I have the starter boxes for Star wars, Android netrunner, Warhammer invasion, and Call of Cthulhu. So far we have only played with the recommended decks in the books. I was just curious as to how the cycles and deluxe boxes (and I see now they have draft sets) work. Confused as to what to buy other than the obvious EVERYTHING!!! Is there an order that I should follow? Is it themed for a story? I would like to know because I just ordered 40k conquest, AGoT, and LotR LCGs also.

Wow! You just started a very long and thrilling journey. Beware that:

- AGoT is about to have a reboot, with second edition possibly to be out at GenCon in a few months. First edition was quite good, yet it was the first in the series and had some inevitable flaws due to being a pioneering game. You may want to hold the purchase and get 2nd edition instead

- as for your proper query, it really depends on the game. For example, you can't play Adventure Packs for Lord of the Rings unless you have the matching deluxe expansion (well, you can play the APs for Shadows of Mirkwood since they require only the core set), since deluxe exp have decks you'll use to build quest decks in the related APs; for Star Wars, the first del exp, Edge of Darkness, was basically a core set for the remaining two factions; for Netrunner, del exp focus on only one corporation and one runner types, so that if you don't run Anarch, then you may not want that expansion. But for Netrunner, the adventure packs are not linked to del exp. And so on

- as general rule of thumb, I'd suggest you to follow the release order, so that you can experience the game growing as many of us did; and additionally (LotR for instance) you'll have more balance in the deck (later expansions can have more powerful cards and so on)

Thanks for the info. Another question though. Would I need to buy more than 1 copy of anything such as Cycles decks?

The only things you "need" to buy more than 1 copy are:

- core sets. Again, this depends on the game: for Star Wars, you need 2 since you can't have more than 2 copies of objective set / deck; 2 are good for mostly everything else, BUT there are some cards in the other games (non-SW) that come with only 1 copy of a single card, so that if you want to play this competitively, you could consider 3. My suggestion nonetheless is get 2, and in case you need, just shop for the third copy of a certain card on e-bay, you should fly cheaper (and in any case, I'd suggest you to play those with just one core set and see how much you like the game and how deep into deck building you wanna go)

- expansions: to my memory, the only deluxe exp you need to buy twice is Edge of Darkness (basically, it's a core set for Smugglers and Scum); all the other deluxe exp, and all the exp packs come with 3 copies of each card (2 in case of Star Wars but again, you can't have more than 2 in a deck, so, it's fine)

In warhammer invasion the first deluxe and the first cycle packs are x3 purchases if you are going for full completeness.

Groan. Thanks Alex... W:Invasion is the only one missing to my collection, and I'm very slowly buying them... 3x sounds like it's not an option (just invested in second copies for SW+EoD, W:Conquest and Netrunner...)

Core sets and Deluxe expansions are evergreen, meaning that, in competition, they will always be allowed. The cycles will fade away at competition level after 8 cycles. Cards released in cycles will, in time, become ineligible for use in tournaments. This rotation will take place, if release schedules stay at one new item per month, in 2017 for Netrunner and 2019 for Conquest. This is nothing to worry about now but, if you choose to compete at tournament levels then consider which cycles you want to spend money on.

Also consider the website CardGame DB: http://www.cardgamedb.com/forums/ . Great community with deck builders and NetDecks, Additional pre-built decks to help you understand the games beyond their core sets.

Groan. Thanks Alex... W:Invasion is the only one missing to my collection, and I'm very slowly buying them... 3x sounds like it's not an option (just invested in second copies for SW+EoD, W:Conquest and Netrunner...)

Its still worth it Julia as its only the first deluxe/cycle all the rest are single purchases (except core which is x3 if you want the full lot). Its also all still in print.

I got a very large set from ebay in perfect condition with a good two-thirds of the cards so its worth looking there, the fact its no longer run as tournament means some people do decide to drop it.

Its good to get somebodys collection from ebay then fill in blanks via normal purchase.

Its still worth it Julia as its only the first deluxe/cycle all the rest are single purchases (except core which is x3 if you want the full lot). Its also all still in print.

Yep, but I've just started from zero. So far I got all the core set, all the deluxe expansions and half of the first cycle of cards. Don't get me wrong, I'm tempted to get multiple sets of the core and the first expansions as for your suggestion, but the problem is that I'm afraid of not having time to get the remaining small packs. So, I'm more in the phase "get at least one of everything before wondering how many cores and so on". Possibly, if they keep the game in print for the next couple of years, I'll return to that.

I got a very large set from ebay in perfect condition with a good two-thirds of the cards so its worth looking there, the fact its no longer run as tournament means some people do decide to drop it.

Its good to get somebodys collection from ebay then fill in blanks via normal purchase.

That's very true Alex Problem is that most of this stuff goes on ebay.com; living outside the US, shipping and customs are going to kill me. I tried ebaying some of them, but I can only find convenient packs in my own language, while I'm interested in the original English edition. I'll keep on searching, tho And possibly in May I should be able to get a new cycle. Still, I think that I'll get a second core set for AGoT sooner than a second core set for Invasion.

In any case, allow me a very personal considerations: LCG are possibly the best games in the FFG catalogue. Not talking about personal taste, but in terms of design and mechanics, they are simply outstanding

Its still worth it Julia as its only the first deluxe/cycle all the rest are single purchases (except core which is x3 if you want the full lot). Its also all still in print.

Yep, but I've just started from zero. So far I got all the core set, all the deluxe expansions and half of the first cycle of cards. Don't get me wrong, I'm tempted to get multiple sets of the core and the first expansions as for your suggestion, but the problem is that I'm afraid of not having time to get the remaining small packs. So, I'm more in the phase "get at least one of everything before wondering how many cores and so on". Possibly, if they keep the game in print for the next couple of years, I'll return to that.

I got a very large set from ebay in perfect condition with a good two-thirds of the cards so its worth looking there, the fact its no longer run as tournament means some people do decide to drop it.

Its good to get somebodys collection from ebay then fill in blanks via normal purchase.

That's very true Alex Problem is that most of this stuff goes on ebay.com; living outside the US, shipping and customs are going to kill me. I tried ebaying some of them, but I can only find convenient packs in my own language, while I'm interested in the original English edition. I'll keep on searching, tho And possibly in May I should be able to get a new cycle. Still, I think that I'll get a second core set for AGoT sooner than a second core set for Invasion.

In any case, allow me a very personal considerations: LCG are possibly the best games in the FFG catalogue. Not talking about personal taste, but in terms of design and mechanics, they are simply outstanding

Understandable Julia. While I keep my eye on ebay if I happen to buy any bulk lots that have duplicates I dont need Ill Pm you to see if you are interested in purchasing (might not happen though, ebay can be funny)

I agree that getting one of everything is the good priority thats also my plan, though WI has taken a back seat for a while as I pour my spending into lotr (which is partly your fault Julia remember you posted in my thread)

WI seems great, really great, though at the moment I dont have a local opponent, wheras lotr is simply awesome AND is great for solo play, i cant seem to stop spending on it.

Understandable Julia. While I keep my eye on ebay if I happen to buy any bulk lots that have duplicates I dont need Ill Pm you to see if you are interested in purchasing (might not happen though, ebay can be funny)

Thanks Alex, it's very kind of you

I agree that getting one of everything is the good priority thats also my plan, though WI has taken a back seat for a while as I pour my spending into lotr (which is partly your fault Julia remember you posted in my thread)

WI seems great, really great, though at the moment I dont have a local opponent, wheras lotr is simply awesome AND is great for solo play, i cant seem to stop spending on it.

True. LotR is my favorite LCG of all times for your very same reasons; anytime I want to play, I can. I think I passed the 200 plays since August, 2014, when I started playing it consistently, and I'm always in for a game. It's the first LCG that urged me to buy the second core set (no regrets so far) and in the last year, I got everything (including PoD, Nightmare, and so on). I know it will be years before I've played enough all quests, but, hey, that's good, right?

And yes, I remember you read my advice; I'm happy you're having a good time (I like reading your stories on the LotR board)