Can a Linear Fantasy Game Be Exciting?

I don't think you can say "Euro-game" and Combat in the same sentence.

Usually Euro-games tend to be "non-confrontational" and that's why they are called "Euros". Because you don't explicitly "confront" your opponent. You may steal a resource he may want on his next turn or block a path such that you cannot be followed, etc. That's EURO-type game play.

Conflict and combat ... do NOT make a game "EURO".

To me, your "idea" sounds like "Ameritrash". Check out the BGG page:

https://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Ameritrash

But highly developed THEME, characters and plot (including NPCs) ... All that can be in a form of a Board Game (not necessarily an RPG). I would dare to say that "Ameritrash" is the quintessential of the RPG in a board format.

I would search more for "Ameritrash" and see what comes up!

Cheers.

Note #1: And the term "Ameritrash" is not bad... Yeah it may sound a bit "negative" but it's really not. It's mostly about making games with HIGH THEME and focus on story-lines. Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) is one of the premiere makers of "Ameritrash" games. And they are a very well respected company and their games loved by many.

So don't think of the term (I know it sounds a bit bad) as being "negative" ... That's just the term that the Industry coined.

Cough cough.

Of course!

My games are based on that premise :)

But you do have to be careful with your balance, if there are multiple heroes that do different things. My game is notably harder with Hero Combo A and easier with Hero Combo B.

Your use of the word "hero" is kind of confusing to me in this context. I'd feel more comfortable providing suggestions if I had a better idea of what you're trying to simulate. From what I see here, you could describe the ascent of Nobles (who were capable in a number of different arenas), or you could describe the aristocracy (who reveled in the gifts bestowed upon them by the previous generation's Nobles), or even politicians (who have no applied skills of their own beyond persuasion and deviousness).

None of these roles focus on combat or direct conflict, per se. So they're all worth considering, but seem to point in very different directions.

Additionally, questccg's comment about "storyboards" and completing a series of tasks reminds me of a tough-as-nails co-op game I used to own: ElfQuest. Here it is on BGG:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/140988/elfquest-adventure-game

I think its strength was in its "Epic episodic" nature, where each game followed the theme of a volume of the comic books (and you could follow even if you never read the stories, as the components were well-designed). As the players progressed from one chapter to the next, they gained powers and abilities (or sometimes penalties) carried from one chapter to the next.

[EDIT: Wow, I did a lot of projecting in that first paragraph. My apologies. :) ]

You want an adventure game that has the look of a dungeon crawler, but you dont want the feeling of a dungeon crawler.

Maybe you could focus on the objectives of the game. Typical dungeon crawler is defeat all monsters, or reach the boss and complete the quest. Try something completely different:

• Disturb the fengshui or the rooms in the dungeon by moving around furniture while fighting creatures. When you reach a certain level of bad fengshui in the dungeon, you win.

• Make it a TV show where each player are competing to get the highest score by killing enemies, collecting power ups, reaching check point first before other players, etc.

From what I remember "Mouse and Mystics" is a story based dungeon crawler game where every "room" is part of a greater story.

Mechanically speaking, if you have too few objectives, then it seems quite challenging to avoid a linear story/narrative. Furthermore, if the obvious path is directly connected to the victory, then players will tend to stick with and never diverge from that obvious path, because there's no reason to. I think this is the main reason why the phrase, "multiple paths to victory" is drilled into designers' skulls.

But also, it makes me think of a multitude of tactics players can attempt in an effort to attain that victory. If you give a carpenter only a hammer, then he'll treat each construction project like something to nail together.

For example: imagine a dungeon crawler where the player is unable to kill anything. What kind of game would that be? How many different ways to approach the same problem could exist? Which one will the player choose? How much success can they wring from that tactic?

Dungeon crawlers is just a theme you put over your mechanics. For example "Dungeon Twister" could be considered a dungeon crawler from first view, but it is not.

It's an intense puzzle game that burns your brain where the objective is to exit by the other player's end of the maze.

You can keep the die rolling to a minimum, or even use a deterministic combat system which would have combat results predictable before the action occurs. That could lead to situation where the game is very tight and players need to work together to determine the optimal way to use their character for maximum efficiency.

Which means you end up in a kind of puzzle game.

Something like "Loot Quest":

Loot Quest Kickstarter page

This a "Roll & Move" dice game... You'll need to explain to us what you mean by "Linear Fantasy" ...? Never heard of this term. Maybe you coined that "phrase" so if this is true, maybe it would be best to "explain" what you mean by that term.

This will not only help myself... But also the other designers who are not understanding what you WANT to design... I think you've made it understood what you DON'T want to make... It's more of figuring out and understanding what it is that you DO want to design.

And of course, that can help point you in the direction of other games, things to read up on, videos to watch, etc.

Let us know where your thoughts are at... And then maybe we can better help you with discovering if something already exists or not.

Again, "Mice and mystics" is the closest I know to a story based, linear dungeon crawler game.

https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/124708/mice-and-mystics

Regarding deliberate plodding: Time limits are useful on the front-end, as well as bonuses for completing quickly. One can also make the middle-ground a desirable area to be instead of first. The game Get Bit! comes to mind, as while there's a lot of rearranging from one round to the next, being in the middle of the pack at the start affords a little bit of flexibility and perhaps a broader range of options when it comes to bidding on future rounds.

(or maybe I just like games where sharks eat people...I dunno)

I don't think he is looking at RPGs. From his OP, he wants it to be more of a TableTop/Board Game. When the topic of "linear" came up... I got the impression that he might want something like "Loot Quest" (LQ) because it is very linear with Quests and Monsters.

But he hasn't replied concerning that post. So I don't know if LQ is the type of "linearity" he is looking for. Roll & Move is as LINEAR as possible TBH...

He hasn't been back to respond... So I guess we need to wait!

Apparently so... but you CAN'T buy it even if it is available on "The Game Crafter":

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/loot-quest1

The designer has designated this game as 'not for sale' at the present time.

There is also a WEBSITE for the game too:

http://www.loot-quest.com

So the game DOES EXIST and was SOLD at some point in time... But currently it is "unavailable" ... perhaps if you REALLY WANT the game you could send an e-mail to them... IDK.

Cheers!

Well I definitely agree that "countering" sounds more like a Puzzle than it sounds like Combat. And so I would say that this might be more in-line with the original idea which was thematic, euro and some combat.

Worker placement is very Euro... and if you need to "respond" to a threat... Like in Area "A", there is a Opponent "Y" and to counter you need to place your unit "X" ... That to me sounds like a typical Euro ... especially if the board is SHARED! Then you can block off an opponent from the OTHER players too... Like maybe you get some kind of reward for countering.

And if that is YOUR "Combat" mechanic... To me this sounds very much like a Euro with an "Easy-going" combat mechanic which is all about Worker Placement and Area Control. Neither of those mechanics sound like "combat" ... But in the presented context ... could work out to a very Euro-way of modeling or simulating combat.

Definitely insightful as an example!