Fact #1: I loved the original "Universal Monsters" Horrified and gave it a glowing review right here.
Fact # 2: I also dig this other little indie game called Dungeons & Dragons, which I've talked about here more times than y'all have had hot meals.
Ergo, when Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons got released last year, it wasn't so much if I'd get it but when.
Here's the adventure hook for this particular itiration right from the Dungeon Masters at Ravensburger:
"Terror is in the eye of the beholder! Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons will not only set players against four of the classic role-playing game's most fearsome foes, but will also introduce new gameplay elements inspired by the mechanisms of D&D, including the use of a 20-sided die.
"Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons features gameplay elements familiar to players of other games in the series: Players work together to face monsters and puzzle-like obstacles to gather item tokens, protect citizens, and avoid attacks. Unique and thematic challenges for each monster further immerse players into the detailed setting and story.
"Additionally, each player chooses to play as one of five heroes inspired by character classes from D&D: wizard, rogue, fighter, cleric, or bard — each with a unique set of abilities that can aid their party as they move around the board to defeat the monsters dwelling in the dungeon below Waterdeep."
Wanna read the full Players Manual? Then click on the following magical link for Volo's Guide on How to Gank a Beholder!
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Sample Playthrough
Went with the classic party composition (Fighter, Cleric, Rogue and Wizard) versus the Mimic and the Red Dragon.
TURN ONE
The Fighter spends one Action to pick up the Backpack in the Hall (1), two Actions to get to the Obelisk of the Eye (2-3), then discards the Pack to reveal the Lair (4). By some good fortune...it's just so happens to be the Vault of the Dragon Orb!
The Savage Hunt Monster Card is drawn, adding a new Item to the board. The Event moves a Sword Monster two Locations towards a Hero...so the Dragon wings two spaces via the Teleportation Circle towards the Rogue! Even though the Frenzied Monster is not activated, Wand Creatures are, so the Mimic moves one space on its board.
The Cleric uses an Action to pick up the Rations in her space (1), then moves to the Yawning Portal Exterior (2), picks up the Rod and Mace there (3) and spends her Perk Card to get two more Actions. After arriving at the Yawning Portal Well (5) she uses her Special Action and rolls an "11"...which will force the next Monster to re-roll Hits and Power results!
A second Savage Hunt Monster Card is pulled, adding a Sword to Castle Waterdeep. Again, a Sword Monster moves two Locations towards a Hero...so the Dragon menaces the Rogue! Frenzied Monsters are not activated, but Wand Creatures are, so the Mimic moves one space along its own track.
After snagging a Greatsword and Spellcasting Focus from the Sword and the Sextant (1), the Rogue manages to disappear into the darkness, moving one space into a Teleportation Circle (2). He warps off to Wyllowwood (3) and then arrives in the wyrm's own back yard: the Dragon's Platform (4)!
Two items are added to the board, but the Event ("Elusive Displacement") is ignored because neither Monster bears a Skull. Again, the Frenzied Monster does not activate, but Shield Monsters do. As such, the Dragon Teleports one space away from the Rogue!
The Wizard plays Renaer Neverember, so all four players draw and place an Item! They then use on Action to pick up two Items at the Tower (1), shift to the House of Wonder (2), pick up the Items there (3) and then use their Special Ability (4) and get an "11"...teleporting the Rogue to their same space with a "3."
Three new Items are drawn and placed. The "Stone of Good Luck" lets the Wizard pull a Perk Card! The Frenzy Token moves to the Dragon, which then Activates! The winged beast moves three locations via the Teleportation Circle...placing it one space away from the Fighter!
TURN TWO
The Fighter uses his Ability and rolls a "2", which moves him into the Dragon's space! Yikes! He spends his "Skeemo Weirdbottle" Perk Card...but the resulting "6" is no better! He then uses his next three Actions to reach the Portal's Taproom and pick up the Potion there!
Three Items are dropped on the board and Citizen Aurinax pops up in the Abandoned Camp. The Frenzied Monster (I.E. the Dragon) is Activated, but since the Cleric and the Fighter are in the "Anti-Dragon" boundary of the Portal, the creature moves one space towards alternate prey. Then a Treasure Icon causes the Mimic to activate! A random Yellow Item is drawn...but neither the Fighter nor the Rogue possess a match! As a result, the Terror Level goes up by one (TERROR LEVEL: 1), the drawn Item is thrown away and the Mimic continues to be sneaky!
The Cleric spends two Actions to reach the Vault of Dragonkind, then spends a Mace to move the Red Obstacle one space to the right then the Rations to move the Orb three spaces to the right. She then gambles and tries her Special Action, rolling a "12"...which will force the Monsters to re-roll Hits!
Three new Items are placed on the board and Nihiloor surfaces at the Entry Well. The Frenzied Dragon immediately pounces on him...but rolls a stunning miss!!! Then a Treasure Monster - the Mimic - moves one space along its path!
The Rogue enlists the aid of Laeral Silverhand, who compels the Dragon to go back to its Starting Location! He then rolls his Special Action (1) and gets a "12"...sourcing a Yellow Rope from Trollskull Alley. They try that again (2) and this time the roll is "17", giving them two things from the Discard Pile...namely a Mace and a Backpack! They then shift to Anghairon's Tower and (3) pick up the Scroll there (4)!
Three Items are pulled from the bag and placed. Citizen Noska turns up at the Abandoned Camp. The Frenzied Dragon moves from the Platform to the Teleportation Circle. There is no Skull creature, so the rest of the card is ignored.
The Wizard plays "The Blackstaff", which lets them give the Cleric a Blue Wand and the Rogue passes off a Yellow Rope and a Red Mace! They then try their Special Action (1) and score a "4"...letting them move the Dragon to the Lair on Skull Island! They then move two spaces to Castle Waterdeep (2-3) and pick up the Greatsword there (4)!
After three new Items are situated, the City Guard Captain starts out from Anghairon's Tower. The Frenzied Dragon moves two spaces to the Teleportation Circle, then the Sword Symbol Activates it again...allowing it to swoop down into the Abandoned Camp! It rolls two dice, scores a Power Symbol and turns both Noska and Aurinax into briquettes with its "Fire Breath"! As a result, the Terror Level goes up by two (TERROR LEVEL: 3)!
TURN THREE
The Fighter picks up the Rations and the Whip, then rolls the 20-sider (1-2)! He scores a "13" which ensures the next Monster's Attacks ignores all Hit results! He then moves to guard Nihiloor (3-4).
Three new Items turn up. The "Cursed Arcane Gate" Event sees the Fighter rolling "7" and moving to The Yawning Portal Exterior, the Cleric gets a "10" and (mercifully) ends up in The Hall of Heroes, the Rogue's "18" puts them in Wyllow's Tower and the Wizard appears on Skull Island thanks to a "16." The Frenzy Marker moves to the Mimic, which shifts a whopping three spaces along its track! A Blue Potion is drawn...which is great because all of the Heroes currently possess Blue Items!!! They're all Discarded, but the Mimic appears at the Fighter's Location! It can now be Defeated with 6+ of Blue Items! It attacks the Fighter with two dice, scoring a Hit (ignored) and a Power result, which disappears the Battleaxe at Trollskull Alley!
The Cleric picks up the Staff (1) then rushes three (2-4) spaces towards the Mimic!
Two Items are placed. For the "Trial of Valor", the Cleric dedicates a 2-point Rope and a 3-point Mace to her d20 roll. Gets a "7" + 5 = 12...a failure! The Terror Level goes up by one (TERROR LEVEL: 4)! The Frenzied Monster - I.E. the Mimic - attacks! It rolls two dice and gets a Hit and a Power result. The Quarterstaff vanishes from the Obelisk and the Fighter loses an Item! The Wand symbol activates this aggressive little shit again and this time the roll is one Hit...the Fighter loses his last Item!
After the Rogue uses an Action to pick up the Wand and Battle Axe from Wyllow's Tower (1), he uses his Special Action (2) and gets a "6", which lets him give the Fighter all of his items! He then moves onto the Dragon's Platform and Hoovers up the Holy Symbol, Bow and Shovel scattered around there (3-4)!
After two new Items find their homes, "Elusive Displacement" activates...but mercifully there are no Skull beasts! The Frenzied Monster isn't activated but the Shield Symbol has the Dragon soaring off two spaces to get on the Teleportation Circle next to the Platform.
The Wizard's Special Action (1) dials up an "8", deposing the Dragon to the Abandoned Camp Lair! Tries it again (2)...but gets yet another shitty roll of "3." In a daring move, the Wizard moves the Dragon into their own space! Their third roll (3) is a "9", letting them re-locate any Hero to space "11"...they opt to be that Hero! Fourth (4) roll: a "6"...the Dragon shifts back to the Abandoned Camp.
NOTE: If nothing else...I'm glad y'all are witnessing my average rolls whenever I play D&D. Fuuuuuu...!!!
A single Item is placed, but there are no Hat Monsters, so "Eye Found You" has no effect. The Frenzied Monster doesn't Activate but the Potion symbol shifts the Dragon one space towards the Wizard!
TURN FOUR
The Fighter uses the Scroll and Wand to annihilate the Mimic (1)! That's one down! NOTE: whenever you defeat a Monster, the Terror Track is reduced by one. TERROR LEVEL: 3. His Special Action Roll - another fuggin' "6" - moves him back to the Monster's location!!! He then moves into the Abandoned Camp (2), discards a Backpack to investigate the Lair (3)...and discovers the Hoard!!! He then uses his last Action to pick up the three Items piled up there (4)!
Two new Items are introduced to the map and then "BeHOARDer" kicks in. The Morningstar at the Dragon's current location (Kalabash's Chambers) is discarded. The Frenzied Dragon moves into the Fighter's space and Attacks with three dice! One Hit...so the Fighter discards a 2-value Pouch. There are no Hat Monsters, so the rest of the script is ignored.
The Cleric moves three spaces to the Vault by the Obelisk (1-3) and then spends a Blue Staff to shift the Coffin one space up (4)!
Three new Items are placed. Olive Stillwater shows up in the Goblin Bazaar. The Frenzied Dragon Attacks, rolling two dice...getting one Hit! The Fighter throws out a Longsword. The Dragon has no Wand symbol, so that's ignored.
The Rogue uses the Teleportation Circle in Wyllowood to get to the Dragon Hoard (1-3) then places a Shovel on the ol' Hoard Board (4).
After three new things are placed, the bravery-lite City Watch are looking for an escort from the Taproom to Blackstaff Tower. The Frenzied Dragon attacks with two dice...no Hits but its "Fire Breath" forces the Fighter to throw out a Battleaxe and the Rogue gets rid of a Holy Symbol. Since the Dragon is also a Spellbook creature, it attacks again! Another damned Power result! The Rogue loses his last Item - a Long Bow - and the Fighter turfs a Greatsword!
The Wizard picks up the three Items in their space (1) then rolls a "19 (2), which beams the Rogue to Dead Man's Corner! They then move into the Hoard to face off against the Dragon (3-4)!
After two new Items are drawn and placed, "Safe Haven" moves the Dragon back to the Platform and all Citizens move one space towards their intended destination. The Frenzied Dragon is equally close to Citizens and Heroes, but Monsters always put priority on attacking Heroes. It flies two spaces, adjacent to the Abandoned Camp. Then the Spellbook Symbol moves him again and he attacks with one die...getting yet another "Fire Breath" attack! The Fighter gets his...a-hem...ROD burned off (!) and the Wizard discards a Candle.
TURN FIVE
The Fighter roll an "18"...no Monster Card will be drawn (1)!!! He then spends two Actions (2-3) to move to the Goblin Bazaar and Guides Olive and Nihloor into his space (4).
The Cleric picks up the Caltrops and the Spell Scroll (1), uses a Blue Item to shift the Coffin (2) and Caltrops to retrieve the Orb (3)!!! She then rolls her Special Action...but sadly gets a "1"! Critical Fail! Can my dice luck get any worse???
After three Items are introduced to the board, Black Viper is seen skulking in Trollskull Alley. The Frenzied Dragon rolls one Hit, so the Wizard discards an Oil Flask. The Shield symbol triggers it again...two more Hits! Two Daggers gone!
The Rogue picks up three Items in Dead Man's Corner (1), moves to the Teleportation Circle just south of the Camp (2-3) and then rolls a "2" for his Special Action (4). He gives all of his equipment to the Wizard!
Three Items placed, requiring a bag refill! Volo starts at Trollskull Manor. Frenzy and Book symbols mean two back-to-back Dragon attacks: one Hit on the first roll (Shovel discarded) and a miraculous miss!!!
The Wizard throws the Blue Ring and the Red Whip (1-2) into the Dragon Hoard and then rolls a "12" for their Special Action (3). The location roll is "17"...putting the Cleric at The Sword and the Sextant! They try it again (4)...this time getting an "11." The Location roll is "18" so the Rogue is positioned there!
Two Items placed. The Dragon doesn't have the Wand symbol, so "Lure of Riches" doesn't trigger. But the Frenzy and Sword Symbols means that it does attack twice...and with all three dice! First roll is "Fire Breath" and a Hit...second roll is two Hits. The Wizard is killed and the Terror Track moves up one (TERROR TRACK: 4)!
TURN SIX
The Fighter rushes in two spaces, pausing only to pick up the two Items in Kalabash's Chambers (1-3). He then uses his Special Action (4) and rolls a "5"...which is absolute garbage.
Two Items placed. The "Lure of Riches" Event is moot but - once again - two Attacks with three dice. Two Hits on the first Attack...but a Miss on the next!!!
The Cleric uses all four Actions to get to the Hoard...and place the Orb!
One Item placed. "Hidden in Plain Sight" sputters since the Dragon doesn't have the Chest Icon. But it does have the Spellbook...so it's a two-die Attack! Sadly the result is two Hits...the Fighter and the Cleric both die, resulting in a two-point Terror Track hit! (TERROR TRACK 6)
NOTE: I originally thought this was the end of the game, because I didn't realize defeating a Monster earns you a -1 Terror Track reduction. So, unless I recreate this and play out the last few turns, I guess I'm just gonna hafta leave this one as a cliffhanger.
Thanks for reading!
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REVIEW
THE GOOD
- Partially thanks to the d20 Special Actions, the more elaborate board, and the fascinating foes (see next point) I feel like this version is more substantial and structured than the OG Horrified.
- The Monsters are thematically on point. The more Beholder eye stalks you damage, the less effective it becomes. The Displacer Beast is impossible to tag until you get a bead on it. The Mimic is equally elusive, popping up to terrorize the Heroes and disappear useful items until they pin it down and kill it. The Dragon is a blast to play against, since you first need to locate the Vault and the Dragon Horde. Add in the Orb retrieval mini game (which feels like the Mummy's slide-y puzzle from the first game), the need to drop specialized Items into the Lair and then you gotta try and polish off the beast with an Item-juiced d20 roll. you have one of the most interesting Monsters in the entire franchise.
- Similarly, the d20-inspired Character Special Actions are great. Assuming you don't completely whiff your roll, you're gonna get some pretty powerful effects outta this. The Fighter neuters the Monsters, the Wizard provides timely teleportation for Monsters and Heroes, the Bard herds Citizens and directs ally and enemy traffic, the Cleric guards against Monster attacks and the Rogue collects and distributes Items. This alone is a fun, creative aspect of the game that the players can explore...and it's a great thing to spend your non-obvious spare Actions on.
- In this day and age of rampant production costs, I have no sweet clue how this thing retails for $40.00. The art on the board, tokens, Perks cards, standees and Hero Tiles are all gorgeous. Add in cool customized dice and Monster Minis and you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck.
- This is truly a co-operative experience. If Players don't work with each other...it's the equivalent of splitting the party in the Tomb of Horrors. Thankfully, the Perk Cards and the aforementioned d20 Special Actions absolutely encourage that.
- My play-through makes it pretty self evident that poor dice luck can definitely set you back despite your best efforts.
- With more complexities, this also means that the rules are a little bit more esoteric than OG Horrified. For example: why are Lairs a part of standard setup when it's only used when facing the Dragon? Also Waterdeep's anti-Dragon spaces and the "hospital" / recovery symbols should have been explained right at the beginning of the manual when talking about the map board features.
- Not much to speak of, really.
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- Every critical hit during a Hero's Turn (even if boosted by a Perk Card) earns you a free Perk Card.
- When a Hero's Special Action effect takes place during the Monster Phase, you may choose the order in which they happen and when. One effect must be resolved before you use the next one. Effects may be used on different Monsters and, once the next Monster Phase has ended, any unused effects are lost.
- When a Wizard's power moves someone, this effect cannot be ignored and must be executed.
- Heroes can't use Guide Actions to move Citizens through a Teleportation Circle.
- Monsters prioritize going after Heroes versus Citizens if both are equidistant.
- The Dragon can't enter the city of Waterdeep, as indicated by the "Anti-Dragon" symbol by The Well and Castle Corkscrew. All other Monsters ignore this restriction.
- Defeating a Monster reduces the Terror Track by one.
- POW effects resolve before Hits.
- The game also ends in Defeat if the Monster Deck is completely empty.
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