London Dread

Board Game Geek Reviews

1. ajewo

   Cooperative real-time programming game with area exploration in Victorian England. + Variable game board - Missing more scenarios (expansion needed) Similar games: * Space Alert (complex cooperative real-time programming in space)

2. 5.5 out of 10

   Corum

   I have doubts about this game. Not just the artwork's depiction of its two female character's which feels like a significant mistake when the market for thematic games is not just teenage boys anymore. The 12 minute action planning stage is heart of the game and is a great idea. I have no problem with luck elements but prefer the game to hide these from me while I enjoy the ride. Turning the cards over to find the plot cards is an important luck element. If you need to turn over a lot of cards the game will be difficult or perhaps impossible and equally if you are lucky and get the plot cards early the game will be more in your control. Even before you start planning your actions the game has significantly telegraphed your chances of winning. If this was a computer game you might reset the start to make for a more enjoyable experience but the resetting takes time. When you get to the final encounter all the surviving character will throw a number of dice to decide their success or failure. These are accumulated through skilled play and I have no problem with that (good dice rolling and lucky card play will help along the way). However after all of the luck and skill required to get to this point, with a chance of wining, I do not think that it will please the players that the end of the game is simply another dice roll. Do hunt out the FAQ for this game there is a least one omission. At the heart of this game, is a great idea, programing your actions is fun and the twelve minutes time limit focuses the players. This idea could result in a great game this however is at best and average game.

3. 3 out of 10

   ehein6

   The game mechanics are overly complex. Too many rules, too many exceptions to those rules, and way too many components and cards to sort out. It took more than an hour just to set up the game the first time, and we were referring back to the manual several times throughout play. I like "big" games, but in my opinion the gameplay of London Dread could have been just as interesting with fewer rules. Several aspects of the game seem designed to frustrate newcomers. After planning out all your moves in 12 minutes in the first phase, you move to the second phase to execute those moves. Players who have misunderstood a game mechanic, failed to pick up on the proper strategy, or run out of time will be forced to live with these decisions for the rest of the game, with no chance to correct their poor choices. Final victory is determined by a dice roll, and while you can get extra dice by doing well, blind luck still has a good chance of ruining the entire experience. All of this complexity makes it hard to enjoy the story, which isn't well told anyways. There's a lot of flavor text to establish the theme and setting, but the actual plot is very vague and cliche. By the time we reached the antagonist I didn't know or care why our characters suddenly decided to perform an arcane ritual.