Did you also notice the price tag?

I'll think twice before getting another game that includes so many overpriced small box expansions.

Yes, we don't have to buy them, but if you even remotely like a certain game, you know you will anyway.

It's like smoking, easiest way to quit is just not to start in the first place.

Those are some wise words:)

I like the Imperial Assault approach because even though the individual minis may be pricier because of the expensive Star Wars license, I get to pick and choose more of what I want. Descent has had some great H&M and small expansions, but there's always those items in each one that you know you'll never use. I'd rather have single packs, so that I can choose.

Descent has the same with the lieutenants and stuff, I'm not defending Descent.

Edit: Although I do have the impression that it's even worse in case of IA.

Yes you don't have to get the lieutenants, but who wants to play with cardboard tokens anyway next to all these beautifully crafted miniatures... it's even worse once they're painted.

I mean, come on, the lieutenants are the boss miniatures, you don't want them to be represented by a cardboard token right?

But yeah, the price tags add up, I could have gotten a lot of different (full boxed) boardgames for the amount of cash I put into Descent's mini expansions. I'll be more wary in the future for this kind of marketing strategy.

And yeah, definitely more worse in case of IA. I guess the costs for the IP have to be compensated.

Is the game fun? Yes. Is it worth the cash? Probably not. Hence the point I previously made. I think it's a very dirty marketing strategy.

I'm happy with my Descent 2nd Ed collection. I few more boxes won't hurt... I think?

I guess I'll wait until my wallet changed its state from being empty to not being empty.

Edit: It's around $1000 to get everything from Descent 2nd Edition, standard FFG store price.

For IA, it's around $450 currently if you get everything once. Seeing how IA is a much younger game, it's already catching up well in terms of price tags.

So yes, know what you're getting yourself into once you start.

Lieutenant packs are basically the same as DLC by videogames. It kinda should already be in the base product.

I agree to a point. I grant that the minis feel DLC-like. All of the heroes and monsters have miniatures, but the lieutenants have tokens, and then the miniatures are sold separately- it's easy enough to imagine some hypothetical "complete" base game which includes miniatures for all the characters. However, I see the lieutenant packs as much more than just the mini. The agent/plot deck/threat mechanic is (I feel) much more solidly "expansion" territory- it is a variant module which can augment the gameplay, adding a deeper layer of strategy for the overlord, and to some degree for the heroes, too- but it's entirely optional- the game really isn't lacking anything without them.

It can be argued that any expansion "should" have been included in the core product, but I think it's important to recognize that there are degrees of variation between

-continuing to develop and release content over time as a way to support and grow a game over its life-cycle

and

-chopping up a product into tiny increments to maximize profit.

Lieutenant packs are basically the same as DLC by videogames. It kinda should already be in the base product.

I agree to a point. I grant that the minis feel DLC-like. All of the heroes and monsters have miniatures, but the lieutenants have tokens, and then the miniatures are sold separately- it's easy enough to imagine some hypothetical "complete" base game which includes miniatures for all the characters. However, I see the lieutenant packs as much more than just the mini. The agent/plot deck/threat mechanic is (I feel) much more solidly "expansion" territory- it is a variant module which can augment the gameplay, adding a deeper layer of strategy for the overlord, and to some degree for the heroes, too- but it's entirely optional- the game really isn't lacking anything without them.

It can be argued that any expansion "should" have been included in the core product, but I think it's important to recognize that there are degrees of variation between

-continuing to develop and release content over time as a way to support and grow a game over its life-cycle

and

-chopping up a product into tiny increments to maximize profit.

Well, the plot decks are a new mechanic which is rather cool. But I can't help but feel they are also needed to sell the lieutenant packs (FFG names them lieutenant miniatures on their site). I wonder what came first, the plot decks? or the idea that lieutenants should have miniatures?

They could have added to lieutenant miniatures to the actual game they appear right away and then release an expansion that focuses on all those plot decks and the like while also adding some other content.

Or god forbid just add everything to the game they appeared in. If a box contains a ton of miniatures already, those few extra miniatures won't drive up the prices by much, which seems now to be the case with the separate mini boxed products.

Small miniature expansion? $8.95 please. Oh, you get other cards as well along with, a plot deck etc. But if it's a bigger sized miniature, the price goes up to like $14.95. A plot deck has to developed just as well, but the only difference is its size, so the size alone just added $6 to the product.

If they're added to the boxes they appeared in, everybody would get them, lowering the manufacturing price, if that's indeed the cause of the high prices (I doubt it is just that).

Really, it starts with the basegame and a few mini expansions. Oh why not get those right? It adds to the base game? And then they release something more, and something more and more over time. Graaahhhraraahhhh. It's like a small subscription fee that adds up over time so every small cost doesn't hurt much, but you're paying regardless, and the end amount is a lot.

Okay, end of rant. I love Descent 2nd Ed, I'll probably finish my collection but I'm more of "wait and see" now when FFG releases something entirely new (not Descent 2nd Ed). If mini box expansions start appearing then I'll skip everything altogether. Like I said, if you remotely like a game, you know you'll start paying for all the overpriced mini expansions anyway at some point.

So to the OP's post, yes more big box expansions please.