View source for Dungeon!

{{Short description|1975 boardgame}}
{{italic title}}
{{other uses|Dungeon (disambiguation)}}
{{About|boardgame|places of imprisonment|Dungeon}}
{{Infobox game
| italic title = yes
| subject_name = ''Dungeon!''
| image_link = Dungeon! Original 1975 Box Cover.jpg
| image_caption = Original 1975 box cover
| other_names = The New Dungeon! (1989)<br>Classic Dungeon! (1992)
| designer = [[David R. Megarry]]<ref name="fbs" />
| publisher = [[TSR, Inc.]] (1975—1999)<br>[[Wizards of the Coast]] (2012—present)
| genre = [[Adventure board game|Adventure]]
| players = 1 to 8<ref name="ic"/> or 12
| setup_time = 10 minutes
| playing_time = 90 minutes<ref name="ic"/>
| random_chance = [[Dice]] rolling
| skills = 
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20171021124239/http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/board-card-games/dungeon]
| footnotes =
|}}

'''''Dungeon!''''' is an [[adventure board game]] designed by [[David R. Megarry]] and first released by [[TSR, Inc.]] in 1975. Additional contributions through multiple editions were made by [[Gary Gygax]], [[Steve Winter]], [[Jeff Grubb]], Chris Dupuis and [[Michael Gray (game designer)|Michael Gray]].<ref name="history">{{cite web | url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp | title=The History of TSR | publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] | access-date=2005-08-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924195557/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp | archive-date=2008-09-24 | url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Dungeon!'' simulates some aspects of the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (''D&D'') [[role-playing game]], which was released in 1974, although Megarry had a prototype of ''Dungeon!'' ready as early as 1972.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Paterson|first1=Jon|title=Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People and Fantastic Adventures from Chess to Role Playing Games|date=2012|publisher=Unreason Press|location=San Diego|isbn=978-0615642048|page=185}}</ref>

''Dungeon!'' features a map of a simple six-level [[dungeon crawl|dungeon]] with hallways, rooms, and chambers. Players move around the board seeking to defeat monsters and claim treasure. Greater treasures are located in deeper levels of the dungeon, along with tougher monsters. Players choose different [[character class]]es with different abilities. The object of the game is to be the first to return to the beginning chamber with a set value of treasure.<ref name="fbs" />

The game has been described as the first adventure board game.<ref name="kbones">{{Citation |last=Applecline |first=Shannon |title=Worlds of Adventure |date=September 2007 |journal=Knucklebones |volume=2 |issue=5 |pages=88–92}}</ref>{{Verification needed|date=November 2023}}

==Original edition==
[[David M. Ewalt]], in his book ''Of Dice and Men'', described Megarry's original edition of the game as "a Blackmoor-inspired board game that represented TSR's most ambitious production to date: a color game map, customized cards, tokens, dice, and a rules booklet all packaged in an attractive box".<ref name=ODaM>{{cite book | first=David M. | last=Ewalt | author-link= David M. Ewalt | year=2013 | title= Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It | publisher=Scribner | page=99 | isbn=978-1-4516-4052-6}}</ref>

===Artwork and game pieces===
[[File:Dave Megarry Dungeon Gary Con 2018 1.jpg|thumb|[[David R. Megarry|Dave Megarry]] leading a session of ''Dungeon!'' at [[Gary Con]], using the original published edition.]]
The original edition of the game featured the [[wikt:rulebook|rulebook]], a folding vinyl cloth gameboard, four colors of [[Parcheesi]]-style playing pieces (white, blue, red, and green), a pair of six-sided dice, and an assortment of color-coded monster and treasure cards for the six levels of the dungeon. The artwork on the face of the cards was in black and white, while the backs were colored by level: gold for first, orange for second, red for third, magenta for fourth, green for fifth, and blue for the sixth level. The original (1975) game featured four [[character class]]es: the ''Elf'', ''Hero'', ''Superhero'', and ''Wizard'' (the hero and superhero are warriors, with the superhero being more powerful). These were ordinarily represented by the green, blue, red, and white pieces respectively. The 1989 'New Dungeon' had six classes: the ''Warrior'', ''Elf'', ''Dwarf'', ''Wizard'', ''Paladin'', and ''Thief''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=orkerhulen.dk |url=https://orkerhulen.dk/ADnD-History1.html |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=orkerhulen.dk}}</ref> The 1992 'Classic Dungeon' had the same six classes.<ref name="cc">{{cite web|url=http://www.critical-hits.com/2008/05/09/review-the-classic-dungeon/|title=Review: The Classic Dungeon |website=Critical Hits |date=May 9, 2008}}</ref> As there were multiple playing pieces, custom game variations could be set up with more than one of a given character class (using an arbitrarily-colored piece), but ordinarily a game involved players selecting different classes. In the 2012 version of the game, released under the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' brand name, the heroes are Rogue, Cleric, Fighter, and Wizard,<ref name="fbs">{{cite news |last1=Ewalt |first1=David M. |title=Dungeon! Fantasy Board Game - Review |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/games/2012/10/31/dungeon-fantasy-board-game-review/ |access-date=September 27, 2018 |work=Forbes |date=October 31, 2012 |language=en}}</ref> allowing for up to 8 players.<ref name="ic">{{cite news |last1=Niebling |first1=William |title=Review: 'Dungeon!' (Board Game) |url=https://icv2.com/articles/games/view/24402/review-dungeon-board-game |access-date=September 27, 2018 |work=ICv2 |date=November 15, 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

* '''Original (1975)''': Elf, Hero, Superhero, Wizard
* '''New Dungeon (1989)''': Warrior, Elf, Dwarf, Wizard, Paladin, Thief
* '''Classic Dungeon (1992)''': Warrior, Elf, Dwarf, Wizard, Paladin, Thief<ref name="cc"/>
* '''Dungeon! (2012)''': Rogue, Cleric, Fighter, Wizard<ref name="fbs"/> (Male and Female of each)
* '''Dungeon! (2014)''': Rogue, Cleric, Fighter, Wizard (Male and Female of each)

===Gameplay===
In the original edition, the monster and treasure cards were quite small, approximately 1.375&nbsp;inches by 1&nbsp;inch. At the start of the game, these would be randomized and placed face down to fill all the dungeon rooms, treasures being placed first, then monsters overtop. Additional monster cards were then placed in chambers, which were larger rooms at key intersections throughout the board. These monsters were placed three to a chamber, with only the top monster in the stack encountered when attempting to pass through a chamber.

Monster cards listed the minimum number totaled from two dice that had to be rolled in order to defeat the monster. If a player's roll to defeat a monster was lower than the required number, a second roll was made to see what happened to the player. The result of a player losing a battle could be any of the following:

* The battle might end in a standoff, with the player staying in the room unhurt.
* The player might be forced to retreat, losing one or two treasures in the process.
* The player might be forced to retreat and lose a turn.
* The player might be seriously wounded, losing all treasure and being placed back at the starting space.
* In dire cases, the player could be killed, losing all treasure.

If a player's initial attack failed, then death from the resulting monster attack had only a 1 in 36 chance, occurring only on a die roll of 2 (on two 6-sided dice). If a player died, he or she could start a new character at the starting space after losing a turn. If, after a battle, a player remained alive but was unsuccessful in defeating the monster, he or she could return to attempt to defeat the same monster, sometimes required to retreat, drop a treasure, and lose a turn.

Once a monster was defeated, any treasure card under the monster card became the possession of the victorious player. Treasure cards listed a gold piece value, and ranged from a 250 gold piece value ''[[money bag|Bag of Gold]]'' in the first level to the 10,000 gold piece value ''Huge Diamond'' deep in the sixth level. Some [[treasure]]s, such as magic swords and [[crystal ball]]s, altered gameplay; swords added to a player's hand-to-hand combat rolls, while crystal balls permitted players to forego a turn of movement and spend the turn looking at monster and treasure cards in a room without entering the room. These had the lowest gold piece value for treasures on a given level of the dungeon.

===Dungeon levels===
The six levels of the dungeon offered a range of difficulty in monsters corresponding with the range of value in treasure. First level monsters were generally the weakest, while sixth level monsters were generally the most powerful.<ref name="wired"/> A small number of monster cards were not monsters, but traps that either opened a slide that dropped the character encountering them into a chamber one level deeper, or held the character in a cage for a number of turns.

===Character classes===
Each class had particular advantages:
* The '''Hero''' was the basic "average" class. To win the game, the Hero would need to collect only 10,000 gold pieces (GP).
* The '''Elf''' had twice the probability of others to pass through secret doors, marked by dotted outlines in the dungeon (1 through 4 on a roll of one six-sided die, whereas all others required rolling a 1 or 2). To win the game, the Elf would need to collect only 10,000 gold pieces (GP).
* The '''Superhero''' was the toughest hand-to-hand fighter in the dungeon. Superheroes had to acquire 20,000 GP.
* The '''Wizard''' had magic spells, permitting the launch of fireball or lightning bolt attacks into rooms without entering hand-to-hand combat, and teleport spells to move quickly through the dungeon from one chamber to another. Wizards had to acquire 30,000 GP.

The amount of treasure required to win the game varied by character class- theoretically, this evened out the odds of winning the game, and allowed the less powerful characters to stick to the upper levels of the dungeon.

Although the Hero arguably had no advantages, given the weighted treasure requisites to win the game, the Hero packed the most punch for a character class requiring the least amount of treasure to win, being slightly tougher against most monsters than the Elf.

The Elf and Hero were best suited to the 1st and 2nd levels, but could occasionally venture to the 3rd level to get larger treasures. The Superhero was best suited to the 4th level, while Wizards needed to go to the 6th level to get enough treasure to accumulate the 30,000 GP they needed to win. The 5th level was rarely visited due to a combination of hard-to-access rooms and monsters that were difficult for an Elf, Hero, or Superhero to defeat and smaller treasures than the 6th level monsters that Wizards could kill.

===House rules===
Some players created their own character classes, such as Ultraheroes, Elf Wizards, and Spellwarriors. TSR also printed some official variant rules in the [[Strategic Review]] and [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon magazine]], giving extra cards and new character classes.

==Later editions==
Rules containing new monsters and character classes were published in 1976. Revised editions of ''Dungeon!'' were published in 1980, 1981, 1989 and 1992. The original game had the versatility of a playing surface that could roll as well as fold and the advantage that the small monster and treasure cards could be easily laid out within the rooms depicted on the board. The constant throughout all the editions of ''Dungeon!'' was a quick simplified essence of the more complex ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' environment.

Later editions also included rules for additional classes, each with unique advantages or rules and requiring different amounts of treasure to win the game.

Editions were also published in other countries including versions by [[Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkarten-Fabriken]] playing card company in Germany and [[Jedko Games]] in Australia. The Jedko Games version closely resembled the original US edition but with a light cardboard map playing board instead of the cloth-vinyl one.

===Wizards of the Coast editions===
The 2012 Edition of ''Dungeon!'' was released by [[Wizards of the Coast]] on October 16, 2012<ref name="wired">{{cite magazine |last1=Banks |first1=Dave |title=Explore an Exclusive Unboxing of Dungeon! |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/10/dungeon-unboxing/ |access-date=September 27, 2018 |magazine=Wired |date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> under the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' brand.<ref name="fbs" />  The game board and basic rules were returned to the original rule set. The new game features a change in the classes of the heroes. The heroes are Rogue, Cleric, Fighter, and Wizard.<ref name="fbs" />

The 2014 Edition ("Fifth Edition") of ''Dungeon!'' was released by Wizards of the Coast on June 24, 2014.<ref>{{cite web | title = Dungeon! Board Game | publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]] | date = 24 June 2014 | url = http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/dungeon! | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140627105031/http://www.wizards.com/dnD/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/dungeon! | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 27, 2014}}</ref> The rules are unchanged from previous editions, but all of the art has been re-done in a more cartoony style.

==Video game==
{{full article|Dungeon! (video game)}}

In 1982, an adaptation was released as ''Dungeon!'' for the [[Apple II]].<ref name=kunkel>{{cite journal |last1= Kunkel |first1= Bill |author-link1= Bill Kunkel (gaming)|last2= Katz |first2= Arnie |author-link2= Arnie Katz|date= February 1984 |title= Arcade Alley: The 1984 Arcade Awards, Part II |journal= [[Video (magazine)|Video]]|publisher= Reese Communications|volume= 7|issue= 11|pages= 28–29|issn= 0147-8907}}</ref>{{rp|29}} The ''Dungeon!'' computer game received a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Multi-Player Video Game/Computer Game" at the 5th annual [[Arkie Awards]].<ref name=kunkel/>{{rp|29}}

==Reception==
Fred Hemmings reviewed ''Dungeon!'' for ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' #4, giving it an overall rating of 8 out of 10, and wrote that "even if you play D&D it is still worth having a game or two of Dungeon. You may argue that Green Slime is not as deadly as it is portrayed but a little thing like that shouldn't spoil your fun. If on  the other hand D&D is not your cup of tea (or coffee), don't let the connections put you off, this is a game in its own right and a good one".<ref name="WD4">{{cite magazine | last =Hemmings | first =Fred | title =Open Box | magazine =[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] | issue =4 | pages =13–14 | publisher =[[Games Workshop]] | date = December 1977 – January 1978}}</ref>

Forrest Johnson reviewed the 2nd edition of ''Dungeon!'' in ''[[The Space Gamer]]'' No. 38.<ref name="SG">{{cite journal|last=Johnson |first=Forrest |date=April 1981 |title=Capsule Reviews|journal=[[The Space Gamer]]|publisher=[[Steve Jackson Games]]|issue=38|pages=30}}</ref> Johnson commented that "whoever decided to make this simple game even simpler should have his brains impounded before he does more damage. [...] Recommended to rank beginners and the hopelessly drunk".<ref name="SG"/>

In the August 1989 edition of ''[[Games International]]'' (Issue 8), [[James Wallis (games designer)|James Wallis]] reviewed the 1989 edition, retitled ''The New Dungeon! Game'' and noted that the components "are of a high quality" and "gameplay is straightforward". He gave the game an average rating of 3 out of 5, saying that "the game relies too much on rolls of the dice or the turn of a card, but this does not detract from its 'fun' potential".<ref name=gi>{{cite magazine|last=Wallis|first=James|author-link=James Wallis (games designer)|date=August 1989 |title=General Games|journal=[[Games International]]| issue=8|pages=6}}</ref>

In the 1980 book ''[[The Complete Book of Wargames]]'', game designer [[Jon Freeman (game designer)|Jon Freeman]] called this "a fine introduction to role-playing games, understandable by almost anyone, and helpful preparation for the far more complicated [role-playing games]". Freeman did find issues with the rules, pointing out that without the "Ambush" rules, there was no player interaction at all, but with them, "player interaction takes over the game completely, and no one ever gets anywhere". He also found issues with the balance of the various characters, finding some of them much more powerful than others. Freeman concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Fair to Good".<ref name=cbw>{{cite book | last = Freeman | first = Jon | author-link = Jon Freeman (game designer) | title = The Complete Book of Wargames | publisher = Simon & Schuster | date = 1980 | location = New York | pages = 234–235}}</ref>  

''Dungeon!'' was chosen chosen for inclusion in the 2010 book ''Family Games: The 100 Best''. Game designer [[Robert J. Schwalb]] explained that ''Dungeon!'' provides a strong foundation for playing ''D&D'' and is, more importantly, a lot of fun in its own right".<ref name="Family">{{cite book|chapter=Dungeon! |first=Robert J. |last=Schwalb |editor1-link=James Lowder |editor1-first=James |editor1-last=Lowder |title=Family Games: The 100 Best|year=2010 |publisher=[[Green Ronin]]|isbn=978-1934547212|pages=89–93}}</ref>{{rp|91}}

[[David M. Ewalt]] of ''[[Forbes]]'' commented on the 2012 edition of ''Dungeon!'': "For just $20, the new Dungeon! is a great buy — a classic game reborn in an affordable, attractive package".<ref name="fbs" /> William Niebling of [[ICv2]] gave it 2 out of 5; while this version met his nostalgia fix, Wizards made no effort to fix any issues and added a new problem.<ref name="ic"/> Both Niebling and Ewalt found that the change in the cards size to be larger than the rooms forcing the use of place-holder markers to indicate were the monsters were located was a problem.<ref name="fbs" /><ref name="ic" />

''[[DieHard GameFan]]'' said that "this is definitely a game any fantasy fan should be on the lookout for – especially if you played one of the earlier editions as a child. Nostalgia abounds here".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/10/16/tabletop-review-dungeon-dungeons-dragons/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023052810/http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/10/16/tabletop-review-dungeon-dungeons-dragons/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2012|title=Tabletop Review: Dungeon! (Dungeons & Dragons)|website= -diehardgamefan.com|first=Alexander|last=Lucard|date=December 20, 2012}}</ref>

In a retrospective review of ''Dungeon!'' in ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'', Andrew Zimmerman Jones said: "If you just want to go, kill some stuff, and get some treasure, without worrying about a ton of elaborate rules, this is the game for you. If you're looking for more than that – including some cool miniatures – then this isn't the game for you".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2013/02/09/dungeongame/ | title=Dungeon Board Game from Wizards of the Coast – Black Gate | date=9 February 2013 }}</ref> In another review in ''Black Gate'', James Maliszewski said: "I'm not sure I can truly sum up the vistas that Dungeon! opened up for us. Prior to that Christmas break, 'fantasy' was the realm of fairy tales and King Arthur's knights. There were monsters and there was magic, yes, but they were both of a narrow and limited variety. And, as I said, a dungeon was a place where a beautiful damsel or an unlucky hero might be held for a time, not a place one voluntarily entered seeking gold and glory. Now, nearly 35 years later, it's hard ''not'' to think of these things when I think of fantasy. How many other board games have so thoroughly changed a person's view of the world?"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2013/12/03/christmas-in-the-dungeon/ | title=Christmas in the Dungeon – Black Gate | date=3 December 2013 }}</ref> In another review in ''Black Gate'', Bob Byrne said that "''Dungeon!'' is the ancestor of all dungeon crawler board games. ''Descent!'', ''Runebound'', the ''Dungeons and Dragons Adventure Board Game'' line, ''Talisman'', ''Dungeonquest'', and ''Star Wars: Imperial Assault'': these all find their roots in ''Dungeon!'' TSR had a major innovation in not one, but two areas of the gaming industry in 1974-1975".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackgate.com/2016/08/22/the-public-life-of-sherlock-holmes-dungeon-a-new-kind-of-board-game/|title=The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes: Dungeon! – A New Kind of Board Game – Black Gate|date=22 August 2016 }}</ref>

==Other reviews==
* ''[[Shadis]]'' #33 (1996)
* ''[[Games and Puzzles]]''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/sim_games-and-puzzles_summer-1980_77/page/12/mode/2up | title=Games and Puzzles Summer 1980: Iss 77 | year=1980 | publisher=A H C Publications}}</ref>
* ''[[The Playboy Winner's Guide to Board Games]]''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/playboywinnersgu00free/page/278/mode/2up | title=The Playboy winner's guide to board games | date=1979 }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{bgg|1339}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VQTubyznsA YouTube: 40 years of Dungeon!]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQPRS-yddK0 YouTube: How to play Dungeon! with Ross Maker]
* [https://nicegames.club/episode/150/audio= David R. Megarry Interview (podcast)]

{{Dungeons & Dragons board games}}

[[Category:Board games introduced in 1975]]
[[Category:Dungeon crawler board games]]
[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons board games]]
[[Category:Gary Gygax games]]
[[Category:TSR, Inc. games]]