Skip to Content
 

d6 dungeon - A lite dungeon explore "press-your-luck" dice game

46 replies [Last post]
Thu, 05/15/2014 - 15:12
#31
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
Rusty Key

The rusty key is just for theme and reference for used keys from the dungeon that go back in the bag versus the starting key die you give to the next player. Otherwise, it has the same exact function as every other regular key. I think I will add this wording in the gameplay, "Your Adventurer will start every turn with an old rusty key which functions the same as regular keys found throughout the dungeon."

Then the rules will refer to all keys as either regular or magic keys.

Btw, here is the very plain prototype I have been using for the rusty key card. Hopefully I'll have the actual PnP pages for the cards soon.

We have thought about the player rolling the starting key die to determine what "special key" they would start with. The distribution would be 3/2/1 or 2/2/2. Ultimately, we haven't implemented it yet because it adds another layer of randomness and complexity that we didn't want right now in the basic game. But that may change over time.

Good point about they key/chest order. Ill change that now.

Update: the rules have been updated to reflect the changes discussed in this post.

Top
Thu, 05/15/2014 - 16:35
#32
Ekobor
Offline
Joined: 10/27/2008
We played again (29-19). That

We played again (29-19).

That would clear things up on the rusty key front, though I do think a weaker key is something to look into.

And that makes sense from the complexity point, it is a nice quick and simple game as it is, wouldn't want it to get too muddled.

My girlfriend thinks that being able to defeat Precious makes it seem too easy. Maybe if it counts as monsters before you get the chance to lock it up? So if you already have monsters in the dungeon you don't get the chance to lock it up. Because if you were being chased it would be hard to lock up a beast.

I've decided to try this with dice soon, I'll be stickering them after work or tomorrow.

So far, great game!

Top
Thu, 05/15/2014 - 16:58
#33
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
That is a pretty good idea

That is a pretty good idea that we may need to try out! it encourages keep a lot of keys and keeping the dungeon clear of monsters. We have gotten a bit of feedback for Precious and here are some of the recent suggestions:

1)
Changing two-headed Precious to precious+goblin handler for the 2 monster depiction.

Then, if you encounter Precious+Goblin (2 monsters) you can use 1 key to shackle Precious and turn the die to only the Goblin side (now 1 monster) before leaving it in the dungeon.

This gets rid of the reroll/defeat for chest mechanic and replaces it with turn 2 monsters into 1. But the net result is the same as a Mimic with 1 key lost and 1 monster in the dungeon.

2)
Get rid of the 1 key = reroll and just have 2 keys = defeat/treasure.

3)
Get rid of the defeat/treasure and have 2 keys = reroll.

Keep the great feedback coming! Appreciate it. What images had you planned to use for the dice? We will work on getting a dice template out for stickers. Generally, we do .5" labels for standard indented dice.

Top
Thu, 05/15/2014 - 18:59
#34
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
The PnP Card Format Rules and

The PnP Card Format Rules and Components have been added to the OP. I know that the card format is not as smooth as the actual game but should still give a feel for overall gameplay and mechanics.

We've been holding off on the dice format because we're waiting on the new "Precious" monster symbol and the first mini-expansion "wizard/tome" monster symbol.

Its easier to reprint a few cards with the updated symbols than it is to reprint and reapply new stickers. I am hoping those symbols are done very soon.

The two "wizard/tome" monster rooms can replace two blue goblin rooms. If you encounter the wizard, right before you run away you can quickly use a key to unlock his locked tome and cast a hex on your opponent for an instant -3 points. So some players may PURPOSELY try to roll for that monster.

Top
Thu, 05/15/2014 - 22:52
#35
RyanRay
Offline
Joined: 03/27/2014
Dungeon Roll

This thread inspired me to go out and pick up a copy of Dungeon Roll, which looks like a very similar game.

Here are some things I like and dislike about Dungeon Roll. Use these comments as direction for your own game if needed:

LIKES
-Nice dice, good components and art overall. The treasure chest is a nice touch.
-The PYL element is there, but never over-bearing.
-Options! There are always a good number of options on how to go through each room. I never felt analysis paralysis though, after playing a handful of games.
-Simplicity is key here, which is good for a simple dice game.
-Character powers are downright cool. The leveling system is a nice touch too, without getting too complex.
-Color-coded components = win.

DISLIKES
-The rulebook is pretty rough. Had to reread several sections multiple times.
-Occasionally I get the feeling of "the game is playing me." Options are often too obvious.
-Heavy luck emphasis. It's downright impossible to reach the deeper rooms (8-10) without a decent load of luck on your side.
-It's basically multi-player solitaire, which is my biggest gripe. Nothing I do will ever effect other players, aside from potentially taking valuable treasure (randomly) from the stash. Make sure there's a decent level of player interaction in ANY game you design (this is part of why Catan became so popular).
-The only major "progression" you get between rounds is any loot you got from prior rounds. In my handful of plays so far, I never finished a game with more than 5 loot at the end, so this doesn't feel like a true progression between rounds; it just feels like 3 small games clumped together sometimes.
-The overall balance is... almost there. It's pretty uncommon when I've gotten the chance to use a single Mage to defeat multiple Oozes, and likewise for the other companions. A big part of the game is simply gaining Champions back from the graveyard.

Overall, it's a nice simple filler game, but not sure if it'll last on my shelf forever just yet.

Hope this helps your designing! I will hopefully get to PnP your game soon.

Top
Thu, 05/15/2014 - 23:17
#36
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
Thanks for the review to

Thanks for the review to help.

I was looking more at Zombie Dice and how to add choice and strategy to that game when I started working on this. Then, I took some of my likes and dislikes from ZD, MD and DR and tried to create a unique experience.

I will note that none of those have real player interaction and right now mine is pretty limited on that too. But, the new wizard monster is a small step toward that direction.

My game will probably be liter fare than DR...kind of in between ZD and DR. But, I feel like the decision making is already higher than either of those with less components than DR.

There are many things I did like about DR but also a few concerns I had were:
1) The lack of options, usually its pretty obvious what to do and when to stop
2) Only rolling your dice once per turn with a MAYBE few rerolls if you got scrolls
3) if you fail just 1 of the rounds its pretty much game over for you since there are only 3 delves
4) the risk to push to another level for 1 extra experience point is usually not worth it especially with point #3
5) its a filler game but lacks portability compared to ZD/MD. I want my game to fit in a dice cup/bag.

Top
Thu, 05/15/2014 - 23:14
#37
Ekobor
Offline
Joined: 10/27/2008
I don't have ink for the

I don't have ink for the printer at the moment, so I was just going to use letter notation.
D = door
K = Key
Gh = ghost
etc.
I also don't have any indented dice, only some old HeroScape dice I've used nail polish remover to take the images off of.

As for Precious I like defeat/treasure, but I would probably bump it to 3 keys. If you have a full ring you can get the treasure, if not you can just use 2 keys to reroll Precious.

That wizard/tome thing sounds great, can't wait to give it a try.

The girlfriend is already asking for a third game, so I think you've hit on something good!

Top
Fri, 05/16/2014 - 00:15
#38
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
Awesome to hear!It seems

Awesome to hear!

It seems like the #1 request is more player interaction which is tricky in these quick & lite PYL dice games.

Aside from the wizard monster right now, one idea is a "cursed key" that would look like a skeleton key.

When unlocking a chest with the cursed key you could either loot the chest normally and put it in your inventory or instead instantly reduce an opponents score by half of the treasure value (rounded up) and then put the die back in the bag.

Example: I have a cursed key and roll the chest with a "5" on it. I can either put that in my inventory or reduce a players score by 3. (5/2 rounded up).

Dice which you play on opponents' turns are also being discussed.

Top
Fri, 05/16/2014 - 00:27
#39
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
For the "hardcore" risktakers

For the "hardcore" risktakers comes the trap die:

How this die works is if you draw it from the bag you can use a key to disarm it. This removes it from play for the rest of your turn without having to roll it. If you have no keys to disarm it or you choose not to use a key to disarm it you must then roll the die. After rolling it and resolving the result, remove it from play for the rest of your turn.

-The cross keys means you lose all keys you currently have and they all go back in the bag.

-The chest with the down arrow means you must put the lowest value chest from your inventory back in the bag.

-The chest with the up arrow means you must put the highest value chest from your inventory back in the bag.

The 3 blank sides mean the trap fails to trigger and you safely pass by!

If the "highest" chest result proves to be too brutal, we will dial it down to another "lowest" chest result.

Top
Sat, 05/17/2014 - 00:31
#40
GamesOnTheBrain
GamesOnTheBrain's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/24/2008
Have you seen Dungeon

Have you seen Dungeon Dice?

The latest expansion (as well as the base game) is on Kickstarter now:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/293287047/dungeon-dice-guilds

Top
Sat, 05/17/2014 - 13:05
#41
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
Yeah, It's a great game. I

Yeah, It's a great game. I have backed both campaigns.

Top
Sun, 05/18/2014 - 04:37
#42
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
Possible Upcoming Changes

More playtesting this weekend, and more possible upcoming changes.

We have some really cool ideas that will add depth and interesting mechanics to such a lite dice game. But first, we want the base game to be smooth and streamlined. To move in that direction, we have tweaked a few rules, added some new mechanics, and taken others away.

Note: the "Doomhound" symbol (currently a collar) is still under development.

Overview:

-Color difficulty scale has been changed

-The point vaues have been changed

-Reduced the number of rooms from 15 to 14 (removed boss room and rolled the "boss doomhound" into a normal monster)

-the "rusty key" die is gone and replaced with a new mechanic

-Added the wandering eye as the slow/weak monster with no special ability

-Moved goblins to the last room and gave them a new ability

-The doomhound now only counts as 1 monster with a slightly reworked mechanic

-the mimic monster has been removed and is being added to a special "mysterious chest" die (with an all new mechanic!) that will be revealed at a later time.



New/Revamped Monsters:

-Wandering Eyes are weak and slow monsters with no special ability.

-Goblins can now be bribed. You can remove 2 points from your score to reroll the die after rolling a goblin result.

This can potentially avoid defeat if the goblin was to be the 3rd monster in the dungeon or it allows you another chance at the treasure. But, you could also reroll and get the Doomhound or another goblin, essentially wasting those 2 points. So, choose wisely!

-The Doomhound is a two-headed guard dog that can be stopped by using 2 keys to shackle the chains attached to each collar around its necks. This lets you turn the Doomhound result to the chest face and put it in your inventory.



Monster Variants:

Greedy Goblins - Goblins now also instantly steal 1 point from your score (but your score cant drop below zero).

Doom and Gloom - The Doomhound now counts as 2 monsters and it takes all 3 keys to shackle it and loot the treasure.



The Starting Key:

We were thinking of a way to reduce the components and the rusty key die was a pretty wasteful component.

So, now to start every turn you draw 1 die out of the bag and automatically change it to a regular key and put it in your key ring. This is your starting key. For any future rooms that have no regular keys, the starting key will always default to the weakest key on that die.

What are your thoughts on the changes?

Top
Sun, 05/18/2014 - 12:24
#43
Ekobor
Offline
Joined: 10/27/2008
Changed my dice to this set

Changed my dice to this set of rules.
Played a solo game (score 32 over 8 turns)

  1. Colour scale is nice, rather intuitive thanks to street lights.
  2. By point values you mean that you now have to breach 30 points? Or that the red dice now have chests of 6? I like the change to a larger score, as games were rather short.
  3. I still believe that some bonus for using all the dice is in order, especially now with fewer dice. I also wonder about the upcoming expansions, will they all replace dice like the wizard/tome, or will some just be extras? It is nice to feel through a "bucket o' dice"
  4. I agree that the rusty key should go. However I wonder if it should be replaced with a special "key die", one that only shows keys and blanks. Making one room in the dungeon just a treasure room that way. That way you aren't removing a possible chest of 6 from your possible rolls. Or let people see and choose what die to turn into a key.
  5. I like the wandering eye icon, it is suitably creepy.
  6. MUCH prefer the option of Greedy Goblins, it is an interesting

    7. mechanic to knock someone down a peg. But I also preferred the 1 point to bribe.

  7. The Doomhound- does it count as a monster before or after you shackle it? I mean, if it is your third monster are you defeated or can you shackle it?
  8. I rather miss the Mimic, as it was another way to affect players.

I wonder about a variant that I keep thinking up, that allows you to reroll a key at any time. Because sometimes when you have three keys, and then you roll a Magic Key you want to keep the magic key. Or you rolled a key on the room with the chest of 6 but you don't have a key, so you keep it, but later you /do/ have a key so you want to risk it...

I also wonder when the official rules will be updated with these changes?

Top
Sun, 05/18/2014 - 20:19
#44
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
Reply

2) Yes to both. The final point total threshold will continue to be adjusted during playtesting as we find that game length sweet spot (keep in mind it can be played with up to 4 players).

3) I am not sure what bonus to provide because getting all dice is already a huge advantage. A few new dice will be added to the overall dice pool and some will replace. The trap die shown above will be put in your bag after looting 5 chests during your turn which will make the dungeon a little more difficult.

4) "That way you aren't removing a possible chest of 6 from your possible rolls. Or let people see and choose what die to turn into a key." The thing is as soon as you use that key, the die goes right back into the bag so its possible to draw and roll again.

6) So you like the instant -1 point plus -2 points to reroll or just instant -1 point? The idea was a heftier penalty to reroll, since rerolling monsters is a powerful ability. Having the player increment -1 point everytime they encounter a goblin was added bookkeeping.

7) Shackling it overrides the "Encounter a Monster" action so it wont count as a monster and defeat you.

That may work as a fun variant but as a core mechanic, it could make the game too easy so leaving it as a variant leaves that choice to players.

We will release the updated document once more of the rules have been confirmed.

And don't worry about the mimic, he'll be back in a special treasure room.

Top
Mon, 05/19/2014 - 12:13
#45
Greggatron
Greggatron's picture
Offline
Joined: 04/21/2012
Update

The rules have been updated to version 1.6 with the latest changes.

Biggest change here is that we moved the Doomhound down a room so its a harder decision on whether to blow 2 keys for 1 monster that guarantees only 4 treasure instead of the previous 6.

Also, all my posts look italicized now even with zero formatting. They do not look italicized during the preview however...strange.

Top
Mon, 05/19/2014 - 14:24
#46
Ekobor
Offline
Joined: 10/27/2008
Everything on this page that

Everything on this page that is new from my last post looks italicised, even the things to the sides.

Anyway, I am glad to see the Mimic back, I quite like it as a monster.
I like the Doomhound one lower as well. I wonder if you are making an expansion with larger monsters then? Because the boss monster feeling was a nice one.

Top
Syndicate content


forum | by Dr. Radut