The Fate of Terrinoth is upon us… Releasing today from Fantasy Flight Games is the hotly anticipated Descent: Legends of the Dark. In this fully cooperative game, 1-4 players take on the challenge of adventuring through the harsh and unforgiving land of Terrinoth. This game is only Act 1 in a 3 Act Saga. There will be two more boxes released in the future. In this article, we’ll be diving into the Terrain included in the game.

Terrain

We got the opportunity to look at the game a few days early, and all we have to say is, “Wow!” This game looks fantastic!

One of the very cool things about this game is all the 3D components that get placed on your game board. Much like Mansions of Madness and Journeys into Middle Earth that we previously reviewed, Descent: Legends of the Dark uses an app to direct the story and layout the modular game board.

The game comes with 47 different pieces of Terrain that are all built out in 3D. There are trees, bookcases, archways, stairs, doors, and even stone columns. The stone columns also play a part in supporting the map tiles in 3D space. For instance, if a character needs to climb some stairs, there is a 3D stairs model. Then the next map tile is placed at the top and supported by columns from underneath. This map layout creates a game board that grows as you play in width, length, and height!

Included in the game box are 18 double-sided map tiles and six underlays. These represent the ground the characters are encountering. The map tiles look like cobblestones, grass, dirt floor, and even wooden floors. If you have played Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle earth, these are similar in style to battle map tiles but are in different shapes and sizes. Each of the map tiles has square spaces marked off on them for character and enemy movement. There is no measuring in this game; however, like some measuring-based games, the 3D components can block your line of sight, which is essential when trying to hit an enemy from range. If the tree is in your way, it is in your way! Luckily the app has a unique feature that allows you to click on any square and tell what the line of sight is from that square. This app-based tool looks to be very helpful!

Lastly, the game has a bit of “terrain” that’s quite impressive. Included is a 4 inch tall Dragon statue that you have to put together. We’re not sure what that’s about, but we know it is used in at least one of the quests as it appears in the picture on the back of the game box. (We won’t spoil it by posting a photo here, but trust us, it’s imposing!)

Once you finish building all the Terrain, which takes about an hour, you’ll need a place to store it. Well, Fantasy Flight Games has thought of that! You may notice the game box is HUGE. Part of the reason is the bottom part is a storage area to hold all the Terrain you created. Fantasy Flight Games shipped a half-empty box just for this purpose!

We can’t wait to play this game! Descent: Legends of the Dark releases today, Friday, August 6th. In the coming days, we’ll be releasing more short articles about the app, the gameplay, and the miniatures – so check back over the next week to find out more about this wholly impressive game!

If you are interested in this game and would like to get your own copy. Check it out in our store! Check back over the next week for more reviews as we dig into this game!