Deck Box Dungeons is a fantasy themed dungeon crawler with a companion app that fits in a deck box.
Each player builds their adventurer by selecting a character card, equipment card, and special abilities card. Builds can range from a standard stealthy rogue with daggers to a mage that wields a greatsword. During the game, players use the companion app to reveal new rooms and encounters which adds to replayability. Players must work together to slay monsters, complete encounters, and achieve the goal of their quest. Each quest has a different goal, from escorting a priest to complete a ritual to killing a giant troll that has been terrorizing a nearby town.
The companion app handles the quests and encounters allowing for quick setup times and streamlined gameplay. Random encounters and quest generation provides variety and replayability even when playing the same adventures. Using an app also allows for gameplay to be re-balanced and additional new content to be added after release.
Note: Using the app is recommended, but print & play quests are also available if you are unable or do not want to use the app.
Designed for 1-2 players, you can play with 1-4 players if you buy a second copy of the game.
- rough rule book and edge-case complexity
- feels more like a DIY project than a polished product
- deck-building dungeon exploration
- fantasy dungeon-crawling
- app-assisted adventure with modular scenarios
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- App Assisted — map creation requires external tools or online resources
- app-assisted/online map — map creation requires external tools or online resources
- Deck Building — build a deck as you progress through a dungeon crawl
- deck-building — build a deck as you progress through a dungeon crawl
- edge-case rule complexity — the rulebook and edge cases are intricate, impacting playability
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's addicting
- live conversation with an NPC that's evolving with your choices
- it's always a different conversation
- Stranger Things is my favorite series of all time