The 2MR is designed to be a quick summary of my thoughts on a game written in an easy to read Q&A format without delving into the rules and/or mechanics.

The Two-Minute Review Series:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/31672

So what do we have here?
We have a very nice tactical game of maneuvers with a pasted on fantasy theme. I don’t mean that disparagingly, I just want to be clear that this game is not a dungeon crawl in the least. This is a game of tactics, thinking/planning ahead, and reacting to your opponent. The characters just happen to be of a fantasy theme.

So you like the game?
Oh, I like it a lot. Didn’t you see my 8 rating? This is a great addition to a collection because it’s a 2P game that offers many, many fun decisions and has absolutely great replayability. I think it’s a must as a 2P game for any lover of tactics.

So what do you like about it?
Well, I’m a fan of tactical games, and the friend I usually play this game with, I also play Memoir ’44 with. I don’t care for Mem ’44 anymore b/c I find the cards dictate my moves way too much and I don’t have enough fun decisions. With DT, I’m in control, and I have many fun decisions to make. Maybe too many in fact (see below).

I love the fact that it’s an Action Point (AP)system but you get a different number of action points each turn. You get 2, 3, 4, or 5 APs per turn but they work in a cycle so so if you use 5 APs this turn, you have to use 2, 3, and 4 (not necessarily in that order) before you get to use 5 again. I think that’s brilliant. Then there’s the whole dungeon twisting aspect. Not only do you have to figure out moves of your different characters and how to use their different abilities, but the damn rooms may turn on you! You’re blowin’ my miiiiinnd.

Anything you don’t like?
Well, as you can infer from what I wrote above, the game has many, many factors to consider, starting with how many decisions should I allow myself this turn (2APs? 5APs?), so the game can get bogged down in analysis paralysis pretty easy. Heck, the rules even suggest playing with a timer. I hate analysis paralysis as I’m a “from the gut” kind of player, but I found myself apologizing to my opponent for agonizing over decisions. Please don’t think I’m saying this is a reason to not get this game, but I am saying to be aware of it and either be fine with some long waits between turns or use a timer.

Who would/would not like this game?
OK, this is a game for people who like to think a lot. Let’s do a test – on your turn, would you rather pull a card and see what fun things you got or spend time maximizing your potential moves? Friend of mine loves to process decisions when he thinks. I tell him he plays every game like it’s a tournament. First game, he’s across from me with an expression on his face that almost looks like pain. “I love this game”, he finally says.

There’s no luck here, but a lot of thinking, but it’s FUN thinking. I don’t want to give the impression that this is too “chessy”. I mean, you’re thinking on a turn: “I can use all my APs to run my thief with the treasure chest out of the dungeon for 2VPs or I can rotate a room, free the wizard, pick up the fireball, and kill his Warrior. Hmm, what to do, what to do…” To me, that’s fun, and far more interesting than, “Well, I only have Right Flank cards, so I guess I’ll move my Right Flank units…”

What about the expansions?
I haven’t gotten any yet. Ask someone else.

What about components and value?
This is like an $18-20 game which I think represents tremendous value because of its replayability. The components are fine, but I hear some people use miniatures to jazz it up a bit.

Bottom Line?
Buy, with the reservation that this is not a dungeon crawl and there will be some downtime between turns.