History TabletopGame / DescentJourneysInTheDark

The rule books for the Second Edition and its expansions can be found at [[https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/descent-journeys-in-the-dark-second-edition/ the publisher's website]]. In June 2016, Fantasy Flight has also released a free companion app on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}, ''Descent: Road to Legend'', which takes over the role of the Overlord, allowing human players to play in full co-op mode against the computer.

''Descent: Journeys in the Dark'' is an {{Adventure Board Game|s}} that pits a team of DungeonCrawling heroes, each played by a different player, against the Overlord--a single player who controls all the monsters and traps on the map. It consists of multiple "scenarios" that define the battle map (built together from differently shaped tiles), the monsters, and the [[VariablePlayerGoals session goals for the heroes and the Overlord]], and is often viewed as a SpiritualSuccessor to ''TabletopGame/HeroQuest''.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: The Second Edition includes eight playable heroes and every expansion since added two to six more to the roster. That is not to mention the sheer number of monsters and Lieutenants...

* CoversAlwaysLie[=/=]LadyNotAppearingInThisGame: The Second Edition box art depicts three heroes, none of whom is actually in the base game ''or'' any of the expansions. The guy with the mace resembles Avric, the elven sword lady looks like Syndrael, but the bestubbled archer has no obvious counterparts at all.

Originally published by Creator/FantasyFlightGames in 2005, ''Descent'' received a number of {{Expansion Pack}}s that added new scenarios, heroes, and monsters. The 2009 expansion, ''The Sea of Blood'', also introduced the rules for campaign play where players carry over the treasures and XP from scenario to scenario, bringing the experience even closer to a TabletopRPG. The second edition, released in 2012, revamped the entire game with campaign mode as a core feature in mind, and has since phased out the first edition completely and received a number of expansions of its own.

* {{Plunder}}: By flipping over treasure markers, the heroes receive treasure cards that can be converted into gold and better equipment between sessions.

* HeroicFantasy: It's as archetypal as it gets: A {{Ragtag Bunch|OfMisfits}} of plucky but upstanding heroes fights off an EvilOverlord threatening TheKingdom of Terrinoth.

* HeroesActVillainsHinder: In gameplay terms, the heroes ''always'' get the first turn in every scenario.
** While the game is supposed to feel a lot like D&D, only more hack-and-slash oriented, one big difference is the Overlord's role. As a review of the game so nicely put it: "Unlike in other games, the Overlord's job isn't to provide challenges for the heroes to conquer, obstacles to overcome, or an exciting adventure. Oh no. The Overlord's job is to ''kill the f*** out of the heroes'' by any means necessary!"

* LoadsAndLoadsOfRules: The base Second Edition contains a booklet detailing the rules for basic, Epic, and Campaign play, plus a quest book with over twenty quests, each with its own special rules. Then there are the event cards and the heroes' special abilities that have ''their own'' rules printed on them...
** First Edition was notably less rule-heavy, which could be one reason why First Edition is generally praised as being "better" among fans of epic DungeonCrawl adventures. Most of the booklet only explains how to read the different character sheets and cards, and what various words and symbols mean, with little explanation on how to ''actually play the game'' beyond this. The developers later released an "errata"-booklet for First Edition, which ''only'' contains the rules, although by the time it came out, youtubers had already made tutorials on how to play the game, making the rules-booklet mostly useless.

The rule books for the Second Edition and its expansions can be found at [[https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/descent-journeys-in-the-dark-second-edition/ the publisher's website]]. UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} has released a companion app for the Second Edition in June 2016, ''Descent: Road to Legend'', which takes over the Overlord's role.

The rule books for the Second Edition and its expansions can be found at [[https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/descent-journeys-in-the-dark-second-edition/ the publisher's website]]. UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} has released a companion app for the Second Edition in June 2016, ''Descent: Road to Legend'', which assumes the role of the Overlord.

The rule books for the Second Edition and its expansions can be found at [[https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/descent-journeys-in-the-dark-second-edition/ the publisher's website]].

The UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} site released a companion app for the Second Edition in June 2016. Called "Descent: Road to Legend", the app takes the place of the Overlord.

* DiagonalSpeedBoost: Moving diagonally is always counted as a single move.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''TabletopGame/HeroQuest'', thanks to their similar DungeonCrawling mechanics. ''[[TabletopGame/FolkloreTheAfflicted Folklore: The Afflicted]]'' (Website/{{Kickstarte|r}}d by the Second Edition's designers in October 2015) is, in turn, the successor to ''Descent''.

''Descent: Journeys in the Dark'' is a DungeonCrawling board game that pits a team of heroes, each played by a different player, against the Overlord--a single player who controls all the monsters and traps on the map. It consists of multiple "scenarios" that define the battle map (built together from differently shaped tiles), the monsters, and the [[VariablePlayerGoals session goals for the heroes and the Overlord]]. The game features enough RPGElements to play as a sort of "TabletopRPG Lite" and, in this, is often viewed as a SpiritualSuccessor to ''TabletopGame/HeroQuest''.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''TabletopGame/HeroQuest'', thanks to their similar DungeonCrawling mechanics.

* ExpansionPack: Just for the first edition: ''The Well of Darkness'' (2006), ''The Altar of Despair'' (2007), ''The Road to Legend'' (2008), ''The Tomb of Ice'' (2008), ''The Sea of Blood'' (2009), as well as a number of minis-only packs. The second one has had ''Lair of the Wyrm'' (2012, mini-campaign), ''Labyrinth of Ruin'' (2013, epic campaign), ''The Trollfens'' (2013, mini), ''Shadow of Nerekhall'' (2014, epic), ''Manor of Ravens'' (2014, mini), and ''Mists of Bilehall'' (2015, mini). A conversion kit for the first edition, as well as a large number of Lieutenant packs and Hero & Monster collections have also been released.

* ExpansionPack: Just for the first edition: ''The Well of Darkness'' (2006), ''The Altar of Despair'' (2007), ''The Road to Legend'' (2008), ''The Tomb of Ice'' (2008), ''The Sea of Blood'' (2009), as well as a number of minis-only packs. The second one has had ''Lair of the Wyrm'' (2012, mini-campaign), ''Labyrinth of Ruin'' (2013, epic campaign), ''The Trollfens'' (2013, mini), ''Shadow of Nerekhall'' (2014, epic), and ''Manor of Ravens'' (2014, mini). A conversion kit for the first edition, as well as a large number of Lieutenant packs and Hero & Monster collections have also been released.