Frank Branham is planning on writing an in depth review and knows the game much better than I do so what follows is more of a general overview and my impressions of the game. Also thats a great excuse for all the details I omit...
Do you Like Monsters?
Do you like flicking things with your finger?
Do you like flicking things with your finger at monsters?
Boy does Sands of Time Games have the game for YOU!!
If you've not not seen it already, Catacombs is a unique dungeon crawl where combat is reolved through flicking your adventurer (or the missle/spell he's shooting) at the monsters. There are several boards, each with an different set barriers. There are a ton of monsters with special powers, And there are different powers your adventurers can each do. I'm skipping all that though because Frank will explain it more thouroughly and succintly than I.
Soooo- whats left to talk about? Well there is a ton of whining I need to do about how insanely good Frank is at dextarity games. I had the elf archer who can shoot two missles each round, but that doesn't do you a whole hell of a lot when you flick pieces like a crack addict with cerebal palsy.
Seriously, he missed 5 times thoughout the game, and once he defied the laws of physics (that curved shot- OMFG!)
Nonetheless, we managed to get through to the last board- even though our heroes were on their last leg. There are opportunities to heal and buy stuff but not a lot.
We even managed to whittle down the lich lord's army to about nil- but by then it was all over. One lone wizard, almost out of spells desperately trying to finish off the lichLord (in vain I might add)
So here are my impressions:
This game is pretty neat with some innovative combat ideas. In some sense, it kinda feels like a tactical minis game because of the choices you make on placement, melee, and missle. However it is GREATLY limited to your control. All the combat sense in the worl won't help you if you SUCK as bad as I do.
Also I found myself craving more. So far they have a series of combats , with a break to buy stuff, and a break to heal- then the big baddie. They could do SO MUCH MORE but adding a storyline, set encounters, some starting equipmement, maybe some unusual events to vary the intro into the room. Also the maps could get creative..instead of a barrier, leave it open to make a pit. Or put in a divot to make it (semi) smooth
The game is good- but incomplete. You've got all the mechanics of a dungeon crawl without any of the atmosphere. I felt so stroingly about this that I was compelled to write one of the designers.- GET THEE TO THY LAPTOP AND ADD ATMOSPHERE KNAVE!
Still, if you're even a little creative, you'll be able to do all this yourself. Perhaps that was the intention of the designers- or maybe they're just busy honing thier flicking skillZ. In the latter case I'll put my money on Frank Branham any day.
Steve"PalsyCrackhead"Avery
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comments
Stephen Avery
said:
 |
... P.S. Note to self-Always post games pix with chix in them... Steve"Cad"Avery |
MattDP
said:
 |
... I'm hoping to review this myself, but my copy to sent to Nova Scotia by mistake. Apparently my UK postcode is rather similar to NS postcodes, and the postal clerk neglected to read the "UK" on the package  Still, here's hoping it'll turn up eventually. |
moofrank
said:
 |
... Billy: It's on. Steve: I'm not sure the game wants for atmosphere. It is exactly a surprisingly complete mapping of the typical Descent / D&D mechanics to a whole new world. I do get the idea that this is a basic release with a small, strict focus. And keeping it very simple helps keep the game to a broader audience. ...but I can spin this into a thousand different directions, and add so many crazed elements to the game. Trap discs with an effect on the label side when you hit them. Proper walls. A giant rolling ball that can only move so far each turn along a set path. Multi-room combat arenas. (I do like your idea of pit traps.) Rough patches to slow down shots. Rubber Bands around the obstacles. Multi-disc monsters linked by chains. Gelatinous Cubes. Doors that can be opened. |
Merkles
said:
 |
... I'm looking forward to trying it, too. Seems like a mix of Descent, Pitchcar, Sorry Sliders and Micro Mutants: Evolution. The IDEA of it sounds great. How long do the games last? (and even if you call it a quasi-review, still better than most reviews!) |
Merkles
said:
|
... PS--just read Frank's review over at BGG. Great review--combine it with Steve's review and you get a great feel for the game. |
moofrank
said:
|
... I posted the review yesterday as a submission here yesterday. It should turn up here shortly. Games run just a shade over an hour. It ends up feeling about correct to me, but I'm into the Dexterity angle. I also do have to admit that I started skipping some of my monsters spawns, intentionally missing a shot now and then, and generally being a GM. However, when it came down to the last bit, it was clear they weren't going to win, so I just ended it as quickly as possible. I did have one shot that nicked an obstacle, and rolled curving within a hair of hitting the elf. That and two really nice thread the needle shots made me try to decrease the player skill level. By adding beers to the GM. Pity I didn't have any of the Double Bocks left. They could have one. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|