Maiden’s Quest: Dangers Untold with Fashionable Weapons
Find clever ways to overcome challenges and escape with jewelry, swords, dresses, daggers, and more in Maiden’s Quest.
The theme of Maiden’s Quest has always appealed to me, as it’s about saving oneself with a selection of very random items! A trapped heroine must use everything at her disposal to escape her captor with items that may upgrade or downgrade. It was a long time since I last played, and I was excited to see what sort of adventure was in store for me!
Game Overview
Game Name: Maiden’s Quest
Publication Year: 2018
Designer: Kenneth C. Shannon, III
Artist: Lindsay Archer
Publisher: WizKids
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
With a single deck of cards to cycle through, gameplay can happen directly in hand. The maiden takes the central role as she travels through a tower, battling foes and working towards her own escape. Items may change form, and special treasures may be used to cleverly craft a victory!
First Play
May 28, 2021
Complexity
2
Latest Play
July 28, 2023
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
14
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
8" x 6"
Low Score
N/A
Dangers Untold
The main mechanic is to simply move through the deck until an encounter appears. Most often, these come in the form of enemies and the ultimate captor showdown.
Each has a set of requirements, which might be met by fanning out the next 5 cards. Icons are all along the left side of each card to make it easy to keep things compact!
I enjoyed many ideas behind this game, although I forgot how much I struggled with it the last time I played.
My copy is barely used, yet the card quality is simply bad… To the point that shuffling is extremely difficult. Yikes!
Ever-changing Items
One of the neatest elements comes from setup, where the majority of the maiden’s deck is randomized. These cards all represent something different with comical flavor text!
Most cards are turned or flipped to upgrade or downgrade them during play. This isn’t just a change in icons: The item itself changes to become something entirely new.
It’s pretty amazing to think about how a goblin is overcome by a purse, rabbit’s foot, and dress. Ha ha!
Upgraded cards are clearly the best, yet some downgrades can actually make some cards even more powerful.
Handheld Troubles
With the way the cards rotate and flip, card quality is quite important. I struggled with shuffling, as I found that the enemies often bunched up together, no matter what I did.
Looking at it from the side should show more of the issue. For something that requires lots of shuffling, I had to take extra time to try to mix everything up a lot.
The cards didn’t feel that great to hold, either, having somewhat rough edges and an almost sticky coating.
This is a barely used copy I purchased new, so it was quite a disappointment to have these component issues.
Collecting Icons
Although I enjoyed some of my previous plays, I came to the conclusion that this one isn’t quite in the realm of my favorites at this time… And that’s OK! It’s still good.
I just didn’t like how the order of the cards dictated so much, and I was already struggling to shuffle.
Collecting icons felt a little bit more like a random aspect than anything strategic, although learning what’s in a deck is a very important way to move ahead.
There were sill laughs over the card combinations and flavor text! But this one is now destined for a new home.
A Note on Component Quality and Mechanics
When I look at the quality of cards or other elements of a solo game, I’m not tied to needing the most premium or deluxe features available. The main thing I’m looking for is quality that matches what’s going on with gameplay. If I need to handle cards a lot and re-shuffle decks multiple times, those cards need to separate and be nice to handle.
Lower quality cards aren’t the end of the world for games where I barely need to use the cards. When it comes to dice, all I need are standard ones that are easy to read. I’m not too picky! In this case, having an entirely card-driven game with sub-par quality stands out to me. These didn’t need to be amazing… But sleeving is pretty much a requirement.
Note, though, that these are apparently not a standard card size. Finding sleeves may be a little more challenging, although I would highly recommend it. And that’s coming from someone who typically dislikes sleeving!
Session Overview
Play Number: 11-14
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Standard Difficulty Level
Outcome: 4 Losses
I suppose the rulebook also bogged me down a little bit. So much text, and a lot of convoluted sections. It sounds like there is a PDF download of an updated set, which should help those who continue to play. For me, I believe I had my time with this one. There are still some fond memories of a few interesting plays, yet this is going to do much better in a home where it will have a chance to be played again!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
3
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
3
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Finding a way for the character to escape on her own through the use of what’s at hand is a wonderful theme.
- There are a lot of different cards to discover with plenty of comical flavor text that brings the game to life.
- Each maiden features a different ability and set of starting cards to add a lot of variety against various captors.
- A set of rest cards at the bottom of the deck helps act as an easy timer and indication of when to re-shuffle.
- Gameplay can take place entirely in hand, but if using a surface, only a tiny area is ever needed to hold a few cards.
- Colorful artwork and card backgrounds add a bit of interest as the deck is cycled through over and over.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The card quality is very disappointing, with cards that stick together and make shuffling an absolute nightmare.
- Many of the rules are written in a way as to not be very intuitive, and the rulebook feels extremely lengthy.
- Gameplay will often involve cycling through a lot of cards over and over just to find the next encounter.
- Collecting icons in a fan is very luck dependent, even with a lot of upgraded cards and treasures in the deck.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Difficulty Requirements
- Overall Goal Progress 80%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game against Jeliasta Jones.
Win at least 1 game against Mr. Marrow.
Win at least 1 game against Mrs. Claws.
Win at least 1 game as Jenavieve of Joyeux.
Win at least 1 game as Min the Gnome.
Win at least 1 game as Pricilla of Icehold.
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game against Dim da Troll.
Win at least 1 game as Gwendolyn of Baile Crua.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Maiden’s Quest? Have you had any interesting plays that came right down to the final cards? I appreciate the design here, and although it may not be a game for me anymore, there’s a lot to enjoy! The theme is quite unique. Where else are you going to be able to battle zombies with heels, pets, rings, and weapons? Ha ha!
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