Pyramid Review
Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game
Produced by Wizards of the Coast
Written by Jonathan Tweet, Jason Carl, Andy Collins, and David Noonan
Boxed set with one 32-page Rule Book, one 48-page Adventure Book, 32 pages of Reference, 1 map, 2 pages of counters, 1 "Read This First" sheet; $9.95
It's a mistake to try to review something based on what you think it should be versus what it actually is; thus "I felt the screenplay in Titanic was weak" is fair criticism, while "I wanted more ninjas in Titanic" is not.
Faced with this realization, I find myself struggling to review the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game. This isn't a game that inspires me to heights of giddy delight, or sparks a raging inferno within me. No, it just is.
The game itself is high quality. The character sheets are full color (though you'll need to cut the double-page spreads apart yourself); the counters are in color and double-sided (though not made of the sturdiest stock); and the dice, while not the ultra-snazzy glitter/marble/speckled sorts, are a grand evolution from the dice made of Pez with crayon kits included with the early "Basic" sets. The booklets, while black and white, are well-formatted and easy to read.
The game itself? Well, the box says, "For 3 or more players of all ages." This is probably one of the most incorrect statements I've seen in a long time. If nothing else, the dice represent a choking hazard for a would-be two-year-old gamer. But more specifically the game suffers from . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: August 18, 2000
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