Title: Shadows of Brimstone: City of the Ancients
Author: Jason C. Hill
Artists: Gaël Goumon, Jack Scott Hill, Ralph Horsley, Tomasz Jedruszek, Brian Snoddy, and Ben Wootten
Publisher: Flying Frog Productions
Release Date: 2014
Price: $130

Shadows of Brimstone is D&D on rails and it is glorious. One core game set having close to a hundred possible games.

Shadows of Brimstone is an older game series having come out in 2014 after a successful Kickstarter in 2013. Since then, they have released a total of seven core sets and a plethora of add-ons and expansions, all of which can cross over and work together. Unfortunately, I only found this gem at Gen Con 2026. Fortunately, every person working at the booth loved the game and talked passionately about it. This is more that I can say about a lot of big games presented at Gen Con including Warhammer. The three main areas I will be looking at for this game: art, gameplay, and design.

Art

As someone who studied art and design in college I have to say I am impressed. Keeping a style consistent for 12 years over multiple release can be challenging. Yet, Flying Frog Productions has done so. From the wild west to outer space, the style and consistency of the art work matches. Not only that but the box art really displays the type of game you’re going to play. With all character cards having multiple genders and expansions available almost everyone can play what they desire. If you want to be a Kitsune along side a Nordic berserker in the mines of the wild west it can be done without looking disjointed. Their minis don’t come pre assembled or painted which can be a downside for some or an upside for others.

Gameplay

If you have ever played any edition of D&D, Pathfinder, or any other similar style game, this series is easy to pick up. If you haven’t, it may take you a game or two to get everything, but most elements are well explained in the rulebook. The game loop for both the game and the series is simple: Explore, collect loot, fight, repeat until you return to town and spend your loot. Hit points, armor class, skill checks and even initiative rolls are all included in this game for each unique character that can level up across multiple games. However this game is first and foremost a horror themed game so there are a lot of surprises and monsters will go first when you have matching initiatives (turn orders). While exploring, players roll to see if the darkness encroaches upon them for that round adding extra pressure to any given situation. While meant for 1-4 players to be able to play for 90-180 minutes, if you have 2 players that roll badly your game can be done in just 30 minutes like me! Basic story is simple: the discovery of Dark stone has started a gold rush worldwide, but it also caused rifts in space and time. The game ends when the party dies or you beat the final boss of the map and get the treasure. Unfortunately, my poor barmaid and her bandit colleague will never get to do spend their loot. R.I.P.

Design

Here Is where this game series really shines. I mentioned one core game has close to 100 possible games. Well, you can combine any core set or expansion give players a lot of possible games, that is without randomness or the various decks. As players adventure through maps they discover rooms and can roll dice to determine how many exits certain rooms have or enemies you find along the way. This means from a design stand point you are almost never going to see the same map twice even if you only use one of the core sets. The rule set for the game can be complex, but by having so many parallels its easy for most players to quickly find their footing. Most items are balanced well with the exception of some promo cards you can get at event like Gen Con.

Final Score (4 Out of 5 Stars)

Shadows of Brimstone is not for everyone, but if you like fantasy, alt history and/or role playing you should enjoy this game and series Gameplay is mostly a simple one to one, take this action and this is the result. admittedly there are a lot of actions you can take. If you love D&D, and cant find a DM or are a forever DM who wants here you go this game can scratch that itch. The pricing can be a bit much especially if you want to get everything, but I feel it is well worth a try especially if you can find it on sale.

Featured Image: Shadow of Brimstone

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