Chain Mail: Welcome to Darkhill – Adventure Kit

Button Shy · Board game · 2019
1–4 Solo 45 min
rating Ludopedia
8.0 rating BGG
Buy
rating Ludopedia
8.0 rating BGG
Our Verdict
RECOMMENDED

Perfect for fans of minimalist RPGs looking to expand their Earthshine adventures with new challenges.

Highlights
  • Quick and easy setup
  • Tense tactical combat
  • Intriguing map exploration
  • Great content-to-price ratio
Keep in mind
  • Requires the base game
  • Moderate language dependency
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About the game

What you do in a play session

Gear up and sharpen your blade because there's an urgent mission ahead! In 'Chain Mail: Welcome to Darkhill', you and your party have been summoned by the royal family to solve a major crisis: the heir of Darkhill has been falsely imprisoned and must be rescued. The catch? The prison's location is a mystery, so the first part of your journey is all about exploration and discovery. You'll need to scout the land, locate the secret entrance, break in, and get the heir out alive.

This Adventure Kit serves as an expansion for the base game 'Chain Mail: Adventures of Earthshine'. It introduces the quest 'The Heir of Darkhill', featuring the Crypt of Zafinn as the primary setting. To survive this raid, you'll have to deal with dangerous creatures like the Firebeast and the Snapwort, utilizing grid movement and dice rolls to determine the success of your actions.

Beyond the new map and monsters, the kit adds the Enchanted Hourglass, a treasure that can shift the tide of your adventure. The game maintains Button Shy's signature minimalist approach, offering a condensed yet tense RPG experience. If you love the feeling of entering an unknown dungeon, facing perils, and feeling your character's progression, this kit is the perfect addition. It's the kind of content that adds layers of strategy and narrative without cluttering the table. Just set up the modular board, deal the cards, and dive into the fight. Can you find the heir before it's too late, or will you become just another skeleton in the Crypt of Zafinn?

Best player count

BGG community vote

1–4 players
1 OK
2 OK
3 OK
4 OK

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Game details

Mechanics, categories, families and credits

Families

Game: Chain Mail – Adventures of Earthshine Setting: Earthshine (Button Shy)
Publisher Button Shy
Designer Jason Greeno, Jason Tagmire
Artist Marty Cobb

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers before you buy

5 questions
Can I play this kit without the base game?
No, this is an Adventure Kit (expansion). You need 'Chain Mail: Adventures of Earthshine' for the core rules and essential components.
How long does a session take?
The adventure takes about 45 minutes on average, keeping the pace quite fast.
How many players can join?
1 to 4 players. It works great both as a solo experience and as a cooperative game.
Is the game complex?
Not at all, it follows a minimalist design. If you're already familiar with the Chain Mail system, the learning curve is almost non-existent.
What's included in the kit?
You get the Heir of Darkhill quest, the Crypt of Zafinn map, monster cards (Firebeast and Snapwort), and the Enchanted Hourglass treasure.