Descent Board Game a.k.a Busy DM in Search of Good Time with Stiff Board

[Gorfnod]

Long story short my weekly 3.5 session will be DM-less for the next 4 months or so and we are looking for a weekly replacement.

I am thinking that a board game might do the trick but I am looking for something that will at least simulate the DnD and hopefully the 3.5 experience.

Based on some reviews it seems like "Descent: Journeys in the Dark" may fit the criteria but I was hoping to get some input from you guys.

1. How well does this game compare to DnD?
2. On any given week we could have as low as 3 players, including myself. Does the Overlord system work well with 1 player as overlord and only 2 other players?
3. Whats the replayabilty like? Is this something we could do for 3-4 weeks a month over 4 months and not just be replaying the same situations over and over?

Any other input would be appreciated and if you have any other game suggestions I'm all ears.

[Daremonai]

Compared to D&D, Descent is understandably shallow. That doesn't mean that it's not fun, but it's a board game first and an RPG a distant second.
My own personal experience is limited to a couple of sessions, but it's pretty much all about the dungeon crawl unless you get the expansions (which I haven't used, so I can't comment). That said, it's heavily reliant on line-of-sight (the DM can spawn monsters anywhere the PCs can't see) and it tends to get overwhelming for the players without four pairs of eyes to keep watch.

For all that, it's a fairly good short-term replacement; there's trainable character progression, a reasonable amount of loot acquisition, and nothing's stopping you from freeform roleplaying the out-of-dungeon experience.

[killem2]

I personally love the old Dragon Strike game from the early 90s. It came with a cheesy vhs tape :) It wasn't bad at all.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I read the title and I was looking forward to some insane attempt to adapt a 3D zero-gravity shooter into board game form, complete with reactor explosions.

[Istari]

1. How well does this game compare to DnD?
Its a board game, not an RPG, its fun to play, but don't expect much more depth than strategically kill monsters
2. On any given week we could have as low as 3 players, including myself. Does the Overlord system work well with 1 player as overlord and only 2 other players?
It can work with low player numbers, but having 4 or 5 is preferable, though after you play a few times and get used to the game, having each player play two heroes is perfectly viable and solves the problem.
3. Whats the replayabilty like? Is this something we could do for 3-4 weeks a month over 4 months and not just be replaying the same situations over and over?
The base game has 9 simulations, though each one is reasonably replayable (it works better unknown, but playing remembering some things is not that much of an advantage) plus there are a fair number of custom made adventures online that you could use that are reasonably balanced.

I would recommend it.

[Gorfnod]

Thanks for all the input guys. Now to find a copy for less than $150.

[Seerow]

Please tell me I'm not the only one who read the OP as "Busy DM in Search of Good Time with Stiff Broad"

[The Glyphstone]

I read the title and I was looking forward to some insane attempt to adapt a 3D zero-gravity shooter into board game form, complete with reactor explosions.

Oh, that would be so cool.

Years later, I still hate that damn Thief-Bot.