Mantic: Dungeon Saga Q&A
Mantic sits down and answers some questions DIRECT from the fans about the new Dungeon Saga Board Game.
Dungeon Saga is one of the cool, new games from Mantic we got to take a look at during GenCon 2015. They have shown off some previews and have been posting on their blog all week about it. Here’s a Q&A they’ve written up of some of the questions sent in by the fans. Take it away Mantic:
via Mantic Games, Gamewire
Throughout Dungeon Saga week on the blog, we’ve been asking you to leave us your Dungeon Saga questions. And you did. A lot of them! Below you’ll find our answers – buckle up, this is a long one.
Dungeon Saga – The Dwarf King’s Quest
From Eriochrome
Q1) Who are the heroes for each of the expansions?
A2) They are: The Return of Valandor: Valandor The Warlord of Galahir: Kapoka, Gladewalker Druid, and Hrratth, Salamander Fighter. The Infernal Crypts: Arianya, the Naiad Demonhunter, and Venetia, human cleric. The Tyrant of Halpi: Ibrahim, human paladin and Ally, Halfling Thief.
From Psychopomp
AdvertisementQ1) Can we get a list of the monsters in the Adventurer’s Companion?
A1) I’m sure we can put that together for you in a future update, yep!
Q2) How will the Dungeon Critters offered as a Kickstarter addon work?
A2) Please check out the post here on the Bestiary, it includes the rules for using critters in your adventurers.
From Nikodemus
AdvertisementQ1) Will Ravenna the Witch and Gunn the Dwarven Engineer be release after the kickstarter?
A1) Yep!
Q2) Will metal Legendary Heroes of Renown and Heroes of Mantica be released in metal like the Heroes of Dolgarth?
A2) Yep!
Subscribe to our newsletter!Get Tabletop, RPG & Pop Culture news delivered directly to your inbox.By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Q3) What is the schedule to release the expansions?
A3) The current plan is that they are all out by the end of December 2016. I’m afraid I can’t be more specific than that but expect them roughly 3 months apart from each other
Q4) If in the future you release more Heroes / Villains, how about releasing them in a double pack as the normal and legendary versions? I think it would make sense as if you choose to buy the miniature, more than likely you will be interested in the advanced legendary version.
AdvertisementA4) It’s possible depending on what material the hero/villains are in. I think that experienced hobbyists would be ok with a combination of plastic miniatures and metal alternatives. For beginners who are looking at this as a board game, the metal legendary figure may put them off and prevent them from being able to get one of the plastic heroes they might want.
Q5) As per the KOW, will there be ‘Non mantic’ races included, like the Ratkin? Or could these be added later
A5) Not in the Adventurer’s Companion, but you never know we may do it in the future!
Q6) Does the Kickstarter version [of the Adventurer’s Companion] include the Tome Box?
A6) No.
From Haggai
Q1) DS seem simplistic to me. Too simplistic. With Decent 2nd edition having more complexity and higher production values, what DS have that will pull the Decent players in?
AdvertisementA1) The adventures we’ve shown off so far are the opening scenarios designed to teach people how to play. They are intentionally simplistic, and as you progress through the story, the scenarios get more complex, with new mechanics, enemies and bosses introduced. Add in the Adventurer’s Companion and the sky is really the limit about how complicated you want it to be! Production Values – in my personal opinion I think we more than match Descent for quality at 2/3 the price. The book packaging is amazing, the miniatures are great quality and the gameplay’s natural progression really helps achieve the feel of the game we are looking for. I thoroughly recommend having a demo with the product when it’s available
Q2) Also, about the production values, the cards. Having them all with the same back seem both confusing and cheap.
A2) The cards do not all have the same backs, they have backs unique to the type of card you’re playing with.
Q3) Also the names of the overlord cards being so generic (3 Raise Dead for ex.) is a bad move in my opinion. It takes you away from the immersion and looks prototype-y. I feel that it’s prescriptive, literal and tells the player exactly what it is they are doing, which can only help playing the game. Raising the Dead is absolutely a power that a Necromancer will use. Others maybe aren’t as immersive, but it’s a trade off between helping the Overlord player understand what it is they are doing.
Q4) With the campaign looking like a set up for an RPG (especially with the description at the start of the entry) could DS evolve into it? The main thing I’m missing are varying skill challenges. Like climbing a sheer wall, or traversing a lake of lava on a narrow beam.
A4) That really is the intention with the Adventurer’s Companion, it enabled you to play Dungeon Saga as a tabletop miniatures RPG. It will not be advanced enough to include those kind of skills challenges however.
Q5) Also will the Overlord have any traps to spring on the heroes, or is it all monsters?
AdvertisementA5) There are traps for the Overlord to spring
From Devilmixer
Q1) so I know it will not be in the Adventurer’s Companion, but are there plans to make rules for ratkins, and other “new” races to mantica?
A1) Never say never!
Q2) so doing the KS there were several new heros added, can you tell us a bit about how the are different to the 4 in the box, and maybe a bit of lore on them?
A2) Well, each of the heroes have different racial traits and different classes, and these impact on how they play in a game. The paladin for example has different abilities to a thief for example. We’ll explore each of these heroes in the run up to the expansions being released – or, if you’re a backer, you’ll be able to read up on them when you receive your pledge. If you’re really desperate to know more, I recommend looking up the updates on the Kickstarter page
Q3) will the book boxes and the dungon bases be sold separately?
A3) We’re looking at the book boxes at the moment, but there’s no reason not to see the Dungeon Bases separately!
Q4) Will there be Ai for the heroes?
A4) The AI system applies to the heroes as well. In this instance, you’d create a good dungeon and play with a party of evil heroes. The bestiary includes rules for Elf, Dwarf and human minions.
From Mark Saville
Q1) Do all the add on characters that KS backers got get those hero placemat card thingies that the retail four have too?
A1) No – any of the characters in the expansions do, but miniatures like Gunn and Ravenna do not come with character sheets.
Q2) Could we have news of the dedicated Dungeon Saga website please? Let’s get that populated in time for general release!
A2) Sure! It’s in development at the moment, and we’re really pushing on getting it up in time for general release!
Q3) Rules for tavern exploration – and the inevitable subsequent brawl – would be awesome. The temple too of course. Are there going to be rules for the Cleric upturning the traders’ tables in the temple?
A3) Ha! Sounds great and a possible future expansion maybe? These locations exist, but it may take a little imagination to make these happen – of course, why not create your own rules for a tavern brawl?!
From Mark Cousin
Q1) Are the Different coloured boxes, for each expansion, going to be available to purchase separately?
A1) Probably not, no.
Q2) Are there going to be some inserts for the boxes to store our painted miniatures
A2) If Ronnie gets his way, then yes!
Q3) Will there be points costs for items received by heroes in dungeon adventures so that these could be brought into games of KOW along with the heroes that go dungeon delving. or will this be already included in the adventurers companion.
A3) There is not included, no.
Q4) Can you give us a date of when the KS will ship.
A4) As per the latest update, we’re working with our manufacturer to work out this date. We’ll let you know via the updates when we get the information
Q5) Are any pictures available of the extra characters made available through the KS along with maybe pictures of the new tiles from the expansions.
A5) In subsequent updates, we will do this yes.
Q6) What further plans do you have for DS apart from the three expansions we have seen in the KS. Can you give us a teaser of these plans, if any.
A6) You’ll have to wait and see!
From Gabriel
Q1) With the fully co-op mode of the adventurer’s, can we play fully co-op the existing missions of the core box?
A1) Yep!
Q2) How do you play with the bad guys? Is that a solo game?
A2) On a basic level, playing as the Overlord player sets you up with playing as the bad guys. You can also play in a ‘good dungeon’ – where the minions and bosses are from a good race, like Elves or Dwarfs, and the ‘heroes’ in the adventure are from bad races like Abyssal Dwarfs or Undead.
From Seb
Q1) For example, Gargoyle and Obsidian Golem are abyssal dwarves?
A1) The Abyssal Dwarf terms relates to the type of army the unit entries are included in, not so much the race of every type. The Abyssal Dwarfs are affiliated with dark creatures such as Gargoyles, and their Ironcasters power the Obsidian Golems.
Q2) Ogre and dwarf have the same armor?
A2) The stats you can see for the bosses represents the hero before they have chosen a profession (such as fighter) or equipment. These choices will have a material effect on these basics stats, it changes them.
Q3) Why the word “hero” is used in the text about racial feat? should read “monster” instead? Monster is not a term that’s used in the book, in this case the character would play the role of Hero, whether they are good or evil variety.
From Patrick Stacey
Q1) Is there any chance that the text that is read out pre and post scenario might be able to be professionally voice acted. It would be nice to be able to buy an addon that contains mp3s or an App. Then at the press of a button, at a appropriate time in a scenario, the text would play with a little bit of theme music.
A1) Unlikely for the foreseeable future, but maybe one day – who knows!
Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf King’s Quest is now available to pre-order from your local gaming store and the Mantic website. It begins shipping in October.
For even MORE Q&A from the fans you can check out the full Q&A here!
So many questions, so many answers – There seems to be a lot of Buzz around this game and I’m looking forward to playing it!
