Adventure Deck

Want to use all the cards but have trouble shuffling the big stack? Try this...

We create a stack of 100 cards for each game using a proportionate number of cards from each expansion being used.

Example: If you are using all expansions there will be 574 Adventure Cards.

First, separate the cards by expansion.

Then, shuffle each expansion's Adventure Deck. Deal as follows:

Base: 18 cards (104/574 = 18%)

Reaper: 16 cards (90/574)

Frostmarch: 15 cards (84/574)

Sacred Pool: 12 cards (72/574)

Blood Moon: 19 cards (111/574)

Firelands: 14 cards (81/574)

Dungeon: 2 cards (10/574)

Highland: 2 cards (12/574)

Woodland: 2 cards (10/574)

Shuffle this stack of 100 cards and begin play. If the deck runs out, create 100 more as above. You can adjust it depending on the expansions being used.

This improves randomization, reduces "card clumping," and ensures you never have to "shuffle" a giant practically un-shufflable deck for each game. It also lets you easily separate expansions at the end.

Dragon Tokens

At the beginning of the game, give each player a bag and divide all the dragon tokens randomly into the bags. Each player will have his own bag of dragon tokens. Before the game begins, each player draws a dragon token and places it facedown in his play area.

At the start of each player's turn, he reveals the facedown dragon token and resolves it as normal. While his opponents are taking their turns, he draws a dragon token and places it facedown in his play area.

This is equivalent to drawing a dragon token at the start of your turn, but the time consuming process (reaching into the bag, mixing it around, and taking one) is done during the downtime. Also, having multiple bags means a bag doesn't need to be passed around. We found this speeds up the game immensely.

Hopefully you like these tips.

Feel free to share yours.

A giant deck doesn't need a solution. Its awesome, bigger the better. Unpredictable and different!

A giant deck doesn't need a solution. Its awesome, bigger the better. Unpredictable and different!

QFT

Not sure if shuffling one large deck (granted, in multiple smaller parts) is any less of a hassle than shuffling 10 separate decks each game (and separating after each game . I shuffle my large deck in three sections.

A giant deck doesn't need a solution. Its awesome, bigger the better. Unpredictable and different!

Well, keep in mind this doesn't trim the deck... it uses all the cards but allows you to shuffle it faster and more randomly.

I only shuffle the cards I play thoroughly and then slide them into the rest of the deck. I think I l keep my deck in 2 small bags, each bag I think has 3 small stacks. Quick and easy.

I never separate my cards, except I am gonna try and make a Halloween Talisman game this fall, using lots of the BloodMoon cards I usually don't use and thin out lots of others. This will take a lot of work as many here describe, not looking forward to it, but I do like a nice Halloween theme this time of the year in gaming in general.

It's a nice idea to get a balanced selection of adventure cards from the different expansions and not have a huge deck. I do however agree that I like the randomness and clumps of cards etc

I think I will try your idea out in my next game and see how it works out

Its not a bad idea at all, because, really, how many cards are played in a game; we never get through much more that 10 to 20 percent of the deck. 10 percent of the 564 whatever deck is 56 or 57 cards. And of course that doesn't include the decks from the other regions.

Artaterxes' method involves a good, representative mix of the various decks. As he says if you go through the first set, you can go through another.

I personally love playing with all the decks, but do not like a lot of clumping I don't want 3 Fireland cards in a row, than 2 or 3 Blood Moon cards, etc. I like a better dilution, as random as can be. But shuffling is random, so some clumping may occur.

Its not a bad idea at all, because, really, how many cards are played in a game; we never get through much more that 10 to 20 percent of the deck. 10 percent of the 564 whatever deck is 56 or 57 cards. And of course that doesn't include the decks from the other regions.

Here are my stats for # of cards drawn since I started keeping track:

Adventure cards drawn: 112, 108, 103, 148, 166, 189, 99, 135, 115, 126, 146, 103, 166, 132, 155, 119, 126, 216, 130, 140, 179, 161, 188, 116, 156, 134, 157, 198, 207, 143, 159, 134, 136, 135, 144, 119, 137, 65, 136, 58, 127, 173, 100, 184, 141, 167, 106, 104, 94, 134, 95, 128, 93, 143, 104, 185, 146, 180, 175, 146, 127, 246, 123, 91, 187, 126, 183, 137, 159, 74, 95

65 and 58 stand out the most as really quick games, overall, average is probably in the 110-120 range (if taking generally 1 card per turn per player, 35-40 turns, though realistically around 50 turns each I'd guess). Above numbers are counted by tallying up all the cards in the discard piles (Adventure, Dungeon, Highlands, City), so some cards that call for "draw 8, place cards of X type on this card, discard the rest", will result in more discards that have been encountered.

I love the huge adventure deck.

I used to separate the huge deck into two decks which were evenly distributed with similar cards and at the start of the game we would just grab one of them. I started using a house rule where I actually created an outer region deck and an middle region deck. They are similar except all creatures in the outer region are str/craft 4 or less and ones in the other deck are str/craft 4 or higher. I did this because then if you have a low level character you can travel the outer region without getting killed early and because I noticed that since all the side board expansions, nobody was going into the middle region unless they were going straight for the portal of power. Now the middle region is a viable place to fight and level up. In order to keep them straight, however I had to place a mark on the face of the middle region cards with a sharpie marker (gasp).

My wife is a very crafty person. She cut up some cardboard and created a box that holds ALL of the adventure cards. So we draw from one end and discard at the other. It keeps everything in order.

Since we don't go through that many Adventure Cards in a single game (we use a lot of cards from the other decks), we just leave the used cards at the back of the deck and continue on at the start of the next game. Once we get through all of the cards, then we shuffle them up and start over. This way we see everything over the course of several games.

The Woodland should be showing up soon. Once we get that she will make a new box that will hold all of the cards. Once that's done I'll post a picture of our setup. It's pretty handy.

I used to separate the huge deck into two decks which were evenly distributed with similar cards and at the start of the game we would just grab one of them. I started using a house rule where I actually created an outer region deck and an middle region deck. They are similar except all creatures in the outer region are str/craft 4 or less and ones in the other deck are str/craft 4 or higher. I did this because then if you have a low level character you can travel the outer region without getting killed early and because I noticed that since all the side board expansions, nobody was going into the middle region unless they were going straight for the portal of power. Now the middle region is a viable place to fight and level up. In order to keep them straight, however I had to place a mark on the face of the middle region cards with a sharpie marker (gasp).

I've been playing with the idea of region themes. I.e. outer region with Base deck+reaper, middle region with frostmarch and sacred pool. Firelands divided between the two due to it's special mecanics. I don't have blood moon.

I haven't tried it though. But it could work. You won't get any difficulty difference though.

The huge adventure deck is fun, however with Blood Moon I find that without some kind of system the time card rarely gets flipped. Can prove annoying with the champion of light when some guy will simply not go for the win and is killing everything without the need to roll as he's ridiculously over-powered.

Really? I find that the Time Card is flipped frequently because regular Events trigger it. It's Lunar Events that are hardly seen!

I agree Artaterxes, I think most people fail to realize all events change the day/night. Not just Lunar or Bloodmoon ones.

The huge deck is great, but basically impossible to randomize, which is annoying. The problem with playing "partial" decks is knowing you wont see some cool card because it isn't in there, even if the odds of seeing it in the first place were basically nil.

If someone ever invents a machine to actually shuffle that monstrosity they will be a wealthy person.

The huge deck is great, but basically impossible to randomize, which is annoying.

Yes, that's my main concern with the big deck!

Also, consider the fundamental problem of Talisman expansions: the small-box expansions build up the deck of the main board, while the big-box expansions take you away from the main board. They almost work against each other!

That's why if you look at Dam's stats, he shows a consistent average of cards drawn (thanks for providing these numbers!), but how many are from the main board? From my experience with 3/4 corners in play...less than 100 cards, and often less than 50, from the main board.

Thoroughly shuffling a deck of 574 cards just to see most players escape to the corners is a lot of effort for little gain. I've personally found it easier to shuffle six small decks thoroughly than one big one.

I have no problem randomizing the deck. Pile shuffle.

I love the flavor of the different expansion packs. I want to use some of the new core cards all the time in my adventure and spell decks. And some of the sets are designed so that events will happen in a ratio of time based on the number of adventure cards, vs. Magical objects, vs spells, etc. The more cards in an adventure deck, the longer it takes to get back to that which could be used to counter a bad result or cause a bad result your object / spell can protect you from. Therefore, the game is longer, too.

Anyway... A full sleeve of every single expansion pack just isn't something we want to do anymore. The 2 times we tried it, there were 4 of us. We played for over 12 hours, we all died at least once (most twice), and one of us just barely got to the crown... We were actually starting to get tired of it at that point, and didn't worrying about killing each other off (too many lives, spells, objects, fates, etc. Bottom line, we just weren't getting anywhere as fast as we usually did, so to speak.

In my opinion, dumping everything into the decks is like fighting a war in three different theaters.... All in the same location! Highlands, Dungeon and Frostmarch can use the same basic strategy. City and Woodlands uses a different group of strategies. Firelands and Cataclysm frequire a different strategy to win.... And so on.

Besides, if everything is stored together, how do you separate them out for teaching? My son (40) and his son love indoctrinating new people. But, new folks also just want to dive in and start playing.... Having to be "taught" basics for more than 10 minutes is going to bore them or convince them the game is too complicated for them... "in this case, you must do that, in that case you can do this... Unless.... " well, frankly, if you're not into theses kind of board games, it's boring.

I have 3 expansion boxes.... #1 = all the boards and the player organizers and the rules for every pack. #2 = the core game and all the core-compatible bags (bag / exp pack) #3 = expansion "feature"-specific bags. And #4 is a small exp box with all the core-compatible alternate endings. I split up each new expansion set based on two factors - is this card (Char, Ending, Adventure, or Spell) something specific to a concept introduced in this expansion pack? Anything that's core-compatible, goes in one bag, the others into another bag which may have other bags in it, too. Firelands is a good example of one that has 3 bags inside ... Cards related to Fireland tokens, cards that change regions, and burn vs. discard cards. The tokens are are easy to teach fast... You either lose a life or don't. Changing regions is cool. Burn vs. Discard a different kind of complexity. I don't add two complex expansions at the same time with a novice. Warrior Quests are a separate "feature" that covers two packs, night and day is another, werewolves are yet another. You can actually use night and day without the lycanthopes... If you want.

So, as you pull out each agreed pack, you shuffle first and then shuffle it into what you already have.... We also have a rule that your character has to come from the pack you wanted added. We've learned that the gypsy is really successful for Jacob, but didn't play well for anyone else. Our personalities impact the characters and strategies, too. Most of the time we do 3-card selection from their chosen pack (and core mixed in maybe). We add to our experience and we never get used to what the other person's going to do. It's always different (not just because of the dice). And sometimes, we just pick our favorite character and go for the throat, so to speak. We play at least 1 night a week, as long as we can start by 7, and usually at least a short game on the weekends, with whole day marathons maybe 4 - 6 weeks apart.

When my family and friends want to play, we decide how long (roughly) we're going to play, and we choose which expansion packs to use. 2 - 3 hours on a weeknight usually means no more than 1 - 2 expansion decks, we use revealed endings, random character assignment. If it's a Saturday Marathon... The Reaper is in play, sometimes we use a less blood thirsty alternate ending (Merchants Guild, etc.) And we each choose an expansion pack to add in. (I love the e-Raptor boxes. We set out one for each board expansion, next to the board.) We'll usually finish the first game about time for pizza, and afterwards we'll go for cataclysm, or a different set of packs. And, at the end of the evening, it only takes about 30 minutes to get everything back in their bags, and then their boxes.

We love the game, and love converting friends to the "addiction". The rules aren't really that hard... I simply explain it as the old D&D games converted to a board game so the entire family could share in the fun. You have as much chance as the others to win, and that good and bad things happen at about 50:50 odds. The rules are essentially on the cards or spaces and very literal. Read it word-for-word (must vs may). You go around the board picking up objects, spells, extra value points, and followers that grant you benefits. Or, you encounter events and enemies that you'll have a fair chance to win, evade, or lose. In fact, the more animals, monsters and dragons you defeat, the more points you gain. You can re-roll a die if you're in trouble and have enough fates to do it. Each character has a certain number of strength and craft points. Think brains vs. Braun. And, if you get killed off, cool! Pick out a new character and keep on playing! There may be exceptions, but we'll deal with them when we get there. Then I give them the flow chart on the back of the rule book, show where it points them to pages, and we're off. And by their third turn, the book is usually under their chair. After about 30 - 45 minutes, if they're interested, we start over and they're playing on their own.

Man, I sooo love this game! My kids and I were introduced to the 2nd edition when they were teenagers.... They're still hooked, though we only replaced my old set, which disappeared in a move, this past fall.

My 2 cents... ;-) (Yeah..... Ok.... Maybe about $20 worth of tuppence...)

A giant deck doesn't need a solution. Its awesome, bigger the better. Unpredictable and different!

So much truth.

Plus, shuffling decks, dealing cards before game then separating it all, huge waste of time.

giant practically un-shufflable deck

My deck is very shuffable because I have my cards sleeved. Sleeves are very nice for shuffling.

while the big-box expansions take you away from the main board.

That's why in my games corner boards are only accessible once a certain denizen has been drawn. Works very well.

Also agree one big pile is awesome. My only complaint with set dilution is the Firelands stuff. It's so different from all the others, and makes for some really cool board states. I'm trying to come up with a way to make it a bit more prevalent while still using all expansions.

My only complaint with set dilution is the Firelands stuff. It's so different from all the others, and makes for some really cool board states. I'm trying to come up with a way to make it a bit more prevalent while still using all expansions.

I use cards with firelands-specific mechanics as a separate, optional deck, almost like another harbinger deck. Works really nice.

My only complaint with set dilution is the Firelands stuff. It's so different from all the others, and makes for some really cool board states. I'm trying to come up with a way to make it a bit more prevalent while still using all expansions.

I use cards with firelands-specific mechanics as a separate, optional deck, almost like another harbinger deck. Works really nice.

Interesting. So how do you trigger card draws from the fireland deck then? I was toying with a die roll but that seems tedious.

In my version to play with firelands you have to choose a custom alt ending. Everything needed is written on it. The deck consists of (IIRC) 40 cards, all from Firelands and with firelands-specific mechanics.

Very cool. For my play group we want to keep things as close to stock as possible, and the 2nd clause on your Alt Ending card might be something we can use!

I'm thinking something like: when an event is drawn, shuffle a firelands card into the top 10 cards of the adventure deck.