WBG Score: 8.5/10
Player Count: 1-6
You’ll like this if you like: Gloomhaven, Resident Evil, Lots of Loot!
Published by: Xploding 10 Games
Designed by: Viktor Ahrens
This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.
Dungeons Of Doria first came to Kickstarter a few years back and was successfully funded. Backers started to receive their copies at the start of 2024, and the game is now available at retail. I sense backers were attracted to the designer, Viktor Ahrens' passion, and the game's ambition. Early signs from those who backed this are that the game is delivering on the eely promises. Hundreds of loot cards, monsters, and levels to explore in a dungeon crawl for the ages. But is it any fun? Let's get it to the table and find out.
How To Set Up Dungeons Of Doria
There are a lot of different ways to play this game. There are campaign-style mission books in the box that will set you up for multiple missions designed to be played across a multiple-game campaign. There is also a huge book full of one-off, one-shot missions that will keep you entertained for years! You can also design your own levels. But they all work off the core basics that I will explain briefly here to give you a feel for the game.
To set up, begin by shuffling all Loot Cards (as best you can, there really are a lot!) and dividing them into three stacks of roughly 170 cards each. Bu don't worry too much about this. Just three piles of roughly the same height works. Place these stacks face down, then shuffle the small Monster Deck cards into a single face-down deck, placing the Level 1 Monster Deck nearby (or a higher level if you're playing later in a campaign).
Next, set up the Initiative Board in the centre of the table and place the Doom Counter, Round Marker, and XP Marker in their starting positions on the board. Each player chooses a colour for their Initiative Marker and places it alongside the board. Gather the dice and sort out the remaining markers (Dungeon, Damage, and Bonus markers) so they’re ready for easy access.
Each player now draws four Loot Cards from any of the loot stacks. With loot in hand, players either choose a character sheet or pick one at random. Set up the starting Room Tile, typically the stairs or tile 'A-1', in the middle of the table. It is worth noting that most scenarios need space for around eight to ten room tiles but keep in mind the layout can change depending on how you explore and open doors. You won't quite know which direction the game will progress too. In short, buy a bigger table!
Next, prepare the Room Tile deck according to the scenario instructions and place it as a face-down deck nearby. Finally, select a scenario from the Book of Scenarios or choose from a Campaign Book, then read the story and details aloud to introduce everyone to the adventure ahead. There will be some scenario-specific setup and rules, but I won't go into that here.
How To Play Dungeons Of Doria
The game plays incredibly smoothly over a series of rounds that you can easily track using the game board. Players will be opening and exploring new rooms, fighting monsters, and trying to complete the specific scenario's goal. Defeat a monster, find an item, make a potion, free a prisoner, destroy an enemy storage room, blow up a bridge, collect loot... and so much more!
But first, you need to choose your character. Pick one from the available eight, and assign them their matching equipment. Then draw six loot cards and assign them to your character. You can discard any items you do not want, exchange with the other players, or attach them to your character either in their current possession, belt, or backpack.
Each character comes with their own set of base attributes. You can use these or create your own, distributing 50 points between the six attributes. You must set each characteristic above at least one, and at 13 or below. Each player uses one character, or in a two player game, it is recommended players have two each. Or, you can use just one and gain extra loot and each hero on level two as a base.
The game will now play out over the below phases:
Round Start: First, move up the round marker by one space.
Shop Refresh: Next, it’s time to stock up! Refill the shop to keep three cards displayed, one in front of each loot deck. This gives everyone a fresh chance to eye potential treasures or new tools to buy.
Roll for Initiative: Every player rolls two dice, adds their character’s Initiative Points (IP), and places their Initiative Marker on the Initiative Board based on this number. Just watch out—if anyone fumbles (two one's) while rolling, the Doom Counter creeps one space down the board. The Doom Counter isn’t just for show; it could mean trouble later on!
Action Phase: Now for the heart of the round. Based on your available Action Points, players can perform a mix of actions like moving, searching for treasure, attacking, casting spells, and more. Plus, monsters might decide to join the fray, adding a twist to everyone’s tactics.
Poison Check: Got any poisoned party members? Time to see if they hold strong. Roll for a test based on Constitution and Wisdom with two added dice—aim to meet or beat a challenging target number to shake off that venom!
Special Actions: This is where things get interesting. Any special actions like Mods, multiplying zombies, traps, or scenario-specific events will activate now based on the room you are in, which monsters are present, and specific scenario rules, so stay alert.
Doom Counter: For each room with at least one player in it and each unopened door, the Doom Counter drops another space. The lower it goes, the more the game’s effects kick in, so keeping an eye on this can be key to survival as this may activate more monster actions.
Level Up: End-of-round rewards! Here, players can level up their character by collecting Hero Level Bonuses, distribute group XP, regenerate health, and recalculate IP and power points, readying up for the next round.
Shop Actions: Finally, if anyone’s eyeing a shop item or needs to clear the space, now’s the time to buy or discard.
The action phase is where the majority of the game occurs, so let's talk a little more about that first.
The player with the highest initiative will take their first action. Moving costs one AP (Action Point), jumping costs five. You can reveal a new room tile for free by standing by a door. You can search for treasure for one AP, or five if you want to draw two cards. You still only get one card, but you have a choice now. Worth the AP, as not all loot is friendly!
After moving, exploring, and looting, the main thing you will do is fight. All items have an AP score. To use a weapon or item, simply spend the shown Action Points on your initiative tracker and carry out the card. Most weapons require a certain dice roll and offer a modifier to that. Whatever you are attacking will have a similar defence based on the item they may or may not be using to try to block the attack. If you roll a ten (these are D10 you are using), you can roll that die again, adding whatever you roll next to the previous ten. If you roll another ten, go again! Fighting works according to usual line of sight rules. If you inflict damage ten points over the defence of your enemy, this is called a critical hit and will add a second hit. Different items will show different levels of damage. Different enemies will have different defence. Defeated monsters drop one loot card which you can immediately pick up for free.
When you open a new room, there will be space for new monsters shown on the tiles. There is also an excellent room guide, a separate rule book with detailed information on what every space in every room means. It offers some flavour text and quick, simple explanations. It is the best of its kind for this sort of thing. Monsters are spawned by drawing from the monster deck at random. Whatever you draw, find the associated monster card and standee and add it to the board. If you draw a modifier instead of a monster, draw another card and add this modifier to that monster. This monster now has a special additional skill to battle!
When you spend your AP and move your AP counter, you will most probably move it below another player, or even a monster. Always activate whichever character or monster has the highest AP score on the Initiative board. Be sure you spend the AP points for whatever action you do. When you have run out of AP, your round is over. But, if you have just one AP left, you can always do any action you want. When you spend AP, you must spend exactly whatever you need to if you have enough AP, but if you do not have enough, you can still do any final action, or use any item and go into negative initiative. Just move the AP tracker to zero and carry out your final action.
The rounds will continue until one players' character dies, or you complete your scenario's objective. If you are in a campaign, you can play multiple scenarios with the same characters, levelling up as you go, gaining new loot and powers. One-off scenarios work in a similar way, but have a more immediate finish and no lasting effects.
Is It Fun? Dungeons Of Doria Board Game Review
This game offers an immense sense of exploration that keeps players engaged and eager to uncover more. The world feels vast and dynamic, both in its sheer size and the depth of loot it provides. Players have the freedom to approach the game in multiple ways, thanks to a wide range of missions, diverse gameplay styles, and paths they can choose. This freedom adds to the sense of discovery as players can replay the game with different strategies or focus areas, or simply to see more rooms, fight more monsters, and discover more loot! This makes each playthrough feel fresh and unique.
The variety of monsters further enriches this experience. Each encounter feels new, challenging, and rewarding because of the different strengths, weaknesses, and behaviours of each creature. This constant adaptation keeps players on their toes, fostering a sense of excitement about what they might encounter next. The loot system also fuels the excitement of exploration; the rewards are as varied as the monsters themselves, meaning each battle holds the potential for new, powerful items or resources.
Actually, that is not true. The loot outweighs the monsters by about 100 to 1! And that is not because there are not many monsters. There are loads. 160 monster cards in total. There is just so much loot! Over 500 cards. This element of surprise and potential for reward adds to the thrill, making each journey into new territory feel worthwhile. The huge stacks of loot genuinely make me want to play the game again and again. Never before has a huge stack of cards made me so excited for repeat plays. Except maybe Ark Nova.
The game's design supports an exploratory mindset, encouraging players to deviate from the main path to uncover hidden areas, secrets, and treasures. There are a lot of little tricks and twists within the rooms themselves. The game rewards patient curiosity, but can also be played simply by rushing towards the goal. Either play style works and can be fun. This balance of risk and reward creates a compelling loop of exploration, combat, and reward.
Overall, the game’s commitment to variety, challenge, and discovery creates an experience where exploration is not only encouraged but constantly rewarded, making it a game that players want to keep coming back to. And with over 60 scenarios, there certainly is a lot to come back to!
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dungeon crawlers and is looking for a game that offers huge replayability and develops over multiple plays. If you want a one-and-done, this can be for you too. And you will have fun with it. But it is a big box full of great adventure, and it seems a waste to be treated like that. This game wants, yearns, and deserves repeat plays. If you want a game that can envelop you in that way, this could well be for you.
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