Review and impressions of the game Super Dungeon Explore: Forgotten King
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Super Dungeon Explore: Forgotten King
- Number of participants: 1-6.
- Game time: 60-150 minutes (depending on the selected game mode).
- Age: 12+.
- Preparation time for the party: 10-15 minutes.
Forgotten King is the sequel to Super Dungeon Explore , which is a complete base game. New features include co-op mode, new heroes, enemies and terrain, as well as updated rules.
GAME OVERVIEW
Super Dungeon Explore is a board that simulates an old-school computer game: hacking heroes through hordes of monsters pouncing on them. Forgotten King has some innovations, but overall the gameplay is very close to the original.
COMPARISON WITH SUPER DUNGEON EXPLORE
The main innovation of Forgotten King is a fully cooperative arcade mode. In this mode, monsters that are in a certain radius from the heroes are activated. And most of them are collected in groups of elite and ordinary minion enemies. Minions themselves do not act, but increase the attacks of elite enemies to which they are attached. Monsters take actions according to the command card you draw. It may have instructions to move and/or attack, use special abilities, or summon new monsters from spawn points. Monsters in arcade mode have a fixed attack parameter, so you have to roll the dice only to determine the hero's defense level. Monsters choose targets based on the amount of rage. When killing a monster, the hero receives points of rage, which makes it a priority target.
There are other innovations in both classic and arcade modes. Mini-bosses drop keys that can be used to get additional treasures. Among the treasures can be pets that join the group and choose their master. Pets are activated together with the owner and give him additional abilities.
When entering a new tile, you draw a research card. The find may turn out to be additional enemies, a trap, or (occasionally) something useful for the heroes.
When a spawn point on a tile is destroyed, princess coins are placed in its place. With the help of these coins, you can resurrect a dead hero or completely heal any hero.
In addition to the unique actions, special abilities and attacks available to the hero, certain basic actions are available to all characters: bandage a wound (heal a comrade), rummage (search for tokens and items), cheer up (remove status effects), etc.
The original rules and classic mode have also undergone some changes. In classic mode, the consul either activates monsters with a total cost of 4 skulls, or spawns new ones. Moreover, spawning in any mode causes damage to the spawn point and spawns as many monsters as indicated on the card.
For activation, the hero can drink only one potion, and during his turn. The exception is one potion that can be drunk during consul activation. It is still possible to exchange potions, but swallowing bottles at any chosen moment will no longer work.
When you kill an elite enemy or minion, you get a loot card; a maximum of three per activation. This loot does not equip immediately. Now, at the end of each activation, there is a boost phase, in which heroes try on loot and treasures.
IMPRESSION
Forgotten King licks the gameplay and rules of Super Dungeon Explore . The new co-op arcade mode is great when no one feels like playing as the consul. And many innovations make the gameplay smoother.
The components are about the same level of quality. Great art, excellent (and do not require assembly) miniatures. The rulebook is better developed.
I really like the new co-op mode. Once you get the hang of the mob mechanics, it's really easy and I can play with my son instead of against him. You can even play solo. Difficulty is adjustable, good thing there are options in the rulebook. And that's good, because we found the game easy. But maybe we just got lucky.
Many new monsters poison the heroes. Some get bonuses by attacking poisoned heroes. This gives the monsters and consul synergy, which is great. The new characters are all interesting and very different from their predecessors.
You can also purchase an upgrade pack for the game, which allows you to use all the cards from the basic Super Dungeon Explore and previously released add-ons in Forgotten King. It's inexpensive and more than worth the chance to play arcade mode with all the SDE miniatures.
If you liked the original Super Dungeon Explore, you will like Forgotten King. It adds fan innovations and licks the game a bit. If you haven't played SDE before, you should start familiarizing yourself with the line with Forgotten King.
USEFUL LINKS
Forgotten King on the BGG portal
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/156548/super-dungeon-explore-forgotten-king
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