ROAD TO LEGEND rulebook

OK, so I just read the RTL rulebook...

Almost no one outside of FFG has played it of course (although chosen childe Frank LaTerra gets his 15 minutes in the liner notes) at this point, but I'm just about ready to call this the best game I've never played. It looks incredible, the way a pretty basic tactical skirmish game is suddenly turned into an epic quest by them is pretty brilliant. It's like what D&D must have been to CHAINMAIL. There's so many smart ideas and interesting concepts going on I don't know where to start with them- and they all fit perfectly into the logic and structure of the established DESCENT system.

I am really impressed that Mr. Wilson and co. have dared make a board game that is specifically designed to _not_ fit into your weeknight gaming schedule...and the provisions for tracking progress, right down to these funky little boxes to store pieces, seem like they're well done.

It strikes me that ROAD TO LEGEND could very well be the expansion that makes DESCENT a Timeless Classic, and possibly the piece that takes a really great game and turns it into something truly special. It stands to make DESCENT the ultimate, be-all-end-all final answer of the "RPG on a board" question.

It does add a lot of complexity and rules- some 30 odd pages, not counting references. And it does seem like it's going to require quite a bit more commitment to playing DESCENT regularly than a lot of gamers may be comfortable with. That's probably my only worry, that it doesn't really include any provision to get the most out of the game without taking on the whole thing. There's a way to make it shorter by starting at different levels, but it seems like you might as well just go balls out and do it all.

RTL looks like, if anything, that it's the _beginning_ of DESCENT reaching its potential...with "wilderness" campaigning, sieges, experience levels, towns, and so forth further expansions have even more areas to develop.

I can see groups (like Will Kenyon's, if you know who he is) becoming almost exclusively DESCENT-oriented for the next several months. Clear the schedule, it looks like it may be worth it.

I think we can call Descent + RtL the first real role playing board game or RPBG. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

I think this is the expansion Descent needed. As you have often said, it needed less tactical miniatures, more RPG in it. I doubt I'll ever find a group that would get together consistently and play something like this, but it doesn't mean that I don't think it would be totally awesome if I did.

Yes...I really like DESCENT but I did feel it needed more meat in terms of the RPG elements because without it, it was just a tactical miniatures game...RTL really changes that dramatically.

If you really can play 2 hour sessions then this will be truly amazing. You could play your campaign for a while and get in another game in the same night.

If my group wasn't currently involved in a D&D campaign, there is no doubt in my mind that this is what we'd be doing instead.

In fact, my DM has hinted that he might start throwing in some descent every now and again just to prevent burnout.

I'm pretty excited to play the Overlord.

I can't wait to see the other Avatars and their Lts...though I have a suppose I'll be going with the Beastman Lord or anyone who can help buff up the regular troops...er monsters. If there was a Ferrox lord though i'd be all over that since they are by far my favorite monsters.

Of course i'd choose like a Kobold Overmind/Chieftan too..

I'm not really sure I see the point in playing a pen and paper RPG with Descent + RTL now. I bought d20 Modern a couple of months ago, but never really got around to getting a campaign together. I mean if you're supposed to do combat on a square grid with miniatures anyways why not just to Descent?

I know what you're going to say, in Descent there's no 'role playing' at all. No character interaction, or NPC interaction. Descent has no noncombat skills or noncombat resolutions. You're not going to be able to to an intimaidate or diplomacy check against a beatman or master ferrox. But I'm not an theatre dork and if I want to kill some stuff and level up inbetween games, then Descent is it for me.

Yeah, character development is more complex in an RPG, but it's still pretty indepth in Descent with the combinations of skills, equipment and treasure. I guess the one thing regretfully missing is the feeling of disarming traps and trying to solve dungeon puzzles.

In order for DESCENT to "replace" RPGs completely, it'd have to have some way to introduce the ability to completely create new settings and storylines or for FFG to support the system with "modules". I do wonder if people will play the campaign once and feel like they've "beaten" it.

Do you realize how many Runebound expansion decks there are? There's like a bajillion. The same could be done with Descent. Create small expansions that have new avatars, plots, lieutenants, powers or heroes, skills, treasures etc. Or make bigger expansions like Island of Dread/Sands of Al-Kalim with another board to travel around or what not. I think FFG is going to milk this baby.

I'm just dissapointed that it appears that Prolonged Actions are not in Road to Legend.

Prolonged Actions are a wonderful mechanic that let the heroes essentially do Skill Checks in order to do some things that aren't simply moving and fighting.

Descent + RTL wont replace pen and paper RPGs, for many of the reasons listed.

yeah I'm a little disappointed from the missing invulnerability potions and prolonged actions since I just got the Altar of Despair expansion in December and only have had like 2 games with it.

Well anyone lucky enough to pick this up today? I swung by my FLGS (which is actually a web site, boardgamerevolution.com so they sell they're games at internet prices - awesome!) but they didn't have it yet. The clerk said they didn't have it yet, but it should be in on Monday, maybe Friday. So I went ahead and prepaid in order to reserve one for me.

I can't wait!

I'll have mine tommorrow.

lucky bastard

I preordered from an online retailer.

My local game stores are more comic/collectible oriented

Guess I could have asked to have them special order...meh...i suck.