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Game Info
Year
1985
Collection
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
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Description
Players explore the ruins of Castle Dragonfire trying to reach the treasure chamber in the center of the dungeon and escape alive with as much treasure as possible. A limited number of turns before the game ends puts pressure on players to take risks and score rewards because anyone left in the dungeon when time runs out dies! A tile-laying system creates the maze-like dungeon and ensures that no two games are ever exactly the same.
Originally published in Sweden as Drakborgen (Dragon Keep) in 1985 by Alga, a subsidiary of BRIO AB. Sold in Norway (Skatten i borgen) and Denmark (Drageborgen). Licenced to Germany (Schmidt Spiele) as Drachenhort, to Great Britain (Games Workshop) as DungeonQuest. A 2nd edition named Drakborgen Legenden was released in 2002 (never released outside Sweden). The game was re-licensed to FFG in 2010, who released the 3rd edition the same year. See the family entry for more information.
Expanded by:
Drakborgen II (the Swedish expansion that upon Games Workshop's British release was split into the two below:)
Heroes for Dungeonquest
Dungeonquest: Catacombs
Re-implemented by:
Drakborgen Legenden
DungeonQuest (Third Edition)
DungeonQuest: Revised Edition
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment:
pos 1 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video UUUH5xnM-Mc
Review at 0:36 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69210 · mention_pk 165621
Click to watch at 0:36 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- High drama and excitement
- Fun, quick gameplay
- Simple to learn and play
- Appreciates the randomness
- Good for laughs with the right crowd
- Great thematic feel of being lost and hopeless
- Beautiful components in the FFG version
- Clever catacombs mechanic
- Push your luck story generator
- Good box art and rulebooks from Games Workshop
- Interesting lore and history in GW rulebook
- FFG board organizes decks well
- High quality dungeon tiles in FFG version
- Determination mechanic adds choice in FFG version
- Good value for money despite being out of print
Cons
- Mercilessly abuses rock, paper, scissors mechanic
- Slow, tedious, cumbersome, plotting chore
- Massive randomness
- Decisions don't matter
- Game plays itself
- Stats aren't used much
- Combat is repetitive
- Player elimination
- Flimsy components in GW version
- Heroes expansion too long to fit in GW box
- Combat is a roadblock/speed bump
- Rock paper scissors combat is too random with no thought
- Wish dice combat was used instead of RPS
- FFG combat cards are not used
- FFG rulebooks are split into two
- Struggles to find components due to being out of print
- Expensive due to being out of print
- No new weapons or armor found, limited loot
- Torch going out can lead to missed turns
Thematic elements
- Dungeon crawling
- Dragonfire Castle
Comparison games
- Talisman
- Escape the Dark Castle
- Escape the Dark Sector
- Galaxy Trucker
- Quest for the Lost Pixel
- Descent
- Runebound
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card drafting — Used for various events, encounters, and combat.
- Catacombs — A dungeon within a dungeon, an expansion mechanic that was included in the revised edition.
- Determination — A new mechanic in the FFG version where characters gain points when they fail, which can be spent to overcome challenges.
- player elimination — A potential outcome of the game mentioned in reviews.
- Press Your Luck — A core element where players decide how far to push their luck before the dungeon kills them.
- rock paper scissors — Used for combat, described by one reviewer as an 'elegant' mechanic that this game 'mercilessly abuses'.
- set collection — Players collect treasure to win the game.
- tile placement — Players draw tiles and move into them, forming the dungeon as they go.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Pointless, frustrating, and futile. Mercilessly abuses the elegant rock, paper, scissors mechanic.
- I think every gamer needs to die in Dungeon Quest at least once.
- The shockingly sudden unfairness of it is the game and makes winning, even if you only crawled out with a free sack of rope to show for your suffering, super sweet.
- At its core, Dungeon Quest is a push your luck story generator.
- This one's the Cohen brothers version where we are the stupid criminals and get exactly what we deserve.
- Almost a perfect game.
- It's really hard to beat this game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QY2ox96a1zA
The Dungeon Dive Review at 2:59 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 61308 · mention_pk 153982
Click to watch at 2:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Fast setup and quick-play sessions
- Fully themed dungeon crawl in a compact, portable form
- Filler-style gameplay that still feels adventurous
- High replay value due to randomized tiles and decks
- Accessible play experience suitable for casual sessions
Cons
- Extreme randomness can lead to brutal and unpredictable results
- Risk of dying on the very first turn or early in the game
- Feel of potential imbalance or unfairness due to luck of the draw
- Short sessions may disappoint players seeking deeper campaigns
Thematic elements
- Treasure hunting, danger, traps, and monsters in a dungeon crawl setting
- Dungeon crawl through a dragonfire castle to pilfer treasure and escape
- Procedural, tile-and-deck driven exploration toward a dragon’s lair
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- combat resolution via rock-paper-scissors — Fights against monsters are resolved through a quick rock-paper-scissors mechanic.
- corpse deck and treasure deck — Certain cards from corpse decks or treasure decks alter risk/reward and augment loot opportunities.
- press-your-luck/race dynamic — Players race to collect treasure and exit while risking deadly consequences from the dragon’s lair.
- Push Your Luck — Players race to collect treasure and exit while risking deadly consequences from the dragon’s lair.
- Rock-Paper-Scissors — Fights against monsters are resolved through a quick rock-paper-scissors mechanic.
- room decks — Entering a room prompts drawing a card from a room deck, which can contain treasure, doors, or threats.
- tile-drawing — On each turn, draw a random interior tile to reveal the next area of the dungeon and determine available spaces.
- Traps and monsters — Rooms may house traps or monsters that deal damage or complicate progress.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the game is hard damn hard probably
- it's super random downright brutal
- dungeon quest is at its core a race and press your luck game
- it's quick and light
- dungeon quest is kind of a filler game
- one that packs a fully themed adventure dungeon crawl punch
- it has everything needed for a fun exciting and dangerous romp through a dungeon filled with treasures traps and monsters
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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