[Review] Dungeon Twister
tomv...@gmail.com
produced in 2004, didn't make it to America until 2005. Thus, I stand
by my declaration that this is, so far, the best game I've played in
2005. While the name conjures up images of an ogre trying desperately
to put their left foot on green, the game is much different. In fact,
it's hard to describe to people without mentioning "chess" and "dungeon
crawl", and the two are so different that it's hard to imagine them in
the same game. In fact, the true meaning of Dungeon Twister just might
be the fact that it manages to "twist" several genres into one game.
But, oh, what a game! The back story to the game involves an
all-powerful wizard dropping random contestants into a dungeon with
twisting floors, and forcing them to play games for his amusement (and
their freedom). With very little luck (besides the semi-random setup)
and an excellent combat system - Dungeon Twister retains the theme of
your classic dungeon, while acting as a tremendously tactical
two-player game. I love the options the game presents, and the idea of
more expansions with even more selections really has me excited.
Each player takes eight character tokens, six treasure tokens, eight
character stand up counters, four action cards, nine combat cards, and
three "jump" cards. The eight rooms provided in the game, each a grid
of twenty-five squares and filled with pit traps, wall, doors, and
decorations, are placed in a two by four formation, randomly face down
on the table. At the end of this two column row, each player places a
row of ten squares with four spots designated for their "starting
team". Each player secretly places four of their characters on these
spots face-down, and then, in turn order, places the other four
characters and six treasure items face-down on the eight rooms (some
restrictions apply). The four character tokens on the starting lines
are revealed, and players replace them with the cardboard standup
figures. One player is chosen to go first, and the game is ready to
begin.
On a player's turn, they must first play one of their action cards
face up on the table, showing how many actions they have this turn.
Once the action card is played, it stays on the table until a player
has used all four of the action cards, in which case they are all
returned to his hand. (Action cards give 2, 3, 4, or 5 actions). The
player then proceeds to take those actions. The actions available to a
player are:
- Reveal a new room: If a player's revealed character is next to an
unrevealed room, the player may flip the room over, as well as the
tokens on that room. The player decides where all tokens go, except
for items in their color, which the other player places in empty spots
in that room.
- Move: Each character has two numbers, an attack and a move number.
Characters can move spaces equal to their move number but can't move
through walls, doors, enemy characters, or pit traps. If moving over
an object or wounded character, the player can pick it up and continue
moving.
- Rotate a room: If a character is on the central gears to a room,
they can rotate the room 90 degrees in the direction indicated on the
tile for one action each. Alternatively, a player can rotate the room
that is the same color as the room they are standing in - there are
four pairs of two rooms each.
- Attack: If a character is adjacent to another character, they may
attack them. Both players play one attack card face down then reveal
them simultaneously. The number on the attack card (0 - 6) is added to
the character's attack value. The character with the lower value loses
and is "wounded" - their character is incapacitated, cannot move, and
must simply stay in their spot - with the only thing they can do is
defend against future attacks. A wounded character may not be attacked
on the same turn they are wounded; if wounded again, they are killed
and removed from the board. Either way, both attack cards are
discarded from the game, except for the "0" card, which is always
returned to a player's hand.
Players can use the items in the game to their advantage and may also
"jump" over pit traps by discarding one of the "jump" cards. Gameplay
continues until one player gets five points. A point is scored by
either getting a character to the other side of the board, the
character is removed, they have "escaped!", or killing an opponent's
character.
Some comments on the game...
1.) Characters: Here are the eight characters in the game, and my take
on each of them.
- Goblin: He's the weakest character, having no special abilities.
His true usefulness is the fact that if he "escapes", he's worth two
victory points. A lot of my strategies revolve around getting the
goblin to escape - it's a real boost towards winning the game.
- Warrior: A very useful fighter, the second strongest in the game -
he can also break doors down for one action, allowing access through
them. His best usefulness comes from fighting the enemy, and I usually
use him as a roving attacker, protecting the weaker folk, like the
Goblin and Wall-Walker.
- Thief: The thief is the fastest character in the game, can unlock
and open doors, and move over pit traps. Perhaps the best character -
it's dangerous to run her off the board too quickly, as she can help
get some of the other characters off. She's a natural for the speed
potion.
- Wizard: The wizard can levitate, moving over pit traps and enemies,
but his true usefulness comes when he gets the fireball wand. Then,
the Wizard becomes a powerhouse - able to kill off an enemy (hopefully
the Troll).
- Wall-Walker: As weak as the Goblin, she's still quite useful, as she
can walk through walls for 1 action. She's easy to kill, but I've
found that her ability can get her "escape" more often than not. She's
also handy to deliver items to different users.
- Mekanork: I'm not sure about this guy. He's a decent fighter, but
his special ability is that he can turn rooms in either direction.
While this is useful, I haven't found that it has helped me win many
battles. I'm sure that he's a terrific addition; I just don't use him
much.
- Troll: The troll is a monster in combat and can regenerate from
being wounded. This makes him exceedingly dangerous. The problem is
that he's as slow as a snail and often only really useful as a defender
against "escapes".
- Cleric: Perhaps the most valuable support character, the Cleric is
the only character that can heal other wounded characters. He's very
usefu and to lose him early is devastating.
I think that the characters are well-balanced, and it's hard to choose
which one is my favorite, although I would lean towards the cleric and
thief.
2.) Objects: The objects that can be picked up have various uses.
- Armor: Gives a player +1 when defending in combat.
- Sword: Gives a player +1 when attacking in combat.
- Rope: Allows a player to move over pit traps.
- Fireball: An essential thing for the wizard to have. With it he can
fell the mighty Troll. And this is a lovely thing to see.
- Treasure: If a character escapes when carrying this, they score an
extra victory point. My goal is to get the goblin to escape with the
treasure (although you can be sure the enemy will be gunning for him!)
- Speed Potion: This is possibly the most powerful item. It costs one
action to use but gives it's bearer four action points. This can be
totally devastating; and when used at the right time, the player can do
a lot of damage with one character, especially one who is fast, like
the thief.
3.) Components: All of the components in the game consist of mostly
cardboard tokens that are nicely illustrated and are of good quality.
Of course, many people won't enjoy using the stand up counters in the
game, which is why you can purchase miniatures from Asmodee for each
character. Not only that, but three-dimensional rooms and wall packs
will be sold, to give the entire 3D experience. Now as much as I would
love this (and I was able to play using such a board at Origins), it's
really too expensive for me, and I also stink at/hate painting
miniatures. But for those who like the visual effect, this option is
available. For me, I'm glad that everything fits easily inside the
nice, thin, sturdy box. Besides, the board just looks very good,
evocative of dungeons.
4.) Rules: The rulebook is fifteen pages full of detailed rules and
examples, with a rules summary on the back. Although that may seem
long, the game is very basic, and the only thing that may cause
forgetfulness are the special abilities of the characters. However,
two screens are included with the game, each detailing the special
abilities of the characters and the objects. This is an easy game to
learn, although hard to master, since there is a great deal of strategy
involved.
5.) Abstract: The game could easily be compared to an abstract
strategy game, since there is very little luck (the randomness of the
starting setup), and the tactical options that are presented. Yet,
because of the combat system, which is very similar to that found in
Lord of the Rings: Confrontation, and the very differentiated
characters and items, it just doesn't fit the mold of an abstract game.
6.) Dungeon crawl: At the same time, the game feels like a dungeon
crawl, since it has all the trappings of a dungeon, with the different
heroes and monsters found therein. There is combat and treasure
seeking, but all of this is there for a game, not for an
RPG-on-a-board. So the game isn't really a dungeon crawl either.
7.) Chaos: With bits of an abstract game and a dungeon crawl put
together, I have seen people a little thrown off by what they have
termed as "chaos". And yes, there is certainly a lot going on in the
board at any given moment. But I don't mind this, because it feels
like controlled chaos, where a player can decide to rotate rooms, or
carry armor, etc. Since players can keep track of combat cards that
are discarded, combat can be easily measured, and players know exactly
what card they must play to win; and it then becomes a matter of
bluffing.
8.) Slowness: In a tournament of Dungeon Twister, a two minute turn
limit is imposed; and after playing with some slow players, I can see
how that would be very useful. Since there are so many options given
to a player, they have eight characters that can move in many
directions, rotate rooms, fight, etc. that a player can get really
bogged down in a room. And since a player can't take back a move when
they rotate a room, they must visually study the board, to make sure
that they really want to rotate, before they do it. All of this leads
to that most dreaded of diseases, "analysis paralysis". But, as I
said, a timer will clear that right up.
9.) Expansion: The designer told me that he had over a dozen
expansions planned for the game - at least one of which is already out.
Each expansion adds more rooms, more characters, and more objects.
The expansions also allow the game to be played with more than two
players (although I think it's perfectly fine with only two). If
you're looking for a game that will provide endless opportunities, then
Dungeon Twist is the way to go.
10.) Fun Factor: I think the reason that I enjoy Dungeon Twister so
much is that it provides the strategic depth of a good solid game,
while adding in the trappings of the fantasy setting. When you've won
a game of Dungeon Twister, you can rest assured that it's because of
your skill, and nothing else. I don't like perfect information games
like Chess, because the better player will win a vast, vast majority of
the time. But in Dungeon Twister, there are so many options and
tactical moves a player can attempt, that I doubt anyone could ever
become undefeated at the game.
I don't think Dungeon Twister is for everyone - some may be turned off
by the dungeon theme, others may not like the dizzying array of choices
each turn. Still others may not like the odd merging of fantasy and
strategy. But for me it was a tremendous pairing, a dungeon game that
I could tout as having a lot of strategy; fun, but full of depth at the
same time. I'm looking greatly forward to each expansion and can't
wait to see how the new characters interact with the old; but even with
just the base set, the game is one of the best gaming experiences I've
had this year.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com