Together with your four adventurers, you enter the bleak and dark dungeon. Your companions, a huddled mass of a strong warrior, an enchanted mage, a pious priest and a nimble thief, have been lured along under the pretence of eternal riches in the dungeon’s cavernous depths. What they don’t know is your hidden goal to crush the three monsters that call these corridors their home. Armed with only a piece of paper, a pencil and eraser and six dice, you enter these Paper Dungeons to experience a Dungeon Scrawler adventure!
Gameplay
Paper Dungeons is a roll-and-write game that feels like a true dungeon crawler epic of larger proportions. There are 8 rounds played and once in a while players fight an end boss. Each round, the dice are rolled. Players then choose three rolls to their liking and use them to strengthen their travelling party, forge items, brew potions and explore the dungeon.
Each roll, players face a dilemma. What will they use their dice for? They must prepare themselves for the evils of the dungeons: the three monsters that they face every few rounds. With the right dice, you can level up the warrior, the wizard, the priest and the rogue to become stronger to fight the monsters in the dungeon. However, the same dice can also be used to craft items to earn bonuses and more points. Some items again require a specific roll. In addition, players can use a roll to brew potions for extra life so that you receive fewer penalty points at the end of the game. Dice are also used to move through the dungeon and discover treasures and defeat smaller monsters. Again, for points.
Conclusion
A lot of choices in this dilemma dungeon. It’s up to the player to get this ensemble right, because only the player with the most points leaves the dungeon as the victor… Paper Dungeons is a great roll-and-write with plenty of atmosphere. You are constantly thinking about the best and most efficient way to get points in this dungeon full of dragons. The game is also a race. You have to reach the monsters in time if you want to fight them and score points. But you also have to be prepared enough not to lose the battle and only gain shame and minus points. You also have to race against your fellow players. There are only a limited number of treasures hidden in the dungeons, and if your opponent is ahead of you, you’re out of luck and left in the dark.
The game also offers loads of variation. There are different starting positions of the dungeon and there is a healthy mix of different monsters. There is even the option to play the different setups and compositions in certain order in narrative form. In addition, the game contains multiple mission cards, powers and objectives for more than enough fun. A new favourite roll-and-write!
