Why Buy Dungeon Crawl?
I'm sure many of you are already asking, "Why would I want to pay my hard earned bucks for a game that's just downloadable, and I don't actually get anything with it?"
That's right, you said that word for word, I heard you!
One of the first ideas for Dungeon Crawl was to pass the cost of production to the consumer. Many people don't care what the game looks like, as long as it plays well. People like this can make inexpensive prints and enjoy the game all the same. Others prefer to look at a game that is visually appealing, and in this case, high quality prints can be made, mounted onto cardstock, resulting in a game that looks professionally printed. Either way, the game plays the same, but you're only spending as much as you want on the game. Now, I'm not goint to try to convince you that a downloadable game is completely better than a boxed game you would buy at a store. However, I will list what Dungeon Crawl has and what it doesn't have.
Here's a few things you don't get with Dungeon Crawl:
• Figures. One of the biggest drawbacks for Dungeon Crawl, according to some, is that you don't get any miniatures along with the game. You do get a full range of printable stand-up Heroes & Monsters, but this isn't what every player wants. However, there's plenty of reasons why this could be an advantage, and here are a few:
--- It's cheaper. Including miniatures would raise the price of the game tremendously, anywhere from 40 to 80 dollars.
--- You don't get stuck with miniatures you don't want. Some games are supplied with some horrid looking figures, and some people just go out and replace them. Why settle for figures you don't want or need?
--- With the money you save on buying this game, as compared to other boxed games, you can simply go out and buy the miniatures you do want. Since many people replace them anyways, this can save you a ton of cash.
--- Many people who do enjoy this type of game already have dozens of figures that could easily and readily be used in the game. Though adding more figures to your collection could be good, some people would rather just use their own.
• Printed Rulebook. Dungeon Crawl does have a very extensive rule book with many pages, not to mention all the Dungeon Boards, Furniture Tiles, and Heroes & Monsters to print out. However, there is a list of some key pages provided that you can use for quick reference, such as the Play Aids, Spells, and Skills sheets. This means that once you've read the rules, all you'll need is a few sheets printed out, and you won't have to use so much ink and paper.
• Printed Game Pieces. There are twenty Dungeon Boards, a few sheets of Furniture Tiles & Doors, and the Heroes & Monsters that need to be printed out for the game to be played. These are supplied in several formats, so you can choose to play the game with black and white printed objects, all the way to full color, high resolution printouts mounted on cardstock or foam core. With these options, the game can be as economical as you want it to be, not even costing you more than a few dollars extra to get things printed out and ready to play.
• Dice. Though six-sided dice are extremely cheap and readily available, it's only fair to list them along with the other stuff that's not included.
So, with all this stuff that's lacking in the game, what does it actually get you? This is what Dungeon Crawl does have to offer for a mere fifteen bucks:
• Lots of Gameplay. Not only are there 35 premade Adventures to play, when you factor in Random Dungeons and the Deathblow Arena games, you have a game with more gameplay options than any other game that's out there. Play the traditional dungeon crawler, with one game master and four or so players, or play a solo game with random dungeons, or play a deathmatch game against your friends. You can also play random dungeons with your friends, without needing a game master, so if two or more people want to play and no one wants to be the game master, everyone can still play, and no one gets left out on the fun.
• Easy to Use System. The Gameplay is easy enough to get the hang of just by playing a single game. The system is based on the six sided die, making combat extremely simple, with no charts to check on every time you attack something. Everything's right there in the dice.
• Interesting Characters. Dungeon Crawl doesn't throw a bunch of premade characters at you, nor are the characters too complex to just pick the game up and start playing. In Dungeon Crawl, you create a unique character by choosing a Race and a Class. As your character advances in level, you can customize him or her by choosing from twenty different Skills, based on what Race & Class your character is, ensuring that your character doesn't end up like someone else's. There's a total of ninety different Skills in the game, and 30 Spells. Every different Race-Class combination has its own strengths and weaknesses, so any type of character you choose to make will be interesting in its own right. Also, your characters won't "max out" after 10 or so Adventures. Some characters may not even max out until well after Level 30, so you'll always have something to work on with your character. And, an extremely simple Experience system makes it easy to keep track of your character's Level.
• Variety. While most dungeon crawlers have a single story that you play through in about 10 quests, Dungeon Crawl supplies you with so much more. Not only does it have a 35 Adventure Campaign, it also includes a simpler version of the game, to get you or other less experienced players acquanted with the game and the genre. Aside from that, it also comes with a guide for turning the game into an RPG, opening up a whole new dimension to the game for players that want more than just a dungeon crawler. Aditionally, you also get the Deathblow Arena games, which include games like Deathmatch, Steal the Chest, Skirmish Battle, and many more, for those times when you and your friends want to jump straight into a quick, brutal game that needs little setup and no Game Master. Play cooperatively, in teams, or in a full on deathmatch battle, the choice is yours!
• An Extensive Armory & Bestiary. The Armory is full of different weapons & armor, as well as over 200 magic Artifacts, available only when searching through dungeons. The Bestiary is packed with over 90 Monsters, with different special abilities to ensure that your characters don't get bored killing Orc after Orc all the time.
• High Quality Images. Dungeon Crawl is packed with high quality images for all printable game components, such as the Dungeon Boards and Furniture. These can be printed in high quality to make the game look great, or in a more economic low quality print, or black and white. Also included in different qualities are the Heroes & Monsters, so you can print out just what you need, or armies' worth for a special custom campaign.
• Expandability. There are already many expansions planned for Dungeon Crawl, and some are even already being developed, ensuring that you'll have plenty of new content to play around with and keep you from getting bored with the game. Expansions will include things like new Races, Classes, Monsters, Spells, Skills, Dungeon Boards, Furniture, Weapons, Armor, Artifacts-- too much stuff to list here!
So, you get all this for just $15.00. Compared to other games out there, you get an incredibly vast amount of gameplay and game options for a fraction of the price. You would be paying 40 to 80 bucks for a game that you'll play through once, maybe a few times more, but every time through the game, it'll stay the same. With Dungeon Crawl, you can play through all of the premade Adventures (35 total for the Campaign Game), and when you're done with those, create your own custom Campaign to challenge your friends, take your characters into customizable random dungeons, or challenge your friends to a battle in the Deathblow Arena. Dungeon Crawl is truly a game that gives you everything you need for a great gaming experience. Compared to the few other dungeon crawlers out there, it's a bargain.