Jump to scope includes 7 white cubes that symbolize the companions later, and its counterpart, 7 black dice, the Dungeon Master. There are also 8 different hero cards, a level indicator (also in cube form), Quick Reference Cards and a lot Cardboard Tokens. Packed everything is beautiful and extremely space saving along with instructions and notes on the Hero cards in a neat little chest. This is indeed made of cardboard, but sturdy enough to meet their functional task during the game. From this one fact attracts the treasures found accordingly.
Unfortunately, there is not the player mat for storing the dice that you can see about the explanatory video of Pegasus Games in the German version. These were just a goodie in Essen. Nor is it necessary, however, would have contributed positively to the atmosphere. Otherwise this Kickstarter project is located excellently by Pegasus Games.
The gameplay is extremely simple. Each in turn plays itself, and who has the most experience points after 3 rounds is the winner. Alternatively, it is important to gather as much XP as possible because one man can not even play. If you're on the train, you throw all 7 white cube. From this, the group results for this round, the use of which is considered to optimize it. The 6 sides of the cube are: Champion, Warrior, Magician, Thief, Priest, or a scroll. In the 1st level of the dungeon 1 enemy die is cast, so an easy game. So a dragon symbol is rolled, this will always be set aside in the Dragon's Lair. Alternatively appear monsters, potion or treasure. The latter of course you can only drink (respectively loots) when you have eliminated any monster. For this you must usually give a hero dice. With his remaining adventurers cubes can then try to compete with 2 dice in the 2nd level, then to 3 in the 3rd, etc. The rest own dice rolls are not sure again. However, you also get no dice back automatically.
The strategic element
It is here that the strategy comes into play, because not only fighting the Monster Cube costs. Generally one has with each hero dice neutralize (same color as the symbol on the adventurers cube) to drink potions or collect treasures the option up to 3 identical matching monster. By placing a cube with spell scroll icon one may also roll any non Dragons dice again. More experience points to bekommenm you have to venture into greater depths, which, however, the further you vortraut to increasingly shift the preponderance of the heroes to their detriment and turns around quickly. Because while you have to cope alone with the 7 white dice per round, the evil per level can draw on unlimited resources. In Level 5, it would be so, for example 5 black dice, you must compensate for the still remaining white.
Thus, one should be able to decide in time situational whether it makes more sense under certain circumstances, to ignore once potions or treasure chests as you have to make additional valuable heroes die for it otherwise. Because only if you have successfully cleaned a level of all monsters, you can either intoxicated with joy to return to the tavern and get credited the experience or venture down one level to play even more points. However, if you fail in the dungeon, not separates, although out of the game, however, is forced to flee from it. In this case, one obtains in this round no experience points, which can move the overall victory in unreachable.
Additional thrills arises if the dice fall once properly unfavorable because then even to make matters worse the the dungeon dragon is active and challenge the player. 3 different heroes must then compete woe to those who are unprepared.
It is important to let the personal hero card does not quite ignore Finally. Each player gets one of them at the beginning. These characters have a permanent special ability that you can use in each level as many times as you want. This is to dice manipulators; For example, you may use Warrior alternatively as a priest. In addition, each character has an ultimate skill that counts only once per round. Some offer, the bonus count as extra dice (Arcane Swordmaster or Crusader), others can thrown dice invert (about Adept "or" occultist). In addition, the hero be upgraded to 5 obtained experience points and improving their skills. These are the minimal differences between the players and the automatic character creation with the individually different skills. In the US, there are already a Booster Pack with new heroes.
Crawl vs. Gambling
Only the starting grid, so the die roll the adventure group at start of round is a gamble for the active players. Then rolls usually only the opponent. This comes as useful as that one can plan every train in advance and not once has the own Würfelglück dependent. Depending on what the Dungeon Master sets before one, it may be natural that one has to solve times heavier tasks or you can just go through the first few levels due to lack of opponents. Since this probability decreases rapidly, however, this spawn mechanism is rather good as a hindrance. For simplicity, there is also no armor items or the ability to swap resources with one another.
Due to the requirements to optimally operate with dice and card people, I think the starting age for Dungeon Roll of 8 years for athletic. That works maybe if one has ever understood a collectible card game with more complex rules. But every teenager is clearly with the rules. The running time of max. 10 minutes a player is very enjoyable overall. According to the packaging is 1 to 4 players should be able to measure each other, theoretically the number of players is limited to 8 due to the hero cards. However, at a high number of players will eventually time before you're off again after all the others, too long for this entertaining dice game without interaction between players.
Conclusion: Dungeon Roll is on course, a veritable stopgap between sprawling dungeon crawl and dice games to be entertaining. A great and useful presentation, simple rules and short playing time let a pen - & - minimal breathe Paper RPG ingenuous a draft of this world. At best, this results in not only the taste of other games of Dungeon roll, but also the deeper introduction to proper dungeon crawler role-playing games.
