Fun Facts in Descent

By AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark, in Descent: Journeys in the Dark

I was thinking about making this relaxing topic while we are all waiting for new FFG announcement. We all love Descent and there are some fun facts that are not well known if you don't own and know every possible Terrinoth game.

I will start with the 3 facts, feel free to share more and also react if you want to know more! :)

1) Did you know that Merriod appeared in the Runebound - The Island of Dread and looked like this?

merriod.jpg?pub_secret=0b6647542f

2) Did you know that original tiles artwork contains unused artwork of magically locked doors and green water spaces on some tiles?

tiles.jpg?pub_secret=464c5c7498

3) Did you know that even though most of the items from the first edition are included in the second edition, there are still some missing, like this talisman called " Beastman Fetish "? And also did you know that it was REALLY named like that?!
EDIT: See the comment bellow , it was also used on the hex tokens

beastman_fetish.jpg?pub_secret=d2b6507ccb

Edited by AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark

The older definition of the term fetish was actually just an object thought to be embued with a power. Loosely it also expanded to a wardrobe or other personal effects.

However, the object you mentioned from D1e is a bit misnamed, as typically fetishes were named after the thing the fetish was thought to embue.

So, for example, a creepy green idol with tentacles would be correctly identified as a c'thulhu fetish (object) - not a cultist fetish (which would have been a statue of a dude in a robe). The item in question looked like it BELONGED to beastmen, rather than channeling whatever freakish power the beastmen would have desired.

anyhoo, that same art was later cropped/used for Hex Tokens, it seems...
DJ04-tokens-hex.png

Edited by thinkbomb

I know that this has been discussed long time ago , still thanks for the clarification! :D

And w oah! That is a super find! That yellow background really camouflaged the artwork from me :D , good job!

Lets add 3 more fun facts then:

4) Did you know that the Ice Wyrms in the conversion kit have the Swallow ability which was replaced with the Entomb in the updated version and is no longer used on any monster in the game.

ice_wyrm_ck.jpg?pub_secret=d8b950ce62

5) Do you know how Merrick Farrow bottom part of the robe looks like? Because artworks on the web are usually cropped, someone is painting it red and others keep the robe in the same color. Here is the full artwork:

merrick_farrow.png?pub_secret=ab8425cb3e

6) Did you know that Lady Eliza Farrow used to be called Lady Cathori in Runebound 2nd and Sir Alric Farrow looked like a skeleton?

eliza.jpg?pub_secret=41e52cfd0d alric.jpg?pub_secret=1ec23de8ea

Edited by AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark

While Cathori could have been her maiden name before marrying Merrick, it was probably changed (for the better) as it was a little too "on the nose" of Lady Bathory

Well lets add some more fun facts! Don't hesitate to also share some with us all :) . I am not all knowing.

7) Did you know about creation process of Descent base game heroes artworks?

jain_FFG_descent_second_edition_catell-ruz_step_by_step.jpg sundra_step_by_step_elf_knight_ffg_descent_second_edition_character_design_catell-ruz.jpg tomble_FFG_descent_second_edition_catell-ruz_step_by_step.jpg
alric_descent_second_edition_step_by_step_ffg_charlene_le_scanff.jpg orc_widow_FFG_descent_second_edition_step_by_step_catell-ruz.jpg

8) Did you know that even though heroes from box artwork does not exists in the game , 2 of them were released in the other FFG game Drakon 4th and integrated into Descent in the custom expansion Maze of the Drakon ?

img_20190816_134333.jpg?pub_secret=9f44102450

9) Did you know that in the Road to Legend (application) files were discovered unreleased heroes ?

pic3246114.png pic3246116.png pic3246113.png pic3246087.png
pic3249700.jpg pic3249701.jpg pic3249699.jpg pic3249702.jpg

Dwarf female was later used in the Lost Legends artwork. Red Scorpion appeared in the Runebound 3rd The Gilded Blade expansion. Some full artworks of these characters were discovered:
Mad Carthos and Varikas the Dead
Red Scorpion

Edited by AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark

It was a well know fact back at time, but maybe not more now



1) All items from Descent were named under "DJ" followed by a number. A misterious "DJ06" was never released


2) Did you know that Drakon V3 used miniatures from Descent 1st ? I'm almost sure that the game was meant to be added into Mennara universe at some point.
drakon-board-game-3rd-edition-fantasy_1_

3) Did you knew that Descent first edition showed heroes on the box but that weren't in the box ? They were all added in the first expansion pic249300.jpg

4) Did you ever noticed that Reynhart and Quellen's miniature used their respective poses from the box art and not actually their final artworks on their hero sheets ?

https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images3/1/0617/21/descent-lair-wyrm-expansion-2nd_1_d07c85806b5f039b2760de27f662fbb9.jpg
pic1406139.jpg

4) About lair of the Wyrm again, did you ever noticed that Valyndra is the sole characters from the whole game to not have a real personnal artwork and the one used for her is actually a scratched image cropped from the box artwork ?
https://www.uplay.it/www.uplay.it_Descent_Mini_-_Luogotenente_Valyndra--400x400.png

Edited by rugal

1) Did you knew that some relics of the 2nd edition weren't in the 1st ? Like the Dawnblade (but more too) was a the "Stone cutter" gold item (no images found sorry :( ) , and that the "Armor of elder kings", "Death touch rune" and "Cloak of time and space" were lost ? (but you can find them in my custom campaign "oath of the anvil"

Edited by rugal
On 7/14/2020 at 10:00 AM, AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark said:

4) Did you know that the Ice Wyrms in the conversion kit have the Swallow ability which was replaced with the Entomb in the updated version and is no longer used on any monster in the game.

Fun fact Descent 1st edition actually had a stomach tile. Ice Wyrms could swallow a hero alive, in which case they would be placed on the stomach tile and continue their fight from the inside. https://www.descentinthedark.com/_s_/swallow.php

I love this thread.

In future editions (ahem) I would love to see the vast cast of characters and personalities found in Runebound 2e and Descent 1e make appearances - original Road to Legend and Sea of Blood Lieutenants I am looking at you! Aside from the well know Farrows.

As an aside, this from Heirs of Blood: " One month after Sir Alric was slain, Lord Merrick Farrow and Lady Eliza Cathori were wed .." So, she took her husbands name.

Did you know...

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That I am loving this thread? 👍

1) Did you know that the art on the Overlord's Scourge Servant is taken from the lieutenant Zarihell's Character art?
LXy1qf6.png 7WvHS59.jpg ZEUEVMu.jpg

yes, and I'm using a Zahirell's miniature for it (zahirell herself being removed)

I am glad people enjoy this topic, you are great community! ❤️

Thank you @rugal , @Dadler93 and @Bucho for contributing with more fun facts and @Cotgrave with some more clarifications!

No matter if the fact is really well known or completely unknown, don't hesitate to share it!

Well let's add some more facts, if people do enjoy them so much! :)

10) Did you known that Jain Fairwood artwork appeared on BattleLore expansion announcement post and in the game itself as the card "Runic Assault", where she was portraited as a Runemaster?

BT02-AgilityRune.jpg

11) Did you know that there were 2 Game Night Kits ( first , second ) that contains translucent dice, tokens and other stuff?

pic1922441.png pic2204143.png

12) Did you know that @Sadgit , famous creator of the custom Descent expansion Sands of the Past , uses avatar of the "Distant cousin" (left artwork) from FFG Hoax game, which was initially supposed to be a " Magican " (right artwork)?

test-test-distant-relative.jpg?1542734090 test-test-magician.jpg?1542738578

Edited by AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark

Not overly a 'did you know', but:

A large measure of the look, feel, and unique design sense of Descent, Runebound, etc. from 1e - and continuing to strongly inform 2e and the IP as a whole - was from the artist Jesper Ejsing.

https://www.artstation.com/ejsing

A collection of his work was published in a book, Elsewhere: The Fantasy Art of Jesper Ejsing .

While he went on to inform other 'worlds' (read: IP's) all of his work would be recognizable as 'Terrinothian' (or rather Mennarian) to fans of Descent.

For custom creators and players of the RPG it is a mine of inspiration and ideas. Have a look!

12 hours ago, AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark said:

11) Did you know that there were 2 Game Night Kits ( first , second ) that contains translucent dice, tokens and other stuff?

pic1922441.png pic2204143.png

55575712.jpg

58 minutes ago, kris40k said:

55575712.jpg

Honestly, I tried for a couple months. Harder to find than Stewards of the Secret.

1 hour ago, kris40k said:

55575712.jpg

I have them ! You're jalous ?

16 hours ago, The_Han said:

Honestly, I tried for a couple months. Harder to find than Stewards of the Secret.

Two seconds into searching!: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283950300908

;)

Edited by Cotgrave
clarity

Another day, another fun with the Descent .

I will take a break over weekend, so expect more to come on Monday. Have a nice weekend everybody :) .

13) Did you know that even though Barghests didn't appear in the first edition , they were in the BattleLore (first) and in the Runebound Mists of Zanaga (second) and looked like this?

bt08_releasehoundscard.png 687474703a2f2f63617265796a2e636f6d2f72756e65626f756e642f636172642e7068703f636172643d6d7a5f677265656e5f3030312e6a7067


14) Did you know about creation process of Heirs of Blood artwork (first) and Doom of Fallowhearth (second)? On the Heirs of Blood sketeches are Ferroxs instead of Barghests .

mariusz-gandzel-sketchesmonastyrfb.jpg?1473836300 jeff-chen-the-doom-of-fallowhearth-sketches.jpg?1590070350

15) Did you know that you can find our favorite healer Avric Albright in the BattleLore ambushed by the Uthuks (first) and of course on the Heirs of Blood book cover (second)?

bt04-lore-card7.png pic2387791.jpg

Bonus clarification of 3):

On 7/14/2020 at 11:08 AM, AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark said:

3) Did you know that even though most of the items from the first edition are included in the second edition, there are still some missing, like this talisman called " Beastman Fetish "? And also did you know that it was REALLY named like that?!
EDIT: See the comment bellow , it was also used on the hex tokens

beastman_fetish.jpg?pub_secret=d2b6507ccb

Item was also later reused in the Runebound Mists of Zanaga , but it was renamed to "Shaman Bones":

image.png?pub_secret=dc57a1cf3f

Bonus clarification of the @rugal 2 post 1):

On 7/15/2020 at 1:36 PM, rugal said:

1) Did you knew that some relics of the 2nd edition weren't in the 1st ? Like the Dawnblade (but more too) was a the "Stone cutter" gold item (no images found sorry :( )

Dawnblade was also used in the Runebound (2nd) as "Sword of the Heir" (first) and in the 1st Edition in The Tomb of Ice expansion as " Stone Cutter "

card.php?card=wl_items_016.jpg

Quote

..., and that the "Armor of elder kings", "Death touch rune" and "Cloak of time and space" were lost ? (but you can find them in my custom campaign "oath of the anvil"

It would be nice to further more expand this fact with more images :) . That cloak was also used in Runebound (2nd) :

card.php?card=aa_items_004.jpg

Edited by AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark

Curse of the monkey god used to replace your mini with a monkey token back in 1e.

latest?cb=20160919155254 5a346d7848319_monkeycurse2.jpg.ceab08b39a30783dfcbf9afbbd8c5496.jpg

Another great fun fact @Bucho !

I will add some more to keep this topic going! :)

16) Did you know that in the books Genesys and Realms of Terrinoth you can find 2 alternative artworks of Kirga (first & second) and 1 of Vyrah the Falconer (third)?

kirga.jpg?pub_secret=4b09c7ab9a kirga_alt.jpg?pub_secret=c5be4c1c67 vyrah.jpg?pub_secret=44ddea563a

17) Did you know that in the Terrinoth are flying horses? This is clarification of this topic , they are indeed called "pegasus" and you can find them for example in the Rune Age .

rune-unit1.png

18) Did you know that there in the BattleLore you can find more artworks of our heroes which are nowhere else used? First artwork is with Avric Albright and Jain Fairwood and second with Lindel .

battlelore_fog.jpg?pub_secret=dfcf09a7a3 battlelore_lindel.jpg?pub_secret=f3cf407fe9

50 minutes ago, AwesomeTree_in_the_Dark said:

16) Did you know that in the books Genesys and Realms of Terrinoth you can find 2 alternative artworks of Kirga (first & second) and 1 of Vyrah the Falconer (third)?

There is also an artwork of a dwarf that sort of looks like it could be Brother Glyr.

pic1384189.jpg 400?cb=20181029145001

Oh, I've got one for this crowd, what's with the dragon riding?

rune_age_by_belibr_d47t68u-pre.jpg?token

rb01_preview_01.jpg

Did you know Descent 1e made a guest appearance on The IT Crowd?...

C8766191-BEFA-4A2D-8125-F945920C57A6.jpeg