When playing as the overlord I am generally quite cuatious about spending threat to activate plot cards.

Many of the effects on the plot cards seems quite expensive threat wise and I worry about the heroes getting to much fortune as a consequence of me spending threat.

This makes me only use a few of the plot cards (the ones I see worth using) and the few that I do use I try to only use when it will really make a difference.

So far this tactic seems to be working out for me, but I do wonder if I am overly cautious and worry to much about the heroes getting fortune and if I would do even better if I started to spend some more threat.

How are the rest of you guys using threat? Are you using it sparingly like me or do you use it alot?

I was as well. It worked for my advantage. In the final I had 5 to seven threat and went to town regardless of my heroes. It was a great boon. Also, on those quests I had a hard time with, I was a bit more willing to use them to turn the tide.

I saved a good amount of threat for the finale, as the heroes wouldn't be able to spend the threat on extra shop item cards, and it's the one where you really just gotta win.

it's the one where you really just gotta win.

That is the exact reason why I try not to spend any threat if I dont have to, if I give to much fortune to the heroes they might stock pile it go get a bunch of extra actions during the finale

They lose it at the end of each shopping phase.

They lose it at the end of each shopping phase.

For every 2 they have they get an extra shopping card which is pretty huge in act 2 and early in act 1 !

They lose it at the end of each shopping phase.

Wow, I had totally missed that part...that changes everything

If you're sitting on a huge pile of threat tokens, then I'd say "yeah, you're being overly cautious." As a few stated before, the heroes have to spend them one way or another before the beginning of the next quest or they lose all their fortune.

Basically, just wait for a vital/critical moment in the encounter to pull off a devastating plot card and use them up. No point sitting on a stock pile as they're no good to you sitting there, waiting for a moment that might never come. It may not be all that tactical for me to use them carelessly (which I don't) but I do spend them when I feel the moment is right, not when it's most vital. Unless that right moment happens to be vital, of course.

Final thoughts: don't be afraid to use them, in my opinion.