Line #89 VideoGame/GuildOfDungeoneering


1	[[quoteright:450:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guild_of_dungeoneering.jpg]]
2
3	-->''This is the Guild of Dungeoneering!\
4	On a quest but never fearing.\
5	All to be a Dungeoneer,\
6	Swimming in pools of gold.\
7	This is the Guild of Dungeoneering!\
8	All the monsters keep appearing.\
9	All to be a Dungeoneer,\
10	Whose stories will be told.\
11	What that sound? I hear a noise!\
12	Something's coming girls and boys.\
13	Run for the hills and far away!\
14	The Guild of Dungeoneering!\
15	Curse and swear but don't despair!\
16	The way out of here must be over there!\
17	I think we're lost but what do we care?\
18	The guild of Dungeoneering!''
19	--->-'''Intro Song'''
20
21	''Guild of Dungeoneering'' is a 2015 DungeonCrawler [[RolePlayingGame RPG]] with a twist: Instead of controlling the adventurers in your party, you build the dungeon around them. With cards. It takes a note from ''VideoGame/CannonFodder'', with dead characters buried in a graveyard to rub your nose in having a bunch of people dying for your amusement. In practise, it's more like playing an [[AdventureBoardGames Adventure Board Game]] on a computer (or an [[UsefulNotes/IOSGames IOS device]]) than a computer RPG.
22
23	The story goes that your (unnamed) character wanted to join the Ivory League of Explorers Guild, but was immediately rejected. Out of revenge, he stole some money from them, purchased a tumbledown guild house in "the bad part of town", and started recruiting adventurers to show up the Ivory League.
24
25	!! Tropes present in this game:
26	* AchievementsInIgnorance: A Cartomancer may choose to intentionally stack Stupidity cards - which waste a turn when used - to power up their Paper Shield (which shields from physical damage for the amount of cards in your hand) and Card Storm (which does magical damage for the amount of cards in your hand). It's possible to have 4+ blank cards in your hand and then nuke an enemy with a single Card Storm.
27	* ActionInitiative:
28	** Monsters always attack before the player unless your attack has the 'Swift' trait.
29	** All attacks from Rangers that deal physical damage have Swift, allowing rangers to almost always go first if built correctly.
30	* ADungeonIsYou: You play as both the Dungeon Master and Adventurung Guild master. You place corridors, monsters, and loot, as long as the story hasn't placed them for you.
31	* AdventureGuild: You and your rival, the titular "Guild of Dungeoneering" and "Ivory League of Explorers" respectively.
32	* AntiGrinding: Not that you need to grind since all levels reset upon victory, but a dungeon is locked once cleared. Averted to some degree with the boss rematch available once you clear off the entire region, pitting you against a random boss dungeon.
33	* ArmorPiercingAttack: Unblockable skills.
34	* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: Despite the fact that you never pay your dungeoneers and they have the approximate lifespans of houseflies, an endless number are willing to sign up. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] by RuleOfFunny.
35	* AttackBackfire:
36	** Depending on the cards played. Certain skills do +1 damage vs. Unblockable attacks.
37	** The Artificier card "Reflecting Ray" does Magic damage equal to the amount taken that turn. Against {{Spam Attack}}s, it's quite the punishment.
38	** Some defensive skills have special effects that proc whenever they block an attack.
39	** The "Retribution" passive attacks for one Magic damage if the character takes 3 damage.
40	* BareFistedMonk: Ice Cream Monks, introduced in the ''Ice Cream Headache'' DLC, gain +1 to all Physical attacks as long as both of their Hand slots are empty.
41	* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: Snowmanable monsters, an enemy type from the ''Ice Cream Headache'' DLC. They have several subtypes, and only start with "Abominable Snowman". There are [[ThePigPen Disagreeable]] snowmen, who have a pair of Nature skills, Honourable, Dishonourable, and Respectable snowmen, [[GiantMook Formidable Snowmen]], and [[BanditMook Profitable Snowmen,]] who have the ability to tax your earnings in any quest you encounter them on. Their young, Adorable Snowmen, have AllYourPowersCombined.
42	* TheBerserker: The Barbarian Class and enemies with the "Irritable" descriptor.
43	* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: Certain armors grant a character +1 Heart. Or +2 if you're lucky.
44	* BossRush: In the {{Very Definite Final Dungeon}}. The Bosses themselves [[OhCrap are not too thrilled]] to meet you again; to a point where they will sic The Ivory League - the group that would normally hunt ''them'' down - at you.
45	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Every class, but the Cartomancer is really mouthy about it. Dungeoneers complain about you putting down dungeon tiles without monsters or loot in them, for example.
46	* CaptainErsatz: The Boss "Generic, Non-Infringing Princess" is one for [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]]. The trophy for beating her is a C&D letter.
47	* CaptainObvious: A tip on the loading screen reads, "Watch out for unblockable attacks! They go straight through your blocks."
48	* CastFromHitPoints: Barbarian/Irritable skills damage the user but do huge physical damage. The Most Holy Grail Knight also has, of all things, a ''healing ability'' that is used this way. ''Flagellate'' costs one heart and heals 3, for a total of 2. Still a lifesaver in a pinch, surprisingly.
49	* ChandelierSwing: Used word-for-word as a defensive skill for the Swashbuckler, which blocks 3 physical damage.
50	* ChargeAttack:
51	** Certain skills add a point of damage to the next ability of the same damage type as themselves. Some can be spammed indefinately until you find yourself doing enough damage to clean out a boss' entire stock of hearts if you're lucky.
52	** The Cartomancer skill Card Storm does magic damage equal to the size of his Hand. He also has several cards that increase his Hand size. Once you have his whole deck in-hand, it becomes more-or-less a FantasticNuke.
53	** The "Showoff" passive, granted by way of A) the Long Coat shirt or B) playing a Swashbuckler, involves banking physical damage every time you fully block an attack.
54	* ClassAndLevelSystem: Classes dictate what skill deck a character starts with. Levelling up simply increases their HP, and doesn't carry over to the next quest.
55	* ClassyCatBurglar: Averted. Cat burglars look like skinheads and are absolutely in love with cat jokes.
56	* ClothesMakeTheSuperman: Shirt and hat equipment grant combat cards and special abilities.
57	* DamageOverTime: The relatively rare "Burning" and "Bleeding" effects cause a 1 heart loss over the course of a battle. Luckily, only player characters can use them (unless a monster with ''Ransack'' steals them on you).
58	* DamageIncreasingDebuff:
59	** The debuffs Frail, Mundane, Decay and Brittle cause enemies (and heroes who drank from a cursed Fountain or have equipment like Seaweed or Dynamite) to take extra damage.
60	*** Frail adds +1 to physical attacks.
61	*** Mundane adds +1 to magic attacks.
62	*** Decay adds +1 untyped damage to any attack that deals two or more damage.
63	*** Brittle adds +2 untyped damage to any attack that deals three or more damage.
64	* DamageTyping: Four: Physical (a fist icon), Magic (a fireball), Self-Inflicted (an empty heart), and Untyped (a star). Skills are basically how much of which type you do and wether or not you defend as well. Untyped damage usually only comes from special statuses (Bruiser "Spikey" passive, the "Decay" debuff, etc), and Self-Inflicted is the NecessaryDrawback for berserker (Barbarian and Irritable) skills.
65	* DeflectorShields: The Artificier's ''Static Field'' skill blocks one magic damage and retaliates for two.
66	* TheDeadHaveNames: Every Dungeineer who dies on your watch gets buried in the guild's Graveyard.
67	* TheDissTrack: Whenever a dungeoneer dies the bard plays a song insulting them (and the player) for dying.
68	* DittoFighter: The Mime ability "Copycat" and the Artificier ability "Thought Extractor" clone the enemy's next card.
69	* DramaPreservingHandicap: {{Played For Laughs}}, of course; you can catch Embro the Firelord right out of the bath, which makes him much easier (if not manageable) to defeat. It [[FridgeBrilliance does make some sense]]; he is the Firelord, after all, and having a "Damp" status can't be good for someone with that descriptor. It applies to the (Evil) Lich too; in his case the status says "Half-Baked".
70	* DrunkenMaster: The "Drunken Sailor" class.
71	* EquipmentBasedProgression: Your adventurers start out with six class skills and get new ones based on what loot they find, and Battle Scars they accrue.
72	* EveryoneHatesMimes: The Mime class is considered annoying InUniverse; in combat they're magical powerhouses nearly as good as Apprentices.
73	* EvolvingAttack: The Yodeler's schtick is that their "[[MakeMeWannaShout Yodel]]" skill gets more and more powerful each time you play it. It starts off doing 1 physical damage, then does two, then becomes Unblockable, and finally becomes a Swift attack.
74	* ExactWords:
75	** Certain skills have special effects that proc "per hit" or "if successful". For example, ''Siphon'' steals a heart per hit, and hits twice. However, if you've charged it up with a Focus card, it strikes a third time, and steals three hp. This also works if the enemy is "Mundane" (takes +1 damage from Magic attacks). A skill that procs "if successful" tacks its special effect to the rearmost damage icon. Conversely, Holy Seal defends once against Physical or Magic damage, and heals 1 heart per block. Against a "Sluggish" enemy, it blocks twice, healing on the extra block as well.
76	** Certain Cartomancer cards have effects based on how many cards they have in-hand. Once you play them, they don't count as "in-hand" any more.
77	** Bulwark doesn't proc against two-damage attacks from enemies with "Sluggish," which counts Block skills as doubly-effective.
78	* ExperiencePoints: Averted. Defeating enemies at or above a dungeoneers own level is what makes them level up.
79	* ExtrinsicGoFirstRule: Monsters always go first, unless the player uses a "Swift" (a thunderbolt icon) attack.
80	* FightLikeACardPlayer:
81	** Characters have a deck of cards that dictates what skills they can use.
82	** In universe, the [[WhateverMancy Cartomancer]] class, which gains attack and defense boni depending on how many cards are in their hand.
83	* FireBreathingWeapon: The "Flintlock" weapon. [[note]][[FridgeBrilliance This makes more sense when you consider where the term "firearm" comes from]]: originally, guns only projected the explosion from the burning gunpowder, then someone noticed that if he stuck a pebble down the barrel, it could kill people from much further away, and much more reliably.[[/note]]
84	* FoodSlap: The "Cuppa" off-hand gives you the Flame Strike ability, presumably by letting you splash a monster with hot tea.
85	* HatOfPower: Hats grant new abilities. Some are downright weird, like wearing a bird's nest on your head to gain the "Growth" deck.
86	* HaveANiceDeath: Whenever a dungeoneer dies, the bard sings about it.
87	* HealingFactor: The "Respite" passive grants a heart whenever a character {{No Sell}}s an attack.
88	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: The Grail Knights think the guild is a charity organization, when in reality its a horde of greedy bastards mostly in it for bragging rights presided over by a vengeful jerk.
89	* InsistentTerminology: The word "Adventurer" never shows up. Characters are "Dungeoneers."
90	* JokeCharacter: Chumps, who are little more than sword and spell fodder after you get access to anyone else. Naturally, there's an achievement for winning 10 quests with the same Chump.
91	* LethalJokeItem: No matter how odd an equip, it's useful.
92	* LifeDrain: Several magic attacks steal a heart (or two) if they connect.
93	* LightningGun: the Artificier's ''Zap-O-Matc'' skill.
94	* LuckBasedMission: You can only choose one skill out of three per turn (before playing cards that grant extras). Skills are randomly chosen from your skill deck.
95	* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Shields usually grant a defensive skill or two. Sometimes crosses over with "Armor=HP" as they often grant an extra Heart.
96	* MagicKnight: Fighters can find items that give them magic attacks. Conversely, mages can find items that give them physical attacks.
97	* MagikarpPower: Certain Battle Scars (earned by surviving a quest) {{Nerf}} a character. Surviving the drawback levels up the Scar, turning the handicap into an advantage. For example, "Hard-Headed" adds Stupidity cards to your deck. In its final stage, Stupidity cards are treated as Defensive cards, blocking 1 attack irrespective of its type.
98	* ManipulatingTheOpponentsDeck: Both the player and the enemies can cause the other to discard a card from their hand during battles. The Mime class in particular has a desk focused on causing this with their "Stage-Presence" cards.
99	* ManOnFire: The "Burning!" status does 1 damage per round to both participants. This is the special ability of certain Fire aligned enemies, and Dungeoneers with a level 2 "Pyromaniac" Battle Scar.
100	* MakeMeWannaShout: Yodelers have abilities based on their singing abilities. Their signature attack is the "Yodel," which [[EvolvingAttack levels up each time it echoes]]. They also have the skill "Das Big Roar," which does three damage but strains their vocal chords for one recoil damage.
101	* MechanicallyUnusualClass: The [=H2Omancer=] (introduced in the ''Pirate Cove'' DLC) has several skills that cause them to DiscardAndDraw, and can see the enemy's next card if they have at least 3 cards in the discard pile. They are the only class that you want to lose cards.
102	* MyRulesAreNotYourRules: For once, [[PlayerExclusiveMechanic in the players favour]]. The player gets to draw three cards to an enemy's one.
103	* NoSell: Doomplate Armor allows you to block any attack that deals or would deal 1 damage. The same applies to "Bulwark" ability that some enemies have.
104	* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: the Shapeshifter class.
105	* ThePaladin: Called the "Most Holy Grail Knights."
106	* PlayerMooks
107	* PunnyName: Heater Shield, apart from being a shield, does actually provide you with fire attacks.
108	* PossessionImpliesMastery: A character who obtains an item will be able to use it perfectly, even if they're a fighter using a talisman or a wizard using a sword.
109	* ReinventingTheWheel: Levels reset after dungeons.
110	* ReligiousBruiser:
111	** Grail Knights and Ice Cream Monks.
112	** Several items are blessed by the gods and grant Holy magic, such as Divine Shield (block all magic damage and retaliate with 3 magic attack) and Holy Seal (block 1 of any damage type and heal for 1 heart).
113	* SchizoTech: The dwarves have mining robots (including a security turret), a HumongousMecha, and a DrillTank. Everyone else is MedievalEuropeanFantasy or lower.
114	* SequelHook: "There is no way this could bite me in the ass, like some young upstart making his own guild to challenge me."
115	* SlaveMooks: Dungeoneers don't get paid, or get paid in turnips if they do.
116	* SpamAttack:
117	** Arcane Barrage which launches three unblockable magic attacks.
118	** Likewise, physical skills like "Pummel" and "Maul", but they're blockable.
119	** The Cartomancer has several abilities that add a card to his hand, and a skill that turns every card in his hand into Magic damage. This gets to the point where you have his entire deck in-hand, and trading them all for a huge swarm of little blue fireballs.
120	* SpikesOfVillainy: Bruisers and characters with a Spike Shield or Vest of Spikes have the "Spikey" passive, which causes them to do one untyped damage when they completely block an enemy attack.
121	* SpoonyBard:
122	** The narrator.
123	** The "Troubador" class. Mechanically, they act like {{Musical Assassin}}s and are gained from the "Might" tree despite using magic.
124	* StartMyOwn: Can't join 'em? Beat 'em.
125	* StockBritishPhrases: The "Cuppa" off-hand is a cup of tea. It grants the Flame Strike ability, [[FoodSlap presumably by letting you throw hot tea in an opponents face.]]
126	* StupidityIsTheOnlyOption: Enemies will sometimes use self-damaging or miss-a-turn (actually ''called'' "stupidity") cards on a turn where they have only one heart left. This is because they can only draw one card at a time.
127	* StylisticSuck: Pencil on graph paper backgrounds and chibi-like character sprites that make it look like ''South Park''s goth cousin.
128	* UndergroundMonkey: Better variants of enemies show up in latter dungeons.
129	* ViolentGlaswegian: Bruisers talk like Neds (Think the Scottish version of trailer trash.)
130	* WrongGenreSavvy: Rangers think they should get pets and be able to dual wield. There is one pet available to every class (an owl familliar) and no dual wielding option.
131	* WrongSideOfTheTracks: Your guildhouse is in "the bad part of town".
132	* YouBastard: After several of your dungeons die the narrator informs you about how the graveyard of your guild can somehow hold the remains of an infinite number of dungeoneers... and then calls you a monster.
133	* YourMimeMakesItReal: Mimes start off with the skill "Imaginary Cannon", which presumably involves miming shooting a monster.

Context VideoGame / GuildOfDungeoneering