Dungeon Kart Review

boardgamequest.com:

A few years ago, I was introduced to the game Boss Monster, in which each player is a dungeon boss, and builds up their dungeon to kill any heroes foolish enough to come trying to defeat you. I thought it was a neat concept and a cute game. I proceeded to never play it again. I was quite surprised to find out that it was quite popular, so much so that it had not only spawned sequels but also spin-offs. Not that I thought the original game was bad, just didn’t seem to be “huge following” material. Turns out I was wrong.

One of those spin-offs takes the characters from the world of Boss Monster and sticks them in a very not-dungeon-y space… a go-kart race. The aptly named Dungeon Kart is a game for 3-8 players that plays in 60-90 minutes.

The goal, as you might expect, is to be the first player to complete a lap around the track. To keep things fresh, the track is not static from game to game. There are a number of different, large hex-shaped tiles. In each game, you construct a course with these tiles, either using one of the many pre-built options, or coming up with your own creation following just a few simple rules. Most tracks are around 7-9 tiles in size, but it is possible to construct one using all 15 tiles in the game (such as the pre-built Arcadia 500).

With that setup in mind, the gameplay itself is reasonably simple. Each player has a racer dashboard, which is perhaps the most unique element of the game. Each of these dashboards has a gear shift which you can move up and down to different speed settings. Every turn, no matter your current speed, you must shift your speed up or down one setting. Your speed setting for the turn determines how many movement points (MP) you get to spend during that turn. You can use your MP to complete different actions beyond just moving.

You can also Drift (move laterally forward), Turn (change facing 60 degrees), or even Bump fellow racers. Some actions require more MP to complete, depending on the terrain you are driving