Dark Souls The Board Game - Being Human | A Stick to the Script Review 

Played this only once a few summers ago, but thought maybe I didn’t quite get it. Now, having played some Dark Souls games and watching your review, I want to try again. Thanks!

One of my top solo games! Would love to see them come out with more mega bosses to go along with the new core sets. Thanks for the review

Nice review! This Board Game is so underrated. With some expansions it really begins to shine. Not for everyone, but it is always a great choice for a good and hard gaming evening!

You review really made me think here, particularly your intro discussing the video games and the different ways you can engage with the game. I wonder if part of why the board game resonates with you is specific to the way you played dark souls. For my part Dark Souls the video game is my absolute favorite game franchise of all time and yet I hated the board game specifically because it feels nothing like the video game to me (which isn't to say I think you are wrong to say that it is). I remember very specifically after the game was released an interview with the games designer where he mentioned how critical it was to replicate the grind of dark souls, which floored me because dark souls has never been about the grind to me, I rarely replay any area more than once (unless I die). It is a game known primarily for skill (i.e. Getting good not leveling up) in fact no level and/or no hit runs are one of the main ways the community engages with the game. That is not possible in the board game. You really do have to grind through the regular encounters not until you learn them but until you level up and get strong enough equipment to survive it. I would also add for me Dark Souls very much is about the story and exploration. While that story is often vague and up for interpretation it is fully present throughout the narrative. There are NPCs in every "dungeon" and they tell you their stories and come along with you for yours. Of course you can choose to ignore all this and just go it your own so just as you said it's just a matter of how you choose to engage with the game. I would be interested in your thoughts on the Bloodborne board game by CMON, in my mind this was a near perfect replication of the soulsbourne formula in board game form but that is based on how I play the game. It is far more skill based and the story is core to the experience.

When I bought the game I hadn't played the VG yet. I was at my local boardgame store (Eberswalder Str., Berlin) and saw a nice blow out of DS expansions for 10€ each. I was stupid though and didn't buy the Boreal Valey boss. I got the character and Invaders expansion, the monster expansion and that Keep expansion. Obviously the game wasn't held in high esteme by the game store. Only after that I bought the base game, which was never on my list. I now have collected many of the bosses and are happy witj the game.

Fantastic review, been anticipating it for a while. I fall into the same camp, I love this game. Also late to the board game, but a seasoned Souls video game player. I totally agree, it perfectly captures the feeling of tension in combat, with a strong push-your-luck element which is very reminiscent of the VG. I do agree, it has many flaws. Some easily corrected, but others (lack of exploration for example) not so much. The community has somewhat overcorrected with the amount of extra house rules (there are literally entirely new rulebooks written) to attempt to “fix” the game, but long time fans of the board game know that the rules as written only require a small number of tweaks to for the game to shine. SFG had an opportunity to do this themselves, but also fell into the over-correction trap. The new core sets are also much lighter on content than the original. In any case, it’s a diamond in the rough, but a diamond nonetheless. Thanks for your review.

I recently acquired the game (less than a month ago). And I really love it. I don't have a problem with the grind, as each run provides me with different options (thanks to the loot). And if I die and have to start all over again that is not a problem because, like in the video game, I will try to apply another strategy. Of course I might not draw loot according to my characters' stats but that's an extra challenge that I love to overcome. I have to admit that the game is long and it's true that having the option of leaving it on a table (which is what I do) helps enormously. I like to make a run here and there in the manner of a chess round. So, I understand the game is not for everyone but, as far as I am concerned, it is a great one.

Agree wholeheartedly. The game feels exactly as it should to me, with the grumbles brought up by others being part of the enjoyment for me.

Great video. Now you get me to want to buy this one. Doh. You should do a run thru video.

As game variant I came up with an idea: "Lowest gear score wins!" You select your equipment from the loot and upgrades for your class and write down the worth. You skip the whole fight for souls and gear part and directly enter the boss fight. If you win, you get an entry on the victory ladder. You can then try again with lesser gear and less upgrades. Pointsvalues: Each card and base attribute is worth its index number and all of the cards before it. A shield is worth 1 point. A shield and an upgrade is worth 1 + ( 1+2 ) = 4. A shield with two upgrades is 1 + 3 + ( 1+3+2) = 9. Same with attributes needed to fulfill gear requirements. I think it's fun to start as an OP holy knight with top equipment and then get worn down by age and time, but still tries to manage the boss until he gives in and becomes a hollow who was once a famous holy knight. 😅

Wonderful, evocative review! Thank you!

Awesome video. I love the soulsbourne vgs. I would really love to see you do a playthrough of it. Have you played the bloodborne board game?

Hi, this video sounds like a love letter to dark souls, really great ! My wife and I both finished dark souls 3 and elden ring, i love these games so much that other games feels bland in comparison.. 😅 We bought the new core sets 1 year ago but didn't like the campaign system and the lack of variety. I wanted to buy the original core set since years but never did because of all the negative comments. Then I saw your video, and I found a core set with characters expansion fully painted and I bought it. We played 2 encounters last night after hesitating about should we play with original rules, v2 or some house rules (hallowed edition comes with nice ideas). In the end we played with v1 rules to give them a try, with only a twist, the V2 rule about you die when you must place a cube and your stamina bar is already full. I really loved it, you have interesting choices to make and it feels like the video game when I rush 2 ennemies with basi gear and bam, 1 hp left and my wife rolles her eyes haha 😂 Can I ask you what custom rules or V2 rules do you use with RAW rules ?

Excellent video, beautifully written and delivered.

I was a bit late to the party with FromSoft games as well. It put me off that it seemed to attract obnoxious elite gamer types. I ended up giving Dark Souls II a whirl purely because Peter Serafinowicz did some VO and promo for the game and turned out he was a massive fan. I've been hooked ever since. Bloodborne is my favourite though. A DS board game is intriguing but, I am not sure I would scratch the Souls itch that I love the most. That thrilling exploration!

I've never played the Dark Souls video games nor do I have any urge to but, man, I think this game is great! I think that the stamina/health being the one bar is not only great but thematic-and does 'fatigue' better than Gloomhaven. I like how I have a CHOICE to do powerful actions over and over but risk getting killed or play conservatively to save stamina. In Gloomhaven you can't do that-why?! It abstracts what needn't be abstracted. Sure Gloomhaven is a great design but Dark Souls' mechanisms are far more THEMATIC than GH's. There are houserules (double Souls, half sparks) that can speed up the grind but to be honest, I also really enjoy it solo (with a single character) rules as written 😊

Should give darksouls 1 ago its different enough to 3 i think you'll like it. The world is one big area where parts unlock as you do things Definitely worth it if you like ds3 and bb

Brilliant review, thanks, much appreciated 😊

Great! Thanks

hmm.... I have a very disappointing Dark Souls story... I first found Dark Souls 1 in a bargain bin at a store, and thought "Why not". So I plugged the game into my X-Box and gave it a try for the first time. After a little difficulty with the first boss, but not too much, I found my first NPC on a set of stairs. I talked to them, and they told me "Go up the stairs... or down. I don't really care!" ... and I thought to myself; "You know-- I don't care either!" So I took the disc out, put it back in the case and never played it again. If the people in the world can't be bothered to care about the world, why should I?! -- Not a popular take, I'll bet, but it's how I feel. Sorry 😔

Played the videogame years ago on the 360, wanted to try something else. It always looked interesting, but I knew about the higher difficulty & not realy having a story to follow. Still, I tried. And I did so for about 100 hours. Then I just stopped. Why? Because, for me, it's BORING... IT'S SOOO FUCKING BOOORIIING! 😂 Sorry about that, it's just not my kinda game, even though it's a solid, competend made game. Except for 1 thing, the story, which is good, or at least interesting, but it's absolutely not enough, and the company made it their mission to not give us a full fleshed out story, which is weak storytelling, but only concentrated on everything else, with every game they make. A strategy that people seem lo love, the whole franchise, about everything they do, and especialy this 1st game, is like lightning in a bottle. It's sad I personaly couldn't get into this, I wanted to, later on I even realised I got about 90% through, to me this is like "Resident Evil 2: Very Dark Age Fantasy Edition", but the lack of story is a problem, for me. Somehow they managed to tell a big story in a very small way.

I unliked this video so I could like it again. 👍👍👍