Hello all, I have purchased the core copy of descent journeys in the dark and road to legend, my question is this...can i play with just these two or is it essential to have the other expansions and if so which ones are crucial to have and why?

Thanks any advise or insite would be great.

Toxicjedi said:

You can play with just these two.

I would strongly advise you to play the core game through completely before playing RtL.
RtL is an Advanced Campaign. You need to be able to handle the in-dungeon mechanics almost automatically, because the real thing you have to be thinking about all the time , is the map-board and upgrading situation.
It is like driving a car. Playing through the dungeons or encounters is using the steering wheel, gear stick, brakes, clutch etc. But if you are still learning these, then you don't have enough attention on where you are going, and like as not you will hit a tree or drive off a cliff. Even when you get a bit better, if you have to look down to coordinate you gear change etc, then you aren't really ready to drive on a busy road yet.
So, I repeat, I strongly advise you to play through at least 5, preferably all, the base quests first. Play with different heroes and skills, and rotate the OL around the group. Consider it 'fun training' if you want to play an Advanced Campaign. You want to see as much variety, and look at things from both sides, to build depth of understanding.
And before you play a campaign, which will last around 60-100 hrs, possibly, think about each investing some time into researching strategies and options available to each side. There is a sort of exponential power curve, especially early in the game, and if you make some bad mistakes early you can still be feeling the effects 40+hours later... Better to think a bit first, than just jump in feet first.

As for getting the other expansions, each adds something different, and the more you add, the better the game experience. Generally it is probably best advised to get them in order, but individual people have individual favourites.
Generally speaking, WoD and AoD strengthen the OL a bit (Treachery and new monsters add a bit more than the new heroes, skills and treasures) and ToI favours the heroes a bit (Feats).

+1 for Corbon's answer.

That was a wonderfully detailed answer to my question, and thank you so much for your time effort and thoughts.

It was most helpful and i will put his advise to good use as soonas possible.

Thanks from me Toxicjedi

I don't have much to say as far that corbon already hasn't so I'll just echo what he already has said. Play as much of the core game as you can get get familiar with the game. Once the heros start learning the tactics the need to complete those missions they'll be able to get a grasp on tactics required to handle dungeons in RTL without getting a horrible beating from the OL.

If you jump into the RTL you'll probably be lost, play completly wrong, have all kinds of unawnsered questions, and it will make for a very rocky and probably not very fun advanced campaign.

Also, good luck and have fun.

When you play without WoD and AoD you'll notice there will be some dungeons that you won't be able to do, some monster options you wont have as OL, fewer characters, and you'll need to use the simplified trecheary rules, but I'd reccomend getting a good feel for the core game before you start getting too carried away with all the expansions.

Corbon said:

it is pretty funny how many times you post this per week. you should put this answer as your signature or something.

Thank you to Toxicjedi for creating this post. I am certain there are many just getting started who want to jump right into the campaign game, like me, but haven't even played a game yet! Your question about purchasing the core and campaign game, without the expansions, was my question also.

Thanks to those who took the time to give us noobies their valuable advice, without ridicule. Based on your advice, I will "cool my jets" and just get the core game for now

Dwarflord22

duhtch said:

I just imagined what Corbon's sig would be like if all that were crammed in there. I LOL'd.

Dwarflord22 said:

It's an understandable desire, to jump right into the AC game. I imagine a lot of people pick this game up because of its apparent similarities to RPGs like D&D (or to older board games of a similar genre, like HeroQuest.) I know I did when I first bought it. As such, the desire for an extended and continuous campaign experience is natural (likewise for the assumption that, as an experienced gamer, they "can handle learning a big game.") The problem with such assumptions about Descent is that they presuppose a more story-oriented adventure style game, when Descent is really a knock-down, drag-out, underground street fight.

Incorrect expectations about the game can lead to a number of common newbie mistakes in tactics which can be disasterous enough to your first impressions of game balance if you're just playing vanilla. Jumping right into the advanced game only compounds the problem as it's a whole other level of strategy on top of the basic tactical combat - and one which generally asks for a month or two of time invested, no less. Some people get offended when they come on here and we tell them to just play the base game for a bit - like we're insulting their ability to read and comprehend the rules. This is not true, of course. Understanding the game balance in Descent is as much about your frame of mind as it is about your understanding of the rules. Start small and you'll be able to learn the rules one strategic level at a time. It will also increase replayability if you save the bigger adventures for a bit later on.

(I know you're already on board with all this, Dwarflord, I'm just continuing the general discussion, not trying to convince you as an individual of anything in particular.)