Fallen - Kickstarter Preview

Amidst a rather hectic cross-country move, I had the opportunity to play a prototype copy of Watchtower Games' current Kickstarter project Fallen. Since the copy I have is a prototype, I do not have the full compliment of components and stories that will come with the full game, but I would like to give my impression of the game in it's current state, so you can better determine if it is worth Kickstarting. I am not going to delve into a rules description in this preview, as I think the Kickstarter page itself does a great job in describing gameplay, but there are a few things that are worth exploring in a bit more detail.

As a card-based 2 player dungeon crawl, Fallen pits one player as an intrepid hero and treasure seeker, against a dark and evil dungeon lord. The hero navigates a series of events during his quest, which are defined by a set of randomized story cards introduced during play. In order to complete these events, both the Hero and the Dungeon lord battle each other through the use of dice and cards that represent special abilities and equipment collected during the adventure. The game concludes with an epic showdown between good and evil, wrapping up each story with a satisfying conclusion.

I was initially very interested to see how well this card based dungeon crawl would be able to harness the feel of a dungeon crawl without a plastic miniature or board to be found in the box. Surprisingly, Fallen pulls it off well. Where many modern dungeon crawls focus on the tactical maneuvering of an adventuring party, Fallen strikes an almost nostalgic chord, emulating more the roleplaying games of the late 80s and early 90s in which the story unfolded entirely in the heads and actions of the players.

Fallen's art is also worth a mention up front. While many Kickstarter projects have art and graphic design that seem mediocre at best, the art in this project is top notch, extending to the graphic design of the components and manual, which are all very clear and readable. Even though my prototype copy does not contain all the final art and components, the quality of those that are in the box leave me no doubt that the final product will be high quality. (Fallen has one of the most polished Kickstarter videos I have seen for a game, which is hopefully an additional indicator of Watchtower's attention to detail.)

I have always enjoyed story based games where the game delivers an explicit narrative. Games such as Tales of the Arabian Nights and Betrayal at House on the Hill really get my imagination flowing, and help immerse me in the game. Fallen takes a similar approach to its gameplay, feeling almost like a hybrid of the above games. A set of story cards drive the action, describing the environment, and giving the player a set of choices he can make. Based on the player's choice, the story unfolds, requiring players to make skill checks with dice and battle for the result of the event. After the event completes, given the outcome, the story moves to the next plot point as read from the story cards.

The use of story cards solves one of the biggest issues with Arabian Nights; There is no huge book to tote around, and flip through to find the correct passage to read. Everything is there on the card. These cards contain a good amount of text as well. Unlike the tiny story cards in Mansions of Madness, the large story cards in Fallen allow for a satisfying amount of prose.

The use of story cards could also be one of the game's negatives as well. After enough plays, a player may become familiar with the story cards, and know what happens when certain paths are taken. This doesn't break the game, as the battle between the dungeon lord and the player still make the outcome unknown, but it removes the uncertainty of exploration that is the bread and butter of a story game. The game ships with 45 story cards (3 of which are randomly selected per game), so there is a good amount of replayability here. At higher Kickstarter pledge levels, "adventure packs" are added which each contain 12 new story cards. While the base game is still fun, even after exhausting the story cards, I see adventure packs as a real draw to keep the game feeling fresh.

Fallen works only as a 2 player game in it's current incarnation. There is a stretch goal to unlock a multiplayer mode, but at the time of this writing it is uncertain whether it will be unlocked. Fallen is fun as a 2 player game, but has the potential to be even better with a party of adventurers playing. I wish that a higher player count was something that was included from the start.

Fallen has already met its kickstarter goal so will be printed, though there are still some stretch goals yet to be unlocked. In it's basic form, though, it gets my seal of approval for a fun, interactive 2 player game. With it's polished art, well thought out gameplay, and immersive story based play, Fallen is definitely worth checking out. (http://kck.st/10FXN09)