Preview The Big Wave, an Expansion for Dungeon Fighter

If you continue on this road, it leads you straight through swamps of certain, unavoidable death. Fortunately, there’s a shortcut that descends deep beneath the ocean surface through the clammy caves and exits on a sunny, sandy beach – easy peasy. Just watch out for the Black Lagoon Creature. He’s been a bit cranky lately. Be careful not to disturb the dragon, either. The locals say too that an ancient, tentacled, sea monster dwells in the caves, but that’s probably an empty myth…

Recently, we announced Fire at Will and The Big Wave, two element-themed expansions for Dungeon Fighter, the dexterity-based board game in which players battle their way though a winding dungeon filled with horrible (and horribly quirky) monsters. The first preview focused on Fire at Will, taking a look at that expansion’s burn tokens, fire element die, and flame-kindling new hero Melissa, The Fire Sorceress.

Today we’ll dip our toes into The Big Wave. You’ll find out more about the expansion’s new hero, Jack Parrot, peek into some of the underwater rooms that lie on your path through the caves, and learn about the slippery water element dice.

Avast, Me Hearties!

Whether you’re fighting sea creatures or desert-dwelling beasts, you’ll want the pirate Jack Parrot in your group of heroes. His swashbuckling and seafaring skills will help you coast through peril. Being a pirate, he’s a bit underhanded and dishonest, but you can always trust a dishonest man– to be dishonest. His Pickpocket ability allows you to add two gold pieces to your chest, although Jack probably won’t reveal how he acquired this treasure. Jack also knows how to fight: his Piercing Damage ability allows him to deal a monster two extra damage when the die lands on the target board.

Jack’s pet parrot is always on his shoulder, and just as a parrot mimics speech, Jack mimics other heroes. When his Mimic ability is activated during a fight, he can copy any special ability belonging to another hero in the party. Just spend an experience point at the beginning of the turn when you want to use the copied skill. Thanks to this ability, Jack Parrot is a true Jack-of-all-trades who you’d want to fight alongside in any dungeon.

Water, Water Everywhere

The Big Wave includes a new dungeon sheet, making the underwater caves different from any dungeon you’ve fought in before. Many rooms in the caves involve new water-themed dice throws, which can transform even the tamest sea creatures into formidable opponents.

As you can see, the right-hand path through the dungeon leads to a training room, where heroes gain three experience points from defeating the room’s resident monster. The next room, however, is flooded. To defeat the monster that swims in the rising waters, you’ll have to make a puddle shot. Placing the puddle prop in between yourself and the target board, you must bounce the die in the dry land middle of the puddle. If the die hits the puddle itself, it is considered lost in the water, and the throw counts as a miss.

On the left-hand path is the waterfall room, where you must roll the die down the length of the waterfall prop before bouncing it off the table. The next room is the Water Shrine. There, the kindly spirits of the vasty deep permit you to throw the three small, turquoise, water element dice at the start of your battle. The dice must be thrown all at once, and, like sea spray, they tend to scatter unpredictably. Any dice that land off of the target count as misses; any that land on the target deal damage according to the normal rules. If all three count as a hit or a miss, you can activate one of your hero’s special abilities – which may turn the tide in your favor. 

The Next Wave

The Big Wave brings in a mob of new monsters, including the legendary and slimy Black Lagoon Creature. The shops are stocked with water-friendly equipment such as Siren Soup. Oxygen tokens, which show how much air a hero has left, can take your breath away and knock your sea legs right out from under you. Fortunately, the new major healing template creates a spring of healing waters right on the target board. But watch out for the slime template, which causes the die to randomly slip and slide around. The heroes may make it out of the caves and onto the sunny beach, or they may have their brains eaten by Waterlogged Zombies. Either way, you and your friends are sure to soak up the fun.

Now that this preview has whet your appetite, pre-order The Big Wave from your local retailer today. You can also check out the Dungeon Fighter minisite for more details.

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