So this corner baffles me a bit, and we've played four games with it now.

The Highlands is a good place to go when you start the game or need some Gold, The City is where you go to spend Gold, The Dungeon is where you go to boost your Strength/Craft once you can trounce the monsters, or go early and reap rewards even sooner at a bit of a risk.

Now the Woodlands....

Dark Fate is a fun PVP element added to the game, but I don't use it much as I would like to. I find using Light Fate still works to my advantage more. If I have a high Fate character I try and hold onto one Dark Fate, for the same reason I try and hold onto one Light Fate: The Reaper or an "I'm screwed" moment, usually consisting of an opponent landing on the wrong Place or Stranger. But I still find myself using Light Fate more, mainly to edge out fights where i'm behind in Strength or Craft by one or two. Once in a while I use it for movement, etc.

Dark Fate I don't find to be as pro-active. Yeah it effects the same exact rolls, but who cares if you make your opponent lose a battle, or re-roll his or her movement? It has circumstantial times where it's useful, but I find the same circumstances to be more beneficial when i'm using Light Fate to tweak my own rolls.

YMMV, would love to hear some opinions on this.

Okay the Destiny cards is what it's about and man are they powerful. I suppose in a way they are supposed to emulate the advanced classes of an older edition (sorry for the lack of correct lingo here I did not get a shot at playing the older editions) Pay close attention to The Wealthy, as I got this one game and I realized it has one particular advantage over the others. One NASTY advantage.

The characters are all good. The Spider Queen takes about half a game to get the hang of and deserves it's own thread. After you play her a bit you can start to see why she is good. I really want to like the Totem Warrior, after all he's a shirf off shield and axe berserker dude, but I feel like he's Alchemist lyte.

Now here is where I am lost.

The Woodlands Board, and the Deck.

Just stick a fork in my eye. You must be nuts to try and walk into this place. The Woodlands deck is full of nasty monsters and most of them Craft and Fatebound effects are enough that Death and his furball pal will want to stay away from faries. The board is also a bit punishing.

Then you have the Path mechanic.

Easy path? No Destiny reward. Hard path? Take a Destiny.

The trick here is to leave/re-enter until you get a path catered for you character, if one of the three options is not good enough.

Fatebound effects.... Heh. Well, let's just say going Lightbound, Darkbound, Unbound or Fateless makes no real difference. You will spend or lose fate and change that status every few turns even if you don't want to and more so in The Woodlands, between the spaces and card effects, so it's futile to try. Though it does bring up a bit of a boogyman aspect of gameplay while you try and decide if you want to change your status by spending your Fate. It also does not matter because the cards you draw are pretty random and so are the Fatebound effects that come with them. Never will you enjoy your Prophetess, Sage, Vampire Hunter or similar characters more, than in this region. Orb of Prophesy rules here.

Of special note is Mab's Lair. This controversial spot is asking for trouble. Strength 10, Craft 10 Boss. Add three to either one if you have a Destiny. The good news is she's near the bottom of the board, so you have to drudge through the punishing Woodlands deck and Region to get to her. But uhhh.....kill her and get a Destiny? Smash Mab before you Meet with Destiny every time (If you can) Leave the Woodlands with two destinies. If you can smash he twice in a row, why not? Three Destiny cards?....good luck running out of Fate with +3 Fate and 3 ways to gain it.

The items in the woodlands deck are great, down right amazing, like Oberon's Bow. Except...Fatebound effects make em' kind of frustrating to use.

So here is (Sadly) what my strategy has become with this Region: Avoid most of it

Find a way to get on hand teleportation. (Leprechaun, Kill Eagle King and get Arnkell, Magic Carpet, Teleport Spell) Teleport to Mab's Lair(If you can kill her) or Meeting with Destiny and pick up a Destiny, then get out. If you used Arnkell, there is a good chance it's waiting for you and you can rinse/repeat. (You may have to cycle some Paths to do this.)

I like this expansion quite a bit, but I'm not sure what the gains are for traversing the board.

What is your strategies with this expansion?

Interesting thread, eventually raising some thoughtful discussion about the latest expansion (The Woodland).

Dark Fate is a fun PVP element added to the game, but I don't use it much as I would like to. I find using Light Fate still works to my advantage more. If I have a high Fate character I try and hold onto one Dark Fate, for the same reason I try and hold onto one Light Fate: The Reaper or an "I'm screwed" moment, usually consisting of an opponent landing on the wrong Place or Stranger. But I still find myself using Light Fate more, mainly to edge out fights where i'm behind in Strength or Craft by one or two. Once in a while I use it for movement, etc.

Dark Fate I don't find to be as pro-active. Yeah it effects the same exact rolls, but who cares if you make your opponent lose a battle, or re-roll his or her movement? It has circumstantial times where it's useful, but I find the same circumstances to be more beneficial when i'm using Light Fate to tweak my own rolls.

YMMV, would love to hear some opinions on this.

It's true, dark fate doesn't have the same role and appeal as light fate. Light fate is always there for you to use, while dark fate doesn't help you progress further but can only hinder the others.

There are two ways to approach the use of dark fate:

1) Use it to annoy the others as much as possible, especially if you have access to lots of dark fate thanks to Lucky, Token of Promise or Dark Destinies; this is the silly approach that usually lasts 1 or 2 games, depending on players' attitude

2) Keep at least 1 dark fate to affect crucial rolls made by other players. Reaper is always the first idea but there are many rolls where dark fate matters. E.g. there's a pile of stuff left by a killed or Toaded character which you're struggling to reach. Another player is lucky and rolls better for his movement before you can do anything; use a dark fate on that roll. In the same fashion, you can upset their plans when they defeat an Enemy you would have wanted for yourself and when you finally have the means to get to it they land there to wipe it out. Frustrate their attempt with dark fate, especially if the fight is close.

But most important of all, keep it to allow you to become unbound or darkbound.

Okay the Destiny cards is what it's about and man are they powerful. I suppose in a way they are supposed to emulate the advanced classes of an older edition (sorry for the lack of correct lingo here I did not get a shot at playing the older editions) Pay close attention to The Wealthy, as I got this one game and I realized it has one particular advantage over the others. One NASTY advantage.

The Wealthy is the only Destiny that allows you to gain light fate instead of replenishing it. It wouldn't have much sense otherwise, because you wouldn't have much fate to spend like gold. This combines well with other Light Destinies, but you need to have 2.

Once a character obtained 5 Destinies around here and that was annoying, because he was replenishing fate for whatsoever reason to the point I was afraid to drink from my glass. Normally, it's not so easy to get Destinies and it takes some time, so having 2 or 3 is more than what it's normally achieved (and needed).

I think Destinies are good rewards that compensate for the time spent and for the risk taken in the Woodland. Time that you could have spent hoarding Gold and then buying things in the City or slaying Enemies in the Dungeon. The right Destiny can really bring the odds to your side.

Then you have the Path mechanic.

Easy path? No Destiny reward. Hard path? Take a Destiny.

The trick here is to leave/re-enter until you get a path catered for you character, if one of the three options is not good enough.

The "Path cycling technique" has already been mentioned by some users in this forum and it's the remedy when you don't have any good option out of the 3 available.

However, there are several Paths that can be worth your tour in the Woodland even if the final reward is not a Destiny. Path of Fortune and Path of Wisdom can really help a character if he keeps them for a certain time. I have a soft spot for the Path of Wisdom + Personal Journal combo, which I often got when daring the Woodland.

The most difficult Paths are there to screw you if you get your Path changed by Crossroads or Faerie Trod; but who knows, getting Path of the Determined when you're deep inside the Woodland might be a blessing. Then there are Paths like Path of Respite, Runebound Path and Wyrd Path which are not that difficult to complete and still get you a Destiny.

Now here is where I am lost.

The Woodlands Board, and the Deck.

Just stick a fork in my eye. You must be nuts to try and walk into this place. The Woodlands deck is full of nasty monsters and most of them Craft and Fatebound effects are enough that Death and his furball pal will want to stay away from faries. The board is also a bit punishing.

I don't know why you say that the board is punishing. There are 3 spaces to gain/replenish fate. There's a Swampland space which is not that different from a Mountain Pass. There's the Mystic Glen that's almost the same as the Monster Pit. There's the Witch Tree which is better than the annoying Hall of Darkness, because it doesn't make you waste a turn. There's the Blasted Heath where you can't spend fate and the Bogs where you must subtract 1 from all your rolls, but I don't think that 3 spaces with those effects make the board "a bit punishing". Faerie Ring has a 50% chance to be nasty, but so has The Ridgeway.

There are not many über Enemies in the Woodland deck and they are evenly distributed between Strength and Craft. Fatebound effects from Enemies are not pleasant if you are on the wrong side; this is why you need to be flexible.

Fatebound effects.... Heh. Well, let's just say going Lightbound, Darkbound, Unbound or Fateless makes no real difference. You will spend or lose fate and change that status every few turns even if you don't want to and more so in The Woodlands, between the spaces and card effects, so it's futile to try. Though it does bring up a bit of a boogyman aspect of gameplay while you try and decide if you want to change your status by spending your Fate. It also does not matter because the cards you draw are pretty random and so are the Fatebound effects that come with them. Never will you enjoy your Prophetess, Sage, Vampire Hunter or similar characters more, than in this region. Orb of Prophesy rules here.

Being fateless in the Woodland is just bad. Being unbound is safer than anything else, even though it limits your options and gains. Your fatebound condition makes a real difference, I think.

The problem is in the approach. You don't just walk in the Woodland. You need to have medium attributes to enter the Region, at least 5 or 6 in both Strength and Craft; it is more than what is needed for the Highland or City, but less than what you usually need for the Dungeon. Then you need fate, of both colours, and the attitude to be flexible. Mask of the Moon gives you immediate flexibility, but once cards are faceup you can land on them later on with the right fatebound condition, provided you planned this and acted accordingly. A bad encounter with Oberon might give you a second chance if you have 2 light fate and 1 dark fate; if you have 3 light fate, you'll be smacked in the face and fateless, with the only option to flee or find a way to gain 1 fate.

Not all encounters in the Woodland are bad, but the place is no cakewalk.

The items in the woodlands deck are great, down right amazing, like Oberon's Bow. Except...Fatebound effects make em' kind of frustrating to use.

They are exactly what you should be up for in the Woodland. Personal Journal, Token of Promise, Scales of Balance, Sword of Destiny, Piskie Companion, Kelpie, Faerie Wand are all great goodies to take as a souvenir. Some of them are worth more than a Destiny. Fatebound effects only force you not to be unbound, which is what you should be if you want the best from your Woodland attempt.

Of special note is Mab's Lair. This controversial spot is asking for trouble. Strength 10, Craft 10 Boss. Add three to either one if you have a Destiny. The good news is she's near the bottom of the board, so you have to drudge through the punishing Woodlands deck and Region to get to her. But uhhh.....kill her and get a Destiny? Smash Mab before you Meet with Destiny every time (If you can) Leave the Woodlands with two destinies. If you can smash he twice in a row, why not? Three Destiny cards?....good luck running out of Fate with +3 Fate and 3 ways to gain it.

(...)

So here is (Sadly) what my strategy has become with this Region: Avoid most of it

Find a way to get on hand teleportation. (Leprechaun, Kill Eagle King and get Arnkell, Magic Carpet, Teleport Spell) Teleport to Mab's Lair(If you can kill her) or Meeting with Destiny and pick up a Destiny, then get out. If you used Arnkell, there is a good chance it's waiting for you and you can rinse/repeat. (You may have to cycle some Paths to do this.)

Mab's Lair is not the last space so it's not granted you'll land on it if you rely on normal movement. If you can smash Mab twice in a row you're 14+ in either Strength or Craft and should probably be elsewhere (in the Inner Region or near to the Treasure Chamber, ready to defeat the Lord of Darkness by 8+).

Teleportation surely helps, but there are not so many permanent Objects to grant it. Not sure what you mean that you can rinse/repeat with the Arnkell; that Magic Object is discarded after use (Followers are ditched).

My experience is that the Woodland cannot be entered lightly, but that the right Path and a decent amount of Strength, Craft and a distributed fate can help you get the best from it.

Arnkell: Get it, walk into Woodlands Region. Try and get a good path that sets you up for a Destiny (Or other reward as you have mentioned) Cycle paths if you don't have a good option. Use Arnkell. Teleport to Either Mab's Lair (If you can kill her) or Meeting With Destiny and resolve your destiny effect on the path card. Then get teleported out of the space to the Forest. Walk back in, get your Arnkell (When you land on it)...repeat.

Queen Mab is not the last space, no. But you can hop back and forth until you land on her. And as for repeat battles with her over going to say..the Dungeon and smashing the Lord of Darkness.... well. I don't know. Sure with the stats you can go attack the LOD and get a Treasure card. But....I will take a Destiny card over just about any treasure card out there. All of them increase the values of stats. All of them are near impossible to lose or have stolen. They are just so good. Better than about 90% of items you can have. The other thing about the LOD is you have to get teleported (Sometimes pretty far away from the region.) then work your way back to him. Mab you kill, move off the space and can potentially visit her again two turns after you killed her.

Though you are much better with the rules than I am, so where as I know you can Fireball or Finger of Death the LOD. I'm not so sure if you can or can not do it to Queen Mab. If you can, here is another way to get another Destiny card quick and easy, which is my issue with that space on the board. Because you can fight her with Strength OR Craft. You can have a hulked up on Roids, Strength 9 Troll. Smash her with Strength one turn, then turn around with your 5 + 1 Craft from a destiny, Brainwave and smash her again. That space is asking for a Terrain card.

Keeping a Dark Fate to become Darkbound or Unbound.....very good tip. I'll save that for the next game. I try to hold onto one for those clinch moments but this is an applicable use too. -If you have an item that needs it, or a way to tell what Fatebound card is coming.

I don't like the followers in the deck (well, I don't hate them) and I don't like the fatebound items too much either. There are some gems in the woodlands deck like the journal, but drawing from the woodland deck is really playing with fire, mainly because of the fatebound mechanics. Though I agree once you have some cards on spaces it's a bit easier to manage your travels.

I still feel like in most games the most beneficial, use of the woodlands board is to get a destiny or two ASAP (Usually by teleporting) then get out and don't come back. With the city, dungeon and highlands sometimes I want to linger around in the region and draw cards. Not so much in the Woodlands.

You might need to adjust your Arnkell strategy. When you use the Arnkell, you discard it. Discarded relics are removed from the game entirely, so the Arnkell is a one-use item.

Oooops. I thought I was in another topic. Ignore this.

Woooah we've been playing it where it's ditched in the space with the followers for...ever.

Then you've been playing it wrong forever, Granvile . Seriously, though, good topic thread to get started, so thanks!

Warlock already did a fine job of addressing the subject of Dark Fate. I would only add that it is exceptionally useful to have Dark Fate when another player is at the Mines, the Crypt, the Dicing with Death space or one of the Hidden Endings that requires the roll of a die. Also, depending on your Destiny, you might actually find Dark Fate to be more useful to you than Light Fate! Take if from someone who has been Immortal twice .

The Woodlands deck is indeed dangerous, and my play group has certainly left the Fae Realm littered with character corpses in our past few games (the Sprite, the Spider Queen, the Living Oak, and the Doomsayer, to name a few). Although I couldn't disagree with your more about being Fateless in the Woodland making no difference; if you're fateless, you always take the last fatebound effect on the card, which is usually the worst one.

The items in the Woodland deck are indeed amazing; their fatebound requirements can be a bit of pain, yes, but certainly not enough to detract noticeably from the benefit of having these wonderful treasures! The fabled Sword of Destiny (which is especially valuable in our games since we've removed the Flails and Battle Axes), the Stone which gives you a Destiny, the Torc which shields you from Strength loss and Toadification, Oberon's mighty Bow (perhaps the most lethal anti-Player weapon in existence), Titania's Wand, and more! In our last game, for example, Titania's Wand was charged with a terrible spell indeed, the Random spell! This WOMD (Wand of Mass Destruction) had a huge effect on the game, taking out the Totem Warrior leader and devastating several other players. It would have been the most valuable item by far had we not eventually hit the Spreading Flames ending and had the Ifrit Cloak found .

So that's why our group goes into the Woodland. To gain a Destiny or two (most of which are extremely useful and all of which are transferable to your new Character if your current one dies) and hopefully to pick up some of the many immensely powerful items found in the Fae Realm. THOSE are the gains to be had for traversing the Woodland, and they are more than enough to justify the risk.

That said, I completely agree with the Warlock that you'd better have a Str and Craft of at least five or six before venturing into the Woodland. Unlike the Highland, it is DEFINITELY not a place for new characters.

I honestly don't understand how you can not like the fatebound items, Granville? Have you actually seen Oberon's Bow or Titania's Wand used in a game?

We haven't had the Wand in play yet, but looking forward to it.

I managed to get Oberon's Bow on the Dragon Rider, no Dragon when I first picked it up, but I had one not too long after leaving the woodlands region with The Wealthy and The Void Destinies.

And it was awesome, except that even with extra and very reliable Dark Fate generation, I found it difficult to hold onto it due to my ever-changing fate pool.

I -almost- killed the Troll with it that game which speaks for itself. Except...I made the mistake of losing it in a combat it and it ended up with me being murdered by on the way to the portal, dead at the sentinel's feet

Though thanks for clearing up my questions; It's a bit more clear for me now. You really want to fish for the items in the region, but the timing for doing so is key. The one item I like out of the bunch is Lugh's Cloak.

But this is the thing; I don't want to spend my precious turns in that Region trying to get those items out of the Woodlands deck with fatebound effects being a factor. It may be my stoke of luck with the game (or more the region), as I often forget sometimes Fatebound can be good, too.

Looking over the cards and the board some more, I suppose though Warlock is right. It's not as bad as it seems, when you really start to consider the odds of what can and cant show up.

Hey you guys!

Sounds like Solan and Granville have been having some epic adventures! I've only played with Woodlands about 4 times, since it came out; takes us forever to get a game going - but they last for hours, which we like.

We have!

Though I think everyone of our typical six players have been burned in the woodlands in one way or another.

Next game we are doing choose your character + Dragon Tower + All expansions + Wanderlust Ending. (And you have to kill the Dragon King at then end, probably trivial at that point.) We expect the game to go from Black Friday night to Saturday afternoon.

I know our group well enough to tell you we will have the following characters -AGAIN-

A Troll. Our ex-Navy player Tim just loves the Troll. We've tried to sell him on the Ogre Chief, Warrior, Minotaur. Nope. Ff we pick characters, he plays the Troll. Life 6 and Strength 6 and simplicity. Is his comment on that.

Assassin. Same thing as above with my best friend growing up Victor. Another military vet who reads through gun catalogs between turns.

Me, I'm flipping between my favorite the Dragon Priestess, and the Spider Queen. I just like antagonistic board manipulation.

Damien will pick a spellcaster. He usually takes the Wizard, Warlock or the Jin-Blooded.

Shane goes completely on impulse after flipping through the cards a bit. Though I bet he will pick something with a movement advantage for this game.

And Ryan... he will always draw one right off the top of the deck and roll with it. It's funny because he wins the most games. Last game ended up being a Crown of Flame game and he won with the Cat Burglar, and he was the one who got hooked up with the crown initially.

las

That sounds awesome and a nice bunch of players. I only play 2 player, since I can't find anyone else interested, but our games are pretty epic too.

I get the feeling if we had 1 or 2 more players we might have actual winners! We usually play until someone dies between the 2 of us - that ends up being hours later. It is probably only 1 out of 4 games where one of us may actually win the CoC.

With Titania's Wand everything depends on which Spell it holds. The first two times we had Preservation, and the gold-creating spell (very appropriate in terms of legands of leprechauns and fairy gold), which made it good, but not fantastic as it was this most recent time .

The Troll! Talk about a worthy target! Wait a minute, though, are you saying that after you lost Oberon's Bow in combat the Bow was used to murder you?

Yes, Lugh's Cloak is another great item, especially while you're still in the Woodland! You can use it to avoid Oberon, Titania, Baba Yaga, the Leprechaun, the Luck Fairy, and the dreaded Toad King !

Being Lightbound and Darkbound can be very good, depending on who you meet. If you want to avoid the best and worst bound effects, however, being unbound is definitely the way to go.

I don't know that I'd necessarily concur with Warlock on that one. Looking at the board myself, I see many spaces where you must draw two or even three cards. There are also several copies in the deck of the Undergrowth event, which makes you draw an additional three cards! All of this makes it much more likely that you'll find Enemies teaming up against you, and most of the Woodland creatures are far from push-overs! Several are as strong as or even stronger than a Dragon, while two of the less Str/Craft powerful foes boast the ability to literally KILL you if they defeat you in combat and you're fateless or bound to the wrong side ! Finally there are seven different cards which can Toadify you in the Woodland deck, making Toadification much more likely than in any other Region. And once you're a Toad, you're a tasty, helpless snack to virtually every creature in the Woodland . . .

We really have, Oberon . Please be sure to post the story here if you have something epic happen as well!

I'm not surprised. I'd rate the Woodland the third most dangerous Region in the entire game, after the Inner Region and the Dungeon (and maybe it even beats the Dungeon! We've certainly had more characters die in the Woodland!).

Ah, man! BORING! Come on, a fair amount of the game's fun is taking a random character and trying to make him or her work! Talisman's key attraction has always been its vast variety; they're killing some of that by choosing their characters instead of taking them randomly. Please give my compliments to Ryan, who has the right idea and the tactical and strategic skill to go with it !

Really, Oberon? Often I only have my brother to play with, and we tried one character each, but the game just went too fast! Now we play with two characters each, and that seems to balance things out nicely, but man is there a LOT to keep track of!

I don't know that I'd necessarily concur with Warlock on that one. Looking at the board myself, I see many spaces where you must draw two or even three cards. There are also several copies in the deck of the Undergrowth event, which makes you draw an additional three cards! All of this makes it much more likely that you'll find Enemies teaming up against you, and most of the Woodland creatures are far from push-overs! Several are as strong as or even stronger than a Dragon, while two of the less Str/Craft powerful foes boast the ability to literally KILL you if they defeat you in combat and you're fateless or bound to the wrong side ! Finally there are seven different cards which can Toadify you in the Woodland deck, making Toadification much more likely than in any other Region. And once you're a Toad, you're a tasty, helpless snack to virtually every creature in the Woodland . . .

The Draw 2/3 Cards spaces are the same as in the Highland and Dungeon, and they have the same position. I can hardly see how this could make the board punishing. If you can't manage multiple Enemies, then you'd better avoid drawing many cards at once, but doing it is the fastest way to get more good stuff and increase your attributes.

The Woodland Deck has no bigger ratio of Enemies than the Highland deck. See here:

Highland deck (142 cards, 50 are Enemies = 35,2%)

Enemy – Animal

Carrion Crows (S1)

Crag Crawler (S5)

Crag Growler (S2)

Hatchling (S1)

Mountain Goat (S2) (2x)

Mountain Lion (S3)

Roc (S5)

Thundercrest (S4)

Tuskgore (S3)

Enemy – Cultist

Cryomancer (C3)

Storm Caller (C2)

Enemy – Elemental

Earth Elemental (C5)

Ice Elemental (C7)

Lightning Elemental (C8)

Stormcrow (C3)

Enemy – Dragon

Amphiptere (S4)

Cloud Dragon (S8)

Frost Drake (S7)

Mountain Dragon (S8)

Wyvern (S5)

Enemy – Monster

Eyrie Outrider (S3) (2x)

Harpy (C4) (2x)

Hippogriff (S2)

Frost Giant (S6)

Kobold (S1) (2x)

Manticore (S4)

Rock Mauler (S6)

Skyfall Sentry (S3)

Snow Goblin (S1)

Wind Rider (S2) (2x)

Enemy – Spirit

Chill Wraith (C2)

Falconer (C3) (2x)

Felclaw (S6/C6)

Night Gaunt (C6)

Phantasm (C1)

Revenant (C1)

Shiver Nymph (C2)

Sky Seeker (C2) (2x)

Stormwing (C4)

Talon Mage (C3) (2x)

Windlasher (C4)

Winged Stalker (C5)

Woodland deck (103 cards, 37 are Enemies = 35,9%)

Enemy – Animal

Big Bad Wolf (S6)

Black Unicorn (C7)

Forest Goat (S2) (2x)

Lion (S3)

Shaefoal (S4)

Scythian Unicorn (C5)

Totem Bear (C3)

Webspinner Spider (S5)

White Stag (C2)

Enemy – Cultist

Vassal of Mab (C1)

Enemy – Dragon

Wyrd Dragon (S5)

Woodland Drake (C6)

Enemy – Elemental

Earthbreaker (S8)

Enemy – Fae

Breeze Sylph (S2) (2x)

Boggart (S3)

Brownie (C3)

Coblynau (S4)

Fae Witch (C2)

Knocker (C4)

Naiad (C5) (2x)

Puca (S1)

Red Cap (S4)

Rusalka (S5) (2x)

Sidhe (C4)

Sluagh (C4)

Storm Sylph (C2) (2x)

Thieving Piskies (C3)

Wyrdling (S6 or C6)

Enemy – Monster

Bandit (S4)

Fomorian (S7)

Enemy – Norn

Verdandi (C6)

Enemy – Spirit

Servant of Mab (C6)

A deck that features 39 less cards has necessarily less filler material = less Str 1 and Cft 1 Enemies, no lame Trinkets like the gems. The ratios are the same, but the numbers are reduced, so this will result in a less diluted deck where the strongest elements (nice goodies, dangerous Strangers and Enemies) are easily spotted.

But yes, I agree that a Cft 1 Vassal of Mab is a very nasty encouter, if compared to a Cft 1 Phantasm.

I'd rate the Woodland the third most dangerous Region in the entire game, after the Inner Region and the Dungeon (and maybe it even beats the Dungeon! We've certainly had more characters die in the Woodland!).

The Dungeon has built a legend of danger around itself, but it's not so dangerous as it seems. I've learned it to my expense when playing against my wife: she always attempts the Dungeon earlier than me, and she's never got beaten. If you avoid spaces where you draw 2-3 cards at once, it's possible to enter the Dungeon with stats around 5 or 6 and slowly start to snowball. There are few options in the Dungeon deck besides a host of Enemies, but there are some good findings like the Tunnel Fighter, Oaths of Vengeance, Psychic Crystal, Gauntlet of Might, Book of Diablerie that can turn the quest in your favour. Hunchback and Torches are also a great help if you want to stay away from crowded spaces.

On the contrary, in the Woodland you need to have decent stats because you must cope with fatebound effects and you shouldn't be losing life because of attacks. Of course drawing 1 card instead of 2-3 is wiser in the Woodland as well, until you're well equipped and can deal with more cards at once (e.g. you've found Lugh's Cloak, Mask of the Moon or Nuadu's Torc). Every Region holds the stuff to make your journey easier, but it's not granted they will show at your passage.

I'd also like to point out an interesting thing about The Woodland.

It has the only Enemy with Encounter #2 that can be fought in psychic combat.

To answer some of the questions above.

Yeah I got Oberon's Bow and then was killed by it after losing it in a battle (With the Troll I was shooting, played by Victor this particular game.). It kind of changes the game, maybe even more so than any other weapon due to it's power level. It is like having an AK 47 in a fantasy setting and amusingly (sadly? )enough.. the evilest characters have the most ammunition. It's balanced in the sense that someone else can get it and use it on you and....it's in that nasty Woodland deck, costs Dark Fate per "Shot" and forces you to be Darkbound or lose it. Still 1 Dark Destiny (50-50 shot each time you get one and you're already in the Region) and you can load up on Dark Fate. I suppose you have the very scary chance of it showing up with the Faerie Host, as well.

We usually do Draw Three Characters and play the Hidden format. But we took a break to play 5 straight games of Pandora's Box at one point. Once in a while, maybe 1 out of ten games, we pick characters. I have mixed feeling on picking characters. I really like the Dragon Priestess as I have the most fun playing that character. But I don't have fun playing it against the same characters, which tends to happen when we pick characters.

Victor and Tim really like their Assassin and Troll, and both of them are so stubborn, that we let them play em' once in a while.

I think I like draw 3 however, so I'm not stuck playing a character I don't like. I like 90% of them, but the Minstrel, Monk, Magus and Merchant leave a bad taste in my mouth. Hey at least I like the Minotaur!

I use the same strategy as your wife, Warlock, and that is very much so to take advantage of the snowball effect with monsters and I get the damnest luck with the Dungeon, contrary to the Woodlands. The dungeon has few good items IMHO but I find it more tolerable than the Woodlands. (I also prefer Followers over Items.) The thing is though, im always looking for a clutch to quickly off the Lord of Darkness. (Fireball anyone?) and get a treasure, being as you get to pick. But now that's changed to finding a clutch for Queen Mab or "Destiny" Mab/Oberon/Titania -...as long as I can teleport to them

Because the numerous draw two and three cards are only part of the Woodland's challenge, Warlock. There are also multiple copies of the Event which forces you to draw three Woodland cards. Also, as you observed, the Enemies in the Woodland are rife dangerous special powers. No Highland Enemy has the ability to KILL you if it defeats you in combat unless you're already on your last life. Finally, your chance of being Toaded is far greater in the Woodland than in any other Region, and when you're a Toad, all enemies are very dangerous, much more those with special powers.

Ah, poor Granville! Hoist on your own petard! Yes, Oberon's Bow is probably the mighties anti-character weapon in the game, indeed akin to an AK-47 in a fantasy setting . If you get the Bow plus the wonderous Woodland object which provides you a Fate each turn if you don't have one . . . .

I'm glad to hear you usually do make a somewhat random draw in your games.

The Pandora's Box is the ending which most intrigues me! Out of your five games, how many times did the Box owner win and how many times was he consumed by his own artifact?

Not always, not if you use the optional rule that you must draw a Dungeon Treasure at random when you win one .