Tell us about the future of Enter the Dark Castle and Themeborne games. You then put your item cards next to this pile and have the black chapter dice ready too. In fact, it reminds me a bit of the old Fighting Fantasy titles of my childhood. Once in game through, you don’t really notice it as much. Ostensibly a series of roll to resolve scenarios complemented by only the thinnest patina of player agency, it’s hook, as the company’s moniker reveals, is all theme. The starting hp for each character varies according to the number of players in the game: During the game characters will gain and lose hp but can never exceed their starting hp. This game is amazing! Escape the Dark Castle is part dungeon crawler, part RPG, part fantasy novel & looks like a 1930’s monster film. It is one of those games that I hope helps reinvent a genre. It has is all, a storytelling that transcends you to an immersive atmosphere and a wild ride that there is a real chance you could lose. There is also the simple fun factor. From the 45 encounter cards included in the core box you can weave a surprising number of narratives but inevitably the repetition will dull this box’s blade. I’m really grateful to the creators for putting it together, and a quick Google search shows there’s expansion packs available too. First up though, I know it’s cool to say you’ve unearthed this amazing new game by overhearing a drunken dwarf in a tavern mention an obscure podcast that then tips you on to a barely-known Kickstarter, and… etc etc. I gathered up 3 friends, none of which really play anything tabletop beyond Monopoly at Christmas, with one who says she doesn’t like tabletop gaming because it gets really boring real quick. This both enables the thrill of random chance with the agency of selecting actions based upon probability. What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing? The active player reads the italicised text out loud (have to set the mood after all). The thugs have a statistic of 1x Cunning, and then 1 Chapter Dice rolled at random per player. So I wanted to test this. You draw 15 cards to create your castle, so no two adventures are the same. Then follow the instructions to complete the chapter. A career as an ODP and now clinical skills teaching for med students he has years of experience behind him in the medical field. Your email address will not be published. The game is just a bunch of cards, in every sense. ( Log Out /  Each player will need to keep track of their character’s health points (hp) using the pads and pencils provided. One run-through may find you swimming in items and opportunity as you ransack kitchen stores, encounter inscrutable NPCs and dance about devilish traps to reveal chests brimming with loot, whilst others may see you mercilessly pummelled by a succession of foes, fiends, blackened blades and vertiginous pits that care not a jot for your desire to see starlight once more. R: That’s incredible. T: We are most proud of the number and diversity of people who are now part of the Escape the Dark community. And now thanks to BGG user Mr Curtis, I have printed some health tracker panels that I will be using from now on instead. We are also working hard on several other games (these things take years to develop properly), and we look forward to unveiling those when the time is right, the first of which will take us in a completely different direction to our current offerings – a head-to-head game of pure strategy. Place the Start Card on top of the castle deck, with the image of the castle face-up. Escape the Dark Castle is a simple, fantasy adventure game for 1-4 players, with a focus on atmosphere, storytelling and player cooperation– perfect for newcomers to tabletop gaming. If you want to fight, set out a might and wisdom chapter dice, and then roll a chapter die for each character (the third symbol). I backed this on KS and the artwork was the biggest draw. This is probably the game’s cleverest conceit. There is nothing else like it on our shelves, and I cannot wait to see what Themebourne do next. REVIEW. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Hello from South East China. I’ve been having a lot of fun playing it with my wife recently. Each player rolls their die and compares the symbol rolled to the chapter die. There’s even a ‘dungeon crawl’ track that’s perfect for Escape the Dark Castle! Read the italic text aloud to the group to set the scene. This will range from running away, bribing with items, engaging in combat or rolling to escape an area. The chapter presents a scenario to you – usually a gristly one. Young and old, and all walks of life are enjoying the game, and we get regular ‘letters of affection’ (usually emails) which really make it all worthwhile. 19.99. Unlike most games, you get to reuse a few different items unless stated that it is to be discarded. You can find Themeborne games here: https://www.themeborne.com/. They have all requested that I bring this because they want to win a game. But be warned, chapters sometimes contain grisly consequences which only apply to the player that turned the card. It only takes a couple of minutes to set up. Each session plays out differently based upon the selection of cards, with the challenges you face and perils that assail you varying wildly as a result. Subscribe to our newsletter and we'll send you a weekly newsletter with our top stories. Otherwise, if a player rolls one of their shields then they take no damage. The art of this game is the only real issue with this game, as I believe I’m at about 70 / 30 on people not liking to like the art. Beyond that, our latest game, Escape the Dark Sector, was successfully on Kickstarter and the campaign ended on July 1st. Escape the Dark Castle: Review & Interview. And setup is primarily shuffling cards! I was really excited to try it out. He graduated from Wizbang University with full honours and no teeth. Games Workshop’s 3 New Board Games - Warhammer Fun... What KICKSTARTER(S) are you BACKING and WHY? Godzilla: Tokyo Clash Crushes It - Review. So I laid the gauntlet down hard on Escape the Dark Castle. Some days are just too wearying, too draining and too full to leave you with the faculties in reserve to tackle the likes of Mage Knight, Paths of Glory or Twilight Imperium. 'Escape the Dark Castle' returns to Kickstarter with 3 expansions and other great ad-ins! Other than that – it was a brand new experience and one I went into with an open mind. Those who visit this blog from elsewhere will have seen a post every other day and it probably hasn’t been that obvious, but it is true. The monster/thugs/encounter will then have an attack and deal damage, equal to their damage score, to all the players. When he isn't feeling conflicted about Morrissey he likes to play indie games with a dubious 80's aesthetic. When you have completed a chapter, continue turning and completing chapter cards until you Escape the Dark Castle by defeating the Boss and win, or until a character is killed and you lose the game. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Familia Myth - Infinite Combate - Switch. We expected it to be more Power Rangers, couple of fights, take a few knocks and then beat the big bad at the end. 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Items can be used at any time unless the text on a card states otherwise. We read the rules a little more and even watched a how-to video, as our egos told us we may have played it wrong. The art is the star, basically. Although there are a few expansions out now (or on Kickstarter), the base set comes with six base characters. That’s it – you really are ready to play! Now that I know a little more about it I will definitely keep my eyes open , Glad it helps it is definitely worth looking out for. While I tend to prefer digital apps for solo play with less shuffling, setup and tear down, Escape the Dark Castle hits that perfect spot where I can pull out my phone, or set up a round of this. But for the same reasons. It’ll satisfy your thirst for adventure whilst you’re waiting on your takeaway to arrive, then it can be tidied away as quickly as it was set up. Beyond that, our latest game, Escape the Dark Sector, was successfully on Kickstarter and the campaign ended on July 1st. I can almost hear you screaming “Tell me about the game already!”. Somehow Escape the Dark Castle feels comfortingly familiar and brand new, all at the same time. 18 for two characters, 14 for three, and 12 for four characters. That’s it. Andi Lennon is Sydney based writer, musician and soap dodger. Players take on the roles of prisoners, wrongfully incarcerated in the depths of The Dark Castle. Escape the Dark Castle is part dungeon crawler, part RPG, part fantasy novel & looks like a 1930’s monster film.