5 Years on, I found this review while repairing some more posts that Photobucket killed. Since the game is still available (it’s had a cover art revamp) I thought it worth re-sharing our thoughts on it. Clicky for the full review.
Oh, and that place in Bentleigh closed down (name was later bought and reopened under new, better management). Karma’s a bitch, eh?
Something a little different this time. A mini-review of the re-released Dungeon! board game, by Wizards of the Coast. I’d played the original (Jedko Australian Edition) many times as a young’un, back in the 70’s(?), 80’s and 90’s as my older brothers were into D&D briefly back in the day. I’d also picked up the 1989 (giant board!) edition from TSR when it came out, though I may be missing some pieces from that one now.
So when I saw this one for the low price of AU$24 from Games Empire,* I grabbed it within a few days. (2018 edit – it’s $28 now – still worthwhile!)
This edition carries the full Dungeons and Dragons branding on the box, something that neither of the other versions I played have, despite the historical links that both games have. The components and cards have some nice artwork on them…
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Azazel's Bitz Box. 
Nice review Azazel! Like you, I find this game pretty nostalgic. It was the first dungeon crawler boardgame we ever played, and was our personal favorite until Advanced Heroquest. I’ve often thought about picking up a copy, but there are so many versions that I don’t know which one I would want. I remember they had changed some of the rules (and of course the art) at some point, and we didn’t like that version. More than likely I will never find the idealized version in my faulty memory, because it probably doesn’t exit. I do like the way that the new version places the cards in decks on the side. That’s a bit less cumbersome.
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Actually….Mertwig’s Maze was the first one that ended up taking the place of Dungeon! Not as simple as Dungeon!, but a really fun game with art by Tom Wham.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1965/mertwigs-maze
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I’ve not seen Mertwig’s Maze before. The Art style reminds me of The Awful Green Things From Outer Space!
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Same artist, and I think the same designer. “Tom Wham”. He even did some cartoon art in the old D&D books too.
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Yeah, I think there was some of the same art in Dragon Magazine occasionally as well. My brother bought it for awhile, so I used to browse and read them, but this was all before my time coming into my own with White Dwarf.
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I think there’s only the one currently available, and it’s gone to new, cartoonish art, apparently – at least for the box. Not sure if they redid every single card – I think that might have been overkill for a simple re-release.
If you’re tempted, then by all means go for it. It’s cheap, still plays simply and easily, and just swap in some of your own models for the characters and you’re golden.
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Yea, I meant there had been various editions over the years. I think several were just box cover changes. I’ve looked some up on EBay, and I think I might pick up the new box instead. Looks good enough (with minis).
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Yeah. We actually had a game of it yesterday, and it’s still (very) simple dice-rolling fun. It plays *much* quicker than I remembered, but then there were only 2 of us playing instead of 4 or more..
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I’m pretty sure I’ll pick up a new copy of Dungeon! next month now. It’s already on my wishlist as a reminder. Depends on how much GW sucks from my wallet. 😉
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Never mind, price dropped when I looked at my wish list….and now purchased! The joys of online shopping…
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Excellent!
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I don’t know if you ever found out since you originally wrote this article, but the playing pieces from the original ’75 set were simple plastic pawns, ala https://www.amazon.com/Assorted-Multi-Color-Component-Tabletop-Markers/dp/B01N45B4BZ
Amazingly enough, I still have all 8 after all these years…
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Hmm, after looking at my copy, it seems to be a reprint from 1981 – so maybe the 1975 version had something different.
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Those pawns look familiar, actually. They may well have been inside that old Jedko box.
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Just took a look on BGG. 1975 Jedko Australian Edition.
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If memory serves, we started our Dungeon! journey with the 1981 edition and had pawn pieces.
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My first copy (of my own) was the 1989 version.
It had crap-quality PVC miniatures inside, so we just used painted Warhammer models instead. Which we still do.
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