This really happened.
As I promised here, this is the review of the “full version” of Wizard of the Coast‘s new boardgame Wrath of Ashardalon.
To start off, let me tell you: I think I did something wrong.
Maybe it was just bad luck, but the game was hard. Really hard. So hard that we didn’t get past the first level because Ashardalon got all up in and firebreathed us to death.
We tried to use the campaign rules, and I just don’t think I read them correctly. I’m going to blame someone else for that, though. I think that’s the fault of the game rules. In fact, I’m still not sure whether I read them correctly or not.
The rules are very brief, and there’s not, if I recall correctly, an index. If there is, I didn’t see it somehow during the game.
In any case, when Ashardalon showed up, we thought “Really?” It seems like, if you’re playing campaign mode, Ashardalon shouldn’t show up in any definitive manner until, you know, the end. Being the boss and all.
I’m thinking the idea is to chain together the 12 or so adventures in the book, and that’s what Campaign mode is. Oh, and take out the Ashardalon-shows-up-and-kicks-your-first-level-heroes-in-the-butt card.
That’s how we’re going to play it next time.
In any case, despite all that, I still had a blast. I know another player did. I’m guessing the other two players had a lukewarm reaction. And I understand it. Especially if you’re already a D&D player, you might come to this game expecting something more like D&D. For me, it was just enough. For others, you could get a lot of sweet components and, with some none-too-difficult modding, make the whole thing compatible with standard 4E.
I will tell you that the thing kept me in a state of dread the whole time. I like that. It’s like what playing a good horror game (or watching a good horror movie) is like: you don’t want to keep playing, but you can’t help it.
Also? The environmental hazard switchups are, on a conceptual level, completely hilarious. Here’s how it goes:
“Oh, man, hidden snipers! People are everywhere shooting at us! Better stay together!”
Two turns later:
“Oh, man! The walls are made of magma all of a sudden! GET AWAY FROM THOSE THINGS!”
In the end (after one halfway successful playthrough), I’m not sure it’s worth the sticker price unless you’re got a decent group to break up the financial pain. We’ll play it again, and I think our experience will be improved, but I think, in order to level up, this game needs to expand the scope of player choice. What I really want from it? A stripped down, videogamed up version of 4E. It could happen. It should happen. And it would look something like this game. Just not quite like this game.
