Hello Enthusiasts,
I recently had a chance to play the board game Descent. This is a tabletop game that is heavy in lore and strategy, and today I will provide my first impressions. Because I haven't been able to play this one as much as some other games, this review will end up being a little shorter than I usually write.
Descent provides players with one of two options to play; they can either play as the heroes or the Overlord. The Overlord controls the monsters on the board, which will usually outnumber the heroes by several pieces. However, the heroes are stronger than the monsters in one way or another, so it's a battle between the strong and the many to accomplish whatever the objective is. In my time with the game I had only played as the heroes, but I'm hoping that my next experience will include some time as the Overlord.
Now, this game can be a lot to manage, especially for new players. Much like I said in my review of Eldritch Horror (which can be found at http://boredenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/11/board-game-review-eldritch-horror.html), I do not think this to be great for those who are new to tabletop gaming. The Overlord has even more to keep track of than the heroes, but that doesn't mean that the player using the heroes doesn't have to pay close attention to what they are doing. You have several heroes, all with different equipment and special abilities, and any of the heroes can do several different actions every turn. This doesn't account balancing expendable effects, remaining health, and countless other aspects of the game. However, for even the slightly experienced player like myself, the game doesn't take too long to get the hang of, and using each aspect of each character becomes second nature.
There are some maps of this game that are a lot easier than others, and the objective will frequently change from map to map. Not every one of them is "Kill the enemies", as there are maps where the monsters will constantly respond. This means there is usually some objective to achieve, with defending your characters being a side objective. For example, one of the objectives I had was to collect tokens and bring them to a safe location, while the Overlord was tasked with doing the same thing. This meant we ended up attacking each other, but we had a completely different objective in mind.
Because each side can feel like they have a disadvantage at times, winning is incredibly satisfying. The game is enjoyable regardless, but there is a real sense of accomplishment to triumph here, you really feel like you had to work for it. I definitely didn't win every game I played, but I still had fun overall, and each win was a major victory. When using some of the expansion packs the heroes do get a bit of a boost, which in my first round with the expansion made it seems a bit too easy. Still though, there's always the option of implementing house-rules with instances like this, so it's not a game ruining thing.
Overall, this game is a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to playing it a few more times, at which point I will likely release an updated and full review. My biggest concern, as it is with any game, is a replay value. However, based on the number of different missions that are listed, I have high hopes that I won't be disappointed there.
I give Descent a tentative 8 out of 10
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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