This is an excellent adaptation of the board game that removes all the nuisance of time-consuming setup, teardown, and monster management. Fans of the board game will love it. For those not familiar with the board game, it's a tactical puzzle, not an RPG. Don't play this if you want story or characters; this is battle chess on steroids and the characters are really just chess pieces with 20+ different "moves" vs. 1 or 2. The reason it's a puzzle and not just another turn-based tactics game is that you have a max number of turns you can take based on how many cards you have, and you must manage those turns carefully to complete the scenario before you run out of cards. As in chess, if you want to win, you have to know what all the pieces do. The monsters in this game - the opponent's "pieces" - follow a strict AI logic and order of operations in determining who they'll attack and what they'll do on their turns. Success at this game absolutely depends on understanding that logic, and after hundreds of hours at this game, the digital game just doesn't give you the knowledge you need to succeed. That's fine if you can learn it by playing, and some of it you can, but not all. Without reading the board game rules, there WILL be times you'll say "why did he attack this character and not that one? why did he move here and not there? why didn't he move at all??" and miscalculating will be the difference between winning and losing. That's bad, because it will drive new players to frustration and feeling the game's stacked against them. It is a fantastic brain-burny game that's so rewarding for strategic players, but my advice to new players - read the board game rulebook section on monster focus and movement. Or, remember that it exists for when you get mad. :)
