I played D&D once in my life, as a seminarian in Boston back around 1986. I got two other seminarians together, I was the dungeon master. It was fun, but we had little time to get into it enough. I made a lot up as it went along to maximize the drama - I could have enjoyed that more. So, with that, my top 5 "now I'm gonna play a dungeon crawl games after heavy influence from the DD: (ranked purely by solo play) 5. Unbroken - My easy solo crawl game - would get beat by Escape from the Dark Castle, I think, but have not played it yet. 4. Gears of War - it is easy for me to take out, and reminds me so well of getting my butt beat by my teenage son on Gears of War 2. Dodge behind protection, inch forward...and now I might actually complete the mission. 3. Secrets of the Lost Tomb - I had to get it after Daniel's earlier videos. He taught me how to experience these games with a similar passion and imagination. How great is that! 2. I have to put Descent 2nd Ed. with the app here - it was my very first modern dungeon crawl, and I loved it! Still do. 1. Mansions of Madness - love the app, and theme. Those just came first. I would have expected some others, maybe - Perdition's Mouth Abyssal Rift; Massive Darkness (great one-nighter); Dungeon Alliance; Space Cadets: Away Missions.
I enjoyed both your top 10 videos today. Certainly the affirmation they provided to support some of my purchasing decisions didn’t hurt (Space Hulk, WHQ 1995, Silver Tower & Hellboy.) I just got Shadows over Hammerhal this week, so I’m glad to hear you were enjoying it before the quarantine started. I’ve been playing Mantic’s Dungeon Saga solo recently and have been enjoying it. The scenarios in the base box are pretty tightly balanced so far (5 missions in, 5 to go). It might lack in component quality compared to other games, but the basic design seems pretty solid.
Nice! Thanks for the comment. Glad you’re enjoying Dungeon Saga. I couldn’t get into that one, but I do enjoy Star Saga a little more. A bit more fleshed out for solo play.
We started playing Shadows right before the pandemic hit. Got 3 dungeons in, and were absolutely loving it. I'm really not sure why so many people slept on that game.
I'm with you on Lost Tomb vs. Lost Station. Lost Tomb feels so much like an over-the-top passion project, whereas much of Lost Station's design trades the intensity, vision, and uniqueness of its predecessor in favor of chasing modern trends. It's certainly not a bad game, it just doesn't stand out from the crowd like Lost Tomb. By the way, did you ever get a chance to table Vault of Dragons? I know that question is a bit off topic from the video, but I remember you mentioning it as a potential hidden gem you were interested in trying out in your 2019 (I think?) collection overview video. If so, I was wondering if you had any quick thoughts on it.
I still have not played Vault of Dragons, but I really want to. It's the problem with group games. Can't really find people to play with. That's why I prefer games that can be soloed.
damn, just got done posting on the first one, and now this. You definitely are efficient, and are reading my mind of course. Thanks, and glad I found your channel!!
I completely agree with your assessment of Hellboy. This one caught me by surprise. I was amazed at how quickly I fell into, and got lost in, this well-designed game. Glad I went all in on that one! I just wish that all of the cards weren't warped (I think is a universal defect, from what I've read). I just backed the expansion and dice game that lasted a whole 10 days on Kickstarter. Oh, and congrats on having a copy of Gears Of War. Great game, that.
Between your combined love of Dungeon Crawls, Jademan comics, and Tsui Hark, I feel like you're my brother from another mother. Tsui Hark has to be one of the few directors who is equally as good a Producer as he is a Director. The Blade, Time and Tide, Swordsman II, Detective Dee, and his Once Upon a Time in China and A Better Tomorrow series are unforgettable experiences.
The word that Tsui uses for his producer credits is a kind of mix between producer / director. So many of the movies he produces really feel like he directed because he's so hands-on. Ringo Lam's Burning Paradise is a good example of this.
@@TheDungeonDive I think A Better Tomorrow may have been the only movie he produced where the director (John Woo) was able to put his own stamp on the movie together with Hark's! What did you think of Journey to the West: Demons Strike Back?
The newer JTTW movies are OK, but I'm growing tired of Tsui and other HK directors pandering to mainland China. I understand that's where the money is, and there are political ramifications, but I miss the days of HK directors being subversive, and I really dislike their reliance on bad modern CGI and 3D stuff these days. Mainland China has, in most ways, completely destroyed the HK film scene. It's really sad. The last really good Tsui Hark movie was the first Detective Dee movie - that was surprisingly awesome and very weird.
I really really appreciate that you are able to put in clear, precise and calm words why you love all these games. That's inded a difficult task. Great job at all. You deserve a broader audience at all. My current #1 Crawler is Machina Arcana. I recently got a copy of Warhammer Quest in almost new condition for a decent price :-). Looking forward to it. Hellboy KS is also awaiting first play. I am curious how good Dungeon Universalis is designed and how it feels to play it. But, “unfortunatelly“ ;-) I got the Coop game Planet Apocalypse and this is needs almost my complete attention. PA is a blast of board game!
Great video, and great channel - there's nothing better than listening to someone articulately and intelligently discussing something they obviously love. I'll have to check out more of these games!
Such an interesting list! Never heard of Secret of the lost tomb, i'll search some more info. WHQ95' it's a great game, but without all the fan-made contents it's very old, long and repetitive. Having played both i personally find Darklight much better, it flows so much better has a more unique theme and even has a narrative campaign, in general there is more control (sometimes too much randomness can give you headache) the only downside is that of course being so new it doesn't have a lot of fan-made content, but that will come with time. Maybe since there's already so much fan-made content about WHQ it could even be more fresh and fun working on expanding Darklight. DC in general, and these two games in particular, shines more if handled, played and customized by creative people i think.
Thanks! DL is great, but, IMO, doesn't compare to WHQ in its current state. In 20 year, who knows! :) Also, I think the narrative campaign in DL is completely broken. It obviously wasn't play tested enough. But again, I do love the game, especially the spooky theme. It almost made the list. Probably at number 12 right now.
Can you recommend another such title as HellBoy with deep coop and character development at the same time? I look for this kind of experience for my party.
This was your first video that I have watched. I told myself "I really like this guy's taste...". Then you have mentioned Tsui Hark, and then I really became a fan of this channel! :)
@@TheDungeonDive I'm a fanatical HK film fan since the early 90s, and he is one of my favorites. I don't know if you were talking about ZU when you have mentioned the people flying around, but have you seen this? This will be the definitive edition eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/zu-warriors-from-the-magic-mountain-xin-shu-shan-jian-ke/
same here! I used to run a movie review website and I focused almost solely on HK films. Been watching them and reading everything I can on them since the early '90s. I have an AMAZING book on Tsui Hark from the HK University Press, in which all kinds of people who worked with him write about their experience. It's my favorite book that I own. www.amazon.com/Swordsman-His-Jiang-Hu-Mandarin/dp/962805015X/ref=sr_1_18?dchild=1&keywords=tsui+hark&qid=1588184490&s=books&sr=1-18 I've always been a little hesitant to buy these HK films on Bluray, because of the integrity of the original prints, and that often when the films get remastered they look worse, because you can see all the wires and stuff! I'll check that out though. I have SO MANY Hk films on DVDs, it's kind of crazy.
@@TheDungeonDive I have that book! :) I feel the same way about the bluray releases (practical effects "reveal" themselves on HD), nevertheless there are some films that I have to have on bluray like the Yuen Biao ICEMAN COMETH, my favorite 80s fantasy, I even like it better than the Chinese Ghost Stories... :) Anyway it's good to stumble upon another HK fanatic!
Apologies if this has been asked before, but what do you think are a few DC/adventure games that have flown under the radar that you recommend? I think I’ve played everything on your (very good) list, but what oddities do you think are worth tracking down?
I’m not sure. I think most of the games I have are pretty well known. Maybe just look through the videos I’ve done to see if you don’t recognize something. :) Assault on Doomrock, maybe?
Enjoyed this entire list. One surprise omission for me is Darklight Memento Mori. The core box is the best stand alone dungeon crawl item that I own and is a refreshing alternative to the bloat of shadows of brimstone which it is often compared to. Since it is not supported anymore, I could see that being a reason, is that the reason?
Jonathan Stutzman it’s great but the more I played of the more it became apparent that the game was not play tested at all. They still haven’t really figured out how to do critical hits. It’s a great game. In my top 20 for sure. Just not the top 10. Also super disappointed that it’s already a dead game, and the next version probably won’t be compatible.
Yeah I sold mine the fact that you had to basically print out all the monsters again if you wanted to play it as the designers intended really turned me off plus the box was huge and taking up too much space for a game I wasn’t going to play that much
I sold mine as it was too complex for our beginner group. I got sucked in mainly by the art and production value, I'll admit. Whist the game was great, from what we tried, the more I read and the more I hear the game needs a lot of work still. So I'm kind of glad I sold it. The fact that Dark Ice Games don't know where to go with it, no 2nd edition to fix issues, I'm not a fan of printing errata and fan/house rule fixes. Producing some sort of reboot that can't be used with the original are all just red flags to me, with a company with no clear direction and honestly soured my experience of my first kickstarter. I know KS is cheaper but I'm going to wait and see with games (thanks to The Dungeon Dive) and pay a premium on second hand /retail market. I'd much rather pay for a game with a markup price and have solid reviews, especially for expensive miniature Dungeon Crawl games than a cheaper purchase off KS that's likely never going to be supported or fixed. Plus the game took up too much space, I much prefer Daniel's idea of small box big experiences. Better on my wallet and storage for the time being.
Great list Daniel, highly appreciated. I especially love Classic WHQ and Secrets of the Lost Tomb, both in my Alltime Top 5!!! I am just in the middle of playtesting Hellboy (KS edition) and really like the game, especially the straightforward rulebook, the dice mechanism, the story progression and the variety in the heroes. The KS Version has really a great production value. I do think that the game has some balancing issues with less than 3 heroes and the looting within one game is not nearly as great as in games like Dulce or Secrets of the Lost Tomb. This week Planet Apocalypse has hit my door and this game blows me away. Just awesome (ask Die Nische)! And so much great hours to spend! I have just no more time for incoming games like Reichbusters, Dungeon Crusade, Etherfields, Bloodbourne, Altar Quest......
After everyone was recommending PA, I looked it up and remembered why I didn't back it - WAY TOO MANY MINS and too much stuff. There's no way I have room on my shelves and in my room for another MASSIVE kickstarter game. Looks very cool though, and like all of Peterson's games, people are definitely hyped on it big time!
The Dungeon Dive Totally understandable, but the hybrid game design is really innovative and unique. And there are a lot of games these days with tones of minis - this is not a PG problem. I am personnally not interested in the minis, only in the experience while gaming. But long story short....totally fine, people cannot play/have everything. My favourites for the adventure games list: Fallen Land (what a great game!!!!!), Dungeon Degenerates, Talisman, Runebound!
The Dungeon Dive I am very curious for your opinion on the game!!!! For us it is a hell of a game! Have you found enough space for all the plastic? :P But the game can be stored much smarter than it comes....
I understand your hesitancy with these Top 10 "at this moment" lists, but there is some enjoyment to be had in hearing your reasoning, and doing comparisons, etc. So many thank. After watching many of your videos since early on,, this 57 year old solo gamer finally figured out YESTERDAY how to send RU-vid messages from my phone. You may regret that.
My top three: 1. WHQ/Silver Tower (tie) 2. Escape the Dark Castle 3. Dungeonquest Darklight and SoB moved down to fourth, I think. I really appreciate how rich of an experience Dark Castle is given how insanely easy it is to get to the table. That's mattering more and more to me these days.
I have to try lost tomb with 2 or 3 characters I used it with the guy they suggest using for solo and I just felt way overpowered and has way too much stuff before the game even began. To me that took away the excitement of getting loot because I already had so much stuff to begin with. Also my story moving cards were basically all on the bottom so felt like I was making no real progress.
I would try to get the Chaos adversary expansion, as it adds stats for a whole bunch of monsters, one area where the basic game can be lacking. But even just the core game is great, and totally worth it. Although I could see some people complaining about it being expensive for what you get - doesn't have a ton of replay, but that core experience is fantastic.
@@TheDungeonDive is it the same situation for the Hero cards since the app is not available anymore? I've been trying to find both (Hero cards and Chaos) for days, but it's only on eBay at a very high price:(
jonanjello it’s spelled Tsui Hark. Pronounced Choi Hok. His most famous series is Once Upon a Time in China. But he’s directed, co-directed and produced nearly 50 or so films.
jonanjello that’s one he produced. He’s a very hands on producer though. Many of the films he produced he actually co-directed. A special term was coined for him, because he would often take over on movies he was producing.
Who's this Hong Kong director you mentioned? Google isn't helping and I'm sure I'm misspelling it. Troy Hawk? Choi Hawk? Sounds interesting! Great list btw, I LOVE Secrets of the Lost Tomb. I was lucky enough to have kickstarted the original and got all the expansions right off the bat. Good job tracking them down!
Ryan Jenkinson spelled Tsui Hark. Pronounced Choi Hok. He was instrumental in the HK new wave in the late 70s and early 80s, and a force to be reckoned with in the 90s. He directed and produced some of HKs most popular films of all time including The Killer and a Better Tomorrow. His most popular series is probably One Upon a Time in China, with Jet Li.
I see that Aeon's End New Age on the back! Hope you like it as much as I do! As a noob on GamesWorkshop, and mainly a solo gamer, what would you say that is a good entry point for their games?
BlackStone Fortress, for sure. I own the base game and it's playable completely co-op with up to 4 players or solo. It plays pretty fast but there's a huge campaign (with lots of expansion content if you so choose.) The rules for enemy activation are VERY well done. You truly never know what the enemy is going to do or whether they will come back after you kill them. The character progression is a bit lacking IMO but the game plays so smoothly that it doesn't matter and there's a TON of replayability.
BSF is probably the best answer, as it is also GW's most supported specialty game they've ever made. Although it will be coming to an end this year, as the final expansion was just announced. If you want it, and you want all of it, get it soon, like now, because it will most likely be OOP soon.
@@TheDungeonDive I said version but was thinking of the next game using the Warhammer Quest system. Thanks! It is already not available everywhere. Maybe I can find it for 100€ just the core box, or 200€ all, but have to check if shipping does not kill it for me 😅
Not as good - lack of a role playing book, lack of any substantial character development, more limited. Better than the original - more focused, doesn't get bogged down with rules as you progress through the campaign, a tighter experience, and better game play mechanisms with the dice / action selection.
Nice video. Dungeon Quest surprised me ...it’s more than likely a hoot to play and nostalgic for you but too 10? ...I would love to see you do a side by side comparison with enhanced AHQ. As I was comparing these two it occurred to me that AHQ might be more open an offer a bit more in terms of the dungeon ...and also, there might be ways to combine and use certain things in a cross pollination type experience with both games.
I wouldn't even attempt to compare DQ with AHQ. Totally different games. DQ is practically a party game, and AHQ is a dungeon simulator. Two completely different experiences.
WHQ feels more adventurous with all the non-combat events and travel hazards and settlement stuff. It's more expansive. AHQ feels more confined, and more concerned with being a dungeon simulator. I greatly prefer WHQ over AHQ, as I simply find it more fun, and it's also much easier to get the full experience when playing solo / co-op. AHQ feels like a better game when playing with a GM.
I sold S&S. Found it way too complex and the writing really turned me off. The humor and pop culture references totally fell flat for me. Too many chits and too many icons. Just not for me. I know many people love it though.
@@TheDungeonDive Thank you for awnser. You know how we are in youtube we pass videos clicky and you get lost if it isnot any reference. Anycase a very good lob ans a very valoable videos
If you had Myth at No.1 then there would be full blown riots in the streets. Interesting, you seem a little younger than the 80s kids generation but those kids who stil play dungen crawlers regard the old Warhammer Quest, Descent 1, Space Hulk, Advanced Hero Quest and HeroQuest to be the best.
