The StoryMaster's Tales "Dracodeep Dungeon" Hybrid RPG

Having been enchanted by predecessor Weirding Woods (and expansion Deeper Into The Woods), backing Dracodeep Dungeon on Kickstarter was a no brainer.

Dracodeep Dungeon is standalone game in its own right, but with the dungeon theoretically situated below the woods and an upcoming town based game, both the designer and the player have the capacity to create longer quests that sprawl across different areas of the Story Master's Tales game world.

The game itself functions as Weirding Woods did. The game is part boardgame, part game book and part RPG. You select create your characters and select a quest with the aid of the gamebook, find the described starting card, and off you go. The map is formed by cards being placed from a deck as the players explore the dungeon. Each new area providing its own trials and opportunities to get further your progress towards the objectives of your quest.

But this isn't just a rehash of Weirding Woods - for a start Dracodeep has a more sinister atmosphere than the 18th Century fairy tale woods above it, but the game remains very family friendly. More importantly as you resolve each card the effects of your decisions sometimes feel like they will have a more lasting impact over the course of your quest, than seemed the case in it's predecessor.

The new character classes of the Scientist and the Highlander bring something new to the table. The Scientist being able to create bombs and the Highlander always able to get first strike on his foes.

Dracodeep Dungeon will be getting played again and again in our house, as was (and will be) Weirding Woods. I can't wait to find out what adventure we create next!

Olly Mc and Story Master's Tales have done it again!

As brilliant as the original Weirding Woods. Simple to understand but an intricate web of gameplay and the illustrations are superb. Fans of DnD, LARP, Fighting Fantasy or any family wanting a really entertaining games evening - this is great!!

Dracodeep Dungeon is the third of the Storymasters Tales that I own and was great fun to play. The game seems very well balanced by always erring on the side of "tricky" and borderline difficult without ever straying into virtual impossibility. This keeps it interesting.

The locations in the game centre around various themes with a strong hint of Arthurian legend mixed in with orcs, ghosts and vampires. Every turn the option to explore a new location (or one per player) in the game is given by traveling NSWE. A new location card is flipped up into the space you travel to and, if you have the narrated soundscapes, an immersive description of the room overlaid upon sound effects and suitable music is played. Alternatively, without the soundscapes you read from the book as each location and the various options are described in detail.

I play games like this solo and I've found The Storymasters Tales series up there with the best. Dracodeep Dungeon really shines in the series and I'll be coming back to this game repeatedly trying out different quests.

Another awesome game from Oliver & Nick. I love Weirding Woods and am grateful for the chance to expand on that with 'Deeper' & now to relive my childhood of the early 80s and Deathtrap Dungeon through the branching narratives and exploration of Dracodeep Dungeon.

I've owned many dungeon crawlers but sometimes your own imagination is the most creative tool in conjuring up these lost labyrinths and caves - all I need is the flavour text, the choices and the awesome illustrations and I can happily lose myself for an hour or so.

The Storymaster's Tales will always have a place in my collection.

(One bugbear, though - it may be the teacher in me but a proofreader is needed for the narratives in the book in future, if possible)

Third in my collection of The StoryMaster's Tales. Love the game, beautiful artwork, good gameplay and well written narrative choice.

What can I say? To be honest this game is so true to the original it cannot be given anything other than the exact same score. Dark brooding settings illustrated by the incredible Nick Vuimin, and created by modern tabletop RPG legend Oliver McNeil, this box of adventures will keep you and your friends happy for hours exploring a claustrophobic dungeon filled with traps, magic and monsters galore. A must for socially interactive gamers and solo gamers alike.

Extends this fun GM-less RPG series. The art is magical, and the game is loads of fun when you don't feel like putting one of the monster-huge dungeon crawls on your game table.

A great game, equal in excellence to The Storymaster’s Tales Weirding Woods.