Dungeon!

1975 boardgame

boardgame
Dungeon! features a map of a simple six level dungeon with hallways, rooms, and chambers. Players move around the board seeking to defeat monsters and claim treasure. Greater treasures are located in deeper levels of the dungeon, along with tougher monsters. Players choose different character classes with different abilities. The object of the game is to be the first to return to the beginning chamber with a set value of treasure.

David M. Ewalt, in his book Of Dice and Men, described Megarry's original edition of the game as "a Blackmoor inspired board game that represented TSR's most ambitious production to date: a color game map, customized cards, tokens, dice, and a rules booklet all packaged in an attractive box".

In 1982, the game was adapted as Dungeon! for the Apple II. The Apple II version of Dungeon! was well received, gaining a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Multi Player Video Game/Computer Game" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards. Forrest Johnson reviewed the 2nd edition of Dungeon! in The Space Gamer No. 38. Johnson commented that "whoever decided to make this simple game even simpler should have his brains impounded before he does more damage. [ ] Recommended to rank beginners and the hopelessly drunk". In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames, game designer Jon Freeman called this "a fine introduction to role playing games, understandable by almost anyone, and helpful preparation for the far more complicated [role playing games]". Freeman did find issues with the rules, pointing out that without the "Ambush" rules, there was no player interaction at all, but with them, "player interaction takes over the game completely, and no one ever gets anywhere". He also found issues with the balance of the various characters, finding some of them much more powerful than others. Freeman concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Fair to Good". Dungeon! was chosen chosen for inclusion in the 2010 book Family Games: The 100 Best. Game designer Robert J. Schwalb explained that Dungeon! provides a strong foundation for playing D&D and is, more importantly, a lot of fun in its own right". David M. Ewalt of Forbes commented on the 2012 edition of Dungeon! : "For just $20, the new Dungeon! is a great buy — a classic game reborn in an affordable, attractive package". In a retrospective review of Dungeon! in Black Gate, Andrew Zimmerman Jones said: "If you just want to go, kill some stuff, and get some treasure, without worrying about a ton of elaborate rules, this is the game for you. If you're looking for more than that – including some cool miniatures – then this isn't the game for you". In another review in Black Gate, James Maliszewski said: "I'm not sure I can truly sum up the vistas that Dungeon! opened up for us. Prior to that Christmas break, 'fantasy' was the realm of fairy tales and King Arthur's knights. There were monsters and there was magic, yes, but they were both of a narrow and limited variety. And, as I said, a dungeon was a place where a beautiful damsel or an unlucky hero might be held for a time, not a place one voluntarily entered seeking gold and glory. Now, nearly 35 years later, it's hard not to think of these things when I think of fantasy. How many other board games have so thoroughly changed a person's view of the world?" In another review in Black Gate, Bob Byrne said that "Dungeon! is the ancestor of all dungeon crawler board games. Descent!, Runebound, the Dungeons and Dragons Adventure Board Game line, Talisman, Dungeonquest, and Star Wars: Imperial Assault: these all find their roots in Dungeon! TSR had a major innovation in not one, but two areas of the gaming industry in 1974 1975".