting old? Or is it still a great classic? There's also Mice and Mystics, which has a great theme, and then Massive Darkness which is coming out very soon. Anyone have recommendations or suggestions for the first Dungeon Crawler to buy?

[@mikejonesnoreally]

Can you give me a list of your five most played games? (They don't have to be board games.)

[@christopherlai364]

@@mikejonesnoreally Lol this it 3 years late, but I play: 1. Zombicide: Black Plague 2. Jamaica 3. Dead of Winter 4. Dice Town 5. Mission: Red Planet

[@ramonosuke]

I want to buy this game, but I heard there are only 6 quests included in the retail edition. I feel that is way to little and will hurt its replay value. Not sure how I feel playing the campaign over and over again. Can anyone share some light on this if true or not?

[@Grimmsterboy]

Ramonosuke yea there's 6 + the prologue for act 1 but there's expansion coming out with act2 with more enemies and cards n stuff which I can't wait for. Idk how many quests that'll have tho. But they're decently long to play, at least for me so far, I'm averaging like 2-3 hrs per quest and I'm having fun so it's not bad. I like everything about it and I figured when I'm done I'll just put the tiles together randomly and make my own dungeon and just mess around on that cause I enjoy it enough that I don't need a story.

[@aleksandardjordjevic5718]

Sam, have you tried expansion and what you think about them? I know they are out but they were available for play testing at Essen...Thanks

[@Xerosch]

I‘m very late to the party but thank you so very much for explaining the core mechanics! I‘ve tried to get through the rule book many times but never got to a point where I felt comfortable for a solo run. Will bookmark your video for future reference!

[@FirstTimeGamerLongTimeListener]

This game looks like it will be so much fun. I hate that I missed out on the kickstarter. There is a lot of stuff that came with it.

[@karwaichan]

Thx Sam for giving it some welldeserved attention. I have backed the immortals souls kickstarter. Just notices some things during watching the review. I think Sam should have resolved a trapcard when he first opened the unlocked door. Also with spines, the spine retaliation from the blue gremlin he only had to role 1 blue dice because one damage was negated by his armorvalue. If i am not mistaken he had at one point domination bonus on the blue gremlin. (the faction who has at least double the numbers of characters in one space can add one succesfull hit to the attack pool)

[@michalgoral123]

12:00 You should roll 1 blue dice. Throgar has the armor, that blocked 1 hit. So one should role 1 dice for 1 left hit. I guess.

[@giulianoliguori1786]

"we do not want to hit innocent bystanders..." well, that depends on your alignement :D :D

[@workingmanmike]

Which is better for solo? Descent or S&S?

[@bujinkanatori]

That looks... complicated. but so did Eclipse, and I love it.

[@Revtroz]

We love dungeon crawlers, but I don't think this is going to be different enough to pull us away from Descent 2.0 now that FF has made an app that overlords.

[@DieNische]

Revtroz It is much Better. Better AI, better surprises, more tactical.

[@whitefox25]

game only has 4 monster types lmao really and 1 boss unless you bought a kick starter edition which most people will not have

[@DieNische]

SaicaFox But the monsters vary according to their skills and feel very different. Even KS backers play the same campaign as any other. Later we could exchange monsters. I find the monsters in S&S more different than the monsters in Descent 2.

[@jousterO7]

*Quest 1 - some spoilers* As a KS owner i don't know exactly what's been left out from the retail version, but regarding monster uniqueness, the random monster powers is a great mechanic. My blue goblins kept getting fire claws, thunder/bash hits and the best part was when the Red Goblin got the self-regeneration but we managed to even it out with the help of some fire arrows :) I was really impressed by the first green raider AI as well. The dude is really focused on positioning himself for better range attacks which, as a rechargeable ability, can deal some serious damage if he gets the right symbols. The recharge of this special critical came via an event but only after he was already dead >> lucky us. I find that there were a lot of great moments in the first Quest and really hope to go at it again.

[@VasilisFouk]

Sword & Sorcery is about three times better than Descent. Unless, you don't want a heavier ruleset. In that case, stay with Descent.

[@LucasPaschoalotto]

How would you compare/rate Sword & Sorcery up against Mantic's Dungeon Saga?

[@tempestfury8324]

It has a lot of similarities to Galaxy Defenders (also by Ares games), a game I really enjoy. GD can be a very challenging game, but it's really easy to modify the difficulty. Is this game also very challenging? If so, is it easy to tweak the game's difficulty?

[@Phantomzeroneo]

Are there any Dungeons Crawlers that you guys consider to be “better” than S&S?. Just played it and I had fun with it, but would like to give others a go before buying this one.

[@jasoncoker4031]

Such a great game. Best dungeon crawl I've ever played

[@KINGTICOROSENBERG]

Hi I dont understand the soul rank leveling up formula. Im playing solo with two heroes. Can you please explain, thanks

[@dominicklauzon4133]

you simply spend enough soul point to level up the character to the mext rank : e.g 4 for rank 2, 9 for rank 3, etc... (square of the next level) per character

[@prom3t]

Good review. The game is 1-5 players though, not 6 as you mentioned.

[@SamHealey6]

I realized that in post-production. I always assume, sometimes erroneously so, that games have even numbered player counts. Thanks!

[@whitmanft]

on using the powers.. can he decide to use the 1St rank power w/ 1 hourglass the instead of the 4th ranked power w? 2 hour glasses even though he is a soulrank level 4 ?

[@MoPe123]

Yes he can

[@zaqx69]

Just saying, to unbend my minis i use a hair dryer, does the job in perfection

[@carlpearson8915]

I'm not sure Sam has a hairdryer.

[@anndorian]

Wait, you are in a dungeon but still you relay on day/night outside?

[@SamHealey6]

Not exactly...this is a combination of me misspeaking, and a general use of the phrase "dungeon-crawl" as a genre. This specific scenario takes place in a town/village, if I'm not mistaken.

[@ChRiStRiDa7]

This or descent 2nd edition? Or both!?

[@grahamtastic83]

Thanks for a great review! Just picked up a copy 😁

[@whodunnit3717]

Sooooo,its night-time....in the dungeon.....and we know this how? Transparent rock? Skylights?

[@martinkanchev7569]

a watch?

[@grub2592]

An excellent review - thank you!

[@Grouik]

Thank you Sam for such a great review ! :D I really like this game. For now I prefer Gloomhaven but this is a close second. :)

[@aquarius5719]

I am.looking for a fantasy game that has some sort of Red Sonja warrior miniature.

[@jasonclark7894]

FYI, you can try it for free on Tabletopia.

[@jeffersonjjohnson]

I have this game. It's damaged. The customer service I'm currently receiving is either suffering from a language barrier or a dismissive rep.

[@VonCoso]

mine too they messed up KS boxes design and as a result many broken, But they contacted me several times and have being very helpful they offered a huge refund to most people and they will try to solve other cases.

[@mikejonesnoreally]

It's Ares, so probably *both.* Let me guess. You received an e-mail telling you to boil your warped boards in order to fix them? >.

[@michalgoral123]

NIGHT and DAY event card should be placed beside deck, not on it. 15 page of rules.

[@steviev2504]

Great review! The only reason I don't insta-buy it is that I'm waiting on Massive Darkness... not sure I NEED both. But I WANT both! :D narf

[@bcm2578]

StevieV Massive Darkness or this? I'm so torn

[@Glic2000]

I just got Massive Darkness and it's a pile of trash. Nice minis, though.

[@steviev2504]

pile of trash!??!?! WHAT?!?! Are you serious?

[@Glic2000]

It's my least favourite dungeon crawl game. Here's a review that goes into some good detail: boardgamegeek.com/thread/1834641/massive-darkness-through-eyes-mechanic-junkie

[@EverEverOn]

If you had to choose one crawler....Gloomhaven or S&S?

[@davidm4771]

That is like asking if you like chicken or steak. :) I like them both equally as well that is chicken and steak. What are you looking for is the question. Do you love to roll dice then S&S. Do you like hand management and making tactical decisions then go with GH. The two games are so different for both being called dungeon crawl types of games.

[@TodiloDaSloth]

Played perdition's mouth? How would you compare them?

[@davidm4771]

Sorry I have not played Perdition's mouth. The mechanics in that one look very different from either GH or S&S. S&S is much closer to Imperial Assault as far as similarities without having to play the Empire. Therefore, I would assume that it would be similar to Descent 2E.

[@Kentchangar]

If you want a euro-y Dungeon crawl with a lot more control over your actions and damage and with 95 + scenarios - Pick Gloomhaven If you don't want controll and like to roll dice - pick anything else.

[@TodiloDaSloth]

is it really that bad? I have Gloomhaven waiting but S&S looks like the second best. Decent ai(not zombicide/massive darkness stupidity) without having to have a Overlord player.

[@stormy7722]

Is it possible, after the scenarios in the book have been completed, to play a randomly generated adventure?

[@Grimmsterboy]

Toronto1967 yea that's what I'm gonna do. Just put the tiles together and all the tokens n shit and just run around. It's fun enough to play without a story

[@LeeroyPorkins]

Arcane Portal just got released

[@DangerKennyB]

This is the first game I've played in awhile that I detested. (And I love love love dungeon crawls.) Maybe it was a bad teacher, but the pace was glacial. After 90 minutes we were still in the second room of many to come, taking turns rolling dice to put 1 damage on creatures that had 5 or 6 hit points. When another couple of creatures spawned before we'd dispatched the current group, I feigned an emergency and bowed out of the game, and I never, ever do that. Game seems like a turgid, repetitive grind.

[@SamHealey6]

This couldn't have been an entry/low-level scenario, then...and 90 minutes for two rooms...ummm, yeah...I'd also imagine it was a bad teacher. Keep in mind, though, that learning games always take longer on the front end for obvious reasons, but 90 minutes of play time for just two rooms doesn't seem correct at all! Yours is the antithesis of my experiences with the game. I would strongly urge you to give it another go, if possible, with a different group, maybe. Even my learning game was a vastly different experience that what you describe. My wife can't stand "grinding" games...she literally avoids them like the plague, and she's been asking to play this again.

[@DangerKennyB]

Maybe the guy dumped us into a large, long scenario. This was at DTC. It was "Dark" so all damage results were -1. The second room spawned six or seven goblins. We spent a lot of time swinging and missing or only hitting for 1 and the goblins had 5-6 hit points each, with the tougher one having even more. We'd almost, almost, almost grinded that group out when another two or three spawned down the hallway. At that point I'd had enough.

[@SamHealey6]

I'm sorry for that...when I teach a game like this, I always begin with the intro scenario. Otherwise, you're just asking people to choke down too much at once. Like I said, please give it another go if you can...this time start at the intro scenario!

[@blindthrasher7293]

Dave Bautistaroid Yeah, something wasn't done right. If it was the intro scenario you were playing, at most you can only have four monsters out at a time, since there are only four Gremlins in the Enemy deck. Well, barring any other enemies that were spawned from the Book of Secrets. And if you were playing a later scenario, there are rules for that regarding character make up. You'd have a certain number of Crowns (Gold) to split between the players; a certain amount of Soul Points as to level up the party to stand a better chance, and a number of Treasure cards to draw from the Treasure deck.

[@DangerKennyB]

Sounds like we took on an advanced scenario with intro characters. We went through the creation process but pretty sure we only got starting stats and skills (on the "Starting click" if you will.)

[@tempestfury8324]

Just got my copy of the game, and eager to get it to the table. I am really disappointed with the miniatures though! Galaxy Defenders had really nice, chunky, solid models. These are really flimsy and overall weak. The production of the game is really good, but these miniatures are really where the value falls short.

[@whitefox25]

regular edtion is such a downgrade from kickstarter its not even worth buying and you cant even pay more for kickstarter cuz that was a limited thing sucks for normal people that didnt know about the game

[@DieNische]

SaicaFox This is wrong. A) The campaign uses the regular stuff. You have to substitute Monsters f.e. manually. B) Ares will release all monsters and heroes later (except 1 exclusive one) C) Why didn't you participate in the project?

[@grahamers]

Great game, but I have to disagree with you about the rule book. It is one of the worst rule book I have seen, and I have played a ton of Shadow of Brimstone, so that is saying something.

[@Sacrilege83]

Descent or Sword & Sorcery? Go.

[@jubez187]

I have Descent and from looking at this it's pretty much a toss up/whatever you can get your hands on. I feel like this game has too many of those extraneous little decks scattered about. Descent probably has more content though cause it's been out longer. There's like 70 characters and 20 classes.

[@ArcaneCowboy]

Nine minutes in. When does the review start?

[@robsevendaysaweek]

Seems like a messy version of the Dnd board games.

[@bluetornadicamusic2010]

That was a more better review. Lots of not bad good things in the things basically.

[@APKlosky]

I'm glad I watched this review, because it seems like the game is literally just a cross of Descent with the Castle Ravenloft/Wrath of Ashardalon/Legend of Drizzt series. S&S doesn't seem to be doing anything new, and I'm really not impressed by the components or the niggling details of so much iconography. I love a good dungeon crawl, bu this is a pass for me.

[@APKlosky]

I'm not really a fan of the legacy concept, even in a 'lite' version. Plus, I don't exactly have $250-300 to drop on a single game.

[@kevinerskine3299]

Not sure which game you're saying is $250-$300 because it sure isn't this one or Gloomhaven.

[@APKlosky]

Seems like $225+ is pretty standard for ebay right now. www.ebay.com/itm/Gloomhaven-Second-Printing-Kickstarter-Edition-NEW-Pre-Order-/232407935478?hash=item361c97a9f6:g:D20AAOSww9xZHact

[@DieNische]

A.P. Klosky Sad for you.

[@APKlosky]

I guess? I just said I wasn't particularly interested in Gloomhaven, because of the pseudo-legacy stuff in it.

[@canadianturfsandwich1258]

Thank God there is Descent 2.0