I just do not like Descent

[knightkrawler]

Haven't played it, but I own it, so I'll break down the components for you according to my personal taste.

Hero figures: greatly detailed, beautiful cast; scale is something like 20 or 22 mm and realistically proportioned. It is NOT compatible with any game outside of Fantasy Flight Games.
Monster figures: less detailed, some shitty casts, weird (WEIRD !) choices, some are salvageable, e.g. the Ettin and the Elemental. The smaller ones are just horrible (Goblins and Zombies, humansized in general) - I mean, really really bad.

Markers: There aren't overlays anymore. Just blips like hit point markers.

Cards: beautiful design, layout, and art. Some are half-sized, which makes sense.

Tiles: great design, but each tile has a VERY specific purpose, with obstacles and literally everything painted onto them. If you want to salvage those for other games you're gonna have to write quests around the tiles.

Everything about the game is very FFG and nothing else.

[ampersand]

its very much more of a strategical skirmish game in the form of a dungeon crawler. i wrote a small review on my blog if you wish to take a look. now i cant say this game is for everyone.
i bought the 1st edition and sold it about 2 months later. so i was really dubious in purchasing the 2nd edition. for me and my family with descent 1st edition, there was just too much of everything!.
2nd edition is very much more stripped down in every way. the travel system and campaign are excellent. although it doesnt really offer much more. its worth a try though and i would recommend it. if you dont like it..sell it on right?

[chaoticprime]

Your experiences verily mirror mine own. All the pips and tabs and *lemony goodness* were annoying. The need for those stupid chits was excessive, and tracking all the symbols on the dice was middling. If you have to have three symbols on one die face, just accept that its actually nothing but the battle system of a PnP RPG, and use a regular d12 or whatever.

[HeroQuestFrance]

Descent is not really a dungeon crawl.
You are facing a game master and that's all.
It's not about searching for an old treasure, secret doors, disarming some traps and trying to find the exit because a invincible gargoyle is running after you in the corridor.

I also have it somewhere. I collect it only because in some years I will sell it with the first edition and all expansions for gold.

[chaoticprime]

Descent is not really a dungeon crawl.
You are facing a game master and that's all.
It's not about searching for an old treasure, secret doors, disarming some traps and trying to find the exit because a invincible gargoyle is running after you in the corridor.

I also have it somewhere. I collect it only because in some years I will sell it with the first edition and all expansions for gold.

Super Dungeon Explore, likewise, features an absolute lack of exploration.

[Goblin-King]

Super Dungeon Explore, likewise, features an absolute lack of exploration.

Amen to that! Still a good game though.
Except the theme it has nothing to do with neither a RPG nor a dungeon crawler

[ampersand]

Descent is not really a dungeon crawl.
You are facing a game master and that's all.
It's not about searching for an old treasure, secret doors, disarming some traps and trying to find the exit because a invincible gargoyle is running after you in the corridor.

I also have it somewhere. I collect it only because in some years I will sell it with the first edition and all expansions for gold.

i wouldnt even say you are facing a dungeon master. you are facing someone who controls the evil side. and are in direct competition against, both with specific objectives to win each scenario.
for me a dungeon master is someone that tells the story and is sort of a guide. controlling the baddies is only a percentage of being a dungeon master.

where descent 2nd edition stands up is its campaign. telling a story in itself and each scenario based on who wins the previous quest. makes each play of the campaign different giving various different combinations. as well as the simple travel system between quests. game is worth a punt. there is a lot more stuff out there that sells that this is a lot better than

[chaoticprime]

That Campaign thing sounds neat.

A DM is not a referee. To quote Gary Gygax: "The new D&D is too rule intensive. It's relegated the Dungeon Master to being an entertainer rather than master of the game. It's done away with the archetypes, focused on nothing but combat and character power, lost the group cooperative aspect, bastardized the class-based system, and resembles a comic-book superheroes game more than a fantasy RPG where a player can play any alignment desired, not just lawful good."

[Malcadon]

I remember downloading and reading the rulebook months ago. I was not all that impressed. It offered nothing creative or innovative. It felt like a generic hack-n-slash dungeon-crawl with little or none of the "exploration" elements, and a lot of pretty-looking props. I'm not all that impressed with layout and art, but I'm usually not impressed with that "new-school" style. It feels like its trying accommodate to HeroQuest fans who like the look and feel of 4e D&D.

If I was to obtain a copy of Descent, I would likely try it out a few times to see how I like it, and even experiment with houserules for better gameplay. If I cant find something to like about the game, I would assimilate the game for parts, like so many copies of Dragon Strike. (And this is coming from a guy who sees great parental with that cheap, knockoff HeroQuest game!)

[Sandman0077]

This is very disappointing to hear because I have been wanting to check out Descent 2nd edition for the last few months. Haven't bought it yet because of the hefty price tag, but I think I will give it a try once I complete all the HeroQuest expansions.