Available on Avid Dungeons and Dragons players have lots of options when wanting to find a similar experience in a digital video game. From official products like Baldur’s Gate, which puts the player first and persistent “Living” campaigns where it encourages strategy (and regular check-ins), the gambit is wide and varied.
WIMO Games has joined this world with RPG Dice: Heroes of Whitestone™. This game combines traditional board game style mechanics (navigating around like in Monopoly and getting cards which offer options in how to continue) with role playing type elements. Depending on the tile your team lands in, you either find treasure, get an encounter, progress through the story (like in a choose your own adventure novel) or have a chance to win more goodies to make your characters stronger. I recommend playing this game on a tablet than smartphone. The amount of details in the cartoon style graphics and all the buttons you’re navigating through doesn’t work well on a small screen.
The realism involved in letting the dice decide your dungeon party’s fate is nicely done. There are cards to help change where the group lands so that you’re not running around in circles either! When I’m not claiming all these bonuses, I’m actually working on the quests (much like how Codename Entertainment’s Idle Champions requires players to organise where specific fighters have to be in the lineup). Another aspect includes recruiting more heroes and deciding on the best characters to use to win the fight.
Human interaction is required for half the game and the battles can be automated. I tried the latter without, but it’s much slower. I’ve yet to discover how to heal during combat, if that’s possible. There’s no retreat, and nor can an encounter be avoided. Instead, you just have to level up or change the lineup. Thankfully, these are non-permanent deaths.
I love the random elements. When entering an event, that can mean making a choice as to stealth into an orc encampment or go in with swords swinging, say yay or nay to a group vote, or interact with the NPCs. It’s tough to get all the bits needed to make magical weapons or power-up so running around the board several times is required. I’m willing to invest $20 so I can get these relics and crystal bits to build the necessary gear to buff my team up. Those items don’t pop up as often.
Otherwise, RPG Dice: Heroes of Whitestone is very generous in giving players potions and the basic items needed to level up. Coins are scarce. This system is at least better than Niantic’s Pokemon GO (after five years, this product is still stingy.)
4 Stars out of 5
From the Press Release:
Set forth on a journey through dangerous dungeons, treacherous terrain, and various mysterious locales. Roll dice to progress through 10 different campaigns in a winding board game, where the party of heroes face different scenarios based on the tiles they land on.. Snappy turn-based battles, blacksmith encounters to improve gear, NPCs that offer or continue quests, and more all reside as tiles across the boards.
The once prosperous and peaceful town of Whitestone now finds itself a beleaguered and war-torn shell. The Twilight Empire brings forth a wave of tyranny with its army of shadowy orcs, goblins, and elves, oppressing those who stand against them. Now, Whitestone calls out to anyone willing to fight for the cause, regardless if they’re a mercenary or virtuous knight, human or orc, sword-wielder or magic-user.
Build a group of five characters to take part in exciting turn-based combat, where the dice impact the effects of attacks and abilities used in battle. Assemble a squad from more than 60 heroes, including stalwart paladins and mighty minotaurs. Find the right balance of heroes, deploying aggressive attackers and sturdy tanks on the frontline and magic casters and ranged strikers in the back to take on the Twilight Empire.
Test this unique crew’s mettle with online PVP battles against other warriors to earn mighty rewards and advance through the ranked progression system. Form a guild with friends and new allies to fight raid bosses and compete in the Ziggurat, where dangerous enemies and cruel bosses guard some of the best loot in the game.
“Making RPG Dice: Heroes of Whitestone was a dream come true for us to pay homage to the tabletop roleplaying games we love with many of the great collaborative features mobile gaming enables,” said Dave Rosen, CEO, WIMO Games. “We’re proud of our first worldwide release and excited to grow the world of Whitestone and make even more games in the future.”
Set forth on a journey through dangerous dungeons, treacherous terrain, and various mysterious locales. Roll dice to progress through 10 different campaigns in a winding board game, where the party of heroes face different scenarios based on the tiles they land on.. Snappy turn-based battles, blacksmith encounters to improve gear, NPCs that offer or continue quests, and more all reside as tiles across the boards.