Escape the Darkest Dungeon

Designer: James Crane & Brad Kishbaugh | Publisher: Crumbling Keep

Marching Order is the kind of indie production I like. A little bit rough around the edges. Complete, but a little sprawling. One too many ideas. A box that is a bit like one of those cardboard fish and chip boxes you sometimes get at the seaside. Except black of course. What it lacks in finesse is made up for with enthusiasm. This is a monochrome dungeon delving adventure that shares a great deal with the extremely popular Darkest Dungeon video games. In both, players put together a team of rogues of different stripes (thief, sellsword, doctor, archer and so on), and head into a decaying space like a mansion. Go in, get loot, try and not die. Pretty standard. But both Marching Order and Darkest Dungeon model the idea of character positions, the literal ‘marching order’ of your characters. Your archer is best as the back, your chap with the shield at the front. You can only make certain attacks a certain range of space away, and any time something messes up your party configuration, you’re going to start pulling your hair out. Marching Order is a brilliant recreation of this battle system for the tabletop. Not only is it frustrating and good fun, but you’re up against the ‘bullshit dice’ which is just a chance of one of your character’s qualities or flaws triggering. Maybe they move position, maybe they goad an ally into attacking them. It’s all good fun. The benefits of some qualities can be lifesaving too. Bullshit cuts both ways it seems.