Guild of Dungeoneering is blessed with a concept that gives me heart palpitations. It’s a tabletop game masquerading as a PC game, where players use cards to sketch out dungeons filled with loot and monsters on graph paper. Graph paper. Few things have the power to so clearly evoke the halcyon days where I’d pour over dungeon layouts as I attempted to navigate the most deadly of subterranean crypts.
It’s due out next month, and maybe it will make you as wistful as I am.
Guild of Dungeoneering makes the relationship between hero and dungeon master seem almost co-operative, which it is when the DM isn’t a sadistic bugger. It’s not about killing heroes; it’s about facilitating a great adventure, and that’s what the developer, Gambrinous, seems to understand.
While the creator of the dungeon is tasked with creating challenges that the hero, who wanders around of their own accord, must overcome, the real goal is to prepare them for the dungeon’s boss. Other monsters serve to train the hero and provide them with the abilities that they’ll need to defeat the Big Bad at the end of the labyrinth.
You’ll be able to check it out for yourself when it launches on July 14th. There’s a pre-order bonus, as well, if you’re a risk taker, which will net you The Pirate Cove Adventure Pack DLC, containing a new region, new classes and five extra adventures. It will be available after launch, as well, but not for free.