It’s been a little while since I last posted, as I usually I only share games I’ve actually hosted. This time, though, I’m mixing things up. On the recommendation of Mike Demana (Lead Legionaries), I took a look at Four Delvers, a solo fantasy miniature skirmish game by David Bezio.
The easiest way to describe it is as a tabletop take on the classic ’80s Gauntlet arcade game. A fast, dungeon‑crawling action distilled into a compact, narrative-driven experience.
In Four Delvers, you control a party of four archetypal heroes: a Fighter, a Dwarf, an Elf, and a Wizard. Each character has their own stats and a unique ability, giving the group a nice mix of strengths and tactical options. You send the party out on encounters, which define everything from the setting and scenario to the enemies they’ll face and the treasure they’re hoping to recover.
It’s simple to pick up, quick to play, and full of that old-school fantasy charm.
Drawing a card from my “Notice Board Quest Deck,” the band of Delvers were sent to search for a missing child, last spotted heading south toward some lakeside ruins. As this setup closely mirrored Four Delvers’ opening scenario, “The Haunted Graveyard,” I decided to run that mission.
The table setup is shown in the image below. I did make a small mistake during setup, though - rather than rolling for three random monsters at the start, I misread the scenario and populated the board entirely with zombies. The correct setup should have been two zombies plus three random monsters (2× Zombies + 3× MT II).
Turn 1
At the start of each round, a 1d12 is rolled to determine whether a wandering monster joins the fight, on this occasion it would have been two Skeleton Warriors. Fortunately, nothing appeared this turn.
Activations then alternate between Delvers and monsters, one model at a time, until every figure has taken a turn. The Delvers began at the gate. Line of sight is simple: if a straight line can be drawn from any point on the attacker’s base to any point on the target’s base without crossing terrain or another model, the shot is valid.
Holding the rear, Oleus the wizard attempted to cast 'Blast'.
“Stand back - I’ll clear a path,” Oleus muttered as arcane energy crackled in his hands.
The first spell struck true, destroying a zombie after it failed its save. His second attempt, however, fizzled.
“…or not,” Oleus added dryly.
That failure alerted the remaining undead, who began closing in. One zombie managed to engage Stonn, the fighter, in melee.
“Come on then,” Stonn grinned, meeting the charge and quickly cut the creature down.
Meanwhile, Jander the elf loosed arrows at the nearest pair of zombies, felling one with a clean shot. By the end of the first round, three of the five zombies had been eliminated.
Turn 2
For this scenario, the objective was to explore two tombs and a ruined structure by moving adjacent to each and spending an action. The missing child would be discovered in the third location explored.
With the last of the zombies dealt with, the Delvers spread out to cover ground. Oleus made for a tomb in the corner, staff in hand.
“Let’s hope this one contains answers, not more teeth,” Oleus muttered as the party advanced.
Stonn struck out toward the central ruins, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.
“Stay sharp...this feels too quiet,” Stonn called back over a shoulder.
Meanwhile, Jasgrad the dwarf veered off toward a cluster of gravestones, a glint catching an eye.
“Ooh… now that could be worth a look,” Jasgrad said, already moving in to investigate.
Turn 3
At the start of the turn, two Skeleton Warriors clawed their way up through the broken earth, bones rattling as they rose. Their sudden appearance left Stonn in an awkward position - close enough to be threatened. Should the fighter press on and search the ruins, or hold back and prepare for a fight?
Meanwhile, Jasgrad decided not to leave things to chance and moved to investigate the glint among the gravestones.
“Now that’s more like it,” Jasgrad said, prying open a small chest he had uncovered. Its contents would have to wait until after the battle.
One of the skeletons advanced on Stonn and struck, but the fighter held firm, turning aside the blow.
“You’ll have to do better than that, bones,” Stonn growled. On his turn, he struck back decisively, smashing the skeleton apart.
The second skeleton shuffled forward, but it remained just out of effective range to pose an immediate danger. At the same time, Oleus searched the nearby tomb but found nothing of value.
“Empty… figures,” Oleus sighed.
With no clear shot at the remaining skeleton, Jander moved across to another cluster of gravestones, hoping to turn up something useful instead.
“No target, no problem - I’ll find us something worth taking,” Jander remarked as the search continued.
Turn 4
Having uncovered treasure the previous turn, Jasgrad moved on to the remaining tomb and conducted a search. Once again, there was no sign of the missing child - confirming that the only place left was the ruin where Stonn was waiting.
Jander, still ranging nearby, managed to turn up yet more treasure among the gravestones, while Oleus began making his way back toward the gate.
“We’ll want a clear path when it’s time to leave,” Oleus called out, keeping an eye on their exit.
With the last Skeleton dispatched, Stonn took a moment to search the ruins and there, at last, he found the missing child.
“Found him! Let’s not linger,” Stonn urged.
With their objective complete, it was time for the Delvers to make their escape from the graveyard.
Turn 5
As more Skeletons began clawing their way into the graveyard, the Delvers decided it was time to withdraw. Oleus quickly escorted the rescued child toward the exit, leaving Jander behind to provide overwatch.
“Go, I’ll cover you!” Jander called, keeping an eye on the approaching threat.
Stonn began a steady fallback toward the gate, ready to intervene if needed. Jasgrad, meanwhile, attempted to make a run for it, but as a dwarf, speed was not on a side. Moving only 4 inches per action compared to the others’ 6, Jasgrad soon found a Skeleton catching up.
“Blast it, I knew I should’ve packed lighter,” Jasgrad grumbled as the skeleton closed in.
A brief but fierce skirmish followed, ending with Jasgrad smashing the Skeleton into dust before continuing the retreat.
Turn 6
As more Skeletons began to rise, the Delvers wasted no time in making their escape from the graveyard. The retreat was tense - especially for Jasgrad, whose shorter stride once again put a at risk of being overtaken. For a moment it looked uncertain, but Jasgrad finally made it to the exit point just ahead of the pursuing dead.
The encounter ended in success: the missing child was rescued, and both treasure tokens were recovered. Opening the chests afterwards revealed a pair of magical gauntlets (perfect for Stonn) and an enchanted hat for Oleus.
Final Thoughts
The first game took just over an hour to play, leaving enough time for a second run. This time, we followed the rules correctly and rolled for three additional monsters. The result was a tougher challenge, featuring a Liche alongside more Skeleton Warriors.
Although no photos were taken for that session, the game played out quite differently. The opening turns were spent dealing with the skeletons, while Oleus eventually squared off against the Liche. Repeated castings of 'Freeze' held the Liche in place, allowing Jander to steadily whittle it down with arrows until the threat was finally eliminated and securing another victory for the Delvers.
Two games in one evening felt like a win. The jury is still out on Four Delvers, but we’re definitely planning to revisit it. I suspect that as tougher enemies begin to appear, the Delvers may find the going far less forgiving.
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