Review of Dungeons & Dragons: Trials of Tempus – Standard Edition

Game Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Trials of Tempus – Standard Edition
Designers: Adam Carasso, Thor Knai, Kyle Newman
Artists: Benjamin Cowan, Game Icons, Shutterstock
Publisher: WizKids
Player Count: 2-8 players
Recommended Age: 12+
Playing Time: 30+ minutes

Overview

Dungeons & Dragons: Trials of Tempus is a cooperative, team-based board game set in the ever-changing Battlerealms of Tempus, the God of War. Designed for 2-8 players, the game pits rival parties of heroic adventurers against each other in a battle to prove their worth. Players must work together to complete quests, gather loot, and defeat the Trial Guardian to earn victory points and win the game.

Components

The Standard Edition includes:

• 9 modular map tiles for a customizable playing area
• 25 highly detailed, unpainted miniatures, including heroes and various enemies such as goblins, kobolds, bugbears, ogres, and constructs
• 4 D20 dice for combat and skill checks
• 344 cards covering items, abilities, quests, and events
• 333 tokens for health, mana, gold, and other in-game currencies
• A comprehensive rule book

The components are of high quality, with detailed miniatures and vibrant artwork that bring the game’s fantasy world to life. The modular map tiles and a large variety of cards and tokens ensure a high level of replayability and strategic depth.

Gameplay

In Trials of Tempus, players form rival parties of adventurers and compete to earn the most victory points by completing quests, gathering loot, and defeating the Trial Guardian. The game is cooperative within each party but competitive between parties.

Turn Structure:

1. Exploration Phase: Players move their heroes across the modular map, revealing new tiles, encountering events, and discovering quests.
2. Action Phase: Players use action points for activities such as moving, attacking, using abilities, and interacting with the environment. Strategic use of action points is essential for managing resources and positioning heroes for combat and quests.
3. Combat Phase: Combat is resolved using D20 dice, with each hero and enemy having unique abilities and attack patterns. Players must use their skills and items wisely to defeat foes.
4. Resource Management: Players collect and spend resources like health, mana, and gold to upgrade characters, purchase items, and complete quests.

The game ends when a party defeats the Trial Guardian. The party with the most victory points at the end of the game wins.

Strengths

• Team-Based Play: The cooperative nature within each party promotes teamwork and strategic planning, while the competitive aspect between parties adds an extra layer of excitement.
• Immersive Theme: The detailed components and vibrant artwork create a rich and engaging game world.
• Replayability: The modular board, variety of quests, and large number of cards and tokens provide a different experience with each playthrough.
• Strategic Depth: The game balances exploration, combat, and resource management, requiring players to plan and adapt their strategies.
• Detailed Miniatures: The 25 unpainted miniatures add a tactile and visually appealing element to the game.

Weaknesses

• Complexity: The game has a moderate learning curve, which might be challenging for new or casual players.
• Setup Time: Due to the modular board and numerous components, setup and teardown can be time-consuming.
• Downtime: With a higher player count, downtime between turns can increase, potentially affecting the pacing for some groups.
• Component Overload: The variety and number of components might feel overwhelming to some players, especially in initial plays.

Conclusion

Dungeons & Dragons: Trials of Tempus – Standard Edition is a captivating and challenging team-based strategy game that offers a deep and immersive experience for fantasy enthusiasts. With its rich thematic elements, strategic gameplay, and high replayability, it stands out as a rewarding game for those who enjoy cooperative and competitive board games. While complexity and setup time might be hurdles for some, the engaging narrative and dynamic gameplay make it well worth the effort for dedicated players.