Delve into a world of the macabre as you try and solve cases with the mystical or supernatural going on in 1920’s New Orleans in The Dark Quarter. This is a cooperative game by Van Ryder Games and Lucky Duck Games.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/destinies/the-dark-quarter?ref=user_menu

Pros

• Price
• Theme
• Pedigree of Companies
• Campaign Game

Cons

• Shipping Discrepancies
• Campaign Game
• Mature Themes

The Page

This is a flashy page and it doesn’t even rely on minis to be flashy. It instead just puts you into the theme. That is what I expect when it comes to Lucky Duck Games and Van Ryder Games. They both create a lot of thematic games like Destinies, Chronicles of Crime, and Final Girl. So the page really gives you all of that theme and shows you the setting you are going to be in.

But I do want to talk about this leaning into it being a game with mature themes. That really feels to be coming from the Van Ryder Games side of things, though I am sure that both agreed to it. Van Ryder Games puts out more serious story games like their Graphic Novel Adventures. The question is, do you want a game with mature themes or not? And is it needed in this game? I do think it matches the theme quite well, but I also get that it is not for everyone. They at least advertise it so people know.

The Game

The game itself, I will go into some detail on it, because I know a bit more about it. With Lucky Duck Games, you know there is likely going to be an app. And with this game using systems that can be found in Chronicles of Crime, an app assisted game, and Destinies, another app assisted game, this is going to use an app. For some people that might be enough to keep them from backing, but for me, I’m intrigued by it.

The app is going to be used to let you know what skill checks you can do, and to interact with points of interest that you find during your investigation. This is very much a combination of both Lucky Duck Games that I mentioned. The advantage to a system like this is no single person needs to run a game. The story runs itself and everyone plays the same game.

The skill checks in the game are the same as what is found in Destinies. Basically, you look to roll high enough to pass certain thresholds or markers on your player board. The more markers you pass, the more success you end up with.

That’s it mechanically, but I want to touch on story as well here. Not to go back to it being mature. But in the previews or first impressions that I’ve seen, the story while cooperative, seems like it will vary between different characters. Certain characters excel at certain elements. Some might investigate better, others might be more apt to intimidate or fight. So while replay might be somewhat limited, it does seem like different characters provide different paths.

Back or Brick

For me, this is a Back. I generally like what both companies are doing, and their games tend to be thematic. I’m looking at games of theirs that I need to get to the table soon. I like the setting. I have heard it compared to Anne Rice, though that seems to be more for vampires in New Orleans. A better comparison might be LA Noir, the video game, in the sort of dark detective feel that you get from the game.

Now, with a mature theme, I think this game isn’t one for everyone. It might be too macabre for some people, too much blood or difficult story situations. But for me, that intrigues me. And if it isn’t one for me, I know that there was a period of time where Destinies was hard to find, so might be one that I can sell if need be. But I really suspect it’s going to be one that I play through, and then trade so someone else can have fun with it.

How about for you, is The Dark Quarter by Van Ryder Games and Lucky Duck Games a Back or a Brick?

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