Game Review: Dungeon Pages Core Set (2023)

Dungeon Pages: Core Set (2023) designed by Jason Greeno and Jason Tagmire, art by Vittoria Pompolani, and published by PNP Arcade Publishing

A page who wants to move up in their world has to do something special to impress others, especially others in power. What better way to improve skills, increase wealth, and impress the boss than going on an epic quest? 

In Dungeon Pages, a solo player takes on the role of a hero-in-potency searching for some actuality. The game is a dungeon-crawl using roll-and-write mechanics. For each game, the player picks a hero and a set of mini-dungeons (four regular dungeons and a boss dungeon) for the quest. The game comes as print-and-play documents (one document is the rules; the other is the character/dungeon sheets).

Zafinn and a set of unexplored dungeons (click to enlarge)

The regular dungeons must be completed before the boss dungeon, which is good because the player collects items, levels up, and acquires new equipment in the other dungeons. The player sees how many "evil dice" are listed at the top (in The Sewers below, two evil dice at the top right) and rolls them with their good dice. The player starts with one good die but can unlock others with experience points.

Sample dungeon (it prints better than it looks here)

Each turn, the player rolls the dice and then the monsters attack. If two (or three in the boss dungeon) evil dice are rolled, any doubles on those dice trigger a wandering monster attack, causing one point of damage. Then, the regular monsters attack, though the player can alter the dice numbers with special abilities or by spending coins found in dungeons. Once the monsters are dealt with, the player marks the die numbers in the white spaces of the dungeon, starting from the door. To obtain an item, the hero must put two identical numbers orthogonally adjacent to the item. Items include coins that can change die numbers, potions for special abilities (like increasing health), and keys to use on locked doors. Monsters can be defeated by putting numbers adjacent to them that match or exceed their defense value. The dungeon is completed when an orthogonal path is made from the door to the treasure chest. Otherwise, the dice are rolled again and everything is repeated.

If the numbers along the completed path are each within one number of the previous number (so a path like: 1-1-2-3-4-4-3-2), the player scores experience points for columns filled and monsters defeated. Those experience points unlock abilities on the top of the sheet. They also allow the player to acquire a new weapon (which gives greater range or direction for placing numbers) or get a relic with special abilities (like reducing damage or altering die numbers). If the path is not sequential, the player still gets to keep any items (coins, keys, etc.) collected from the dungeon. The player than picks a new dungeon to explore, hoping to get powerful enough to beat the boss monster in its larger, deadlier dungeon. 

Zafinn's finished adventure--he's a page no more!

The game play is more tactical than a typical roll-and-write game. Once a few weapons and powers are unlocked, the player has to consider many different options for number placement in the dungeon. Branching out in different directions is key. Some dungeons only have one path from door to chest; others have multiple paths, letting the player have more options if dice run high or low. Often, I would stall by writing numbers in spaces that aren't on the path or for acquiring an item. The dungeons are not laid out from easiest to hardest on the sheet, so the player needs to be tactical about that choice too. The one-black-die dungeons are generally easier and a good way to get some leveling up before facing tougher or more numerous monsters. 

I enjoy the challenge of using the dice to the best of my character's abilities, mulling over changing numbers, trying to slow down and to maximize the amount of stuff acquired in the dungeon. As more dice are used, the options grow. Each character has an ability to "sacrifice" a good die for an effect, which lets the player change the game state and use one less die (which might be helpful). Since this is a solo game, any Analysis Paralysis is okay since you are the only one being held up by over-thinking a move.

The biggest challenge I found was failing to get the XP from a dungeon by not completing a sequential path. Unlocking extra abilities and weapons or relics is critical to success in harder dungeons. Missing one dungeon is still doable; missing two dungeons virtually guarantees failure in the boss dungeon. At least, that's been my experience. Unlucky die rolls can be frustrating, especially at the beginning when the player has minimal options for changing numbers.

The game is print-and-play, which means the player needs to provide dice (three black and three white, or at least three of one color and three of another) along with a writing implement.

Using the fancy d12s that have one through six twice on the faces!

For ease of replayability, either laminating or using sheet protectors (a poor man's lamination) will save on printing costs. Just have some dry-erase markers handy!

Poor man's lamination

The other nice thing that enhances replayability is not immediately obvious (so they mention it in the rules). A player can cut between the character part of the sheet and the dungeon part, then mix and match the dungeons with the characters. The core set comes with six characters and six dungeons, so 36 possible combinations. The designers also provided (at a separate low cost) additional dungeons each week of 2023 with variations on the heroes (they have different weapons and relics).

The Core Set game is available for purchase here.

I did by an inexpensive laminator, so I guess I like the game a lot. Thanks Nick Martinelli for the recommendation!