In this video, Daniel takes a casual look at some newly released expansions for Dungeon Degenerates. After resolving a delayed shipment, he showcases new encounter cards for different regions (Wetlands, Badlands, Lowlands, and Highlands), eight new degenerate characters, and two new mission books. These expansions significantly expand the content for Dungeon Degenerates, offering more missions, encounters, and adventures.
The review highlights Daniel’s excitement for more single-session play options, something he feels the base game doesn’t fully deliver in one-off games. He also touches on his approach of using the Hand of Doom Quest and Roleplay Generator to create more personalized solo adventures. The expansions introduce a wealth of new content, including complex encounters that can spark entire stories, as well as diverse characters with unique abilities and starting gear. Daniel compares Dungeon Degenerates to games like Arkham Horror Second Edition, noting that the new expansions help the game further evolve into a potential “lifestyle game” for those who dive deeply into it.
Ultimately, the video reflects the joy of engaging with the ever-growing world of Dungeon Degenerates, even for collectors who enjoy the game as much for its art and world-building as for the gameplay.
A guy an hour away from me is selling Dungeon Degenerates 5th printing w/ adventurer, city scum, hooray for the bad guys, and breaking the law expansions, all for $100. Also w/an insert.
Which seems like a good price. It is a game I’ve long been curious about, yet my backlog runneth over…
The iPad is playing a 6-year old playthrough by @Dungeondive which has been incredibly helpful. I also watched a shorter playthrough by Mike of One Stop Co-op Shop. I am following along as I watch, pulling the cards in play out of my decks.
The insert this came with, made by the previous owner from specs on BGG, is great to have.
So now I’m looking forward to finally experiencing this after being curious about it for many years!
I don’t think there are ‘a ton,’ just a few! But I did hear your pre-playthrough caveat!
The thing I’m struggling with most so far is the iconography. Some of the icons are too similar and too small for my old eyes. But the gameflow seems really straightforward, and the lore and aesthetic are off the charts!
The laptop is there just because it’s part of my overall setup. It’s hooked up to my old plasma TV that you see on the right. For youtube mostly, but I also hang out and surf around there sometimes. It’s handy to look up BGG for rules clarifications while I’m playing too.
Those comic look’n things are the lore books. There are also a pair of Mission books that are "manufactured’ the same way. They’re basically print offs from a nice laser printer and stapled together. I have seen some people get real miffed on the Dungeon Degens facebook page when they pay that premium price for lore books and mission books and essentially get pdf print offs. I don’t really mind as the creator has a decades history w/ 'zines. It’s his thing. Just know you’re paying a premium price for low production goods. It’s still the same great gameplay though. Worth the cost if you’re a fan of the game.
I remember someone commented on the “Low production value” of the lore books and mission books on the facebook page. Sean Aaberg replied something along the lines of “You know all those over produced games with low quality content? Just think of us as the opposite of that.” and… I can’t fault him for it haha
I just ordered the base game and it’s going to arrive next Tuesday. Excited to play and am already thinking about expansions. I like adding more mechanics, but even more than that I like immersive and emergent story line. I enjoy complete campaigns and want to experience it in its entirety without finding out that I need to go back and pick up an expansion that fits into the story that I should have played fifteen games ago. If there’s a recommended chronological story order, I want to follow it.
So with all that in mind, what are the essential expansions for me to pick up?
The campaigns are short, but lots of branching paths. I would say on average 4 or 5 play sessions. You don’t have to worry about a 15 session campaign “what if” moment about an expansion.
I suggest the card and character packs, and the mission book 'zines. Be warned the mission books are just laser printer prints stapled together. Some people get real miffed when they’re surprised by that sometimes.
For first expansion additions I’d recommend all of the region encounter card packs which are really great at adding encounter variety to the base game. The base game has a HUGE bestiary so enemy packs are not necessary in my view. I’d probably go with Mean Streets as well since you’ll get four more characters and a good variety of cards including a new city type of encounter cards. The mission book zines will add a ton of options for campaign play. I love all the region/bestiary guides (adds to immersion in the world) but they are pretty expensive even as a bundle.
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