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Ok so I'm considering dipping into WHFB by getting into Silver Tower. But what's it like compared to let's say D&D (my group typically uses grid maps and miniatures)? Is Silver Tower set up to be an ongoing campaign or is it more of a 'start to finish' experience, every time you play? Is there room to RP or is it a strict dungeon crawler where you are just XPing to win game? It also looks to have some variables involved that makes each game experience unique...so how does that work out practically? Does it really feel fresh every time you play? Are heroes all pre packaged or is there room to make your own within the ruleset?

From what I've seen (I've not played it much, but people at my local GW play it a lot) it's ongoing, since there are a bunch of different missions you can do and continue through, BUT there's not much roleplaying. It's more hack and slash tactical than roleplaying.

I'd go so far as to say that there is zero role-playing. It pretty much goes like this...

1. Walk into a new room.
2. Monsters spawn.
3. Kill monsters.
4. Walk into a new room.

Mechanically, it's a hack and slash where you read a short paragraph each time you walk into a new room.

I'm putting Silver Tower in the same category as other games like Descent: Journeys in the Dark. I'd choose Descent over Silver Tower every time. It's just a much richer game with a more interesting story.

Oh, also, there is no make your own hero mechanic. You could probably figure your own heroes out, but there's no rules for that.

For me silver tower is fun for my small group of people but there not able to do full D&D style games so silver tower is really fun for us, but I'm not sure if it would be a good entrance to age of sigmar for you.

Silver Tower was fun, for 1 playthrough, after that we tossed or traded most of it (so if someone wants some free cards, books, or board tiles let me know) It is a gorgeous looking game with really nice models but thats about it/. There is good enough reason to buy it even if you arent a big fan of playing through, but both WOTC and FFG make much. much better games.

Love it. Tons of replay and heroes now with the card pack release.

 Kriswall wrote:
I'd go so far as to say that there is zero role-playing. It pretty much goes like this...

1. Walk into a new room.
2. Monsters spawn.
3. Kill monsters.
4. Walk into a new room.

Mechanically, it's a hack and slash where you read a short paragraph each time you walk into a new room.

I'm putting Silver Tower in the same category as other games like Descent: Journeys in the Dark. I'd choose Descent over Silver Tower every time. It's just a much richer game with a more interesting story.

Points of view.

Silver Tower has as deep as a story as Descent's campaigns.

The main difference is that Silver Tower is a full cooperative game. You play against the game, and have a great time together. It's actually a "Book Where You Are the Hero", with random events following exactly the same pattern as these legendary books (at least before the 2000 years).

Replayability is interesting. Sure, the cards stay the same, but GW randomness makes two adventures play different. Silver Tower has fairly light campaign rules in comparison to Descent. It's also much simpler as a game system.

To me, Descent is a wholy different game. Silver Tower isn't even like Warhammer Quest, because you don't play against a player controlling really the monsters/the dungeon or some kind of "Game Master" controlling everything. So comparing them is kinda irrelevant, IMHO.

About roleplaying...well, it's a matter of player personnality. The way some rules/events are written in Silver Tower shows that "atmosphere" of the game's background. It's clearly a board game and plays as such, but since it's a cooperative game and you actually "build" the story of your small group, I won't say there is no roleplaying possibility. After all, it's a question of mindset.

I second that sarouan... I own everything from decsent (both editions too). Descent is a great game, but it has become an overly bloated dungeon crawl. The new app allows you to play coop, but it is not smooth or simple like many games designed for coop games. Someone usually has to play the overlord (designed as 1 vs many).

WQ ST is a solo or coop all vs the game. Due to the randomness of things and amount of heros, there is lots of replayability. The simple rules and gameplay allow one to play WQST within a short period of time, not so much with descent.

The storyline are just as deep if not more with WQST. Every roll and turn has a narrative from the book in WQST, descent gives you a little narrative (then you play and have a little narrative at the end).

Both have a chronological storyline campaign.

Descent is a slower game that takes hours. WQST is a quick game where you take heros, roll dice, crush enemies, and win or lose... games are quick, usually less than an hour.

 455_PWR wrote:

Descent is a slower game that takes hours. WQST is a quick game where you take heros, roll dice, crush enemies, and win or lose... games are quick, usually less than an hour.

We usually take longer with Silver Tower, because we fool around way too much.

You actually "lose" a lot of time by checking the random events in the book, consulting the behaviour tables for monsters and - most important - trying to find that fething rule in the damn book (the layout isn't practical, to say the least). And rolling dice.

But the rules in themselves, when you know them or organize them better, they're pretty solid. It's indeed a good "small game", especially when you enjoy time with your friends. It's good to have a full cooperative game with simple rules designed that way from the beginning. Descent is clearly not the same kind.

Personally disappointed in the fact there was no undead expansion that was rumored so many times.

I got tons for it, buying heroes every so often to paint up and use in the game, but it needs a expansion badly at this point.

Can someone please tell me how many miniatures come with the set?
I'm interested in picking it up but only for the miniatures. In my country, buying boxed games and battle forces is 'cheaper' than buying smaller kits

 Skymate wrote:
Can someone please tell me how many miniatures come with the set?
I'm interested in picking it up but only for the miniatures. In my country, buying boxed games and battle forces is 'cheaper' than buying smaller kits

gamesworkshop.com and go look it up in teir AOS section. They tell you

I think it's a pretty immersive light-weight dungeon crawl, but it doesn't have any RP elements if that's what you're after.

It's a very fun standalone game and worth the price tag.

The real I hope I have is for the potential it has for expansions. Can easily be done and add hours of game play for cheap.

Add like a vombie crypt expansion or a city sewer one.

 Bach wrote:
Ok so I'm considering dipping into WHFB by getting into Silver Tower. But what's it like compared to let's say D&D (my group typically uses grid maps and miniatures)? Is Silver Tower set up to be an ongoing campaign or is it more of a 'start to finish' experience, every time you play? Is there room to RP or is it a strict dungeon crawler where you are just XPing to win game? It also looks to have some variables involved that makes each game experience unique...so how does that work out practically? Does it really feel fresh every time you play? Are heroes all pre packaged or is there room to make your own within the ruleset?

my 2 cents:

The game is alright. There are a good number of heroes, especially with the expansions and the ruleset is ok, although lacking depth. It's basically the simplest dungeon crawler I've played so far.

What it currently lacks is replayability and depth. There aren't any different missions, no character development between games and after a few hours/rounds, it just feels repetative. Plus there is the issue of not having any real expansions (equipment cards, abilities, new enemies, new maps, campaigns, mechanics, tiles etc...), and considering how GW has handled their boardgames in the past, I don't have any high hopes of seeing any in the future.

Then there is the issue of the price:
125€ for a board game is steep. It's the same price as Descent 2 plus 2-3 Expansions packs, and most peoplewill probably get more out of them then out of ST.

On the other hand, the miniatures are great, there are lots of them and it's a pretty good value when comparing them with retail GW prices. But do I really need that in a board game since I won't be using them in AoS?