I have the meat of the game design doc done (posting a portion of it). Just wondering if it sounds interesting enough to play or maybe I should leave it on the shelf for later.
Hook: Create/Explore randomly generated system of caves. 7 unique roles with 2 flavors each. (imagine a Zombicide and Pandemic combo)
Pitch: 2-6 players are thrown in a randomly generated cave system by blue and purple men. With 2 starting items and some personal missions, they must brave whatever the darkness throws at them in hopes of finding a way out of all this madness.
Some mechanics: Players take their turn (move or rest, trade, use special abilities, attack). Roll 2 dice to attack (double 1,2 = miss, double 3,4,5,6 = crit, else = normal). Beasts (if any) take their turn (regenerate to max HP, move, attack (double 1,2 = miss, double 3,4 = destroy random item, double 5,6 = crit)). Draw an event card (increase number of beasts, level up beasts, lucky or unlucky events for the players, or nothing happens). When players lvl up, they are dealt 3 stat cards and they select 1 card. Need a total of 6+ to open regular treasure chest (dice roll + Dex of player).
End Game: Exit portal appears at a random spot when the number of level 4+ beasts doubles that of number of level 4 players. Successfully completing 1 mission will give you a free potion at the start of your next game, 2 missions will give you 2 potions and 3 missions will give a potion and an extra item.
Board setup: Connect up to six 6x6 hex grid boards in any position as long as they don’t overlap (yes, you can connect at a diagonal). Shuffle tiles containing obstacles, loot, traps and starter beasts upside-down and place them on the grids. Each player a regular dice 3 times to find their starting point. The first dice selects which grid board, the second points the row number and third points the column. Flip over the starting point, place your character piece and flip over the 6 surrounding tiles.
7 roles:
Helpers - a little extra HP, +1 storage, minor heal spell @ lvl 2
Crafters - +2 Dex, armor or weapon bonus, create traps
Warriors - +? Str, can move boulders, extra gear slot, Atk bonus
Smarts - +Int, -HP, immune to traps, hide ability
Priests - +Chi, heal Chi/HP, chance to destroy boulder/column, one handed only
Orators - buff stats, feign death ability
Leaders - +Spd, buff Spd for nearby players
Stat bonuses: 6+ Chi = lightning stun ability, 4+ Str = 3rd backpack slot, 6+ Int = beast double rolls count as misses, 6+ Dex = dual weld, 6+ Spd = auto escape from beasts.
Beasts: lvl 1 immobile attakers, lvl 2 regular, lvl 3 runners or fatties, lvl 4 buffed attackers, lvl 5 dragon can destroy any boulder or column in its path.
Sample missions: "No man left behind" - carry a dead player's body with you when you escape. "Gonna make it" - broken leg, can only move 1 space at a time the entire game. "Light within" - eyelids were stitched up, must roll to select direction to walk in unless a player is nearby to guide you. "Peace no war" - can't kill anything and escape when portal appears. "Third eye" - when lvl up, deal 3 stat cards upside-down, guess the stat card to keep it (possible to keep all or leave with nothing).
Story: You open your eyes to blinding lights. Powerless, you watch as blue and purple men carry your limp body towards a hole in the floor. The grins on their faces are all you focus on as you fall into the abyss.
Oddly, the impact doesn’t kill you. In the darkness, you grope around and find a lighter and 2 items. The echoing roars of beasts don’t sound too welcoming. You venture forward in hopes of finding answers and returning home safely.
it's a secret ;)