First of all, I apologize if this is a repeated topic, I searched the forums but was unable to find anything.

Anyways, I am on the edge for purchasing this game. It seems incredibly interesting, but I don't know if it's worth the investment because of the price. It seems incredibly awesome, but I don't want to buy it and then not enjoy it. Anyways, can any ease of mind be provided about the worth and entertainment of the game?

Other information: I'm looking for a new game to play with friends, we usually play Talisman, and don't care if it stretches out too long, but games longer than 4 hours start to push it. If it retains immersion it would be fantastic. Also, relative ease in learning to play would be great, but isn't necessary.

Four hours is about average for a session of Descent in my experience. It might be a bit longer while you're still learning the rules, but the first couple quests are also shorter so hopefully that evens out.

The game is easy enough to learn, mechanically, but it's highly tactical and some of the tactics the heroes (in particular) need to learn might seem counter-intuitive to a general fantasy setting. For example, it's a bad idea to go out of your way just to kill a monster that's significantly far enough behind the party. If you've ever played the Doom board game, you know basically what to expect. I understand that Mansions of Madness also uses some similar mechanics, although I haven't played that one myself.

A lot of people buy this game expecting it to be an RPG in board game form. That certainly can be true, but only if the Overlord player is prepared to throw the game so the heroes always (or usually) win. By design, the mechanics are set up to allow either side to win, and since the Overlord has a much easier learning curve on tactics, it often appears to new groups that the Overlord is "more powerful." A well trained and organized hero party is perfectly capable of kicking ass and taking names, though. This gives the game a fairly competitive edge in games where both sides are playing for keeps.

There is an element of story in the game, but it has a tendency to get lost in the tactics, especially if playing the same quest several times. Keep in mind that you don't NEED to see the heroes win one quest before moving on to the next, if you're bored of "trying to beat this one."

As to whether it's "worth the price," the game comes with tons of bits. Tiles and figures and tokens (oh my!) I think the game play is entertaining once you know what to expect, and it's part of the larger Terrinoth setting so there's plenty of background surrounding it (which I find makes it more immersive, even if it isn't directly related to the game.)

Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!

I'm a relatively new Descent Overlord and have only four sessions under my belt. So far we haven't been able to play a game under five hours, except for one where I devastated the heroes quite early (after 2h). The longest game took us a whopping seven hours and everyone was quite burned out after that.

Descent is a heavy game with tons of options and tactics involved, but it does that very very well. If you're looking for a bit lighter game of the same vein check out Mansions of Madness. The stories take 2-3hours to complete and it relies a lot more on telling a story than super charged tactic showdown. Both are awesome games.

If you decide to get Descent (great choice!) check out some advice here on this forum how to make the gameplay as fluid as possible. There's a thread called "How to pull my group back to Descent" that I started where the gurus Steve-O and Veritech really help out on how to shorten the time needed and make the game run smoother. Make sure you read the rules many times before playing with the full group and even lay out the first map to get a hang of what the hell is going on. Also it might help if the hero players check out some hero tactics advice, as there are some basic tactics that they should know.

Worth the price, definitely.

Overload789 said:

Best word of advice: Just do it! And don't let the price tag throw you off -because you can't go wrong with this one. It pretty much has everything most gamers crave for when it comes down to crunch time: Big box, modular board, limitless replayability, plenty of expansions, incredibly detailed figs, etc...

Although if your looking for something which comes with a less cumbersome rule book, and somewhat easier on the wallet; check out Z-Mans Earth Reborn ( http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/73171/earth-reborn ) or maybe the new D and D game Conquest of Nerath ( http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/92044/dungeons-dragons-conquest-of-nerath-board-game ). Both come with a tremendous amount of figs, both have that visual appeal, and most of all; they're kick ass games too.

Good luck!