by QorDaq » Monday January 18th, 2021 10:03am
I agree with many folks on BGG, here at the Inn, etc. that this has been a very odd product intro. Perhaps not so surprising given that the marketing for the reprint/re-release of the core game was so uneventful. Still, it really feels like the folks making the marketing decisions either don't understand the various modern hobby game phenomena or are somehow unaware of them.
It's also possible that there is an agenda to kill the franchise, like CBS has sometimes done with Star Trek. Though I have trouble fully understanding the point in resurrecting it just to kill it, unless there are politics happening behind the scenes where something was green-lit by a prior exec or team who is no longer around to manage the project (Firefly). My examples are from television because I am not aware of a board game analog of my thoughts on this sort of corporate Frak/Frellery.
I suppose it could also have simply been a bizarre market test to see if there would be interest?
Regardless, this feels like late 80s/ early 90s level of capitalization on a low-end product, released adjacent to a potential money-maker. We certainly saw some of that with the original HQ, it just seems dated to me.
All of this said, if the Hasbro powers-that-be are counting on fans buying almost anything they produce, due to FOMO, completionism, or what have you, it likely worked on me. Assuming that the purportedly cheap component quality translates to a relatively inexpensive product, I am almost certain to pick it up before it disappears forever.
As to the limited info we have -
While I am not a fan of stickers on dice, it does occur to me that it would allow for customizing a few "Special" dice for custom gear or abilities. On the order of the German Colored Dice. So there's that?
The gameplay doesn't really sound amazing, however, for a quick and compact solo crawling experience... Maybe? I'd cite One Deck Dungeon, Deck Box Dungeon, Dungeon Roll, and similar, as some examples of lighter dungeon crawling fare that might be on par. Games I don't play all the time, but I'm glad to have around.
So, assuming it really will exist at some point, I'll probably pick up a copy (Possibly even a second copy strictly for collecting), so long as it isn't priced like a higher quality modern game.
Wait and see, I suppose.
maj! = Klingon word for "Good". Used in the context of "I approve".
- vay' DaneHbogh yIchargh!