Finally after waiting for 7 months and the price going from 12 to 18 €, I got Nature's Ire. When I was unpacking this expansion and reading up on it, I noticed how cumbersome this analogue solution worked: I have to print out the encounterrooms (most likely black and white) and everytime I draw an encounter card, I have to cross-reference with my black and white manual how to set things up and read some quest information.

Now I thought I will probably use my tablet for doing this and then I wondered why FFG didn't release this whole thing as an app, that randomizes your cards and presents you the fitting setup to your digitally drawn encounter card.

I know I would buy more of them if they were a little cheaper and readily available and since FFG seems like it can't just quite meet demand, while at the same time selling kind of a nicheproduct of the PoD kind and having such a hard time on international distribution, it makes me wonder why they don't sell this PoD stuff digitally.

Do you think they are afraid of pirating?

I just bought Nature's Ire myself about ten minutes ago.

An app would be great, all cards, rooms, rules and trackers could be inserted in that. New expansions could be sold as in app purchases.

Would have loved the coop advenures as an app for iPad/Phone.

A digital product is difficult to protect from a copyright standpoint. It is possible that even if they investigated this possibility, they found the cost of developing and securing the content greater than the cost of printing.

Also, the setup for the coop expansions is no different than a normal campaign- you are still referencing cards and a manual and setting up map tiles. The only real difference is that you are setting up small maps often, rather than large maps once or twice a session. Plus, if it were an app you would need to switch between screens for the exploration, activation, peril, and doom. On top of that, isn't part of what makes board games "board games" the medium? I have nothing against video games, or even adaptations of board games to video games- but if the cards function well enough, why make a change that may actually limit youf consumer base to those with suitable devices?

I really shouldn't have opened the first door with my second to last hero on the turn. I opened Consuming Falls, ran in with Syndreal then drew a monster activation that allowed the Goblons to attack twice.

I really shouldn't have opened the first door with my second to last hero on the turn. I opened Consuming Falls, ran in with Syndreal then drew a monster activation that allowed the Goblons to attack twice.

Yeah. I haven't played much co-op, but I quickly decided that I would do my best to open doors with the first hero in a round- even if it cost me a fate and/or peril card.

A digital product is difficult to protect from a copyright standpoint. It is possible that even if they investigated this possibility, they found the cost of developing and securing the content greater than the cost of printing.

Also, the setup for the coop expansions is no different than a normal campaign- you are still referencing cards and a manual and setting up map tiles. The only real difference is that you are setting up small maps often, rather than large maps once or twice a session. Plus, if it were an app you would need to switch between screens for the exploration, activation, peril, and doom. On top of that, isn't part of what makes board games "board games" the medium? I have nothing against video games, or even adaptations of board games to video games- but if the cards function well enough, why make a change that may actually limit youf consumer base to those with suitable devices?

I kind of see your argument, but there are some things that lead me to a different point of view.

In regards to all the copyright stuff I can't really say anything, however they did release Battlelore as an app, which is why I was thinking about this possibility in the first place. But maybe that's something completely different... I don't know. I just think that developing such an Descent Coop app really won't cost them much. They already have all the card-files, text and artwork and the app wouldn't do much else, but showing them.

While it's true that there isn't much of a difference between campaign setup and Coop-setup I feel it makes a big difference if you setup one map you have chosen once or twice, or if you have to draw a card, read the card, search for the discribed encounter and finally set it up for up to 9 times for one game.

I think having this as an app, doesn't mean it has to be exclusivily digital. The whole loot-track makes much sense physically and I think I would be much more comfortable in printing this one page, than printing the whole manual with all the encounters, even if I buy this as an app. So imo the app would only handle all the card stuff: When you enter a new room the app first shows the encounter card and draws a peril card if neccessary. After setup the app would only display winning conditions/special rules for the current encounter and the monster AI card for the current turn, maybe with a small picture of the mapsetup if necessary.

In the end the game will stay physical, you will still roll dice and so on, it's just that these 3 decks of cards and a rulebook you have to print yourself (probably in black and white) won't clutter your table and their handling and organisation (which I personally don't see as fun) won't distract you from the boardgame you are playing. This doesn't mean the card-system doesn't work, it just means that I don't even think it's a part of the real gameplay and I imagine it kind of fidly (just like I think that the manuals and setting up the maps isn't part of the real gameplay before placing your miniatures).

So imo digitalising these cards is more like digitalising a manual and that has a nearly non-existing effect on the analog gameplay.

The last point is kind of true: You are somewhat limiting your consumerbase, but I don't think FFG has to stop selling these PoD coop-packs, but rather offer it as a digital product as well, with the option to print a few components of your own (the doom-track or ally-cards).

The thing is as it stands now, I feel like FFG is extremely limiting the consumer-base for these expansion with their current business-modell. Like I said, it took FFG over 7 months to ship this expansion to Europe, a timeframe in which this product nearly doubled it's price, because of unfortunate exchange rates (which means I paid more money, but FFG didn't even get more). If I could've bought the coop-expansions as apps in january, I probably would've bought them both instantly (which would have meant double the income for FFG). As it stands now, I'm very reluctant to order another one of these coop-expansions, simply because I don't know how expensive they will be when they arrive and if I still enjoy Descent at this point in time or if I have a gaming group that I enjoy playing this game with.

You make good points. I was not considering partially digitizing the expansion (though that brings in the question of cost to FFG again); I was certainly not considering shipment to Europe- I am a spoiled American consumer.

We risked a peril card and got a doom that ended up ending the game. Excited for another chance