52 Realms Adventures: It’s Indie Dungeoncrawl Time Again

I’ve watched the fellas at Postmark Games pivot over the last few years to affordable, visually irresistible print-and-play titles and knew I was overdue to try one, especially as I seem unable to keep myself from snapping up a dungeoncrawler at least once a year. (I am actively hostile toward D&D, but love the proposition of a light scramble through a puzzle with some combat, goodies, and a distinct mechanical twist on the setting.)

52 Realms Adventures: Just gimme the loot, I don’t care what your character’s backstory is. Look at this map. Tell me you don’t want to play around on this map. This is candy.

I spent quite a bit of time with A Couple of Drakes’ Dead Belt, even more time with Grey Gnome Game’s Tin Helm, and really liked Grumpy Spider’s Pocket Book Adventures.

Now I’m ready to see how Postmark’s application of standard playing cards tastes in 52 Realms Adventures, where drawn suits and values provide the beats of a story, the stats, and inform how you manage the fortunes of the Barbarian or Seer that came with the Kickstarted files I bought a few weeks ago. The game has more dungeons and characters and is for sale now on Postmark’s website. Add to cart.

This kind of game ends up on my table a lot when I’m hypnotized by good breakbeats, have a few in me, am too faded to set up Star Wars: Outer Rim or Thunderbolt Apache Leader, but I need something more rousing and vivid than my abstract solo quick-players and tile-layers. I want to kill stuff, feel the contained danger of being killed by stuff, and the titillation of seeing what’s around in a corner, what’s in a room, what baubles are to be had.

Right now I’m hip-deep in a bunch of chewy empire- and war-themed titles from major publishers, but stay tuned here, because this thing is getting printed, played and reviewed in 2025. Stay tuned for a report and a review.