Cardboard Habit is a mini review featuring games we bought on a whim… because we have an addiction.
Publisher: iello/Oink Games
Puchased at: Barnes & Noble
Price Paid: $15
During a date night a couple years ago, Erin and I dropped by our local Barnes & Noble. It was a night away from the kids so we took full advantage of our time together. We picked up Welcome to the Dungeon because it was a small box game at a price point that made sense for our budget. I was a big fan of the artwork and loved the colorful illustrations.
Welcome to the Dungeon is a press your luck, bluffing game for 2 to 4 players. Everyone at the table plays as a single base character. Players draw cards from a monster deck and decide whether they should go into the “dungeon”, a deck of face down cards on the table.
Instead of adding the monster to the dungeon, a player can discard a piece of equipment from the base character. Players can pass on their turn which means they are out of the round. Eventually only one player will have to enter the dungeon. This player takes cards off the top of the dungeon deck one at a time and uses the remaining equipment to defeat the monsters. Make it out of the dungeon alive twice and you win the game.
Welcome to the Dungeon is best described as a game of chicken. Eventually someone has to go into that dungeon deck and you want to fill it with terrible monsters that will kill your friends. Players who enjoy press your luck games will find some thrills with this little game.
The components and artwork are gorgeous and what initially drew us to pick this game up. I like that the game is easy to understand and really portable. It fits into a bag or purse and doesn’t require a ton of space to play.
I’m a fan of press your luck games but like many others, Welcome to the Dungeon with just two players falls flat. That night we played at Barnes & Noble over coffee, just the two of us. Those first two games were underwhelming because the game really lacks tension without the full player count. We loved our time together even though the game wasn’t a perfect fit for our date night.
We’ve brought this game with us on family trips and double dates in recent years. Welcome to the Dungeon really shines with four players and that’s usually the only time we bring this filler game to the table.
The Verdict: I would purchase Welcome to the Dungeon again at this price point. It doesn’t get a lot of play from us but it’s a solid choice to take on the go when 4 people want to play a game.
