Pericle by Long Dog Games

 One of my warm pre-teen memories was hanging out with three of my friends in an attic bedroom, sitting on avocado-green shag carpet and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Our party was often serious, frequently silly, and not nearly as smart as we thought we were - which led to our poor dungeonmaster's frustration on many occasions. Sadly, those days were short, and our party was split up by high school sports, band commitments and family moves. I tried Traveller with an older group of friends, but I missed the feel of those campaigns. 

Now, I'm middle-aged professional with responsibilities, a mortgage, one leg, and two full-time jobs. Like many, I find myself searching for mindful, quiet entertainment and stress relief. For me, board games fill that need. And Pericle, by Long Dog Games, has satisfied my longing for those attic, dungeon-crawling days with my boyhood friends. 

Pericle is at its heart, a classic dungeon crawler, but with excellent maps, gorgeous hero and adversary standees, an easy to learn dice-based combat system, and perhaps most importantly, a DM who doesn't care how smart or silly you are. 

Loremaster is the heart of Pericle, and it beats true for the genre of this game. Short video introductions to each encounter and setting set the mood beautifully, and the artwork included in the software is brilliant. When the action shifts to the mapboards, the colors and "feel" of the space and the encounter are consistant, creating a deeper sense of immersion, and escape. 

The games components are well made and durable. Optional card sets for spells and disciplines are a huge help. I do think that Long Dog should consider making laminated character sheets and include more notetaking space on the back to keep track of loot, skills, armor, and equipment.  This is a rare mistep, however, and barely worth mentioning. 

The cost of the base game, currently around $165 may seem steep, but this is a rich and growing universe of gaming. And as I said, the materials are stout. The acrylic standees have amazing front and back art (facing matters in this game), and there are a LOT of them in the base kit. They aren't just pretty, however. They are tough. I keep mine in a velvet, uh...ahem... "beverage" bag. Some may groan at this, but none of my standees show any wear or scratching. The cardboard components are thick and well printed. This game was built to last. 

Most players will start with four of a handfull of pre-generated characters. And I do recommend this approach. You will gain a lot from trying out the different disciplines and skillsets. Pericle also lets you change out party members easily. Just pick a different character sheet and miniature standee, change your party members in the Pericle App, and you are off. This also means that anyone can join your game at any time, and leave at any time. So, if one of my childhood pals were to visit, we could play a couple hours without any real prep at all. When he leaves, I can continue on with the campaign. I love this aspect of the game. 

At some point, and there is a perfect time to do it an hour or two into the Gathering Darkness campaign, you can create your own character. And this is another place where Pericle sparkles. There are no class requirments. You can choose any race or make on up. Combine several into a multi-racial character. I chose a Stone Dwarf Mage. And now, several more hours in, he is a badass - although not without some more scars!

Play is much more open ended in Pericle than some have indicated in other reviews. For me, the accusations of this game being a "choose your own ending" book are misleading. Most encounters offer tough choices and options and the number of branching decisions increases exponentially as the campaign progresses. I am now about 20 hours into the campaign (estimated by the developers to take at least 60 hours - but I must be behind that curve), and I just cleared an encounter where I had three other significant options that I did not take. Next time. 

The NPCs in the game are not throw-away props either. You will encounter many unique and fascinating people...and animals, who you may develop relationship or conflict with. And your actions and choices will add up and come back to benefit or harm you. Good choices lead to Ardence points that create good Karma. Literally.

If you are lucky, some NPCs might befriend or join you. I thought I loved this game before I was able to convince a stray dog in Porta to accompany me. Now my party has it's own four-legged fur missile!

If a 60-plus hour long campaign doesn't seem long enough to justify the cost, never fear. Long Dog has expansions already in the pipeline. I came along too late to back them on Kickstarter, but the Labyrinth expansion should be out in late Spring 2025. More expansions are apparently planned, and user creation tools are also planned. 

One last thought; we do business in our daily lives with real human beings. And I have noticed that many forget that for most careers, people are the job. Long Dog Games clearly knows this. They have made a great product that looks to be around for some time. Pericle is currently holding a solid 8.5 rating on Board Game Geek. LDG are masters of customer service. In the language of Pericle, they automatically get an AD+1 on every customer encounter. Many Pericle owners will tell you about the swift responsiveness they receive for even the most minor concerns or trivial questions.

I have my own customer service experience. In my daytime job, I teach at a continuation high school. Knowing the benefits of board gaming for mental health and prompting resilience, I agreed to advise a tabletop gaming club. LDG heard about this and sent me a copy of Pericle for my students to play. I broke it out for them this week, and they love it. Their current plan is to begin the Gathering Darkness campaig the week we return from winter break in January. 

My bottom line: Dr. Matt enthusiastically recommends Pericle.  

Remember, friends, we can slay fantasy monsters and demons on the tabletop, but by being present for others, we can slay the real ones in our own lives and theirs. Whatever your fight today, stay in it! We need you. 

Until next time. 

(Images are from my own solo campaign - note, the dwarf mini is not part of the Pericle set. I had this mini and he is just my favorite, so I put him on a hex hase and use him for my original character. Anything goes!)