Dungeon Crawlers?

[Nefaro]

I finally got my "Squee!" moment when my 3rd Edition of Dungeonquest showed up this afternoon.  I still have the old Games Workshop version from ~1985 but I had to get this one because nearly everything about it has been improved.  And there is no planned reprint coming.  ::)

This brings me to a question.

Are there any other tabletop dungeon crawlers out there that feature similarly randomized exploration and doesn't require a lot of record keeping?  I already own Betrayal at the House on Haunted Hill which is a somewhat similar tile-based crawler with some randomization (although not as much as Dungeonquest) but I'd like to hear of any more that may fit the bill, for future purchasing prospects. 

I've eyed Descent a bit, but I'm not sure if the dungeon crawler exploration & randomization side of it is there.  It seems more like some 'set' scenarios with a limited variety in each run.  Any additional thoughts on this specific series would also be appreciated.

[BanzaiCat]

Arkham Horror, perhaps?

Doom: The Boardgame is a lot of fun, even though it's not technically a "dungeon" crawler, it's pretty much the same thing.

[bayonetbrant]

http://www.atlas-games.com/dungeoneer/

make sure you have a few spare minis laying around, as they're a better effect than the fold-up cards in the box.

I'm a fan of the old TSR Dungeon game (recently re-released) but it's not a random map, just random encounters.

[BanzaiCat]

I'm a fan of the old TSR Dungeon game (recently re-released) but it's not a random map, just random encounters.

Geez, can't believe I didn't think of that classic game! Dungeon is a lot of fun. I'd always try a wizard and go right for the 6th level to get those 10,000 gp items. Then again, a warrior on the first few levels was fun too - racking up denizen body counts left and right.

Hero Quest was fun too, but that'll be hard to come by; I just sold my copy this past summer on eBay.

I remember my dad and I playing Magic Realm back when I was in middle school. (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22/magic-realm). That one had quite a bit of randomization and changing worlds, IIRC. It's not hard to find, but it's long out of print and therefore pretty expensive ($100 or so from what I've seen).

[Toonces]

I'll throw out the obvious choices of Castle Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, and Legend of Drizzt.

All of these are solo-friendly, random maps, random encounters, without much more brain burn than dungeon crawling.  If you want, I understand you can house-rule these into a campaign of sorts although I've never tried it.

Tons of plastic figures in the boxes; I've heard the games are actually worth their asking price just to get the figures.

I've only played Ravenloft, although I have all three.  Ashardalon is considered the best of the three, and is therefore now the most expensive.  I enjoyed Ravenloft well enough, though.

Ravenloft (from which you can link to the others):  http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/59946/dungeons-dragons-castle-ravenloft-board-game

[BanzaiCat]

Ha! I own Ravenloft too, but never played it.  :-\

[Nefaro]

I already own Ravenloft.  It's a good game, but I don't feel like shelling out a butt ton of money for the other two to expand the variety.  One big thing I felt it didn't have was interesting rooms.  While you draw a card on each newly explored tile (as per usual in these games), nearly all the rooms were just barren corridors.  The dungeon crawlers I've enjoyed most usually also have room tile specific cards or events tied to them.  Also.. I wasn't all that crazed about the movement mechanics switching between square and tile.  It made for some odd measurements at times.  It's certainly a good one for some family co-op, especially when some of the youngest ones need some help reading cards.

I gotta say the Dungeoneer one looks like it fits the bill nicely.  Even though it doesn't have a bunch of fancy pieces hopefully the card stock is decent.  I'm gonna grab a couple sets and check it out!   ;D 

Thanks for the suggestions guys!  I suppose nobody here has actually tried Descent then?  It seems almost like one of the D&D boardgames (such as Ravenloft) but with one person actually playing the bad guy.

[bayonetbrant]

I gotta say the Dungeoneer one looks like it fits the bill nicely.  Even though it doesn't have a bunch of fancy pieces hopefully the card stock is decent.  I'm gonna grab a couple sets and check it out!   ;D 

Can't recommend that one enough.  Nifty game system - read the rules on the website - and the sets connect together quite nicely.  The only downside to them is that there's no good "campaign" where you keep the same character for an extended period through multiple adventures.  There are ways to graft it onto the game, but they're clunky.

That will in no way detract from the hack-and-slash dungeon crawl glory that is the basic game, though.  It's a lot of fun.

[Nefaro]

I gotta say the Dungeoneer one looks like it fits the bill nicely.  Even though it doesn't have a bunch of fancy pieces hopefully the card stock is decent.  I'm gonna grab a couple sets and check it out!   ;D 

Can't recommend that one enough.  Nifty game system - read the rules on the website - and the sets connect together quite nicely.  The only downside to them is that there's no good "campaign" where you keep the same character for an extended period through multiple adventures.  There are ways to graft it onto the game, but they're clunky.

That will in no way detract from the hack-and-slash dungeon crawl glory that is the basic game, though.  It's a lot of fun.

That's all I can ask for ... a fun varied dungeon crawl.

I always have the Pathfinder ACG for a persistent fantasy hero card game.  It just doesn't really have the exploratory side of it like some of these others do ( no actual rooms & such).

Crap!  I think I ordered a the first "Lich" Dungeoneer game .. and the last higher-level expansion (Legendary.. Serpent Goddess thing).  I suspect there's one in the middle that I will need to bridge the gap?  Looks like there's another "Lich" one labelled 'Epic'.  The two Lich titles are was a bit confusing.


Edit:  Also.. I've had different versions of the TSR's old Dungeon game over the years but I'm not all that into it in my adult years, now.  Way too simplistic.  For some reason, I recall it actually having more "stuff" you could find, in the version I played back in the early 80s, and more classes each with a specific ability.  Or am I thinking of a different dungeon crawler from TSR in that period???  The latest versions seem like they culled items, classes, and abilities from the oldies.

[Arctic Blast]

Check out Gears of War, Nefaro. A surprisingly good game based on the video game license. You do have pre-determined map tile layouts, but completely randomized monster movement based on card draws. It isn't too involved that running more than one character is too taxing, and the difficulty is actually pretty respectable.

[bayonetbrant]

For some reason, I recall it actually having more "stuff" you could find, in the version I played back in the early 80s, and more classes each with a specific ability.  Or am I thinking of a different dungeon crawler from TSR in that period???  The latest versions seem like they culled items, classes, and abilities from the oldies.

you sure you're not thinking of the incarnation of red-bid D&D from that era? ;)

[Toonces]

I've played Descent with the kids.  It has a fairly good set-up time.  Also, Descent is really a competitive game- it's the DM vs. the players.  If that's ok with you then fine, but understand that the DM is trying to "win" the game by killing the players just as the players are trying to "win" by beating the dungeon.  The DM doesn't facilitate play like in regular D&D. 

Having said that, if you're into a game that requires at least 2 (preferably 3 or more) to play, Descent is a highly recommended dungeon crawl.  I have the old edition.  Apparently they released a new edition now so you'll likely have to go that route.

[Nefaro]

For some reason, I recall it actually having more "stuff" you could find, in the version I played back in the early 80s, and more classes each with a specific ability.  Or am I thinking of a different dungeon crawler from TSR in that period???  The latest versions seem like they culled items, classes, and abilities from the oldies.

you sure you're not thinking of the incarnation of red-bid D&D from that era? ;)

I just remember the name was pretty much the same (it had Dungeon in it) and I vaguely recall there being more classes available.  Like eight or more.  Such craziness as 'Hero' and 'Superhero'.  I don't recall exactly how different each was from the other but there were definitely more.  There also seemed to be a few more usable item cards you could find.

[Double Deuce]

Not really a boardgame if that is what you are looking for but recently the kids and I (got tired of DM'ing and wanted to participate in some good old fashioned hack and slash myself) have been using the random dungeon generator in the back of the 1e AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. We all rolled up characters and just dove in using it without a dedicated DM. Its not real sorry driven but the kids like to make up the reasoning behind "what the heck are these guys doing down here and where did this particular treasure come from". I suspect the kids like the chance to build on the story as they want as we adventure on. They actually come up with some pretty interesting stories, stories that I frequently steal from them to write up real dungeons for my VTT games.  8) 

[BanzaiCat]

For some reason, I recall it actually having more "stuff" you could find, in the version I played back in the early 80s, and more classes each with a specific ability.  Or am I thinking of a different dungeon crawler from TSR in that period???  The latest versions seem like they culled items, classes, and abilities from the oldies.

you sure you're not thinking of the incarnation of red-bid D&D from that era? ;)

I just remember the name was pretty much the same (it had Dungeon in it) and I vaguely recall there being more classes available.  Like eight or more.  Such craziness as 'Hero' and 'Superhero'.  I don't recall exactly how different each was from the other but there were definitely more.  There also seemed to be a few more usable item cards you could find.

It sounds like...Dungeon.

http://boardgamegeek.com/images/boardgame/1339/dungeon

This is a newer iteration of the game; the first version came out in 1975. I played it in the early/mid 80s a lot.