So, Super Dungeon Explore is out and it's great, but it's got some design issues that I think need some addressing (I'd put this up on Sodapop's website, but it's down, so I'm going for the next best thing). None of these are really game-killers, but they're little issues that could really improve gameplay if they were solved for a second printing.
1. Several rules in the game refer to a "Room," but there's no definition as to what a "Room" actually entails. My friends and I defined it as any continuous area of the map that can only be accessed by entrances 2 squares wide or narrower, but a solid definition might be nice. Alternatively, putting a border or map element on the tile that defines a room visually would be good: I'm thinking of the black-background tiles, where each room has a different color of crystal as this done right.
2. Approximately 8% of males are color-blind in some way or another. The most common forms of color-blindness are red-green and blue-green. The three colors of dice used in SDE are blue, green, and red: all three dice symbols are identical aside from color. The issue is exacerbated by having a green background for the right-handed loot card and a red background for the upper treasure card. A simple solution for this would be to change the symbol for each of the three dice by design as well as color: I'd suggest leaving white and blue as they are, and adding a small starburst for red and a larger starburst in the background for green: this gives the more powerful dice a better visual impact.
3. Along the same lines: adding a small visual cue to the special action and special attack icons would also help provide some visual cues. I'd suggest a sword behind the button for the "red" special attacks, and leaving the blue button as-is.
4. Please place the name of the status effect on the status token, either on the front, hugging the bottom edge like the text on the coin, or in white-on-black script on the back of the token. The token designs are rather busy and can be difficult to distinguish at a glance from a distance.
5. Status tokens for specific monster and hero abilities (like shield wall or the dragon priest's spells) would be nice.
6. The cards with the rules for terrain are brilliant. I'd like more of those with cheat sheets for status effects, range and AOE types, and 16-bit/Overcharge/Boss Battle rules.
In any case, the game is fun, the minis are wonderful, can't wait for the expansions.
1. Several rules in the game refer to a "Room," but there's no definition as to what a "Room" actually entails. My friends and I defined it as any continuous area of the map that can only be accessed by entrances 2 squares wide or narrower, but a solid definition might be nice. Alternatively, putting a border or map element on the tile that defines a room visually would be good: I'm thinking of the black-background tiles, where each room has a different color of crystal as this done right.
2. Approximately 8% of males are color-blind in some way or another. The most common forms of color-blindness are red-green and blue-green. The three colors of dice used in SDE are blue, green, and red: all three dice symbols are identical aside from color. The issue is exacerbated by having a green background for the right-handed loot card and a red background for the upper treasure card. A simple solution for this would be to change the symbol for each of the three dice by design as well as color: I'd suggest leaving white and blue as they are, and adding a small starburst for red and a larger starburst in the background for green: this gives the more powerful dice a better visual impact.
3. Along the same lines: adding a small visual cue to the special action and special attack icons would also help provide some visual cues. I'd suggest a sword behind the button for the "red" special attacks, and leaving the blue button as-is.
4. Please place the name of the status effect on the status token, either on the front, hugging the bottom edge like the text on the coin, or in white-on-black script on the back of the token. The token designs are rather busy and can be difficult to distinguish at a glance from a distance.
5. Status tokens for specific monster and hero abilities (like shield wall or the dragon priest's spells) would be nice.
6. The cards with the rules for terrain are brilliant. I'd like more of those with cheat sheets for status effects, range and AOE types, and 16-bit/Overcharge/Boss Battle rules.
In any case, the game is fun, the minis are wonderful, can't wait for the expansions.
