RPG Review - ‘Epic Encounters: Cove Of The Dragon Turtle’
Humor us for a moment, won’t you? Try to imagine the following scenario in your head if you can. You and your party of wary adventurous heroes have been traversing the lands of some far-off land on a quest to end all quests. After several days of traveling, you journey leads you to the cave of a mythical beast. The villagers in a town not so far in the distance have conflicting accounts, some saying it is a massive dragon guarding a sunken treasure while others say it is an ancient turtle with a shell thicker than steel. Either way you and your friends have been waiting for this moment. You’re suited up, fully stocked, and healed as you make your way deep inside the treacherous tunnels. Once you make it to your destination, you are expecting a terrifying beast of whispers and legends. Instead you are met with a cheaply made turtle plushie with taped on paper wings.
Seriously?! Your dungeon master couldn’t be bothered to even 3D print you something at least half-way resemebling what they’d been describing for the last two weeks?
If this scenario has happened to you in the past (and honestly, who hasn’t?), then Steamforged Games has the answer with their Epic Encounters line. Today we’re going to talk about one of their latest releases - Epic Encounters: Cove of the Dragon Turtle.
The Epic Encounters line from Steamforged Games is a series of 5th Edition compatible TTRPG (Tabletop Roleplaying Game) supplements designed to bring sessions to the next tier. Each release includes an array of miniatures, adventure books, and playmats that are designed to be played by themselves or integrated into a dungeon master’s greater narriative. Some releases will include several smaller scale miniatures to represent the various encounters you’ll find in the adventure books, while others may include only a single “gargantuan” mini.
Epic Encounters: Cove of the Dragon Turtle includes only a singular miniature in the form of the 100mm-based Dragon Turtle. The model is exceptionally detailed and posed in such a way that it fits onto a lovely scenic base. The thing that left us most impressed by the model (its size makes it hard to call it a miniature with a straight face) is that a painter of any skill level could have a blast with this from a hobby standpoint. The finer details, like the tiny barnacles on the stomach of the turtle to the details of the Dragon Turtle’s skin, will give veteran painters something to show off. Beginner or novice hobbyists won’t have to worry about having the best skills at basing a miniature and something like various contrast or speed paints on the market will give the model a nice painted look.
The encounter includes a sheet of cardboard tokens to represent other smaller creatures players will come across in the set’s include adventure book. Dungeon masters can get the Epic Encounter: Island of the Crab Archon to have actual, physical miniatures to replace the tokens with. Otherwise they are printed well and on nice quality cardboard, so they should last for quite some time.
As previously mentioned, the line is meant to be seamlessly integrated into existing campaigns or played as a one off event. This is accomplished through the included adventure book. Without getting into spoiler territory, the book does a rather solid job of giving dungeon masters a fun scenario to play out, as well as the tools (such as an attack chart and detailed stats for the Dragon Turtle) to make this a part of their campaigns at large. For us, there is something nice about having a complete, one off experience in a box on the game shelf. Maybe your entire party can’t make it to game night for various reasons or someone is interested in roleplaying games for the first time, either scenario would greatly benefit from having a fun, one-and-done adventure ready to go.
As much as we would like to say this massive turtle is flawless and all rainbows and kittens, there is s tiny blemish to an otherwise great product. Like with most things in life, the issue some players might have is with the price. Epic Encounters: Cove of the Dragon Turtle has a MSRP of $49.95 USD. If combined with the Island of the Crab Archon set, it brings the all-in to $104.90 USD. The Dragon Turtle is a massive piece of plastic, without question, but we can’t help but wonder if removing something like the physical adventure book in favor of a digital PDF to lower the price would have been possible. Most veteran players are used to higher costs thanks to things like the various books from their favorite systems, but new players may not see the value in it.
Final Thoughts:
Steamforged Games have a fantastic product in their portfolio with Epic Encounters. Many products can claim to offer something for everyone, but these sets actually do. Existing players/dungeon masters are given the options to give their players a fun one-shot adventure or weave it into their greater narrative. New players will find the isolated adventure a great way of knowing if tabletop roleplaying games are for them. All in all, complaints on the price aside, these are simply great additions to any game night.
Pros:
Beautifully detailed model that will be a fun painting experience regardless of one’s skill level.
The included adventure book is detailed and thorough, yet allows dungeon masters plenty of tools to make the adventure their own.
The quality of the non-miniature components (tokens and playmat) are top notch.
Combines well with Island of the Crab Archon for a larger experience, especially in regards to replacing the tokens with actual miniatures.
Cons:
The $50 price tag for the singular miniature might be a put off to some, especially new players.
While the tokens are serviceable, the need to purchase the Island of the Crab Archon is truly a double-edged sword.
Verdict: 4/5 - Worth A Spot In Your Collection
For those unaware, we did a quick unboxing of the set recently and uploaded it to our Youtube channel. We are still trying to get a handle on what we think we want this sort of content to look like and sound like. If you have any constructive feedback, please be sure to comment on the video! Also, if you could give it a like and a share, that would be awesome.
Epic Encounters: Cove of the Dragon Turtle is published by Steamforged Games and is for 2 or more players, ages 11 and up, and plays in 2+ hours. The set can be purchased at your local game store or through Steamforged Games’ webstore. Steamforged Games provided a review copy of the game, but no compensation was provided for this review.