I am thinking about purchasing this game for family and friend board game nights. I have a bunch of questions that I am hoping the community could answer for me that will help me with my purchase.

1. I know the game uses special dice and I think you only get one set in the base game. Does a set come in any of the expansions? If so which ones? Lastly how many sets do I need to get?

2. Which of the expansions do you recommend and why? I am guessing they are all a good value as in monetary purchase but not sure if they are worth it for the quests/characters/monsters/etc.

3. What about the 'conversion kit'? I don't have the first game, however, I read that it is worth it to get anyways. Thoughts about the conversion kit?

4. What about sleeves? I have never used sleeves for any games I ever played. It seems that FFG recommends sleeves for this game. Do I need them? How many? Are FFG sleeves the ones I should get or are they all the same so just worry about price?

5. Is there anything else I should know about?

Thanks,

J

P.S. Any thoughts about 'Star Wars: Emperial Assault' board game? I am thinking of getting this when it comes out.

1) The game does use special dice. One full set of "base game dice" comes with the game:

1x

blue

brown

black

2x

yellow

red

gray

They also sell a separate pack containing the above for about $10.

Some expansions have a newer "green" die, of which 1 or 2 will be included with each expansion that uses it.

I have one spare set (2 in total,) and I find that works fine for a full game of 5 people. Usually, no more than 2 people are rolling at the same time.

2) The "big box" expansions (at this point Shadow of Nerekhall and Labyrinth of Ruin) get you the most bang for your buck. A full campaign, 4 monster groups, some lieutenants, map tiles, 4 heroes, and 4 new classes. The "small box" expansions include a short campaign, some tiles, 2 monster groups, a lieutenant, 2 heroes, and 2 classes each. There are various smaller expansions as well, but those definitely are not top of the list for a group starting out. I like the big box expansions for the replayability they add- a brand new story (though the first one needs to be played several times before you play all of the quests,) as well as new picks for heroes, monsters, and hero classes.

3) I personally wouldn't bother with the conversion kit. It was made for people to use their first edition minis with updated cards. I bought the conversion kit because I have Runewars (another game set in Terrinoth) and so have 20 or so of the hero minis. I've had it for a year and a half, and have never used a conversion kit monster, or any of the 20 or so heroes I don't have minis for. If it were more than $20, I would have regretted buying it. Also, they're releasing hero and monster packs, which contain cards AND minis for most of those characters/monsters, anyway. (If you had the first edition, I would say you should ABSOLUTELY buy the conversion kit.)

4)Maybe?

EDIT: Regarding Imperial Assault- that game looks like it's going to be similar (though play a bit differently) to Descent. If they expand on it the way they have with Descent, it's going to be a big investment to get all of the bits. You spend your money how you want- I (not having incredibly deep pockets) have decided that the games are too similar to justify investing in both (since I'm already neck deep in Descent)- I'm going to let a friend (who hasn't bought Descent) make that jump, and we'll just share in each other's purchases.

I agree with Zaltyre.

Zaltyre had a great post, here are my opinions:

1.) Honestly, I skipped the extra Dice and my group does just fine. You really only need one set (I find $10 to be excessive for dice personally). However, I do play a lot of 2-player Descent, so it's not hard for me and my boyfriend to share the dice. I'd say it may be a problem with larger groups, but when I've played with 5 people it wasn't a big deal either, so...

2.) I recommend any and all you can afford. Personally, I'd recommend the smaller box sets at first, because it offers more hero choices and monster choices. You'll likely play The Shadow Rune (the main game's campaign) for a while, so you won't need a new campaign until you finish it. Hybrid Sentinels from Lair of the Wyrm are really, really good.

3.) I got the Conversion Kit, but I wouldn't have if I had started right now. They're releasing the Hero and Monster Collections which has new art and minis for the heroes/monsters, so I much prefer those to the originals. I'd say skip it and go for the H&M Collections when you can. They also come with two quests which is nice.

4.) I don't sleeve my cards. In my opinion, the cards aren't handled enough to be sleeved... maybe the Overlord cards, but I don't handle my stuff very carelessly. I'd say skip these too.

5.) Have fun with the game!

Thanks for the great information! I do have another question, does a character level up while playing? If so what is the level cap? I mean do you only go so far and when you start another expansion box do you start over at level 1 or keep going at level 3 or 5 or whatever you are at?

Thanks for the great information! I do have another question, does a character level up while playing? If so what is the level cap? I mean do you only go so far and when you start another expansion box do you start over at level 1 or keep going at level 3 or 5 or whatever you are at?

There are no "levels." Characters acquire XP (usually 1, sometimes a bonus) at the end of each quest in a campaign, and these XP are used to purchase skill cards for the class. A character will get between 8-12 XP per campaign. There is no carry-over to other campaigns- each one starts with all fresh heroes. There is the option to play standalone quests- for those, the heroes (and OL) choose a predetermined amount of XP and gold to use to spec the characters. Look in the rulebook (on the FFG support site) at "Epic Play."

You don't NEED extra dice, but it's certainly nice to have another set.

If you plan on getting nearly all or many expansions very soon and have enough spare money, you don't need the conversion kit. If you are not sure about spending over 100$ on expansions right away, I highly recommend getting it, it gives you alot of monster choices (25) for 20$. The heroes aren't well balanced though. I nearly lost interest in DE2, because there are so few good monsterchoices just with the base set and with the conversion kit it became one of my favorite games (I don't have 1st edition monsters btw.).

Everyone here will probably come up with a ton of reasons why the conversion kit is bad, but I think they can't judge that well, because they have everything or nearly everything for this game.

I would highly recommend sleeves for the OL deck, because it gets shuffled a lot and maybe for the search deck. These are very few cards (around 20) so getting one of each of the recommended colors on the back will do fine.

I do plan on buying the base game and at least one expansion to start with (free shipping with $100.00 or more purchase). So what order should I get the expansions in? That will help me plan out my purchases so I don't have to pay for shipping.

You don't NEED extra dice, but it's certainly nice to have another set.

If you plan on getting nearly all or many expansions very soon and have enough spare money, you don't need the conversion kit. If you are not sure about spending over 100$ on expansions right away, I highly recommend getting it, it gives you alot of monster choices (25) for 20$. The heroes aren't well balanced though .

Could you be more specific about the ' The heroes aren't well balanced though' ? Not sure what that means. I Guess in my first post I should of said I have never played this game. I saw some people playing it once and it looked to be great fun. I don't mind spending money on a game that I will get years of enjoyment out of, I am just looking to get opinions so that I don't make purchases that I will regret (bad expansions, lieutenants [no idea what these are or if I need/should get them at all], dice packs, card sleeves, etc. So if people could be as specific as possible that would be most beneficial to me.

Thanks,

J

If you're looking to group expansions by cost, you might be better off (as some have said) getting one or two small expansions first (perhaps Trollfens or Lair of the Wyrm) as it would be harder to make $100 out of just small expansions (unless you're buying a bunch at once.)

Personally, though, I'd still go for either Labyrinth of Ruin or Shadow of Nerekhall. When you can find those for $45-$60 and a small expansion (with half as many heroes/classes/monsters/quests) for $25-$40, I think the better buy is in one of the big boxes. One of the nice things about the small boxes is that they provide the "Rumor quest" mechanic, which allows side quests to be integrated into a larger campaign. There is a a fair bit of debate about how this affects the game difficulty, however.

I do plan on buying the base game and at least one expansion to start with (free shipping with $100.00 or more purchase). So what order should I get the expansions in? That will help me plan out my purchases so I don't have to pay for shipping.

You don't NEED extra dice, but it's certainly nice to have another set.

If you plan on getting nearly all or many expansions very soon and have enough spare money, you don't need the conversion kit. If you are not sure about spending over 100$ on expansions right away, I highly recommend getting it, it gives you alot of monster choices (25) for 20$. The heroes aren't well balanced though .

Could you be more specific about the ' The heroes aren't well balanced though' ? Not sure what that means. I Guess in my first post I should of said I have never played this game. I saw some people playing it once and it looked to be great fun. I don't mind spending money on a game that I will get years of enjoyment out of, I am just looking to get opinions so that I don't make purchases that I will regret (bad expansions, lieutenants [no idea what these are or if I need/should get them at all], dice packs, card sleeves, etc. So if people could be as specific as possible that would be most beneficial to me.

Thanks,

J

Well there a bunch of heroes in the conversion kit, or maybe even most heroes of the 75 heroes in the conversion kit that aren't well balanced (they got changed when they got re-released in the hero&monster packs) the monsters however are fine excpet 2 of the 50 got really small changes. That's why I would recommend the conversion kit only for the plethora of really good monsters. The base game however comes with 8 heroes and you can only play 4 at a time maximum, so I thought there isn't a huge need to expand your hero choice right from the get-go.

Maybe you could write how much the stuff is costing from where you are ordering (base game, small box exp, big box exp, conversion kit, hero&monster pack), but if you plan on getting only 100$ which includes the base game and can't get these games anywhere else... let's give you some educated tips when knowing the prices.

The thing about this game is that while there are a lot of people who like it very much, there are also a lot of people that just can't stand this game, so it's not a universally liked game. So maybe you want to get sure you like that game first, before spending more, or do you already know you enjoy this game?

Base game $56.00

Dice pack(1) $ 7.00

Trollfens $28.00

Labyrinth of ruin $42.00

Forgotten souls $10.00

Lair of the wyrm $25.00

Nerekhall $42.00

Manor of Ravens $28.00

Conversion Kit $20.00

TOTAL $258.00

Lieutenant Packs:

Splig $7

Belthir, $7

Zackareth, $7

Raythen $10

Serena $10

Verminous $7

Ariad $7

Skarn $10

Valyndra $10

Alric $7

Merick $7

Eliza $7

Queen Araid $10

Gargan $10

Rylan $7

Tristayne $7

Bol'goreth $10

TOTAL $ 140

Then they have some different hero & monster ones like:

Crown of destiny $25.00

Oath of the Outcast $25.00

Guardians of Deephall $25.00

Crusade of the Forgotten $25.00

TOTAL $100.00

That is everything they have listed on their site. Obviously I am not getting all of this at once, however, I would like to get all of the 'good' stuff. I plan on spending about $150.00 per order and getting one order per month.

If you plan on spending that much I wouldn't go for the conversion kit.

I would recommend for your first order

Base game 56$

Crusade of the Forgotten 25$

Lair of the wyrm $25.00

Labyrinth of ruin $42.00

This should give you a good amount of interesting monsters, a lot of heroes and classes and in case you really don't enjoy the base campaign (it is the worst of the campaigns) another campaign where the whole thing picks up (Nerekhall's campaign is said to be a bit harder on the heroes), as well as the secret room/rumour mechanic (which is a very minor tweak to the game that isn't complicated at all)

Lieutenant packs add a new mechanic to the game for the OL and offer highly different twists on the way the OL can play. That's why I think it would be better to start getting a few when you know your playstyle or how you want to tweak your playstyle.

This should give you a good amount of interesting monsters, a lot of heroes and classes and in case you really don't enjoy the base campaign (it is the worst of the campaigns) another campaign where the whole thing picks up (Nerekhall's campaign is said to be a bit harder on the heroes), as well as the secret room/rumour mechanic (which is a very minor tweak to the game that isn't complicated at all)

SLIGHTLY off topic, but:

1) I adore the Shadow Rune Campaign. I just finished playing Nerekhall, and it's also really good. I think, so far, Labyrinth of Ruin is my least favorite of the 3 (really no weapon relics.)

2) (this is the off topic point) Nerekhall may be generally harder on the heroes, but I just got steamrolled. I won 2 quests out of the campaign (no rumors were played) and the finale came down to the last turn. If Mirklace had survived 2 more attacks, or if a changelings attack had been more successful the turn before, I would have won.

2) (this is the off topic point) Nerekhall may be generally harder on the heroes, but I just got steamrolled. I won 2 quests out of the campaign (no rumors were played) and the finale came down to the last turn. If Mirklace had survived 2 more attacks, or if a changelings attack had been more successful the turn before, I would have won.

Always a bummer to hear the Overlord getting defeated so badly

What quests were picked and what lieutenant pack were you using Zaltyre? I hope to play a Nerekhall campaign soon and I'm torn between Valyndra to majorly buff Mirklace and the Ynfernael Hulks in key encounters, or Tristayne for raw damage and thematic flavor.

not saying that I'm purchasing all that I was just listing everything from the site that I was thinking of purchasing from.I am still looking for recommendations I want to purchase and in what order. From the list that I created is that everything for the game?

not saying that I'm purchasing all that I was just listing everything from the site that I was thinking of purchasing from.I am still looking for recommendations I want to purchase and in what order. From the list that I created is that everything for the game?

It looks like you've got everything listed (though I don't think Guardians of Deephall has been released yet.) You've heard my opinion on the big box vs small box- if you're also planning for lieutenants, I'd start with only 1 or 2 (unless you just want them for the miniatures) since you only use 1 deck/campaign.

I just recommended Labyrinth of Ruin as the big box expansion, because I think this campaign is easier for new players from what I've heard (I didn't actually play it). As I assumed you want to spend at least 300$ on this game (please correct me if I'm wrong on this), I would of course recommend getting Nerekhall with the next order. However if you are confident enough in your boardgaming skills you can go for Nerekhall right away.

So in effect I would recommend:

Base game

Small expansion (I recommended Lyar of the Wyrm, because of the Dragontheme, but I think anything except Manor of Ravens would be a good start, because they all add the secret room mechanic, manor of ravens doesn't)

Large expansion

and either Crusade of the Forgotten or Crown of Destiny although I really think Crusade of the Forgotten adds better monsters.

I guess you listed pretty much everything for the game

Thank you everyone for being patient with me. You have all been very helpful now to place my order.

May be a little late, but my suggestion for first purchase would be:

01. Base Game - $56

02. Lair of the Wyrm - $25

03. Valyndra LT Pack - $10

04. Oath of the Outcast - $25

05. Crusade of the Forgotten - $25

06. Baron Zachareth LT Pack - $7

The Base Game will keep you busy in terms of campaigns early on (if you're going to buy sets each month, you could easily get a new campaign the next month). Lair of the Wyrm has two pretty good heroes and classes, great monster choices, and a fun mini-campaign (or rumor quests if you use them with the campaign). Valyndra is a very popular choice for a LT Pack, plus you'd get the mini if you ever do decide to play the LotW quests (it's a fantastic mini). Oath of the Outcast has good hero options and three very iconic monsters. Crusade of the Forgotten adds more heroes (females heroes!) and three great monster choices again (Golems are pretty popular, and the new Sorcerer ability can get pretty powerful). Lastly, Baron Zachareth's LT Pack because he's pivotal to the Shadow Rune story and having his mini would be nice (if you care about that sort of thing). Really, I was just trying to get close to $150. You can substitute Zachareth for any of the LTs, really, or the Dice Pack.