I think one of the biggest strengths of Descent is that both the heroes and the overlord have objectives in each quest; the overlord isn't stuck just trying to delay or stop the heroes, but can actually win by achieving a separate goal. It creates a fun dynamic of trying to achieve your goal while preventing the other side from reaching theirs.

I also disagree about the Overlord negative. As the Overlord for my group I love it! In many board games there are opportunities that allow you to tear down your opponent instead of (or in addition to) building up your position. I find with the many people I've played with that several take your attacking of their position personally and leaves a bad taste in their mouths. I'm not talking about Risk here but rather games like Catan and the like. In Descent and as the Overlord my attempts to destroy them are viewed as me playing my role. No one gets butthurt about it and we all have a lot of fun :). As for your mentioning of the players figuring out their class and ways to work together, they like to do what they have dubbed "The Formation" and enjoy wrecking my monsters when they get the synergy going really well :). It's really brought our group together :). Great job as always on the review!

That's a fair position to take. We have always had the explicit goal of keeping our reviews between 5 and 8 minutes long, and giving viewers enough info that they can get a sense of a game and decide if it is/isn't for them in that short time. We made that choice partly because there are so many good review series that do longer-form videos (Boardgames with Scott is another one besides what you mention). Not everyone has time to watch these, and we wanted to offer something different.

I REALLY like your reviews--they're concise and super helpful. I have a request though--PLEASE could you not add the music to them? I know why you do it, but it's actually super distracting, and I'd rather hear you, not the music. Just sayin'--thanks for all the great reviews though!!

Your videos are so fun and informative: I love them! They really give me a hint on what's a game like. Great work.

Excellent review. All the info I needed to know, I will be purchasing the game after watching. Keep up the great work, subscribed!

Under no circumstance the music is distracting since it is low enough to not be distracting. I love your editing, clearness of the audio, conciseness and music on the background. Top of the line Reviews

Good stuff! You review the game and explain some of the rules as well. Nicely done, StarlitCitadel. Subscribing!

We've consciously kept the amount of 'promotion' to our webstore low (i.e. no direct links in the video/etc) as the videos are meant as much as an educational tool as a promotional tool. Too much overt promotion could harm that aspect of our goals, which is why we've compromised on putting the links and introduction of Kaja & Joanna in the video information. As for introducing them, will reconsider. So far, we've kept away from that due to length / repetition issues.

It's a standing mic in front of us. The technical side is something handled more by Rob and we are limited by our budget for available equipment too.

Best overview I've seen on this game. Very clear and concise. You can learn the game from this video.

We did say that you can take 2 of the same action at 1:42 (though it may be that Joanna's "can" sounds a bit too much like a "can't"). Maybe we should try an alternate, cleaner phrasing next time.

Thanks for the great in depth yet to the point review! You ladies are lovely! Great job. I might have to get myself a copy of this game.

thank you so much for your review. I've been meaning to buy this game for some time but wasn't really sure of how the gameplay worked, your video was very informative :D

Awesome video. Short and simple. (In my opinion) I've got only 2 nitpicks about this video: 1) You kinda, "space-out" at times. Try complementing each other when making points. Or make little side-comments. A little, but not too much, banter between you two would be good. 2) You don't introduce yourselves and you don't say goodbye. Having something like: "Hello I'm *name*". Then at the end, "I hope you had fun, and thank you for watching." Just a suggestion though. Anyway, thumbs-up! B)

Thank you for the great review. I have the 1st Edition, which sadly I haven't played yet. Streamlined rules and shorter quests sound like a plus!

Really good review/rules overview! Very concise and clearly delivered. Good job! Only improvement I would suggest, is to lose the constant music.

Nicely done!

Well then it makes perfect sense--carry on! ;o) Seriously great reviews, thanks for doing them.

There's definitely room for both! We used to play Heroquest as a stand-in on RPG nights at our local store, there's still scope for a decent amount of roleplay, and it's a nice way of getting some combat fix in, which isn't all that common in our groups campaigns.

I play both! Descent is great for when all you want is some tactical combat and a light-but-engaging story, and you've got 2 hours to play. Since the Overlord doesn't need to prep beforehand, it's more likely to hit the table, or even fill in for an RPG session that failed (e.g. because the DM couldn't prepare like he'd planned because work got the better of him, as can happen in my regular group sometimes). Plus, I can steal the minis for my RPG campaign... -Kaja

Love this game! It's superb. Bought Lair of the Wyrm too. :) Good review. Greetings from Italy.

I have this on my buy list, Thanks for the review.

finally someone who explains game rules CLEARLY! thanks, girls

Very nice overview of the game!

Great video you guys are really great and articulate! But hey the second edition has that road to legend app they released on android and iOS making the game fully co OP no overload needed!

The format works for me too - rough overview, lightening run through the sequence of play, pro-con-con-pro summary. All you really need I reckon, and there's always BGG and the other reviewers (or maybe even a trip to a store!) if you're wavering. I have to add that, even though Joanna and Kaja's run throughs are fast, they are detailed enough that I've bought a game and played it straight off, referring to the rules only as needed, with a smooth game flow (with Red November). X

As much as I do watch UndeadVikings review... His 45 minute long takes on games need some severe editing to cut out some of the dead space and off topic commentary. I think you are doing a great job Kaja and Joanna. My only potential critique would to make the reviews just a little less scripted with more dialogue between the two of you on your opinions.

The production value for Starlit Citadel is much better than Dice Tower or UndeadViking and the reviews have always been good.

Thanks for the great review. I decided to buy this game and try out the dungeon crawler system.

I like these reviews from Starlit Citadel because they are short, sweet and to the point. I like Tom Vasel's vids because he's so expressively passionate and fun about board games. I like Critshappen and Undeadviking because they are long and personable. I like WatchitPlayed because its some of the best quality reviews that really go deep into the rules of the game and I also get to see the game in Action. So... I like you all. :)

The only thing Joanna and Kaja missed was how friggin awesome the conversion kit is! 48 new heroes!!!! something like 24 new monsters. I don't mind using proxy figures since the price is only around $24.

Looks good, how does it compare to Dungeon Saga ?

Such a shame more people don't gather together to play board games. In my opinion they're much more fun than computer games. People say they don't have time or some other reason yet most seem to be able to play Call of Duty for hours!

Another great review! I'm going to use this as a quick tutorial for potential heroes (potential victims). Thanks ladies!

What? Nobody mentions Beer and Board Games? Those reviews are also great!

Well they are in the games business but I think their reviews are pretty fair. I may not agree with some of their positions but they do an excellent job breaking down the game quickly to give the viewer an idea of what the game is like. How are they supposed to cater to everybody's viewpoints? They cannot but I doubt they review games they cannot stand and therefore why most of the reviews (maybe all but I have not watched every episode) are indeed positive...

I am subscribed to all the reviewers mentioned in the comments. I like Starlit C reviews because they are short, and mostly because they are girls and I am a girl :) and their perspective matters to me.

I barely noticed the music. It's not obtrusive at all.

I do not know how it in the english manual but in the polish manual is explicitly written that the player can perform the same two action in his round.

Can you use the expansions from the first edition with this 2nd edition.

Being the Overlord is the best. It's completely different than you're typical DM.

I actually think the music adds a nice touch!

If you are just doing reviews under mins is fine and you girls do a great job in the time you have for each video. As for Rodney, well 10+ hours is great when you are doing full game play throughs. Not sure you could do that in under 10 mins. :P

The shorter quest length is a big plus. However 2.0 simply fails to scale the overlord to the heroes properly. 4 heroes are devastating, and all the OL gets is an extra minion to pad out his monster groups. Moreover monsters are simply very easy to kill, and it's very disappointing to select a bunch of cool-looking critters just to see them die before they get to do anything.....

You know, I think it would really help you guys if the Sunlit Citadel URL was actually worked into the video as part of the intro, or the outro, or perhaps during the review itself. Maybe even a banner or some other kind of signage. Also, I notice that Kaja and Joanna are never identified in the actual videos, either through introduction or conversation with each other. Names would help viewers feel more connected, don't you think?

Nice overview.

There's an app now. No one has to be the DM.

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, the videos would be even more distracting without the music, as we're not shooting in a sound-proof room, and the mics pick up lots of background noise that we can't entirely clean up. I doubt you'd enjoy hearing the water running through the pipes, or the woman upstairs walking around in high heels, or the "ping" noise the heater makes, all of which would be very audible without the music. We can try to keep the music less obtrusive, though.

I have to disagree when you call it being a negative for someone having to be the overlord. A lot of people really like being that one "bad guy" against all the other guys. It's not for everyone mind you, but I don't think it quite falls into the category of "negative" Good review.

This is ASMR to me..

Great review! I was thinking about buing this game. Now I see it's not for me - short and simple, with every action defined by dice roll... I'll stick to Mage Knight. ;)

Cool. I would posit that attaching the reviewers names imparts a stronger sense of weight and authority to the reviews themselves. The reviews are very informative, but always talking to the camera and never being conversational with each other feels a little...distant, I guess. Almost like two separate reviews, rather than a joint one. Hope I'm not being too pushy, just sharing my two cents. YMMV.

I do also like that SC is women and its nice to get a different perspective than just the guys. ;)

Unfortunately, you can't. The game mechanics have been altered enough that they aren't compatible (which is why they released the Conversion Kit -- so that you can at least bring your heroes/villains from past expansions and the previous base game forward into this edition).

...Both Tom (e.g. Cosmic Encounter, TI3, Memoir 44, Capo/or whatever his new game is etc) and Undead Viking (likes to plug free games that can be broken for example A Few Acres of Snow) have their axe to grind at times as well. I have to say that I disagree fairly frequently with both of these guys but I respect their contributions and positions as we are all looking for different things when playing boardgames... This sort of comment is precisely why ppl stop posting important contributions!

hmm, I still think the classic heroquest was better refinded. they should bring it back.

Your DM needs to drop to three days a week working - it works for me! (Obviously, I can't afford now to both eat AND buy games, but sometimes something just has to give...) X

We miss you girls.

Great overview of the game, but it seems way too complicated for my tastes. Dungeonquest has become my "go to" dungeon crawl board game. This game had way too much stuff for my liking.

What kind of mikes are you guys using? Clip-on mikes are usually pretty good about not capturing distant, ambient noises.

I love this game but the map tiles are too small

Theres a app you can use on your computer now that plays as the overlord...so overlord problem solved.

Want to pick up this game sooooo bad. One bad thing, the price. :(

its come down to around $50 on Amazon so thats not all that bad for what you get. if i had a consistent gaming group i would get it in a heartbeat, but buying it to play with friends maybe once a month i dont know is worth it

Better than legend of Drizzt?

These ladies have to be the sweetest board game reviewers ever.

I love games explained by girls (women). Very nice job.

Babes + board games + intelligent reviews = subscribe ;)

I'm trying to finish and publish my game which shares this genre. I would love to get a review like this.

Very good video, spot on on what the people want to see in a board game review, good job girls !

Hey, girls. If I get this game will it feel too similar to Mice and mystics?

I would buy this in an instant if it was 2 player co op without the need for a third person. such a shame this 3 player gimmick stops us from enjoying several games like this.

I miss you girls

....On the hero side, the easy kills, combined with the loss of aim, dodge, and guard actions, as well as power dice, pretty much takes away the tactical depth that made Descent special. 2.0 embraces the run-of-the-mill dungeoncrawler notion that combat should be a matter of lucky dice-rolling and good gear.

I'd guess your last utube profile got banned then.... .

Thank you both for this excellent review. On behalf of all civlized y-chromosome bearers, please disregard/ignore the perv troll comments that inevitably appear below, and continue making these high production quality videos. Amazingly, Descent doesn't have that many good ones.

I like Tom Vasel's reviews, but UndeadViking's are way too long for me, and I think he's insufficiently critical about the games he reviews. Starlit Citadel's reviews are great for giving you a good feel of a game and a quick rundown of its pros and cons. I didn't contribute to the campaign, but I buy games from Starlit Citadel.

relax!

Not a review. This is a 'How to Play'. Need to update thumbnail...

too many dices

...but I can't stand Descent! :) I don't know why anyone plays this when there are RPGs out there! X

Well, here's hoping you guys get rich off of KZfaq clicks.

It is not pronounced "Meelee"....-_-

im like.... totally in lesbians with the the girl on the left :O

Can Kaja talk without constantly flailing her arms? It's so annoying.