Ravensburger`s `Horrified` board game collection consistently challenges players to confront legendary creatures, with numerous expansions drawing from popular culture and ancient myths. For more than half a decade, players have battled a diverse array of adversaries, including classic Universal monsters, cosmic horrors like Cthulhu, and mythological figures such as the Minotaur and Medusa. The newest installment in this series now introduces terrifying beasts from the rich universe of Dungeons & Dragons.
Dubbed Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons, this game is set in the renowned Forgotten Realms, a setting familiar to players of Baldur`s Gate 3. It incorporates iconic heroes and locales that draw directly from D&D`s vast lore and world-building. Though officially launching on August 10, advance copies reveal that this edition is far from a mere cosmetic re-skin of previous `Horrified` titles; it offers a genuinely integrated D&D experience.
For newcomers to `Horrified,` the game boasts a straightforward yet highly adaptable structure: the primary objective for your team is to vanquish all active monsters. Each monster presents distinct challenges and puzzles that must be overcome before they can be confronted directly. Typically, players have four actions per turn, which can be used to navigate the board, gather essential items, solve intricate puzzles, or safely escort non-player characters (NPCs), all while fending off roaming creatures. Following each player`s turn, the monsters execute their moves, dictated by a dedicated monster deck, which injects suspense and an element of randomness into the gameplay.
Employing actions strategically is crucial, as inefficient turns can easily empower the monsters. This dynamic fosters an engaging rhythm, ensuring the gameplay remains both intense and lively, without overwhelming your team.
The game`s adaptable nature stems from its customizable monster encounters. While a typical game involves facing two monsters, players can adjust the challenge level: opt for a single monster for a faster session, or confront all of them for a truly chaotic experience. Your `Horrified: D&D` journey begins by selecting your adversaries. Consistent with other `Horrified` titles, each monster is assigned a specific difficulty rating. Ravensburger suggests that newcomers start by battling the Beholder and the Displacer Beast, with the formidable Red Dragon and the deceptive Mimic reserved for more experienced players.
The distinct Dungeons & Dragons essence is integrated through new gameplay elements, including a signature D&D d20 die. This die`s roll can either aid or hinder your heroes as they strive to defeat monsters and protect innocent citizens from a grim fate. Each player selects a character, each possessing unique skills designed to enhance team strategy, mirroring the collaborative nature of a D&D adventuring party. Available roles encompass The Rogue, Wizard, Fighter, Cleric, and Bard. `Horrified: D&D` accommodates 1 to 5 players, meaning a daring solo adventure is indeed an option.
During our playthrough, we took on the roles of the Bard and Wizard, characters whose abilities primarily involve manipulating positions on the board, whether teleporting heroes, monsters, or NPCs. A higher d20 roll enhances these powers; for instance, a Fighter could completely bypass a monster`s turn with a favorable roll. The Rogue excels at item management, acquiring additional items and distributing them to allies, while the Cleric provides crucial support during the monster phase, employing abilities to mitigate or prevent enemy assaults.
The game`s design ingeniously prompts players to utilize the d20 nearly every turn. Given the significant impact of these abilities, even with less-than-perfect rolls, the dice-rolling mechanic remains consistently engaging and deeply integrated into the overall gameplay experience.
Avoiding danger is paramount in `Horrified: D&D`. Thankfully, every player begins with a Perk card, which grants beneficial effects like additional actions or an automatic critical success (a natural 20) on a dice roll. Further Perk cards can be acquired by rescuing villagers and vanquishing monsters.
Items contribute significant strategic depth, primarily serving to confront, resist, or overcome monsters. Each item token is defined by its name, color, strength value, type, and designated placement on the board. In the Monster Phase, fresh items are drawn from a dedicated bag and deployed onto the board, with their category distinguishable by shape: a red hexagon denotes a weapon, a blue circle signifies a magical item, and a yellow square represents a mundane one.
For instance, to vanquish the Beholder once specific conditions are met, a player must possess at least six points of mundane (yellow) item strength in their inventory.
While every monster wields a formidable ability, each also presents a distinctive challenge for players to overcome. The Beholder, for example, can unleash ten potent eye rays, with the specific ray determined by your d20 roll; players must disable its eyestalks before targeting its primary eye. The Mimic, true to its name, can cleverly impersonate inanimate objects, necessitating its discovery before any assault can be launched. The Displacer Beast, thanks to its deceptive illusions, demands a specific combination of items before it can even be engaged. Finally, the Red Dragon stands as the game`s ultimate test, featuring a unique two-stage confrontation: players must first unearth the Orb of Dragonkind before successfully luring the dragon back to its lair. This multi-phase challenge is a novel addition to the `Horrified` series, fitting for such legendary adversaries.
A notable aspect I value in the `Horrified` series is its artistic style, and the Dungeons & Dragons iteration fully embraces D&D aesthetics. The game`s instruction manual notably echoes the design of a classic Player`s Handbook, featuring a familiar font and layout. The Hero cards showcase a diverse cast, portraying various races and appearances for each class, with the Kenku Bard Hero being a particularly delightful addition.
Even the citizen and Perk cards are thoughtfully designed to tell miniature stories, with legendary figures adorning the Perk card art. This includes the iconic D&D Drow ranger Drizzt Do`Urden, whose specific card bestows an extra two actions upon the player during their turn.
Similar to other `Horrified` games and Dungeons & Dragons itself, an increased number of players tends to simplify the game, making it ideal for larger gatherings. Regardless of whether you`re a devoted D&D enthusiast or simply seeking a highly replayable board game, `Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons` offers an enjoyable experience in a compact format. While it may not simulate a full-scale epic campaign, it undeniably provides a captivating dungeon-crawling adventure worth undertaking.