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So, I've been eyeing off SDE for a while now, and was considering it as a potential present for my wife... Big question is - How does it play? Is it complicated?

She's a big fan of Heroquest, but doesn't much like anything overly complicated as remembering all the rules just gets in the way of playing the game.

Anyone able to offer a comparison, or a general rundown on how the game actually works?

It’s not hard. Essentially, there are 4 attributes. STR (Strength - Close Combat), ARM (Amour Save), DEX (Ranged Weapon), HEX (Magic Power). Each model has a stat card with the above listed on it, and the dice it can roll for it. You need to score more than the opponents ARM to score a wound. And that’s it.

The Game is some Hero’s (Number of dictated by the size of game) Vs a load of Monsters. Most are low powered, some are Boss Type monsters and have more wounds / powers. Once you’ve killed enough minions, the Boss appears. Kill the boss and win. As you progress, you can pick up ‘Loot’ or ‘Treasure’ which powers-up your Hero’s stats. Each time you kill a mini-boss, the minions power up, to match the Hero’s that will be powering up. Boss fights are generally hard.

It’s very much co-operative play between the Hero’s, as a Hero may use their special abilities, to assist other hero’s. You can play Hero’s Vs Bad guys, like Heroquest, or the Bad Guys can be driven by a card deck allowing all players to play Hero’s. It’s a fun game, there’s lots of support from Sodapop and an active online community of players. With the multiple variations of Hero’s, various add-ons and expansions, there’s a lot of re-playability and variety in the game.

Here's some links to stuff I've painted up from the game.....

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/447052.page

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/555983.page

 insaniak wrote:

She's a big fan of Heroquest, but doesn't much like anything overly complicated as remembering all the rules just gets in the way of playing the game.

I think this could be a sticking point for you initially.

There are lots of fiddly rules within SDE, especially revolving around key words.

I very much like the game, but it can be a little trickier to teach new gamers because of that complexity.

Additionally, some of the imbalances force the consul player to pull punches if they don't want to absolutely facestomp new players.

I have played like 80% of a game of Super Dungeon Explore - the new one where you can play against the game instead of having a player dungeon master. My experience was that while much of the gameplay is reasonably straightforwards, there is a lot of stuff that takes a while to figure out, and this was playing with people who had played the previous version of the game.

I would say it's more complicated than Hero Quest, and more gamey, I think? It's been a very long time since I played Hero Quest. Maybe it's a little ironic but Super Dungeon Explore feels a lot less exploratory than Hero Quest - everything is already there on the table.

I think whether she enjoys the game would hinge on if she likes the aesthetic. I saw the Fae Alchemist on the box and fell in love straight away. A lot of the characters are pretty out there, though. If she loves the aesthetic I'd expect she'll be able to tolerate whatever additional rules burden there is.

Watch It Played is a great channel on Youtube. The host breaks down games' rules and often shows play-throughs that demonstrate. They are lengthy for some games so you'll likely wanna skip through but it's like standing over somebody's shoulder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd7zBRiPyD4

Thanks all for the feedback... Some food for thought there

Playing a (the) Hero(es) is not hard - it's a relativively straightforward game once you've gotten started.

Setting up the game as Consul and playing the Monsters and Bosses is more complex, as there more things to keep track of an plan out.

The models themselves are great, and there is tremendous variety of themed forces for both Heroes and Consul.

Game balance is not as tight as the original, but can be adjusted via house rules.

Ninja Division is doing another Kickstarter for the next expansion, and that would be a good time for newbies to get in on the franchise, IMO.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
Ninja Division is doing another Kickstarter for the next expansion, and that would be a good time for newbies to get in on the franchise, IMO.

That's a very good point. They're not just kickstarting the next expansion, though; they're kickstarting a revamp of the original boxed game which is probably the best way to jump in (if you decide to do so).

However, the original game is currently $50 with free shipping directly from Amazon. Not a bad price at all, I'd say.

IMO, as OP is a minis wargamer, the original game is the better purchase. Cheaper, simpler, with more minis. The assembly shouldn't be a major issue for him.

It's Gauntlet the boardgame, but more adorable. I don't think I'd compare it to Heroquest at all really.

I don't much like it. I was really looking for a lighter, more fun version of Descent, and I did not find it in 1st Edition. It was OK, but it's actually way more fiddly and lengthy than I was looking for. I don't really mind fiddly, long games as long as they have consistent depth, but SDE frequently devolves into "run up to opponent and hit with best attack". 2nd Edition is even worse (I sold my KS stuff and will probably sell off 1st Ed once I can find a buyer too).

Yeah, 1E is a pretty hardcore tactical battle game, although it looks really cute & fluffy. 1E is the vorpal bunny of dungeon crawlers.

It is *NOT* a heroquest replacement. Your best bet is to get HEROQUEST rules and play with chibi figures.

Unless you explicitly love the figures for SDE, there is not much reason to go for SDE as it is not a quality tight ruleset in V2. Expect 3-hour gameplay sessions by design and over-complicated rules.

Or play a streamlined game of SDE 2.

Love the minis, but the game takes FOREVER and I've always had to play with my head buried in the rules to make sure I was doing everything right.

If you want something like Heroquest, get Dungeon Saga.

It is a dungeon crawl, but the game is very unique and not really like anything else. The new version of the game has clearer rules, and I think the game plays smoother. The game takes 1-2 hours for a game (about average for a minis game), and the gameplay time goes quicker with more experience and with less players (speeds up the turn).

I almost sold my set and ended up buying more. The game really is great.