Trial of Tyranny – Campaign Preview

8th May 2024

Dan Mapleston

*DEEP BOOMING 1980s MOVIE TRAILER VOICE*

"In a world of kings and magic, a man tormented by spirits finds the power to destroy life and death alike.

Now, four very different heroes will journey into darkness to save the world.

But first they must learn the secrets needed to reach him, at the centre of an underground fortress full of traps and great evil.

And when everyone is against them, they will have to count on each other...

Don't miss 'Trial of Tyranny', in Dungeon Saga Origins boxes everywhere from May 20th - bring home the adventure today!"

Ahem! Welcome to your first Dungeon Saga Origins campaign, which comes included with the core game box.

Trial of Tyranny is a ripping yarn for the whole family that (as you will already have guessed from our intro) plays out like a fantasy adventure movie.

Let's look at some highlights, without any spoilers of course...

Opening Scenes

You've heard how our heroes were selected for their daring quest, so let's pick up the tale from just after their first meeting...

The heroes sat around a large fireplace, the warm glow of the fire dancing upon their faces as they shared snippets of stories from adventures past and what might lie ahead. The contact they were waiting for approached from the shadows at the back of the room.

“I am Master Ranvus, arch-scribe from the Universities of Magic, advisor in the arcane arts to his highness and holy Ballazar. Mortibris will have many sentries and watchers posted to avoid being surprised whilst he searches the ancient halls of Dolgarth. It would be of great benefit to approach unseen if you can.

“To do that you need to know where you are going. None are still alive that could offer us that information, but there is other knowledge that will never fade with the passing of time. What better way to avoid detection than to know of all the hidden entrances designed by the dwarfs of Dolgarth themselves?

“Dureg was neither the greatest of dwarf lords nor had the grandest of holds, but I have learned that he held the largest collection of dwarfen maps outside of Abercarr. His ruined hold is east of here, no more than three days ride. It is long abandoned after he met his end during a particularly nasty goblin incursion. I have heard tales of death lurking in the corridors of his old home, though I doubt they’re as worrisome as the greater threat of Mortibris, but I wouldn’t discount a possible connection. Evil seeks evil just as gold breeds greed…

“There’s a small town by the name of Yammerton, close to Dureg’s ruins. It lies on the trade route into Abercarr, so good caravans means good equipment if you have the coin. I’d suggest you set up camp on the edge of the ruins and you can expect to buy decent equipment as you see fit whilst able to rest between excursions into the depths of the dungeons.

“So it is that I propose a new venture before you tackle Mortibris. Seek out Dureg’s Halls and claim the Map of Dolgarth. Learn to fight with each other, before you have to fight for the whole world!"

The Cast

We've met the heroes (Orlaf, Madriga, Rordin & Danor), but every great story needs a cast of villains. In time-honoured fashion, we're starting with everyone's favourite baddies brought stunningly to life with new miniatures made just for Dungeon Saga Origins.

From ghosts to skeletons, and a shamble of zombies (yup, that feels like the right collective noun!) you'll have plenty of opportunity to defy the undead in the Halls of Dureg...just make sure you don't let them overwhelm your heroes...

Let's check some of them out below!

On Location

Trial of Tyranny is played out across full-colour double-sided multi-room dungeon tiles, each just begging to be explored in search of treasure, secret passages, and all kinds of quest objectives that you'll be seeking out! These are turned, rearranged, and flipped to create a huge range of possible layouts - and that's before we even start moving doors, barricades, and more around...

You can enhance the board even further with 3D scenery from our terrain crate range if you want to create the ultimate immersive dungeon for your game nights!

Special Features

Trial of Tyranny uses the core game rules without adding any extra complexity. Later campaigns will introduce some clever and thematic twists, but let's have you learn the ropes first!

Most importantly, check out the Digital Overlord - which adds audio narration, quest map management, and saves your progress between quests. This enhances the game's inbuilt solo mode (or full co-op if nobody wants to play as the Overlord tonight), as you won't need to keep checking the quest book and risking spoilers if your eyes wander!

It's free, optional (so you can play without it if you wish), and works on any web capable device.

Trial of Tyranny is fully supported, and all the Glimmer of Greed quests are also coming this month for those of you racing ahead!

And Finally

That all sounds great. But you know what sounds even better? An outrageous special offer!

Just order Dungeon Saga Origins from the webstore by our shipping day on 20th May 2024, and we'll add a free copy of the Dungeon Saga Origins dice game - a standalone, competitive, push-your-luck experience that's perfect for dungeon-delving on the go, when travelling, on holiday, or when you've got time for a fast-playing dice game!