DESCENT into crappy models!!!

Ok! lets get this straight. I like this game a lot. my family likes this game a lot. but on a whole. the models that come with Descent journeys in the dark 2nd edition. are to say the least...bloody awful.

size wise id say they are about 20mm scale maybe. so they are quite a bit smaller. they lack character beyond belief. and the material they are made out of I think is also used to make car tires..it is barely plastic and feels cheap and flimsy. out of the box I had a total of 3 broken figures and pretty much 80% of them were warped and out of shape. This was fixed by dipping them in hot water for a few seconds. warping back to correct shape, then dunking them into cold water. this worked for the best part. but sadly the models are still crappy.

Rant aside. this is a great game. it ISN'T a dungeon crawler. I've seen many describe it as that. but quite simply. IT IS NOT!

-there is no exploration.

-very little searching of pre plotted search markers.

That to me are two major point of what makes a dungeon crawler. "Lurking through the hidden depths of the unknown, finding an old boot in the dark dank corner of a room, finding a glowing ancient gem that radiates with an unknown glow, as from behind looms an ogre ready to slam his club into the back of the heroes skull."

This sadly will never happen in Descent 2nd edition.

What you do get is a very tightly packed strategic set of plots that feed together as an excellent and fun campaign.

Each quest is set out in a provided quest book and play out, leading into the next quest that can be determined with advantages to the heroes or the overlord (GM) based on who won the previous quest.

this is a great way to string together the quests and give purpose to winning the set quests the heroes enthral!

also quests get chosen in a series based on who won, to give many different and varied ways to play out the featured campaign. kind of like the old lone wolf/choose your own adventure books that I loved in the 80's. for me personally this is an excellent format that not only gives nostalgia to those books but helps the players forge the campaign as they go. take note designers...ill have me some more of that!

so in a nutshell what is descent?

-strategic quest themed board game.

-lots of killing.

-lots of arguments about what move to make (as mentioned its a tight strategic game so 1 mistake could lose you the quest)

-great campaign play.

-nice simple element for travelling to the next quest.

Would I recommend this game?? hell yes its great fun.

what would Improve?? - the god damn awful figures of course! hehe

anyways here's a few shots of some of my painted up figures (they are not fun to paint either, take note of the unfinished bases!! I simply got bored and stopped)

Ashrian & Avric Albright

Tomble Burrowell & Jain Fairwood

Merriod's (don't know the plural)

and hope you enjoyed my first little blog!
hope I wasn't too harsh on the game, but I like to give a varied opinion. slate where it needs slating and praise where its due!
and feel I gave both. if you disagree. let me know your thought please!

peace!!

now go buy the game!! hehe