League of Dungeoneers (LoD) is a detailed Dungeon Crawl and party management game. The game is designed to be a solo/coop game but could be played with a game master as well. The main task of the game is to develop your characters both by gaining experience but also by finding gold, equipment, magic and legendary items that can help you in your quest. The game is set in its own fantasy universe, containing many of the races and monsters that you would expect from a classical fantasy setting. You could either run the campaign supplied with the game or run any of the 22 single quests.
All dungeons are procedurally generated, and all monsters and treasures are randomized making the quests different every time you play them. There is however a theme for each quest you embark upon so don’t expect to find a goblin among the undead in a crypt. There are more than 50 different room and corridor tiles, each with details about furniture and 5 different large seized objective rooms. All rooms have different furniture and a chest is likely to contain gold or magic items, where for instance a bookshelf is more likely to contain magical scrolls.
Party morale and sanity are two important factors to monitor in the game. Meeting fearsome monsters and springing deadly traps will take its toll on the mental state of your heroes and too much strain will give your heroes unwanted disorders such as claustrophobia, arachnophobia or stress syndromes. This will make them less effective and maybe even a liability for the rest of the party. To remedy this, you will need to rest in between quests. If you can’t afford to rest due to lack of funds, maybe that stressed out Dwarf will have to stay behind during the next quest, forcing you to solve the task with a skeleton crew.
Characters are designed around several stats such as strength and dexterity but also around skills such as Pick lock or Heal. Depending on their profession the heroes will excel in some of these, while being quite useless in other. Through levelling, you will also unlock talents which will boost certain areas of your character and perks which are powerful boosts that can be used a limited number of times. There are more than 100 talents and perks in the game. As your heroes levels up, the monsters they meet will be tougher as well.
Combat is an essential part of the game and is designed to promote movement and prevent those bogged down battles of attrition. With several types of attacks available, both for monsters and heroes, combat becomes more flexible and less of a chore. Add to this the decision if you should evoke that special perk that could change the outcome of the battle or save it to the next.
Finally, each dungeon has a threat level. This will increase as the Dungeoneers make their way through he dungeon. Making noises such as bashing down a door, or maybe screaming because of your stress syndrome, is a bad idea. This will increase the threat level, which in turn increases the chances of something bad happening. Maybe you will trigger a wandering group of monsters or set of a trap? It can also give the monsters unexpected boosts during combat.
I've have received some question and I thought I would make some clarifications:
Complexity: Medium+ I would say. There is quite a lot of information defining each character which of course makes things more complex. However, the actual gameplay is pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it. A gaming session can easily be paused by just taking a picture of the setup.
What miniatures can I use?: You can use tokens, standees or any other miniatures you have. The tiles are supplied with miniatures about 28mm with a 25mm base in mind but can of course be scaled to any scale you want to.
How many different kinds of monsters are there?: A little more than 80. Some of these are variants, such as Orc, Orc brute and Orc berserker for instance. There are also several special characters that you will face during the quests not included in this list.
Can I use other tiles or a 3D-printed dungeon with this game?: Yes! This is a simple matter of making your own rooms and corridors table. There is even a template for this in the files section.
This game does not focus on stream lining, but rather on creating a detailed dungeon crawler experience. It will require more on the behalf of the player than some of the more modern designs, but for me it's the perfect level of detail.
-description from designer
League of Dungeoneers Character Creation
- Strong thematic coherence with classic dungeon crawlers and a clear path for solo and co-op play
- Standee art is appealing and standees offer a cost-efficient alternative to minis
- Tile-driven dungeon interactions add meaningful gameplay beyond mere visuals
- Overland map, settlement phase, and quest structure provide a broad, varied experience
- Deep character progression with many customization options and psychological elements
- Extensive bestiary and quick-reference monster cards improve play flow
- Deck-based dungeon creation and flexible tile system support replayability
- Prototype has grammar and layout issues that may disrupt readability
- Large component count (many tiles, cards, chits) could lead to heavy setup and storage needs
- High complexity and bookkeeping may be daunting for new players
- Some tiles appear visually similar to Warhammer Quest assets and could raise copyright considerations
- Durability and encumbrance aspects may add extra bookkeeping and potential friction
- Old-school dungeon crawling with RPG-like character development and psychological stress elements.
- Classic fantasy dungeon crawl set in a medieval kingdom with an overland map, settlement interactions, and dungeon adventures.
- Narrative flavor derived from tiles, quest cards, and scenario dice; story unfolds through modular rooms, quests, and events rather than a fixed storybook.
- Warhammer Quest
- Advanced Hero Quest
- Dungeon Universalis
- Shadows of Brimstone
- Dark Light Memento Mori
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Advanced combat system — Tactical, multi-option combat with a variety of attacks, weapons, and battle prayers; doors can be locked or trapped with a detailed flowchart.
- Campaign and quest structure — Two campaigns plus a large set of random quests and side quests; objective rooms provide varied play through different quest cards.
- Card-driven dungeon creation — A deck of playing cards can be used to create dungeons, with narrative text on cards to drive encounters.
- character creation and progression — Four races, multiple classes, talents, and class-specific perks; leveling up uses a d100 system and allows deep customization.
- Combat: Damage Based — Tactical, multi-option combat with a variety of attacks, weapons, and battle prayers; doors can be locked or trapped with a detailed flowchart.
- Deck-based treasure and equipment — Three treasure decks (mundane, fine, wonderful) with items that may include tables and multiple uses; equipped items and wealth impact progress.
- Modular board — Prototype uses standees, with minis as an optional add-on; game designed to be minis-agnostic, with tiles and tokens driving the action.
- Overland travel and settlement phase — Players travel on an overland map, visit settlements, buy equipment, and interact with NPCs and guilds.
- Sanity/psychology tracking — Ongoing sanity track with potential disorders (PTSD, arachnophobia, claustrophobia, etc.) that affect party morale and performance.
- Scenario die and threat level — A scenario die drives the progression of the dungeon with a rolling mechanic that advances threats based on outcomes.
- Standees vs minis and modular components — Prototype uses standees, with minis as an optional add-on; game designed to be minis-agnostic, with tiles and tokens driving the action.
- Tile-based dungeon construction — Two-sided objective tiles are mixed with basic rooms to form a randomized dungeon layout with interactive features.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- league of dungeoneers is the game that you would want to get if you want to focus solely on solo play and co-op play
- this is a dungeon crawling tool kit
- back for fans of the dungeon dive
- this could be your ultimate dungeon crawl
- this is a no brainer back this game
References (from this video)
- Deep, option-rich character creation with multiple classes, races, and skills
- Flavorful backgrounds (e.g., Wanderlust) add personal quest hooks
- Attention to equipment, encumbrance, and durability adds tactical depth
- Noted rule mistakes and ongoing errata; some inconsistencies in the rules
- Combat stats tied to dexterity rather than strength challenges common RPG tropes
- Armor/weight interactions and encumbrance mechanics can be confusing
- Character-focused party development, tactical combat, and exploration
- Fantasy dungeon crawl with a party of heroes exploring and managing resources in a dungeon environment
- Character-driven livestream-style commentary with live character creation and party planning
- Warhammer Quest
- Dungeon Universalis
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- armor and durability — armor types have encumbrance and durability; starting gear can take damage and be repaired or replaced
- backgrounds and flavor — backgrounds provide flavor and mechanical bonuses (e.g., Wanderlust) and can influence XP or quest paths
- character_creation — multi-hero setup with stats, classes, races, skills, and equipment; includes talents/perks and background options
- Encumbrance — carrying load tracked by Strength; encumbrance influences balance and tactical decisions
- energy and perks — energy is a currency to trigger perks; starting energy is present and affects perk access
- one-handed vs two-handed weapons — weapons classify as one- or two-handed; hand usage affects capability and damage potential
- skills and stats — skills are influenced by base stats (Dex, Wisdom, etc.) and profession modifiers; some skills are tied to specific stats
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- wanderlust ... such a cool background
- the gold standard it's the Bellwether for character creation in a board game
- I think combat stats should be typically it should come from your strength
- there are quite a few Errata
- I'm not happy with that I am not happy with having less than a 50 chance of hitting
- First Blood
References (from this video)
- Flexible, dual-mode play (sandbox and structured) out of the box
- Solid core system providing a strong foundation for solo play
- Integrates well with various tools and random encounter decks
- Encourages journaling and persistent world-building
- Can be very complex and time-consuming to run with multiple heroes
- May require abstraction of mercenaries and NPCs for solo play
- Combat can be heavy and burdensome to manage without house rules
- Array
- Array
- Exploration, dungeon-delving, and persistent world-building with mercenary support
- Array
- Fantasy world with settlements, dungeons, and a persistent hex-map exploration framework
- Array
- Array
- positive
- Mork Borg
- Forbidden Psalms
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dungeon Crawl — Dungeons provide board-game-like combat with defined rules.
- HP pool management — Use mercenaries' HP as a pool to absorb damage for the main character.
- Journal/notes mechanism — Journal pages or index cards to track settlements, NPCs, and quest sites for persistence.
- Mercenary abstraction — Mercenaries act as peripheral characters; their stats can be recorded on a single card and used to support tasks.
- NPC home locations and hooks — Each settlement linked to NPCs with potential stories and quests.
- Overland sandbox exploration — Exploring a hex map between settlements and quest locations.
- Partial participant abstraction — One PC engages with the world while others serve in background, not represented on maps.
- Random dungeon generation — Maps or tiles to create random dungeon layouts and progression.
- Rerolls/bonuses from party members — Other party members can grant rerolls or bonuses during combat.
- Side quest and encounter cards — Incorporate random encounters and side-quests via deck or card cards.
- Structured dungeon play — Dungeons provide board-game-like combat with defined rules.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- League of dungeoneers I actually offers two ways to play
- the core system of League of dungeoneers really does give us a solid foundation upon which we can build our own kind of customized game
- the Soloist is to introduce some Journal writing
- this has all kinds of different encounters that you could use in your solo games of League of dungeoneers
- think of it as combining a Mork Borg with Forbidden Psalms
References (from this video)
- Rich character customization with race-class interactions and unique talents
- Patreon-driven player involvement in character selection and naming
- Mechanical depth for potions, alchemy, and spellcasting adds tactical variety
- Flexible equipment and encumbrance system with shared party ownership in a cooperative setup
- Rule complexity and potential confusion during learning and application
- Heavy note-taking and handwriting in the transcript could lead to readability challenges
- Durability and encumbrance systems may feel grindy or balance-heavy without careful management
- Potion recipes and alchemy rules can be intricate and require clarifications or FAQs
- Adventure, exploration, and party-based dungeon delving
- Fantasy dungeon crawl with open-world exploration, multiple towns and quest lines
- Story-driven, player-driven character progression with personal quests
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Backgrounds and personal quests — Backgrounds provide starting traits and special quests; estates and wealth influence experience and story progression
- Character creation and stat allocation — Roll base stats with dice, assign values to stats, manage 15-point pool, race-specific stat maximums and class-based adjustments
- Encumbrance and item durability — Encumbrance caps and durability tracking; armor and gear can break; shields and armor durability affect survivability
- Energy points and prayers — Starting energy points tied to class; prayers grant effects such as HP or Arcane Arts bonuses
- Initiative and combat mechanics — Combat uses initiative tracking with potential extra initiative chips; touch vs ranged vs magic effects; weapon classes determine one-handed vs two-handed use
- Potions and alchemy — Alchemist belt expands quick slots; potions have weak/normal/superior variants; crafting involves ingredients, parts, recipes, and alchemy rolls
- Relics and equipment — Relics grant combat bonuses; starting gear includes weapons, armor, and a backpack; equipment has durability and encumbrance
- Spells and arcane casting — Spells have casting values, mana costs, upkeep and incantations; mana equals wisdom; quick spells cost fewer actions; magic items and scrolls introduce complexity
- Talents and perks — Talents are class-based passive bonuses (e.g., Rogue talents like Backstabber and StreetWise); can influence inventory and skills
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we're going to be finishing story lines and then other ones we're gonna be able to run into along the way
- we are going to create four characters
- my patreons voted on them and so it's super cool to have them be able to help me decide who is going to be playing in this game
- absolute blast to play this game
- meet me at the table