One Deck Dungeon

One Deck Dungeon is an interesting case. One of the most "deceptive" games I've seen, and one that can easily give you the wrong impression when you start out, as evidenced by some reviews that can be found here. As a game with an extreme focus on dice, One Deck Dungeon seems like a mostly luck-based affair on the surface. And indeed, when you play it the first time (well, the first few times), it's likely to still seem that way. But this is a proper strategy game, I tell you. And a very deep one. Though it might take you awhile to spot the game for what it really is. The store page mentions the word "roguelike", and I can see where there might be some inspiration from that genre. In roguelikes, there's usually a really extreme amount of RNG, and incredibly high difficulty, but strategy, planning, skill, and knowledge can be used to effectively pound the RNG's results into the shape yo

I've logged enough hours in Binding of Isaac to understand that a roguelike game is an exercise in mitigating frustration. Sometimes, nothing lines up right and you're up a creek without a paddle. But every now and then, the stars align, you get an amazing combo of some sort, and then you remember why you started playing the game in the first place. One Deck Dungeon is a roguelike dice-roller. It has high RNG, not just from rolling dice to conquer challenges, but from having a deck of cards that delineate the course of the game. It's possible to roll so poorly you can do nothing but end the round and watch your health drop to zero. If that does not sound like the kind of game you want to play, I fully understand. You should definitely know what you're getting into here. But this is such a great port! Handelabra really are good at bringing tabletop games to video game land, and One Deck

This game takes a little getting used to, but as RNG based games go, it ranks quite highly for me. Why? Because with a little planning and understanding of the rules, you can convert your horrible RNG into a win anyway. Have a yellow "1" - well, with the right skill that turns into a yellow "6". Have a pink die with a "2" - no problem, Backstab turns that into a pair of yellow d6 to roll. The first few games will be hard trying to figure out how it all works together, definitely start on Novice difficulty and I highly recommend the Paladin to absorb damage until you get the hang of it. But as a quick and fun game with dice and card mechanics, it plays really well.

This is a 100% implementation of an actual card game. Don't expect pc game mechanics, those all come from an actual physical game. It's well done and is a ton of fun, just like the original game. Also on sale a great opportunity to decide if the physical game is for you.