Box for Alpha Prototype.
Alpha Prototype 1[]
Alpha Prototype refers to any copy of Base Set released before the Alpha Prototype 2. Unlike the second prototype there were many different versions of the Alpha. These versions served two main purposes: Demoing the game and sending to reviewers.
The Alpha went through two stages of card quality. Many of the demo units created where simply made from Magic: the Gathering cards with printed out Boss Monster fronts and backs simply glued on. Later, however, reviewer copies would be printed by The Game Crafter using cheaper playing card stock.
What cards were included also varied depending on when the Alpha was produced. One example is the Boss Robobo. In the earlier version his Level Up ability read: "Choose and destroy one Room in any dungeon." Later copies read, "Each opponent must choose and destroy one Room in his or her dungeon."
Alpha Prototype 1 being assembled with glue and Magic cards.
Some versions of the Alpha even included Alpha versions of some of the Kickstarter Exclusive cards.
Differences between Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 Prototype[]
- As earlier mentioned. Robobo's Level Up ability was changed in order to better balance it against other Boss Monster abilities.
- In the Alpha, The Golden Dragon was called TBD. Some thought this stood for 'The Big Dragon' however, it really meant 'To Be Determined' as the card was to be officially named by a Kickstarter backer.
- TBD was also used for another boss, The Cleric Killer. However, in the Alpha only a black outline of the Boss with a question mark in the middle was shown. Like The Golden Dragon. This Boss was to be named and designed by a Kickstarter backer.
- In the Alpha, many of the Heroes were called 'Mysterious Adventurers.' These were simply black outlines of Heroes with question marks much like The Cleric Killer. Other Heroes had images and descriptions; however, none of the original Heroes from the Alpha were used in the official Base Set since all official heroes were to be designed by Kickstarter backers.
- Almost all of the Bosses XPs changed.
- The Spell card Assassin's effect completely changed from giving another player a Wound to giving a Hero +3 Health.
Alpha Prototype 2[]
A comparison in size between the Alpha and official release. Alpha on the left. Right is only a mock up to compare size.
Alpha Prototype 2 refers to copies of the Base Set sold exclusively on Kickstarter, and shipped to buyers in mid-December.
The prototype 2 came in similar packaging to the Alpha Prototype 1, a games boxing being a little over twice the size of the officially released version box.
This prototype included all of the Base Set cards as well as most of the Kickstarter Exclusive Promo Cards. The excluded cards being: the 4 backer made Boss cards and the 2 Hybrid Heroes Trap Master and Monster Hunter.
Only about 275 copies of the second prototype were made.
Many of the Room, Spell, and Hero cards have repeat numbers for different cards and some numbers are not used.
Pre-Alpha Prototypes[]
In the games earliest stages it had nothing to do with video games, dungeons, heroes, or bosses. Instead, the game was called "Popularity" and about teenage girls achieving popularity by getting the most friends in high school. The concept was changed when the brothers realized that retro gaming would "touch home" with more card game players and the game was changed to "Dungeon Boss" a game about rivilaries between boss monsters.
The games art went through a singificant change. Originally each card's art was hand-drawn in a 'notebook doodle' art style by Johnny O'Neal. Chris O'Neal thought that pixel art would probably please more fans and eventually the brothers decided to change it. At one point the Heroes in the game were designed to look like Peanuts characters, this quickly changed. The cards were also for a while going to be longer and wider, but it was later decided that playing card standard size would be best.
The game also went through many gameplay changes. At one time only one player playing the Boss while others played Heroes. For a while the game required dice to play similar to Settlers of Catan, Chris was the driving force behind removing the dice. At one point the game was going to be a Trading Card Game.
Just before the launch of the Kickstarter a few changes were made. Cerebellus was changed from being red to his current brownish color. The official title of the game seems to have been changed from 'Boss Monster: Master of the Dungeon' to 'Boss Monster: The Dungeon-Building Card Game.' However, "Master of the Dungeon" is still used to denote the first set of cards (as opposed to future expansions).
Pre-Alpha Art[]
