After his videos on Stalagbite, viewers kept asking Daniel (@dungeondive) whether he had played Deep Rock Galactic. He had not, so he asked Mood Publishing for a copy and received the Deluxe 2nd Edition — the chunky-minis version, which he is careful to say is not the one he would have bought. Setup and rules-learning left him unexcited. Then he played it three times in one day.
Dwarves in powered suits work a hex map of known and unknown cavern tiles, spending three actions a turn to move, shoot, swing a pickaxe, throw grenades, upgrade a sidearm or call in a supply drop. He picks out five things that lift it above the dice-chucking pack. The four dwarves genuinely play differently — the scout snipes, the engineer drops a sentry gun that generates pure Space Hulk dread, the gunner throws ziplines and shields, the driller burns walls and terraforms the map. Ammunition is a real constraint. The event deck reliably delivers both disasters and gold falling on your head. Combat runs on coloured d6 matched against enemy defences, with most enemies dying in a hit or two, and flanking stripping their resistances entirely. Knocked-down dwarves need a friend, so the team stays close.
His verdict: better than Zombicide, excellent solo, in a box far too big. Expansions get their own video.
Daniel says Deep Rock Galactic made a poor first impression during setup and won him over completely once it hit the table. Which game in your collection took a play or two before it clicked?