Ambience · Kickstarter

ScentedRealms Scent Engine v1 Review

From ScentedRealms

PlayedMiss
  • The black ScentedRealms Scent Engine with a red gem knob, on a grid battle mat
  • A framed wall display of ScentedRealms scent vials, including Scent of Blood, Undead, Tavern and Forest
  • The Scent Engine opened up, showing printed layers and magnets inside
3 photos · swipe for more

Score

Miss

Blaine

Quality
8/20
Usability
2/20
Usefulness
12/20
Value
4/20

8 + 2 + 12 + 4 = 26 ÷ 4 = 6.5 , rounded to 7

Joe

No score/20

Their mech went critical.

Filed under accessories and gadgets. How we score

What works

  • The scents are genuinely good, with lots of variety
  • Scent of Blood and Undead are especially evocative
  • Scent is a powerful tool at the table

What doesn't

  • The control app is atrocious
  • Wouldn't run on a phone; on a Mac, buttons were cut off
  • Setting up repeating bursts is confusing
  • Looks and feels 3D printed
  • Doesn't reach far in an open room
  • $347

Scent is a powerful tool at the table, and the ScentedRealms scents are good. I wanted to love this. But the Scent Engine v1 that delivers them cost me $347, feels 3D printed, and runs on an app so bad that I've used the whole setup once or twice and haven't touched it since.

What I reviewed

The ScentedRealms Scent Engine v1, a mechanical diffuser that adds scent to your game, from their Kickstarter. They offered a bunch of fantasy scents. I focused on environments, like Ruins, Tavern, and Forest, more than the creature scents. All in, I spent $347.

Quality8/20

The device itself looks and feels 3D printed. For $347, it isn't what you'd expect.

Usability2/20

The app that runs it is atrocious. I tried to run the device from my phone, and it didn't work. When I finally got it working on my Mac, the app window couldn't be resized, so it cut off buttons I needed. It's also very confusing to set up repeating scent bursts.

The app is the main reason I've used it maybe once or twice and haven't again.

Usefulness12/20

The scents stand out, and the variety is nice. Scent of Blood is very evocative, like a lot of blood. Undead has a dusty, eerie scent. Scent is a very powerful tool, and I'd love to use this more.

But we usually play in the open area of my kitchen, and there it didn't carry. Only the players close to the device could smell it, and for them it was fairly strong. In a small room, I'm sure it would be awesome.

Value4/20

The v1 is rough, and it would have been nice to see more support for it, like firmware or app updates. ScentedRealms has since moved on to a Scent Engine v2. I didn't back it, for fear it wouldn't fix these problems. I truly hope it did.

Who it's for

If you play in a small room and you're patient with fiddly tech, the scents are worth a look. If you're considering a Scent Engine, wait for reviews of the v2 and its app before you spend the money.

The verdict

A 7 out of 20, a Miss. The scents earn real points, and everything else gives them back. I'd love to see this idea done right.