Game Review - Dice Masters: Dungeons & Dragons Battle for Faerûn

By Wizkids

Battle For Faerûn brings Dungeons & Dragons to the Dice Masters Collectible Dice Building game. This boxed set contains everything that two players need to start playing, including 44 custom dice, 38 cards, two dice bags and the Dice Masters rulebook.

Two players have the chance to collect and assemble their adventurers to battle with one another. Players roll the dice to see what resources they have, purchase extra dice and then send their characters in. There are cards available for each type of die so players choose which one to use; this allows players to build specialized dice sets to increase their chances of success.

First things first, this is a hefty little box and with the dice, cards and bags you certainly get a bit of bang for your buck (RRP £14.99). The quality is good but not perfect – as a storage medium the box is flimsy and the contents tightly packed, meaning the game will have to be transferred to another way of storing it after a short period. The dice bags, though useful, are thin and a little flimsy. The cards are of very thin stock so you’ll have to take care of them, but the game isn’t a contact sport so anyone with any modicum of care should be able to look after the contents. Just don’t expect the box to last very long, especially if the plastic container that comes with it is lost or damaged.

But that’s a minor gripe with the product as a whole. The game itself is fun and dynamic, and we got a few great games out of it, with the promise of more to come.

That sounds nice and easy, doesn’t it? Well, it is and it isn’t. There is a learning curve to this game that might take a few attempts to get absolutely right. There were a few instances in our first couple of games where we’d look at each other and say ‘Er… is that right?’ and a few minutes of intense rulebook scrutiny would follow. It’s not a fault with the game as every game has to be learned, and this is no different. It’s definitely not for the very young generation and even as an adult I had a little difficulty, but after a few quick practice runs the game flowed quite well. I imagine it’s a game you’ll have to see in action to fully get the gist of, as watching two experienced players would no doubt really help with getting to grips with the mechanics. There’s a handy intro here: http://wizkids.com/dicemasters/rules/ You can even download the rules from the WizKids website as a taster, so get over there and have a look.

Once we got into the flow of the game it was good fun and we’re looking into buying the expansion packs of extra dice and cards to increase our collection and get hold of the rare cards that’ll help us in battle (there’s a handy checklist in the box detailing cards and their rarity). Of course, the biggest draw to this game for me was the fact that it was Dungeons & Dragons and we were battling in the lands of the Forgotten Realms, but the game itself is covers other licenses – DC comics, Marvel comics and Yu-Gi-Oh! all get the treatment.

With a RRP of £14.99 and at gaming and hobby stores everywhere, this is a great game that you’ll get a lot of fun out of, and the longevity is in the collecting of new cards and dice. This is now on our gaming night to-play list and we’ll no doubt be cracking the box open on a regular basis.

Recommended.