We're almost through our basic set campaign and with only one more Act II quest and the finale to go I started wondering about the expansions. I don't really see us playing the Shadow Rune through again as it took us over a year to get to this point and the schedules are not going to be any easier in the future. So the mini campaigns sound much better.

The question is which expansion has the best quests? Which one has something new to offer?

Here's why I'm asking:

In the beginning of the Shadow Rune was fun and fairly quick, but the last three scenarios have been quite a letdown for us. First The Shadow Vault resulted an almost a stalemate situation and only after very long and careful strategizing solved. That scenario took us close to 8 hours to play. Then we played Desecrated Tomb, which resulted a total "broken" moment when the badly deployed heroes were unable to even get off the entrance tile on the 2nd part because of a blocker Ettin. The quest didn't take long, but was totally anticlimatic. Then last weekend we played Twin Idols, which took us again 8 hours to play because I as the Overlord used the blocker Shadow Dragons to really slow down the heroes and the four heroes have also the necromancer familiar to block the monsters (Lady Eliza Farrow) successfully. So we blocked and the monsters resurrected and blocked and blocked. It seems many of the base set quests are based on "you have to get from point a to point b as fast as you can" which (at least in my head) forces the Overlord to use blocking, which (if used successfully) makes the game drag on and on and on (especially now when I can bring Shadow Dragons to every quest and block the hell out of it). So I'd prefer quests with more something else and less blocking.

We decided to play the game "blind" (in other words only read the quest after it was chosen to be played) I don't know if we have only been unlucky with the quest selection. But I don't even want to even think about the expansions if the bulk of the scenarios is to block the fastest runner. Or should we have played an "open" game if the heroes feel that Shadow Dragon blocking is boring and too effective tactic?

And yeah, we don't play a lighthearted fun game. We have talked about it, but in the end we're arguing over unclear rules a lot and playing very seriously. In the end the fate of the world rests upon our shoulders... Oh we're also very slow players. If the box says "playing time 3-4hrs" it takes at least six, probably eight, for us to play.

unclear rules is a specialty of this game. Dont expect that to change at all I do think that the quests in Labyrinth of Ruin where better designed(with a couple of critical exceptions, i just made a post about it) and the heroes from both expansions are certainly much more interesting in my opinion.

More of the same or something new?

Not a lot of new stuff but it expands a lot on the core experience. Especially Labyrinth of Ruin. A full campaign, heroes, monsters, weapons and so on.

I think LoR is much better explained and balanced then SR (though I still love SR. Zacherith is boss!). It's just as long if you play a campaign, but this expansion gives you the equivalent of two campaigns. It's pretty awesome. And I don't feel it's much of the same. The quests feel very individual and challenging for both sides.