"One of my favorite games of 2024 was the hidden gem that was Hellbringer. It perfectly encompasses the "loot Piñata" feel from video game dungeon crawlers like Diablo. Create a character, kill some monsters, and get tons and tons of loot. The biggest knock against the game was its rather rough rulebook, which made learning the game a bit of a chore. Hellbringer is back, though as designer/publisher Maxime Gauthier is ready with the first expansion (along with some upgrades), titled Bestiary & Forbidden Spells. Is this a worthy addition to this roguelike card game? Let's find out."
"The other thing the publisher included was an upgrade kit for the edition of the game. This was a massive pile of replacement cards (mainly for clarity or for iconography, according to them). It probably took me an hour to unsleeve and resleeve the new cards. But it's good to have the improved text. The other thing included was an upgraded rulebook, which was to address one of the main pain points of the core game."
"The two new classes are really interesting to play. The Necromancer is basically a glass canon. He has a paltry 20 life and 5 armor, but he gets access to the new black dice, which are much more deadly (going up to 15). He, as you might also expect, can have extra pets when they are undead. Properly kitted out, this guy can deal out some serious punishment."
Bestiary & Forbidden Spells expands Hellbringer with two playable classes (Alchemist and Necromancer), forty new monsters including elites, and additional items and spells. The Necromancer functions as a glass cannon with low life and armor but access to powerful black dice and extra undead pets, enabling high damage builds. The Alchemist fills a support role with starter potions that buff attacks. The expansion includes a substantial upgrade kit of replacement cards to clarify iconography and text, plus an improved rulebook aimed at resolving the core game's learning and clarity issues.
Read at Board Game Quest
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]