Dungeonquest
Encyclopedia
Dungeonquest is a fantasy
adventure board game
, set in a fantasy setting reminiscent of TSR's
Dungeons & Dragons
or the Warhammer Fantasy
universe. The game was originally published in Sweden
in 1985 as Drakborgen ("Dragon Fortress") by Alga AB (later bought out by Brio AB
), and first published in English in 1987 by Games Workshop
. Fantasy Flight Games
now has the rights to publish the game, and has changed the setting to Terrinoth, the setting of their Runebound, Runewars, and Descent games. The Swedish edition is still being published and maintained by Alga as Drakborgen: Legenden ("Dragon Fortress: The Legend").
The object of the game is to explore the ruins
of Dragonfire Castle and collect treasure before time expires. Players must try to locate the treasure room at the center of the castle by navigating a labyrinth
of ruins leading to it. After locating the treasure room, players collect as much treasure as possible, and then attempt to escape before time runs out.
Play is centered around the game board. Dungeonquest is unusual in that the game board is only revealed as play progresses. The board begins blank except for a grid pattern and the treasure at the center. A set of "room tiles" are arranged randomly near the board, face down. Play progresses in turns as each player, controlling an adventurer, selects a tile at random and sets it down on a grid space on the board. Each tile represents a space and may be one of several different configurations. The space may be a room with several doorways, it may be a turn, a hallway, a dead end, a bottomless pit, a rotating room or several other spaces. In all, the game contains 115 room tiles.
Players may experience cave-ins or encounters with monsters during their quest, which hinders their progress. Since each player begins at a different edge of the board, each player's passageways will be different as well (with interaction between players generally being indirect).
The second expansion, Dungeonquest Catacombs (1988), was originally released as Drakborgen II (also by Alga AB), as an expansion for Drakborgen. It added another 20 room tiles, as well as other cards for monsters, encounters and objects. In all, it contained an additional 28 cards for the game. This expansion also added the ability for players to travel underneath the main game board, albeit without any accompanying catacombs game board.
The Games Workshop versions included plastic Citadel Miniatures
for characters.
A new version of the game, also called "DungeonQuest" was released by Fantasy Flight Games
at the annual gaming convention Gen Con
in Indianapolis August 5, 2010.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
adventure board game
Adventure board game
An adventure board game is a board game in which a player plays as a unique individual character that improves through gameplay. This improvement is commonly reflected in terms of increasing character attributes, but also in receiving new abilities or equipment.Adventure board games often...
, set in a fantasy setting reminiscent of TSR's
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
or the Warhammer Fantasy
Warhammer Fantasy (setting)
Warhammer Fantasy is a fantasy setting, created by Games Workshop, which is used by many of the company's games. Some of the best-known games set in this world are: the table top wargame Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay pen-and-paper role-playing game, and the MMORPG...
universe. The game was originally published in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1985 as Drakborgen ("Dragon Fortress") by Alga AB (later bought out by Brio AB
BRIO
BRIO is a wooden toy company founded in Sweden. The company was founded in the small town of Boalt, Scania in 1884 by basket maker Ivar Bengtsson For a long time the company was based in Osby, Scania, in southern Sweden. In 1908 Ivar's three sons took over and founded BRIO, which is an acronym for...
), and first published in English in 1987 by Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
. Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
now has the rights to publish the game, and has changed the setting to Terrinoth, the setting of their Runebound, Runewars, and Descent games. The Swedish edition is still being published and maintained by Alga as Drakborgen: Legenden ("Dragon Fortress: The Legend").
The object of the game is to explore the ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
of Dragonfire Castle and collect treasure before time expires. Players must try to locate the treasure room at the center of the castle by navigating a labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
of ruins leading to it. After locating the treasure room, players collect as much treasure as possible, and then attempt to escape before time runs out.
Play is centered around the game board. Dungeonquest is unusual in that the game board is only revealed as play progresses. The board begins blank except for a grid pattern and the treasure at the center. A set of "room tiles" are arranged randomly near the board, face down. Play progresses in turns as each player, controlling an adventurer, selects a tile at random and sets it down on a grid space on the board. Each tile represents a space and may be one of several different configurations. The space may be a room with several doorways, it may be a turn, a hallway, a dead end, a bottomless pit, a rotating room or several other spaces. In all, the game contains 115 room tiles.
Players may experience cave-ins or encounters with monsters during their quest, which hinders their progress. Since each player begins at a different edge of the board, each player's passageways will be different as well (with interaction between players generally being indirect).
Expansions
Two expansions were released for the game. The first, Heroes for Dungeonquest (1987), adds twelve new heroes and a handful of other additional cards and tokens. The new heroes feature new mechanics and special abilities.The second expansion, Dungeonquest Catacombs (1988), was originally released as Drakborgen II (also by Alga AB), as an expansion for Drakborgen. It added another 20 room tiles, as well as other cards for monsters, encounters and objects. In all, it contained an additional 28 cards for the game. This expansion also added the ability for players to travel underneath the main game board, albeit without any accompanying catacombs game board.
The Games Workshop versions included plastic Citadel Miniatures
Citadel Miniatures
Citadel Miniatures Limited is a company which produces metal, resin and plastic miniature figures for tabletop wargames such as Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000....
for characters.
A new version of the game, also called "DungeonQuest" was released by Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
at the annual gaming convention Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
in Indianapolis August 5, 2010.
See also
- The Sorcerer's CaveThe Sorcerer's CaveThe Sorcerer's Cave, a game of exploration, magic, and adventure is a fantasy board game designed by Terence Peter Donnelly and first published in 1978. It was inspired by the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
, another game where the game map is randomly generated during play. - TalismanTalisman (board game)Talisman: The Magical Quest Game is a fantasy themed adventure board game for two to six players, originally designed and produced by Games Workshop and now published by Fantasy Flight Games. The game was first released in 1983 and has gone through several revisions...
, a game where the game board itself is fixed, but contents are revealed during play.