I've read the various threads on card distribution/dilution when using expansions, but what is everyone's opinion on mixing in monsters?

I'm setting up a game and only using the Innsmouth expansion and I took out all the Dunwich monsters from the bag to add in all the Innsmouth monsters. When people play with only one or two expansions, do you usually leave in all the monsters, or do you only toss in the monsters for the expansions you are using? Seems like the theme (especially with Innsmouth) would come through stronger with just the current expansion's monsters.

Also, since Innsmouth doesn't add any Items, I assume it plays fine with just the base game Investigator Cards?

Dunwich's and Kingsport's monsters don't seem to be thematically tied with their expansion, but Innsmouth's and Black Goat's do. But, in general, I leave in all monsters from all expansions. Or at the very least I remove Black Goat when not using that expansion.

Well, I think Wizard Whateley is clearly tied to Dunwich and the extra Nightgaunts fit well with the theme of Kingsport, but apart from those I agree with Tibs the thematic connections of those two expansions are rather weak, especially when compared to Innsmouth.

We usually play each expansion "as a whole", but we sometimes include just the monsters from certain expansions even when we don't use those boards. We tend to check the Worshippers of the Ancient One and see if those appear among the extra monsters (meaning, with Shub-Niggurath we won't use Kingsport monsters without the board because there are no Dark Youngs, but Dunwich monsters can get in even when we don't use the Dunwich board).

-Villain

In my "training regimen" I often include all the monsters from all the large expansions because Nyarlathotep is #2 on the list, and I wanted all 10 of his masks to be available. However, it's looking like the Lurker at the Threshold might be Nyarlathotep, which would give me an excuse to re-play Nyar with more of his masks (even if I don't add all the other Innsmouth monsters).

I use every monster I have, but I don't put in more than three copies of any monster (except for Cultists and Deep Ones), unless that monster is a worshipper of the Ancient One. Only 4 Dark Youngs for Shub, and I pretend the 2 Gugs are Gnoph-Keh for Rhan-Tegoth.

Villain said:

as well as the color out spaces that are suppose to live in the well of the Gardners.

amikezor said:

Ah, yes, of course! Somehow forgot they came with Dunwich.

-Villain

Villain said:

They didn't come from Dunwich! They caaaaame frooooom Ouuuuuter Spaaaaaace!

@avi: arf, good catch

I find that even without dilution the innsmouth theme of aquatic monsters tends not to shine through since more often than not you end up with deep ones hanging out in the woods or the science building rather than the docks or devils reef. Thats why I made Basatan.