Legacy of Dragonholt
Designed by Nikki Valens
Published by Fantasy Flight Games
Buy it.
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What do you mean that’s not enough of a review? I’ve advised the readers to do the decent thing and buy it. What more do you want from me?
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Have you bought it yet?
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Ugh, fine. Here’s why you should buy it.
If you’re an old school gamer who enjoyed classic game books like Fighting Fantasy, Endless Quest, Lone Wolf, or even the godawful Choose Your Own Adventure line, which I distinctly remember having a kung-fu book that featured a karaoke section (I shit you not) like some sort of analog Yakuza game...anyway. If you enjoyed gamebooks, then this is what they have grown up, matured into and become. Legacy of Dragonholt has taken a few cues from Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective, but more in terms of presentation than in terms of execution. This is a narrative adventure, where you create your own characters and play through a GM-less adventure.
Valens is one of the finest game designers working at the moment, having given us Eldritch Horror and Mansions of Madness 2e. What she does is push boardgames towards RPGs. Have you seen how much like a game of Call of Cthulhu (the RPG) Mansions of Madness is becoming? Now, here she’s given us a GMless RPG for the fantasy genre. There’s character creation, high adventure...it’s glorious.
Still here?
Okay, have you ever played a TellTale video game? It does stuff like that. The decisions you (as a group) make will affect things that happens a long way down the line. The story is organic and fluid and it is yours to shape. If you’re a video gamer, imagine TellTale Skyrim, and you’re getting there.
The only real shame here is that FFG just let this plop out, almost like they were ashamed of it. For what this game has achieved, it should have had all the pomp and ceremony that Star Wars: Legion is currently receiving.
It’s January, and we may be looking at the game of the year already.
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