D&D Legend of Drizzt Board Game
If you are familiar with the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons (specifically The Forgotten Realms) you have probably had at least one run-in with the Dark Elf Ranger, Drizzt Do’Urden. Drizzt was introduced as a supporting character in R. A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale Trilogy in the late 80’s. He was then given full focus in the prequel books that make up The Dark Elf Trilogy. Salvatore has consistently written novels that continue the story of Drizzt to this very day. The tale has earned the Legend of Drizzt title that now adorns many products. Fans of Drizzt will not be disappointed with this addition to their collection. Newcomers should not be frightened away by the long history that precedes it. This is an excellent introduction to Drizzt, his world, and the characters who inhabit it.
The game uses the Underdark as its setting. The Underdark is a subterranean world made up of dark tunnels and vast caverns. In proper D&D fashion it is home to a number of fairly nasty monsters. Many of the Drizzt stories take place in this setting, including his origin. The game represents the setting with thick and sturdy cardboard tiles that interlock like puzzle pieces. You will randomly lay these down as you explore the dungeon making a unique board each time you play.
The random placement is one way the game is unique every time you play
The Legend of Drizzt comes with 40 plastic figures or miniatures. While they aren’t painted the figures are very detailed for being board game pieces. They are also extremely durable which is important when you will be tossing these into a game box. The figures that represent the player characters and main bosses or villains are distinguishable from the random monsters. You even get a huge figure for the demon Errtu that almost makes you want to display it on a shelf. When this bad boy gets revealed on the playing surface it’s hard not to say, “Oh shit!”.
yeah, the one in the middle is the ‘Oh Shit!” monster
When you start playing a game the first thing you do is pick an adventure from the adventure book. There are a number to choose from and each includes unique game pieces, villains, rules, and victory conditions. Here you will decide if you want to play a cooperative game style or something more competitive. You will also find flavor text that ties each adventure to some major event from past Drizzt novels. The setup is quick and easy and the special rules don’t over complicate the base game. At the same time it provides enough of a twist to make each game feel different thus upping the replay value.
Next the players will choose which hero they want to play for the game. Get ready for the inevitable fight over who gets to play as Drizzt! Not to worry as the usual suspects are included (Bruenor, Wulfgar, Catti-Brie, Regis) and are all pretty badass. Each player is represented by a figure and a thick cardboard mini character sheet. You also get to decide on player specific powers which are detailed on cards. Every character has a class like in D&D (fighter, thief, ranger, etc.) and the powers reflect each of these on a basic level. The legendary weapons from the novels are present and it is extremely fun to use these in combat. I’ve never wanted to play as a hero from the novels in a full-fledged D&D roleplaying game. The fun comes from creating your own character’s story. The Legend of Drizzt provides a great opportunity for taking over these characters for a short while. If a player hasn’t read the books, they’ll just need to spend a little more time reviewing the player card and powers to get a sense of what each character can do. This is still a board game and you don’t really need to know the deep history to have fun killing monsters.
The gameplay/combat for The Legend of Drizzt is called the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure System. It is based on 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons which I have never played so I can’t compare the experiences. What I can say is this system is a very basic version. Playing through an adventure will include a number of combat encounters and still only take an hour or two. Your actions are limited to the attacks and powers that you have on your cards. Even if you haven’t played a role-playing game, the powers are easy to understand and quickly resolve. You generally will roll a 20 sided die and compare the result to a number like armor class. Then the card will tell you the damage if you succeed. While basic, the game still provides for a number of combat strategies as you move around and fight monsters with different movement styles and powers of their own. I find it helps keep the game feeling like a board game while adding a nice bit of D&D flavor.
The Legend of Drizzt is perfect for those nights when you want to play in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, but don’t have the time or player interest for a four hour session. If you have friends who are on the fence about D&D this game provides a nice taste of slaying monsters with cool attacks and spells. Or maybe you are like me and have been following the adventures of Drizzt Do’Urden for 20+ years and just want to play a fun board game based on that wonderful world created by R. A. Salvatore. Support your local game store when you can. You can also purchase the game on Amazon and help out The Rpg Academy at the same time.
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