This D&D-Inspired Game Smartly Makes Every Action Just An Action (And A Card!)

by

Video games inspired by Dungeons & Dragons have been around for a while, but Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 definitely boosted their popularity, especially those that use dice rolls. Following Baldur’s Gate 3’s success, Wizards of the Coast invested $1 billion in expanding its gaming options, working with multiple developers to create their own D&D experiences. Examples include Tactical Adventures’ very D&D Fifth Edition-based Solasta II and a new, single-player D&D game being developed by Stig Asmussen, the director of Star Wars Jedi. Barring a sudden change of plans (like the five D&D games cancelled before Baldur’s Gate 3 launched), we can anticipate seeing several more D&D games released in the coming years.

Another one is coming out this year: Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, which is a bit of a long title for a really enjoyable four-player cooperative game. While Baldur’s Gate 3 is perfect for players who enjoy the detailed rules and complexity of D&D Fifth Edition, Battlemarked is a better fit for those looking for something easier to pick up-it’s a great game to play with children who aren’t ready for something like Baldur’s Gate 3, or for adults who don’t have hours to dedicate to a hobby like traditional D&D.

TopMob had the chance to be the first to preview Battlemarked, experiencing the first two levels with game director Gustav Stenmark and PR director Jamie Camargo. I chose to play as a Tiefling Rogue, while Camargo took on the role of an Elf Ranger. Stenmark skillfully managed two characters: a Dragonborn Paladin and a Gnome Wizard. The initial level featured a straightforward battle between our group of adventurers and some attacking goblins. Following that, we explored the first floor of a larger, multi-level dungeon.

Battlemarked takes place in the Forgotten Realms – the world of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the recent Honor Among Thieves movie. This makes it a fantastic opportunity to return to well-known places and characters, especially if you’ve played or watched those stories many times. It’s clear the developers are focused on expanding this established setting, rather than exploring worlds like Eberron, Krynn, or creating something entirely new. While I’d still love to see a game set in Eberron someday, I appreciated how quickly I understood the story in Battlemarked, who the enemies were, and how the non-player characters would respond to my choices. This familiar world makes Battlemarked very accessible, as it tells stories in the same way as the most popular D&D experiences.

What really kept me hooked, and asking Stenmark and Camargo for more time with the preview, was the gameplay itself, not the story. Battlemarked primarily centers around combat-focused missions. It’s a turn-based system where players and enemy creatures alternate turns, but enemy actions happen all at once. Each character class has a personal deck of 10 cards used during battle, drawing a hand each turn. Players get two Actions per turn, and each card requires 0 to 2 Actions to play. Moving, attacking up close, and using objects in the environment all cost one Action.

I really like this system. I’ve always found it confusing how D&D’s combat-where everything is divided into an Action, Bonus Action, Free Action, and Movement-can be hard for beginners to understand. Why does one spell require an Action, while another is a Bonus Action, and a specific ability that a certain class has-which feels like magic-is a Free Action? It’s mostly about balance. But there isn’t a simple way to figure out why some things are Actions and others are Bonus Actions. You just have to memorize it. And that takes time.

I’ve noticed a lot of other tabletop games – Pathfinder being a big one – are doing something similar to what Battlemarked does. Basically, everything is just an Action, and everyone gets the same number of Actions each turn. It makes things way easier to grasp, but Battlemarked still keeps that D&D feel of strategy and teamwork by using cards. You only have 10 cards in your class deck, so you figure out what your character can do pretty fast. But you’re only holding about five or six cards at a time – sometimes you might snag a potion or two from the environment, which shows up as an extra card until you use it. So, you really have to think on your feet, working with the cards you have *right now* and trying to guess what you might draw next to prepare for what’s coming.

The Rogue has a card allowing them to become invisible for three turns, enabling a powerful melee attack from any position-not limited to backstabs. Attacking immediately ends the invisibility. While this card is excellent for escaping tough spots, I liked holding onto it. If I drew a card called Knock Out, I could unleash the Rogue’s special melee attack, which stuns an enemy, making them vulnerable to the Paladin’s powerful Smite or the Wizard’s fiery Fireball. The best thing about Knock Out is that it doesn’t break the invisibility, letting you stay hidden even after attacking.

Several other card combinations work really well together too. For example, the Dragonborn’s poison breath could cover enemies and the ground with a dangerous gas, which the Wizard could then ignite with their fire spells for extra damage. Also, the Ranger’s special arrows could group enemies together, making them vulnerable to the Rogue’s bombs. And that was just in the demo version, where everyone used the same 10-card deck. The complete game allows you to unlock new skills and build your own custom deck, letting you create the perfect playstyle for your class. Despite being easy to learn, Battlemarked’s combat has a surprisingly good amount of strategic depth.

I’m still a little uncertain about the game’s story, mostly because the demo I played didn’t focus much on it. Similar to D&D, your character has stats that give you bonuses to skills such as Persuasion and Arcana. When you talk to characters in the game, you can try rolling the dice using these skills to get extra information or to get them to do what you want. For instance, during the demo, Stenmark successfully convinced a noble that we were friendly, earning his trust. I, on the other hand, failed to identify a strange mushroom and ended up eating it – it was highly poisonous, so I learned my lesson! We also weren’t able to convince a group of dangerous myconids that we meant no harm, which led to a funny fight.

At first, Battlemarked doesn’t appear to have the same level of story depth as other dice-based RPGs, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 or Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. However, the few decisions our team made felt meaningful-we either achieved our goals, or the failures were written to be funny or weren’t punishing enough to force a restart. While the dialogue and story aspects seem promising, the game truly shines with its card-based combat, which is heavily inspired by D&D.

Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked is launching for PC, PS5, and Meta Quest on November 20.

Read More

2025-10-02 23:10