When we play, we play on our ping pong table (just on one-half). Its a pain in the butt to pass the same dice across the table again and again. I'd like to have one set allocated to each side.

Seconded- is less about speed than it is about convenience. Also, it isn't all that rare to be rolling more than the base game dice in one act 2 attack (byy + divine fury) or 3 gray or 2 brown defense, and the extra set means you can roll that all at once. Again, convenience.

... Just wanted to chime in and say..

I bought 2nd Ed, and then... bought the CK (I don't own 1st ED).

And then I went and bought the Monster Packs too. (then was like 'ah... i'll put these ones in a box then)

And then shortly after that, I went to Ebay to pick up the Base edition 1st set of Heroes and Monsters.(and then brought those things out of that box again).

Now I have so much redundant material, (in plastic and card !) and no one to play with really.

I am not the wisest.

But I do like buying miniatures for reasons I can't really explain.

Much Peace,

Malev

I just bought the extra dice because the guy playing Thomble kept complaining.

His own defense dice + the dice of an adjacent hero + Shield of the Dark God (Exhaust this card after rolling defense dice to reroll some or all of the defense dice.) was pretty cumbersome.

Rolling 1 brown defense die 3 times, and keeping in mind which one you want to reroll and what the values of the other ones in combination with the other dice you might have rolled gets confusing fast.

Everyone--

Thanks again for all the help. I have a good sense of direction now. HM packs will be a last buy. May snag 1 or 2 LT packs. First, though, I'll be getting the CK. Omnislash, I can appreciate your point, but I've got an entire box of 1st Ed stuff that is wasting away in the basement. For a small investment i can bring every single one of those minis into the fold. I can then postpone the HM packs, well, indefinitly, if I really want. I'm sure there will be a few from the 1st Ed expansions that I don't have and I may snag them down the line.

Buy order:

-Dice

-CK

-Heirs of Blood

-Shadow of Nerekhall (Heard really good things)

-Forgotten Souls (Mix up play style when its just my partner and I)

-Manor of the Ravens (Love the flavor)

Then I'll go from there.

J

I can understand that. If you own the 1st Edition, then I believe it is a worthwhile pickup.

And frankly speaking, I believe the H&Ms cost too much. You can buy one for the price of a small box expansion, which I think is worth more then the H&Ms. Just my opinion but I think they should be 10 bucks cheaper, considering that there are so many of them and comparing them to other sets.

And yes, extra die are handy. There has been more then one situation where I've had to re roll die and add it to defense or attack pools. Those situations are encountered more frequently during ACT II. I'm going to buy some eventually, since my blue one is cursed.

The cost is a big factor. The MSRP is $35. You can find them online for $25, but even that is too high for me, especially for what's in the box.

Everyone--

Thanks again for all the help. I have a good sense of direction now. HM packs will be a last buy. May snag 1 or 2 LT packs. First, though, I'll be getting the CK. Omnislash, I can appreciate your point, but I've got an entire box of 1st Ed stuff that is wasting away in the basement. For a small investment i can bring every single one of those minis into the fold. I can then postpone the HM packs, well, indefinitly, if I really want. I'm sure there will be a few from the 1st Ed expansions that I don't have and I may snag them down the line.

Buy order:

-Dice

-CK

-Heirs of Blood

-Shadow of Nerekhall (Heard really good things)

-Forgotten Souls (Mix up play style when its just my partner and I)

-Manor of the Ravens (Love the flavor)

Then I'll go from there.

J

You should get one lieutenant early because it adds a little bit of flavor to the game. The OL gets more cards to play with and you get threat tokens mixed into the game.

So maybe do a little research and then get one lieutenant that has cards to your liking.

Dice tower did a great 2 part youtube video of some of the lieutenants

Good choices. Have fun!

I got forced to buy an H&M Pack last weekend. We we're meeting to play some of the campaign and my other friend had his own copy of Descent and had bought Oath. And everyone wanted to use 3 out of the 4 heroes. Of course he forgot this time around. Luckily the house we we're playing in had a shop that sold the H&Ms. So now I own Oath.

Expanding the game to me is dependent on what you like or want to play the most. First i would give the core set a good number of games to decide what you like and what you think you want more of.

If you like the core set heroes and monsters and want some different scenarios to play then get the Heirs of Blood book - a relatively cheap way to lengthen the game.

If you always liked a dungeon crawl feel and want to change the way the game plays then get the Forgotten Souls / Natures Ire / Dark Elements expansions. You can also solo these and it is still fun.

If you want to have proper end bosses with models and also give the overlord a bit more choice in their play style then get some Lieutenant packs such as Splig or Eliza (although for me the best models you can get are linked to expansions such a Bol'Goreth the troll (Trollfens), Valyndra (Lair of the Wyrm) and Queen Ariad (Labyrinth of Ruins)).

If you like the core set and just want more choice of everything then try an expansion box. Labyrinth of Ruin is the most similar to the core set with a Spider boss, Lair of the Wyrm has a fiery theme with a dragon boss, Trollfens has a swampland theme with a troll boss, City of Nerekhall has a city theme with demons, and Manor of Ravens is a manor with a golem boss. I would buy dependent on what theme you think you would like. If you are really not sure then i would pick Labyrinth of Ruin first as it uses a lot of the core set in its scenarios but adds some great new monsters and a good campaign. If you want one small box then my choice would be Trollfens unless you want to get the co-op Dark Elements which would lead me to Lair of the Wyrm box first.

If you want to create your own dungeon with a theme then you may need to go for the Heroes and Monsters sets to get what you want. Personally though i would get the main box expansions before any of these as i feel you get a better product with the box set line with new tiles, campaigns and i think better themed heroes too.

The conversion kit is ok if you own lots of old models from Descent 1 but otherwise i would get the 2nd edition box expansions instead of this. In effect its just a load of cards with some rules on, some of which have now been changed for a better balance anyway. You will certainly end up with more than enough monsters and heroes if you start buying box sets.

crusadersgolf.co.uk/board-games/descent-2nd-edition/

You can see some of my thoughts and pictures at my website above - my own preference is that i loved dungeon crawling where you were all heroes v the game or even creating my own dungeons to explore. The co-operative scenarios are really very good and a challenge. Also if you play these you also get a feel for buying new weapons and items and levelling up all in one story. If you cannot get people to commit to a long campaign then this is a good way to experience these aspects. If this style of game appeals to you then there are 3 scenarios already - you will want to consider the Lair of the Wyrm box to play the latest scenario.

However if you like the original game with an overlord then the expansion boxes are the best starting points as you will feel you are getting good value from your purchases. I would go for one expansion box with a theme you like and one Lieutenant pack to give the overlord a bit more choice and a proper end boss model. Trollfens and Bol'Goreth would work or maybe Labyrinth of Ruins and Queen Ariad. Paint them all up and you are sorted !

Aesthetics do not concern me at all. I own 1e of Descent and started my 2e dungeon dive with the base game and the Conversion Kit (CK). Between 1e and my old copy of RuneBound, I have the majority of the heroes represented. To be honest though, if I'm taking my game to someone else's house I sometimes just use stand-ins. It doesn't bust craniums to have players keep track of what is standing in for who. You can play with pennies and dimes, meeples, or even the hero tokens provided in the game. I don't see how this could wreck the immersion when flat cardboard discs with glyphs represent anything from gas vents, to torches, to urns. Using your imagination is standard operating procedure for any Descent player already. FFG went so far as to include the extremely uncommon promotional heroes in the CK, and you can bet there are plenty of players out there using stand-ins for them.

Changes to hero cards can (and should) be treated as errata and clarified/changed accordingly. Just because you haven't paid the money for a physical copy of an updated hero card does not mean the updates are off-limits to you.

The CK has unparalleled value considering it expands the hero and monster selection exponentially, for cheaper than any expansion. The biggest shortcoming of the CK are the monsters. The ones with 2-4 square bases are all mixed in. You need to do some research for appropriate stand-ins.

Changes to hero cards can (and should) be treated as errata and clarified/changed accordingly. Just because you haven't paid the money for a physical copy of an updated hero card does not mean the updates are off-limits to you.

There are several changes that I think are poor decisions and I would not use them even if I did end up getting the "official" cards - I'd stick with the old one. Master Thorn being one example that comes to mind, but there are others.

Some of them feel like changes just for the sake of making things different, not because they were unbalanced. And in some cases, they were done because of figure limitations (such as perhaps with undying).

I don't view them as erratta. If that was the intent, they would need to be in the FAQ. I may use a few of the changes, but probably not many.

Agreed, I was speaking more to when the relationship is the other way around. If you have an old version and a clarification change was made, there's no reason you cannot just use the edited version. You can play with whatever version you want, I just don't agree with the mentality that you need the physical goods (like a functionally redundant H&M pack purchase) to run the characters.

Elder Mok is a prime example. FFG cleaned up the text to be a bit more concise, but in the process made Mok far more powerful and versatile. The older version merely 'mirrors' what another hero is already doing.

I dunno, Elder Mok's changed power, while a little more flexible in what he can "heal", is a bit weaker overall, since he can only do it once per round now, whereas before it was not limited.

Using the old Elder Mok, he becomes very strong as a Bard, for instance, because most of his abilities affect multiple heroes, and each one would trigger his ability. For instance, if he had both tokens on the starting skill, and healed one heart and one fatigue from all other heroes, he would heal quite a bit:

- One damage for his skill working on himself.

- One damage for each hero in range that got healed by his skill

- One fatigue for each hero in range that got unfatigued by his skill

So if there were 3 other heroes nearby, all who were hurt and fatigued, Elder Mok would recover 4 damage and 3 fatigue.

With the New Mok, if the exact same situation happened, he would only heal 1 damage plus either one damage or one fatigue. Notably less powerful (and in this case, the flexibility is moot, because he could have recovered both with the old way).

Granted, I think the old Elder Mok may have just synergized well with the bard, but any other multi-hero healing affect was far better for Mok in the old way. The new way was definitely meant to weaken him, with the flexibility of choice added as a bone to offset the severe nerfing.

(Just out of curiosity, what other hero was Elder Mok's old ability mirroring?)

Just a quick clarification- Mok's ability now works once each TURN, meaning he can heal 4 over the course of a round.

EDIT: 5 if there is recovery during the OL turn.

Right, he could still heal multiple times, but not in the way I mention above With the old Mok, he could heal 4 on his own turn (plus 3 fatigue), PLUS if the heroes do anything to recover damage or fatigue on their own turns, he could heal then as well. And in the new way, he can't heal both fatigue AND stamina that way in a single turn, just one or the other (although he can choose which, regardless of which one triggers it).

It's still weaker than it was, when there was no once-per-turn limit

(Just out of curiosity, what other hero was Elder Mok's old ability mirroring?)

I just meant that he recovers whatever another hero is recovering, and cannot switch one for another. With the new ability, Mok can heal 1hp off someone else using their Stamina potion, resting, etc.

The old Mok is not as you've described. If many heroes heal at the same time , Mok heals only 1 point. That was clarified by FFG in regard of Spiritspeaker Mok and Drain Spirit. When using this ability, he heals only two damage. One for himself, and another for all the other heroes. If inmediately after that he uses Ancestor Spirits, everyone heals 1 damage and fatigue, and he heals only 1 damage and fatigue more .

Yes, it's still more than the new Mok, but not THAT much more. Now he is not that (almost ridicously) powerful Spiritspeaker, but can still a very good Apothecary, for instance.

I'm a completionist so I would say get it all, but this is the order I would suggest.

Heirs of Blood - campaign book that only uses the base game. Way better then the base game campaign.

* start grabbing base game lieutenants here and there.

Labyrinth of Ruin - Big box with a new campaign.

* Get lieutenants from Labyrinth of Ruin

The Trollfens - small box

* get lieutenants

Manor of Ravens - small box

* get lieutenants

Lair of the Wyrm - small box

* get lieutenants

Shadow of Nerekhall - big box with a new campaign

* get lieutenants

Get monster hero collections - each one comes with 2 more Rumour quests to add to your campaign.

I would get the upgrade kit if you plan on collecting slowly over time. It immediately gives you a lot of monsters and heroes to use.

But they do get upgrades. If you plan on buying everything very quickly then don't bother. Just get the Monster hero collections.

Oh ya forgot about the coop ones. Get those for sure if there are only 2 of you

Forgotten Souls and Natures Ire only use the base game

Dark Elements use Lair of the Wyrm as well as the base game.

Hi, majc. If I understood correctly, you want a new camapign AND new monster options. In this case I would prioterize expansions before Heir of Blood.

They will give you nice new monsters, heroes and OL cards. I would suggest to get LoR just for the cool and really interesting to play Basic II deck - more things to fear for your heroes.

And you can play HoB after expanding monster choice a little. All expansions are great and have some nice monster choices. I reccomend to take LoR and SoN and at least one small box expansion. Small box will entroduce your group with rumors and remove that annoying "Empty" card from search deck, giving secret room instead. It's a big deal. Secret room is great and exciting addition, because greed can lead heroes to their demise =)

HoM collections are great later on. I bought few myself two weeks ago, and I am very happy with them. Advise you to grab at least one leuitenant pack - just to add more depth to your game

Good luck

EDIT: considering your second question: expansions campgaines range from decent to great, so you won't be dissapointed

My opinions from just recently purchasing the game earlier this year.

I bought the first 6 lieutenant packs for the core set first. You do not need to buy any of them. I did this first because I hate playing the bosses and not having the models. Buying 1 or all of them is completely optional, and if you mind playing with tokens or not. The decks you get with each lieutenant pack are cool, but remember, you can only use 1 per campaign. I feel dice fit into this catorgy as well depending on how many people you play with and how much passing dice bother you, plus they are cheep and nice to have.

As far as expansion go. The small expansion can be played on there own, however they are met to be intergraded into a campaign. I would suggest you buy a small expansion box first to add some replay to the campaign you already have. Plus it will add more stuff and it will teach you about rumor cards. After that would be a big box expansion. I would suggest Shadow of Nerekhall. You get 4 new heroes and 4 new hero classes to play, as well as a full length campaign and lots of other stuff: monsters, OL cards, shop items and so on. I have heard multiple say they consider this the best expansion out. I don't own everything yet, but I am very glad a bought this expansion early on.

If you are on a budget then Heirs of blood is a great place to start. It gives you a full length campaign and you already own all the pieces you need to play.

I personally would wait in tell you have an expansion or two to buy H&M packs. And what I did is I went to Wiki to see what is in them and picked the ones I liked the content the most. I almost always play OL so I was looking for monsters when I bought mine. I have bought 2. I bought Oath of the Outcast and Guardians of Deaphall for beastmen and Wendigo.

List format would look like this:

1: (optional) Lieutenants and dice

2: Small box expansion, what ever one appeals to you the most. I bought Liar of the Wyrm and I like it

3: Big Box expansion. I suggest Shadows of Nekenhall

4: A few H&M packs.

5: Buy now you will know what you like and what you want to get next

Hope that helped

Hey all!

Thanks Vancheng and wtfboar for your insights. Will definitely take your comments into consideration.

I picked up the lieutenants for the base game as I also like using the figures rather than the tokens (really adds to the game when the heroes come up against the villains and see what they are up against). Also I've got all the based figures painted and want to work on the lieutenants (another plus to give the game that extra umph).

Thanks again for your feedback.

Happy gaming all!