Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition): Lair of the Wyrm

The treacherous Wyrm Queen Valyndra has awoken from her slumber, unleashing her foul hybrid minions on the countryside to burn and raid as they please. Her lust for gold has lured her from her lair, and now it’s up to a few brave heroes to drive her back into hiding and destroy her cruel servants!

Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Lair of the Wyrm, an upcoming expansion that introduces new heroes, classes, monsters, quests, and more to Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition! Heroes can now discover secret rooms and investigate suspicious rumors, while the Overlord equips himself with deadly never-before-seen tricks as he fields a powerful new lieutenant. Visit our Lair of the Wyrm website to learn more!

New Quests, New Heroes, and More

Lair of the Wyrm introduces five new quests that can be played individually or used to supplement a larger campaign (see our description page for more). With inventive objectives like rescuing survivors from a burning inn and protecting valuable ore from a greedy ettin, Lair of the Wyrm’s Quest Guide delivers fresh new challenges to your adventures.

What’s more, Lair of the Wyrm brings two new heroes to the fight against the forces of evil. Reynhart the Worthy is a fearless warrior whose prowess in combat means he rarely makes mistakes. He can reroll misses once per attack, helping to ensure that every strike is righteous and true. Meanwhile, High Mage Quellen is a master of body and mind, and is able to quickly recover from exertions that would devastate lesser men. Quellen has developed the ability to feed off the fatigue of those around him, gaining strength where his fellows fail.

But even as the heroes of Terrinoth gain new allies and tactics, their great enemy silently grows in sinister power. In addition to the Wyrm Queen herself, a fearsome Dragon Lord lieutenant seemingly formed from solidified flame, the Overlord gains two new monsters: mischievous and destructive Fire Imps, and flying Hybrid Sentinels...half-dragon monstrosities with a cruel penchant for preying on the weak. The Overlord’s new advantages are not limited to his minions, however. His new available class, Punisher, specializes in making heroes pay for every inch they advance. With abilities like Trading Pains and Exploit Weakness, the Punisher class will make the hero players flinch with fear every time something seems to go their way.

Dark secrets await within Valyndra’s lair. Do you have the courage to face the dreaded Wyrm Queen? Visit our Lair of the Wyrm website to learn more details, check back as we preview Lair of the Wyrm in the coming weeks, and look for it on store shelves later this year!

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition is a story-driven board game for 2-5 players that takes a party of adventurers deep into the dungeons of Terrinoth for adventure, treasure, and glory. Players will embark on a campaign of linked quests as they develop characters based on four fantasy archetypes.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition): Lair of the Wyrm

From FFG:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_npm.asp?eidm=158

Bring even more adventure to your Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition campaigns with Lair of the Wyrm, an expansion that introduces new heroes, classes, monsters, quests, and more! Heroes can now discover secret rooms and investigate suspicious rumors, while the Overlord equips himself with deadly never-before-seen tricks as he fields a powerful new lieutenant. Dark secrets await within Valyndra’s lair. Do you have the courage to face the dreaded Wyrm Queen?

Lair of the Wyrm includes:

• One 24-Page Rulebook/Quest Guide

• Ten Plastic Figures

• Two Hero Sheets

• Thirty-one Standard American cards and Thirty-eight small cards

• Twelve Map Tiles and One Secret Room Tile

• Forty-seven tokens and markers

Descent 2nd edition expansion photo

Descent 2nd edition expansion at GenCon, photo courtesy of Tom Vasel:

http://twitter.com/thedicetower/status/236085196267593728/photo/1/large

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition New Preview

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, the updated version of our classic dungeon-delving board game, is coming this summer! This all-new presentation of a beloved title maintains the core experience fans enjoy – an epic semi-cooperative adventure in which brave heroes venture into dangerous caves, ancient ruins, dark dungeons, and cursed forests to battle monsters, earn riches, and attempt to stop the evil overlord from carrying out his vile plot.

Last time, we saw an overview of what’s included in Second Edition’s Quest Guide, and we heard from its designer, Adam Sadler. Today, we’re pleased to present an in-depth preview of the anatomy of Second Edition’s all-new Hero sheets, leading into a discussion of some of its exciting new gameplay elements.

A hero of the wilds

A master of the bow and fearless defender of nature, Jain Fairwood stands ready to oppose the vile machinations of the overlord alongside her fellow heroes. Her speed and stamina give her the commanding ability to traverse nearly any terrain with ease, while her preternatural, almost animal-like awareness helps her detect hidden threats.

Jain Fairwood’s Hero sheet. Click to enlarge.

Take a look at Jain’s Hero sheet, above. Since her archetype is Scout, Jain will be able to choose from one of two classes: Thief or Wildlander (we’ll learn more about classes in future previews).

Aside from her name and portrait, you’ll likely notice three main sections: her characteristics in a column down the center, her attributes in the lower left corner, and her text effects on the right. While her Hero Ability (upper right) can be used any time its triggering condition allows, her Heroic Feat (lower right) is a special once-per-game ability that is "spent" by flipping her Hero sheet over. We'll explore Abilities and Feats in more detail throughout future previews; for now, let's focus on those numbers.

Fans of the first edition of Descent: Journeys in the Dark are already familiar with the purpose of a hero’s characteristics. Speed determines how many spaces a hero may move, Health is the amount of damage she may suffer before she is defeated, and Stamina represents the number of fatigue points she may “spend” on various benefits. It’s the fourth characteristic, Defense, that signifies the first major difference between Second Edition and its predecessor.

The gray cube in that fourth circle represents Jain’s Defense characteristic, and it indicates that she rolls one gray die (a medium-level defense die) when attacked. As in the first edition of Descent: Journeys in the Dark, Defense is a means of deflecting incoming damage. However, Second Edition’s custom Defense Dice ensure that an attack can never be “mathed out” in advance, better reflecting the uncertain nature of personal combat.

The true test of heroism

This brings us to another major change introduced by Second Edition: attributes. In the lower left corner of Jain’s Hero sheet, you’ll notice four more statistics that serve a different purpose entirely. Unlike characteristics, attributes aren’t spent and don’t tend to change over the course of the game. Instead, they represent the core strengths of a character, and are “tested” to perform difficult maneuvers, resist special monster attacks, or avoid traps played by the overlord.

From left to right, Jain’s attributes are Willpower, Might, Knowledge, and Awareness. These versatile stats underscoreSecond Edition’s focus on compelling narratives; a scenario might call for a test of Might to move a boulder blocking a path, or a test of Awareness to avoid an ambush by sinister goblins. Even new versions of classic Overlord cards likeCurse of the Monkey God depend on a character’s attributes. This underhanded spell can only be resisted by a display of superior intellect, represented in-game by a Knowledge test.

With a Knowledge attribute of only three, Jain may be in a bit of trouble if the overlord targets her with Curse of the Monkey God. To test an attribute, a player simply rolls one gray defense die and one black defense die. If he rolls a number of shield icons equal to or less than his hero’s applicable attribute, he passes. Can Jain roll low enough, or will she spend her next turn swinging from the rafters by her tail?

Acting heroic

Now that we’ve examined a hero, let’s take a look at what heroes do each turn. As we’ve mentioned previously, one of the goals in developing Second Edition was to make the game more accessible. This shows not only in how information is presented on the game’s components, but in the intuitiveness of its mechanics. For example, rather than having to consult the rules to determine movement point costs, players can keep this simple rule in mind: On each turn, your hero can perform two actions.

What are these possible actions? As a constant reminder, they’re printed on your Activation card, which is situated in front of you during the game (it’s this card that you flip to indicate your hero has acted in a given round, and the other side lists the Overlord’s Turn Summary). On each turn, your hero will perform some combination of two of the following (or may even perform the same action twice):

• Move a number of spaces equal to his Speed.
• Attack a monster.
• Use a skill that’s marked as an action.
• Rest, recovering all fatigue at the end of his turn.
• Search an adjacent space containing a search token.
• Stand up if he’s been knocked out. This is the one and only action that a knocked out hero may perform.
• Revive an adjacent hero who has been knocked out.
• Open or close an adjacent door
• Perform a special action, as defined by the scenario

Now that we’ve seen a broad overview of how heroes function in Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, we’ve set the groundwork for a series of more in-depth previews in the coming weeks. Check back often as we go into detail on some of the actions listed above, the different classes of heroes and their unique skills, the powers of the vile overlord, and much more.

And remember, the Descent: Journeys in the Dark Conversion Kit offers forty-eight Hero sheets, three Familiar cards, and fifty Monster cards that allow you to use your first edition plastic in Second Edition! Curious about how your favorite classic hero will be portrayed? Follow us on Facebook, where beginning tomorrow, we’ll reveal a converted classic Hero sheet from the Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition Conversion Kit each week. You can even vote on which classic character we’ll spoil next!

Preview of Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition

Fantasy Flight Games [News] - Gather Your Party:

'via Blog this'

Gather Your Party

Last year, we announced Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, the updated version of our classic dungeon-delving board game. This all-new presentation of the beloved title maintains the core experience fans enjoy – an epic semi-cooperative adventure in which brave heroes venture into dangerous caves, ancient ruins, dark dungeons, and cursed forests to battle monsters, earn riches, and attempt to stop the evil overlord from carrying out his vile plot. With its accessible rules and updated components, however, Second Edition remains deep enough for long-time veterans while inviting newcomers to join the adventure.
Today, we’re pleased to present the first in a series of previews of this upcoming release. First, we’ll offer a broad overview of what you’ll receive with Second Edition, which will lay the groundwork for more in-depth previews in the coming weeks. Then, we’ll see a few words from designer Adam Sadler in which he discusses the elements of Second Edition that excite him most.
A new take on classic dungeon-delving
Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition is a board game in which one player takes on the role of the treacherous overlord, and up to four other players take on the roles of courageous heroes. Featuring double-sided modular board pieces, countless hero and skill combinations, and an immersive story-driven campaign, Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition transports heroes to a vibrant fantasy realm where they must stand together against an ancient evil.
This updated version of the classic board game of dungeon-delving adventure features a host of enhancements, including new heroes and monsters, accessible rules, a class-based hero system, campaign play, and much more. In addition to its nearly 50 detailed plastic figures, 48 map tiles, nine custom dice, and much more, Second Editionoffers a comprehensive Quest Guide with 37 original maps.

What exactly does that mean? Take a look at the game layout above. This introductory setup, entitled First Blood, is a single-map quest designed to get players acclimated with Second Edition. Typically completed in about 45 minutes,First Blood pits the heroes against a rampaging ettin (a man-eating, two-headed giant) and his goblin minions.
First Blood is unique among Second Edition’s quests in that it consists of a single “encounter”; other quests are made up of two linked encounters, which are meant to be played back-to-back in a gaming session of just under two hours in length. So getting back to the Quest Guide’s 37 maps, they consist of one introduction, 17 two-part encounters, and two possible interludes (longer maps that divide the narrative at its halfway point). All together, Second Edition offers enough content to ensure years of replayability!

Also noteworthy is that each quest (again, consisting of two encounters) can stand alone, or work as part of a larger campaign narrative. This close interrelation between maps is just one of the ways in which Second Edition shines; the outcome of the first encounter of a quest affects the setup of its second encounter. Did the heroes manage to save any villagers in part one? Is so, those same villagers may become useful allies in part two.
Extending this concept to campaign play is another matter. Second Edition features an engaging “plot tree” system that presents different encounters depending the heroes’ victories and defeats. Keep reading for Second Editiondesigner Adam Sadler’s insights on the game’s immersive and adaptive campaign system, plus the increased strategic options of the overlord!
A word from the overlord
As a longtime fan of Descent: Journeys in the Dark, I was thrilled to get the chance to design Second Edition. Overall, the biggest challenge the design team faced was updating certain elements of the game while still staying true to the vision of the original. Right out of the gate, I knew that campaign play had to be a major element. While we wanted to maintain players’ ability to fully enjoy the Descent experience in single, self-contained sessions, it was equally important to include options for long-term character development and wider narrative arcs.
This brings me to the first aspect of Second Edition that I find most engaging. To keep campaign play interesting and varied, players will not always experience the same quests, or experience them in the same order, when playing through The Shadow Rune (the included campaign) multiple times. In fact, there is a well developed narrative driving the campaign that can branch off in different directions. Depending on whether the heroes or the overlord win certain quests, the players can actually influence how the overarching plot plays out. This brings a sense of light roleplaying to Second Edition, while giving players a feeling of ownership over their heroes’ fates.

A pad of these campaign tracking sheets is included with Second Edition,
allowing players to record the winning team for each quest. In addition to
determining what the next quest will be, this record helps establish other, more
subtle narrative factors throughout the campaign.

Another element of Second Edition that I think players will appreciate is the enhanced role of the overlord. I wanted to ensure that the overlord player would have plenty of compelling choices to make during a game.
Like the hero players, the overlord can choose a class in which to specialize, and he can customize his overlord deck to better suit his play style. The different overlord classes allow the overlord player to focus his tactics in the areas he wants. This deck customization creates a very different play experience for both the overlord player and the hero players; the overlord can change his tactics as he goes and the heroes won’t know what to expect!
Working on Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition has been a challenging and enjoyable experience for me. I look forward to fans of the first edition getting a chance to try the new game, as well as seeing newcomers begin their own adventures.
Thanks, Adam! With Second Edition’s momentous release on the horizon, we’ll be ramping up our web coverage. Check back often for more, and prepare to enter the dungeon this summer!

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition announced by FFG

Fantasy Flight Games [Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition] - Leading publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition is a board game in which one player takes on the role of the treacherous overlord, and up to four other players take on the roles of courageous heroes. Featuring double-sided modular board pieces, countless hero and skill combinations, and an immersive story-driven campaign, Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition transports heroes to a vibrant fantasy realm where they must stand together against an ancient evil.

This updated version of the classic board game of dungeon-delving adventure features a host of enhancements, including new heroes and monsters, streamlined rules, a class-based hero system, campaign play, and much more.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition includes –

• A rulebook and quest guide
• Eight hero figures and 38 monster figures
• Nine custom dice
• Nearly 250 cards
• 48 Map tiles
• Over 150 tokens

Descent: Journeys In The Dark - Full Solo/Coop Rules

Descent: Journeys Into The Dark Cooperative/Solo Rules

These are the Dungeon Encounter cards from my coop/solo Descent variant:

The card backs for the different levels of encounters:

This is the map deck and final set of encounters for coop/solo Decent:

The first one is the Map deck backs, if you print everything else once, you will need to print this one 3 times:

And this one once, like the others:

Descent: Journeys Into The Dark Cooperative/Solo Rules

Descent: Journeys Into The Dark Cooperative/Solo Rules

DESCENT JOURNEYS IN THE DARK COOPERATIVE RULES

COOPERATIVE DESCENT

SETUP

Each hero chooses a character card randomly and equips normally. Start on a cross-road tile, attach one dead end with a portal on it and place your heroes adjacent to it. Then remove all 2x2 pieces 2x1 pieces from the game.

OBJECTIVE

If any hero is killed the game is over and the heroes have lost!
If the heroes make it to Gold Level, draw the Quest Objective, successfully beat the final boss and then all leave safely through the Red Rune door they have won the game!

GAMEPLAY

Each round consists of a Heroes phase and then a monsters phase. During the monsters phase, all monsters are activated and may move and have one round of Combat. Monsters with the highest number of movement points will move first, Masters move before minions.

1. All Ranged or Magic attack monsters will move to within 1 space and attack then move away as far as possible.
2. All Melee monsters will move adjacent to the hero and attack then move away as far as possible.
3. Ogres, Giants and Nagas will move adjacent to the hero and attack and stay there until he or they are dead.
4. If all heroes are in town, monsters will move to surround the Town Portal closest to them

NB. Large monsters can smash 1x1 blocking obstacles with 1 attack.

EXPLORING

At each exit to every area is a door that cannot be closed once opened – it costs 2MP to open (stop placing them if you run out of doors, but it still costs 2MP to discover the next area). Whenever a character opens a door to an unexplored area draw one map card from the Map deck and place the indicated tile however fits best.

Then each hero draws 1 Encounter card from the Dungeon Encounter deck equivalent to his highest treasure (everyone starts on green, reshuffle the relevant discard pile if there are none left) places that card in front of him. Resolve these Dungeon Encounters - and place monsters as instructed - in clockwise order starting with the hero who uncovered the new area. If there are no relevant monsters available to place discard the card and redraw instead. Monsters or card effects target only the hero with that card until he or the monsters are dead. Monsters move on to the next nearest hero if they cannot reach their target hero on any turn.

If after opening a door the hero still has movement or combat actions available he may continue his turn as normal unless any Encounter cards say otherwise.

SURGES

Unless otherwise specified for the monster, every 2 surges rolled by a monster adds 1 damage to the total against the hero.

REWARDS

If there are no active monsters on the board immediately resolve the REWARD of each Dungeon card (reward applies only to the hero who possesses the card) and then discard it.

THE POWER DIE

If there have been no monsters on the board and no Encounter cards have been drawn after one full heroes phase roll 1 power die: immediately draw and resolve an encounter card on the roll of a Blank.

If all heroes are in town at the same time roll 1 power die: immediately draw and resolve an encounter card on the roll of a Surge.

LONE HEROES & VILLAGERS

Lone heroes and villagers cannot trade, carry items, or reveal new areas. Lone heroes always start with full Fatigue and may use Fatigue for extra power dice/movement, etc but have way to replenish Fatigue when it is gone (unless otherwise stated, e.g. character ability).
To claim the reward for returning a Villager or Lone Hero to town, the hero in control of them must move himself to town and then that character to town in the same turn. Lone heroes and villagers will only ever be targeted by monsters if no heroes are reachable in any turn.

HINT - Lone heroes are very useful for combat as they give you an extra attack each turn, so be careful about 'cashing them in' straight away!

RAGING AND AIMING MONSTERS

Monsters Raging or Aimed “on their first turn” means their first successful attack. Similarly any monsters’ Dodge applies to the first turn in which they are attacked.

UNUSED SKILLS

It may be best to remove the following skill cards from the game before starting: Divine Retribution; Boggs the Rat; and Mata and Kata if playing solo.

CONQUEST TOKENS OPTION

The heroes only lose when they run out of Conquest Tokens. Killed heroes respawn in Town as detailed in the basic game. The heroes begin the game with 5 Conquest Tokens. The heroes gain 3 Conquest Tokens the first time a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Treasure is Rewarded to the team.

Descent card deck backs - final

The first one is the Map deck backs, if you print everything else once, you will need to print this one 3 times:
And this one once, like the others:

Descent coop/solo card backs

The card backs for the different levels of encounters:

Descent Random Map Deck

This is the map deck and final set of encounters for coop/solo Decent: