Descent is a decent tactical game designed for two players, but can be played solitaire with some small rules changes and lots of imagination. A multi-player version will be published in an upcoming issue of MOVES magazine. Playtesters are still being sought...

The Components

Game Box: The artwork of the box is absolutely stunning, though minor air-brush alterations were made to the original.

Map: the map was originally designed as an area movement map, but after playtesting it was determined that many players felt lost and needed the familiarity of a standard hex map, so the area movement was abandoned in favor of numbered hexes facilitating easier movement of units. The terrain features are incredibly realistic, one might go out and purchase this game just for the beautiful map.

Game Rules: The rules are a short 4 pages, while seemingly easy, the nuances and difficulty of play only show up after several play sessions. Advanced players could easily set up and play a scenarios within minutes of opening the box. But, it turns out that the more you play, the more complex the game appears. It is recommended that the full campaign game only be played after several smaller scenarios with the same opponent.

The Counters: Due to the complexity of the game system, units were purposely kept to a minimum. Units are brightly colored so as to be easily recognizable during play. Since Movement, Strength and Morale ratings vary depending on which scenario of the game is played, separate tracks are included on the game-map rather than on the counters. Many blanks are included, as markers can be easily lost during the movement phase.

The System

Basically, each game turn consists of three phases: supply, movement, and victory determination. During the supply hase each player must make sure all units are in supply; those that are unable to trace a supply line must place an out of supply marker on the units to be moved that turn, and those units are restricted from entering certain areas of the mapboard. While the game is designed for simultaneous movement, beginners should abandon this rule in favor of the "Igo-Hugo" format.

Each player moves his or her units as many or as few hexes as he or she wishes within the Movement Guidelines of the game rules. Victory Determination where each player consults the victory conditions (which vary by scenario) to see if he or she has won the game.

My Opinion

After playing several games, including two lengthy campaign games, I still have no idea exactly what this game is about. While the bright coloring of units help to identify them, no where in the rules does it say exactly what each unit represents. The victory conditions seem somewhat undefined, and in every game I have played, the opposing player has won by attrition.

Despite it's popularity, I think there are many design flaws and a second edition incorporating the pages and pages of errata would help. But, nonetheless this game is rather compelling and rarely stays on the shelf long.

I would recommend this game to players who are comfortable making up their own rules where the original design is lacking.

Tykie's Rating: 6