Dungeon Petz review

The game was published in 2011 by Czech Games Edition (CGE) and Z-Man Games.

Dungeon Petz was designed by Vlaada Chvátil and illustrated by David Cochard. Vlaada Chvátil is a Czech game designer famous for creating games on the border between euros and thematic games, such as Mage Knight, Dungeon Lords, and Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization.

Component List

• 1 Rulebook;
• 1 Two-sided progress board;
• 1 Two-sided central board;
• 4 Burrow boards in 4 colors;
• 4 Pet display boards;
• 1 Progress marker;
• 20 Plastic fasteners for assembling pets;
• 18 Pets with rotating wheels;
• 11 Cage tiles;
• 6 Addon tiles;
• 10 Artifact tiles;
• 8 Customer tiles;
• 8 Exhibition tiles;
• 4 Achievement tiles in 4 colors;
• 5 Potion cards;
• 8 Wooden minion figures in 4 colors;
• 40 Plastic imp figures in 4 colors;
• 104 Need cards of four types;
• 40 Wooden gold tokens;
• 14 Wooden vegetable tokens;
• 30 Wooden manure tokens;
• 11 Wooden meat tokens;
• 20 Plastic suffering tokens;
• 8 Cardboard mutation tokens;
• 1 Starting player token.

Gameplay

A family of imps has just started a new business – they are breeding and selling PETZ. While they are little, your job is to fulfil all their needs and show them off in various contests. When the pets become mature and frightening enough, you sell them to Dungeon Lords.

Dungeon Petz is set in the Dungeon Lords universe. All players have their own separate game boards and pet shops with cages. Different actions can be taken also on the main board.

You can play Dungeon Petz with two to four people. The game goes on for approximately ninety minutes. It is an original worker-placement game. The thrill of the game is forming groups of your imps that will perform different actions. Bigger groups go first but the more groups you have, the more actions you can take. If you want to win, you have to keep in mind what your opponents want and what they will be after.

Rules

At the beginning of the game, you have six imps on your board and four imps on the main board. To purchase those on the main board, you need to perform specific actions.

Players form groups of their imps without showing how many they have in a group. Then all players simultaneously reveal their groups, and the player with the biggest group gets to choose the action first.

Some of the actions you can take include buying new pets, getting new cages and add-ons for them, getting food for pets, artifacts, visiting the hospital, and so on. To keep a pet, you need to have enough food and a blank cage on your board. Also, to keep your pet happy and alive, you must meet their needs. If you fail to do so, your pet may suffer and even die.

Then, there are exhibitions. Different exhibitions have different demands. Depending on that, players will score varying points and gain prestige for their pet shops.

In later rounds, there is an option to sell your pets to buyers if your pets meet their desires. Selling pets gets you money and more prestige. If a pet goes on unsold, it gets bigger, costs more, and might bring you more points eventually, but also has more needs.

The game lasts for five or six rounds, depending on how many players you have got. After that, a final scoring takes place. The player who has the most points is the winner.

You can download the whole manual in PDF here.

Similar Games

Dungeon Petz vs Dungeon Lords

Set in the same universe as Dungeon Petz, Dungeon Lords puts you in the shoes of an evil dungeonlord, desperate to build the best dungeon in the world. To achieve that, you set traps, hire filthy creatures, and defeat ill-fated heroes who dare to tread into your kingdom.

In 2014, to celebrate five years of Dungeon Lords, there was a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter to release Dungeon Lords Anniversary Edition.

Dungeon Petz may seem a bit less complex compared to Dungeon Lords and has clearer rules. Also, Dungeon Petz is more exciting as a 2 player game. Dungeon Lords is rather weak with two players, it is best with four people.

Dungeon Petz vs Alchemists

Illustrated by the same artist as Dungeon Petz, Alchemists offers you and your fellow scholars to try gaining reputation in the scientific world. To do that, you publish theories and collect artifacts. The problem is your theories have to be correct to earn you respect and points while buying artifacts costs you money. You can earn money if you sell potions to adventurers. Money is not your goal, though – the scientific truth is what counts.

Strategy-wise, Dungeon Petz is a heavier game. The most difficult part of Alchemists is the deduction aspect.

Dungeon Petz vs Agricola

Agricola is a famous worker-placement farming board game. Your goal is to maintain and expand your farm. You build fences, collect wood and clay, reap harvest, and so on.

Compared to Dungeon Petz, Agricola is heavier, but its rules and mechanics are more intuitive.

Expansions

Dungeon Petz: Dark Alleys

Apart from bringing you new cages and pets, Dark Alleys introduces you to a new part of the Imp Town – a back alley district where you can hire illegal workers and get black market pets. The contents of the box:

• 1 Two-sided Progress Board Extension;
• 1 Two-sided Dark Alleys Board;
• 1 Rule book;
• 9 Plastic Imps (2 in each color, 1 black);
• 10 Plastic Fasteners for assembling pets;
• 2 Addon Tiles;
• 2 Exhibition Tiles;
• 2 Customer Tiles;
• 3 Cage Tiles;
• 3 Artifact Tiles;
• 6 Facility Tiles;
• 8 Accessory Tiles;
• 4 Permission Tiles (1 in each color);
• 9 Pets with rotating wheels.

Dungeon Petz: Bob the Blob Promo Pet

Meet Bob the Blob – your new pet. At Essen Spiel 2013, Bob came with the goodies for the Dark Alleys expansion. Bob’s feature is the eagerness to please.

Dungeon Petz: Bonus Pets

This expansion has two bonus pets for you: Yummy and Skelly. Yummy is always hungry while Skelly, being a skeleton of a sadly deceased imp, never wants to eat at all and is often depressed.

Dungeon Petz: Bonus Pets fits into the Spielbox family.

FAQ

Q: Can I play Dungeon Petz online?

A: Yes, you can play a turn-based version of the game on boiteajeux.net.

Q: Is there a solo variant of Dungeon Petz?

A: There is no official solo variant of Dungeon Petz, but you can always tweak the rules a bit to fit your needs. Some fans of the game have already done it, and you can find their ideas for Dungeon Petz solitaire online. Here is an example.

Q: What sleeves shall I get to protect my Dungeon Petz cards from damage?

A: Dungeon Petz card size is 40×67 mm. An idea for storage of the cards might be getting standard mini-euro sleeves. They are slightly larger than Dungeon Petz cards, though. You will need 109 sleeves to protect all of your Dungeon Petz cards.

Q: Where can I find tutorials and tips for Dungeon Petz?

A: There are plenty of those online. Here are some examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFTAc0DRgTg, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDlggP6qfdE.

Youtube

Conclusion

Ready to have fun with some magical, playful, and sometimes angry monsters that demand your attention constantly? Sink your teeth into Dungeon Petz, but beware, they might want to do the same with you! Buying all the pretty and crazy pets for yourself may look appealing, but if you cannot provide the little beasts with all they want, your shop is looking at losing prestige, and that might lead to a straightforward disaster.

In Dungeon Petz, you never know what to expect because you are dealing with wild creatures. It does not mean you do not need a strategy, it means you need a good one. Make sure you plan ahead and be ready to take calculated risks.

Replayability of the game is guaranteed by varied buyers, contests for pets with different conditions, and, of course, your cute little pets!

Also, Dungeon Petz has amazing artwork, the components are beautiful, all pieces are painted wood, all tiles are thick and sturdy.

Anyway, playing a game of Dungeon Petz is an hour and a half of pure joy. You can buy Dungeon Petz on Amazon.