This is part of a series of bloody matches to the death. Show support for your favorite game so it will do better in the fight. You can support it by writing why you think its the better game and more importantly by betting (i.e. voting for) it. Please make it clear for when I check the bets later. You have until Friday when I tally the bets and declare the winner. I will reserve my bet for any tie-breakers.
Although you should be familiar with both games, there is no rule that says you have to have played both of them. The only rule in Trashdome is this;
This is part of a series of bloody matches to the death. Show support for your favorite game so it will do better in the fight. You can support it by writing why you think its the better game and more importantly by betting on it. End your first post in this thread with the title of the game you're placing a bet on (i.e. voting for) so its clear to me when reading it later. You have until Friday when I tally the bets and declare the winner. Counting expansions or not is entirely up to you just as playing with them or not is. I will reserve my bet for any tie-breakers.
Although you should be familiar with both games, there is no rule that says you have to have played both of them. The only rule in Trashdome is this;
Tough choice... I watched about a half hour of a Descent campaign at a convention last week and thought it seemed really cool and something I'm bound to dive into at some point. But then just last night I played MEQ for the first time and it was really outstanding... one of the best first impressions I've ever had playing a game.
So I have to go with MEQ, being that I've played it and loved it.
I have no interest in Descent. I still fail to comprehend why would anyone play it instead of a regular RPG. MEQ on the other hand is one of the most atmospheric games I have ever played and I enjoy it a lot.
I have no interest in Descent. I still fail to comprehend why would anyone play it instead of a regular RPG.
(1)You are using a streamlined rule system, all based on tactical miniature skirmishes, instead of 6 volumes of books setting out how to develop your cleric.
(2) The DM is not there to ensure that everyone has a great adventure, they are there to bend you over the table and shaft you senseless.
I haven't played MEQ, so my vote goes to Descent:JID.
I have only played Descent without expansions. The overlord seemed constrained by scenario design. Middle Earth Quest felt more like I was designing my own scenario (putting monster and plots where I wanted them).
Players in Middle Earth Quest don't grow in power that much, but some of the training cards are really nice. Descent gives players lots of advancement. You really feel power growth throughout the game.
Despite the lack of dice in MEQ, I am going to go with MEQ. I like feeling like we defeated Sauron instead of just the scenario.
I recently only half-joking referred to MEQ as a Eurogame. Because it hits its theme only about as well as the typical Euro. My "quests" are move here, then here? And I get two of them that are easily done, and then...? Characters don't really level up or improve that much? There are like three items in the whole game?
I'm running around currying "favor" from Saruman and Aragorn? Really?
OH NOES, the dark lord is...advancing...the yellow track or whatever. I feel...impending doom?
I kind of dig the combat system and multi-use cards, with the idea of "resting". But that's about as far as it goes. The rest of it? Bleh. The Middle-Earth is just painting on a "move some gears around in a machine" style game that to me was the definition of sterile and cold.
Shit, I would vote for World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game over MEQ, and that was almost as half-assed as adventure games come.
But against Descent? Get the fuck out of here. THE most ambitious boardgame dungeon crawl ever released? Tons of awesome expansions and even a campaign system? Yeah, dock it a few points for the anti-thematic "teleports to town" and the clumsy handling of death, but truly, Descent is the shit.
MEQ is simply shit with beautiful production values and a kick-ass theme that is truly, truly wasted.
What Ken said, except for all the stuff about MEQ, because I haven't played it.
Why would you play Descent over an RPG? Because it is NOT an RPG, it is a board game. It has some similarities to a combat-centric RPG, but it is a tactical miniatures game with leveling up and items where the heroes and overlord do their best to WIN. There is no winning in an RPG. Only losing. Because RPGs are for losers.
This is not quite fair. My favorite board game is Descent, in any form. Haven't played Sea of Blood, but we've played vanilla Descent and Road to Legend on average for a year and a half, almost twice a month, between 5 and 10 hours each time (mostly closer to 10) and we still love it.
MEQ I've demoed, and it looks cool. Like something I'd play twice a year. Not even close to Descent.
And for the record, I have no interest in RPGs on board game night or outside of a video game. When I play a board game, I want to crush my foes into oblivion, not tell a story.
Descent plays like a poor imitation of a video game to me and it plays slowly to boot. I'd rather crack out Diablo or Diablo 2 or Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance 1 or 2 or even good old Gauntlet and play that coop.
I can feel the hurled stones crushing me as I type, but that is the way I see it. I'm hoping that Doom plays a little faster than Descent as I got it at a great price from the annual FFG sale.
Games
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
