I would like to share with you my idea of playing Descent : Random Mode

At the beginning each player draw 3 random hero cards and picks one.

Then they choose a random class.

Overlord draw 2 random decks and picks one.

During the campaign all open monster groups are random monster groups restricted by the normal allowed monster traits.

We have played a few campaigns like this - it is really good fun. We started with random heroes and extended it to random monsters per quest (use the Traits monster sheet and use a RNG on your smart phone). It forces both players to think outside the square a little, and you can learn some good techniques with combinations you wouldn't have used before.

It does make the game more luck based, so make sure that's your thing. You can go further to randomize lieutenants (which we have done) and possibly Overlord card choices (we didn't do - that was going too far).

I was about to come here and say that I don't like the idea of randomized encounters because one of the things I enjoy most about Descent is the strategy. If I'm a hero, pairing my abilities and actions with those of the other party members, and if I'm an OL choosing and placing monsters according to a plan.

However, random heroes/monsters would force players to get creative with their strategy, discern the strengths and weaknesses of certain combinations without a lot of forethought- it's actually a strategy exercise.

I was about to come here and say that I don't like the idea of randomized encounters because one of the things I enjoy most about Descent is the strategy. If I'm a hero, pairing my abilities and actions with those of the other party members, and if I'm an OL choosing and placing monsters according to a plan.

However, random heroes/monsters would force players to get creative with their strategy, discern the strengths and weaknesses of certain combinations without a lot of forethought- it's actually a strategy exercise.

Not to mention the fact that as OL, it may force you to utilize monster groups and card decks that you have never used before, writing them off as not viable. You might find out, much to your surprise, that this isn't the case.

I was about to come here and say that I don't like the idea of randomized encounters because one of the things I enjoy most about Descent is the strategy. If I'm a hero, pairing my abilities and actions with those of the other party members, and if I'm an OL choosing and placing monsters according to a plan.

However, random heroes/monsters would force players to get creative with their strategy, discern the strengths and weaknesses of certain combinations without a lot of forethought- it's actually a strategy exercise.

Not to mention the fact that as OL, it may force you to utilize monster groups and card decks that you have never used before, writing them off as not viable. You might find out, much to your surprise, that this isn't the case.

This is the main reason I ve come out with this.

I like the concept, but I think that the overlord should have some choice with the picking of monsters. Maybe he could at least choose the size or pick two and choose one. In my opinion, monster choices are one of the most deciding factors for an overlord, and leaving that up to chance seems a little unfair. In general though, I like the idea.

I have played two campaigns with the following rules:

During campaign set-up, the players drew three Heroes from each archetype and then the OL chose two to discard. Heroes are then selected from the remaining 10.

During quest set-up, based on traits, the OL draws three random monsters per open group and then selects from those.

All other rules were left the same.

The Heroes won one campaign and the OL won the other.

Overall, it felt balanced and seemed to play out fairly well.

Thanks

Dan Howell