Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Descent: Journeys in the Dark is a "one vs.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Modular Board
Build the play area from interchangeable sections that vary between games.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Role Playing
Make decisions or communicate from the perspective of an assigned character.
Team-Based Game
Players compete in fixed teams and coordinate toward a shared team result.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Read the full game description
Descent: Journeys in the Dark is a "one vs. many" game in which up to four players will choose characters with a wide assortment of skills and innate abilities to be the heroes who will explore dungeons in search of treasure and adventure, while one player will take on the role of the Overlord and will control the dungeon's many traps, puzzles, and monsters. The heroes' goal will be to cooperatively conquer the dungeon, seize its many treasures, and achieve other objectives as set by the scenario. If the heroes cooperate and achieve their goals, they will all win. The Overlord's objective is simply to use all the means at their disposal - from deadly traps to ferocious monsters - to kill the heroes. Each hero has a certain Conquest Point value to the party and if too many Conquest Points are lost through hero death, the party loses and the Overlord wins. Re-implemented by: Descent: Journeys in the Dark (Second Edition) (2012)