Shadows of Brimstone: Swamps of Death review

Flying Frog Games | Dungeon crawler | £79.99 | 1-4 players | 240 minutes | www.flyingfrog.net 

No-one said that life in the Wild West was easy, but it just got a lot harder thanks to the appearance of nightmare creatures from other dimensions deep within the local mines.  Somebody needs to do something about it, and that’s where you come in with an epic trip through the mines to defeat whatever is lurking within.

To begin, players choose from the Sheriff, Rancher, Indian or Preacher archetypes.  Each character has its own unique abilities and can be further individualised with skills and personal objects. The character miniatures are placed at the mine entrance and the fun begins.

This core set contains 12 missions varying from rescuing kidnapped children to travelling to other dimensions.  The ‘dungeon’ is created randomly as players explore, utilising beautifully illustrated double sided tiles.  Encounters occur whenever a room is found ranging from minor incidents to ambushes.  Time is also against the players as they roll to “hold back the darkness” each turn, with terrible things happening if these rolls are failed, culminating in the darkness escaping the mine, and the players losing the game.

Campaign play is encouraged as characters gain experience and level up.  The game also increases its difficulty level as player power increases.  Following a mine adventure, the town can be visited, supplies bought and bounties collected, but even getting to the town can be hazardous.
As with most Flying Frog products this game has plenty of attention to detail, the artwork is evocative, the box is bursting with counters, cards, two rulebooks and self-assembly miniatures. There is even an atmospheric CD included.

If you like your Old West with an extra helping of tentacles, undead and things that go bump in the night, then this may be the game you have been looking for. (Paul Webster)

Buy your copy here.

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