Here's the thing, i just bought the core game and i have the money to buy two out of the three expansions. Labyrinth of ruin is bigger so i thought that one for sure, but should i get the trollfens or lair of the wyrm?
what expansion should i get
Even though, as I like the game, I would grab all the expansions, I would advise that you already try the base game and, if you do like it, go for the expansions.
That would save your money if you happened not to have a good gaming experience.
I know, i played the game before and i loved it, however i don't have the money now to buy all the expansions, so my question was mainly which expansion should i prioritize on buying and which one should i leave for lets say christmas
difficult to say
lair of the wyrm and trollfens add new ovelord class, the two of them really usefull and powerfull, and good monsters (hybrid sentinel and harpy)
Labyrinth of ruins add a new campaign and 4 monsters, new overlord basic card and more stuff
I would say all, really, if not, maybe more labyrinth of ruins first and the two after
And follow the order of production (to be more sure not to have an expansion out of print when you have money for it), so LoW first.
i'm not sure it's an argument, since the expansion are sold out in the first month they come out
i don't think they'll go out of print in the next couple of months, what i want to know is, which is better, lair of the wyrm or the trollfens?
I personally like The Trollfens better. The environment, the quests (haven't done all of LotW yet), the new hero classes, the harpy and plague worm monsters (though the Hybrid Sentinel is no slouch either)... I vote for Trollfens.
i'm not sure it's an argument, since the expansion are sold out in the first month they come out
So LoW is no more a choice?
i'm not sure it's an argument, since the expansion are sold out in the first month they come out
So LoW is no more a choice?
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm=176&esem=2&esum=221
Afraid not
Amazon seems to have plenty of LoW.
Since you JUST bought the core set, I would recommend getting Lair of the Wyrm and Trollfens and saving Labyrinth of Ruin for later. To get through all of the quests in the Shadow Rune campaign (the one that comes with the core set), you have to play at least 4 campaigns. LotW and TF both introduce side-quests which can be used during Shadow Rune, in addition to new heroes, monsters, etc.
Then, once you get at least a couple play-throughs of the Shadow Rune campaign, you'll be ready for a completely different campaign, and at that point, I'd pick up Labyrinth of Ruin.
I love this game and would be biased in saying all of them
However, choosing just one...
Labyrinth would definitely be the first buy, because it adds a full campaign and the ally mechanics are interesting. Not to mention it gives some diversity for what the overlord can begin with.
The small box expansions are good if you just want a small campaign, or if you want to add on to one of the mega campaigns. Both also give you secret room stuff, which adds an element of risk/reward for the heroes.
So, as I am considering starting with Descent myself, I found this thread somewhat confusing. As far as I was able to determine, its like this:
Descent 2nd Edition Base Game: 1 huge campaign, which can be expanded by Lair of the Wyrm and Trollfens with side encounters, but otherwise doesnt profit from them significantly. Basically, they extend the playing time of a campaign.
Labyrinth: Big campaign, does NOT augment the base game in any way, so its more or less a matter of "buy this once you are through with the base game content", but this one is the expansion with the additional Overlord options. Now, is OL gameplay versatile enough without this expansion, or is it the thing to buy from an OL perspective?
Trollfens/Lair: Mostly expands on the base game, offering side-scenarios and smallish campaigns on their own (?), no drastic changes to existing gameplay.
As such, it seems going with the smallish expansions first seems to be more reasonable from a hero player/first time player perspective, as you ll likely have enough options for the OL for the first few games.
Is that correct? And how do the LT packs come into that?
Labyrinth of ruin does expand the base game through new monsters, items, heroes, classes, and others stuff
and, by the way, the campaign of the base game is really unbalanced and bad
So, as I am considering starting with Descent myself, I found this thread somewhat confusing. As far as I was able to determine, its like this:
Descent 2nd Edition Base Game: 1 huge campaign, which can be expanded by Lair of the Wyrm and Trollfens with side encounters, but otherwise doesnt profit from them significantly. Basically, they extend the playing time of a campaign.
Labyrinth: Big campaign, does NOT augment the base game in any way, so its more or less a matter of "buy this once you are through with the base game content", but this one is the expansion with the additional Overlord options. Now, is OL gameplay versatile enough without this expansion, or is it the thing to buy from an OL perspective?
Trollfens/Lair: Mostly expands on the base game, offering side-scenarios and smallish campaigns on their own (?), no drastic changes to existing gameplay.
As such, it seems going with the smallish expansions first seems to be more reasonable from a hero player/first time player perspective, as you ll likely have enough options for the OL for the first few games.
Is that correct? And how do the LT packs come into that?
I would definitely get one or both of the smaller expansions before getting Labyrinth of Ruin. And that's as an Overlord player (though I'm starting to dabble in heroics). You're already going to be spending quite a lot of money on the base game. The smaller sets are typically around $35, which isn't bad.
The benefit for Labyrinth of Ruin is four new heroes and classes, plus tons of new shop items. For the Overlord, four new monsters (which, to be honest, seem a bit underwhelming when compared to the Trollfens and Lair monsters) and a new base deck (the shining star for the Overlord).
The lieutenant packs are probably something newer players should stay away from for the first campaign, simply because it adds new layers that could be confusing. Unless you're buying them just for the figures. You would only be able to use one lieutenant pack per campaign anyway, so if they're something you are interested in, you could just buy one for now (when they're released) and buy the rest later.
LoR. I find it gives the OL some more firepower with the Basic 2 set and is a complete campaign versus an additional add on through a rumour. You get more of everything which is a good thing!
As such, it seems going with the smallish expansions first seems to be more reasonable from a hero player/first time player perspective, as you ll likely have enough options for the OL for the first few games.
Is that correct? And how do the LT packs come into that?
What you said is basically correct. LoR does contribute more than just a new stand-alone campaign though, since almost everything in this edition is designed to be interchangeable. As Rugal said, the new heroes, new classes, etc can be used in the Shadow Rune campaign or one shot quests of any source.
Also note that the new quests in LoW and TTF can be added to ANY stand-alone campaign as rumours (or played by themselves in mini-campaign form.) You could combine LoW with LoR or TTF with the upcoming Shadows of Nerekhall campaign, etc.
The LT packs do two things, from what I can tell:
a) they allow you to replace the token with a proper figure.
b) they give you a means to "summon" one LT character as an "Agent" into any quest , which gives one of these figures a bit more visibility than LTs normally get during a campaign. It also allows you to bring that one favourite LT along for the ride in every campaign you play as OL, if you're so inclined.
In my mind, the necessity of the LT packs hinges mainly on how much you want the figure instead of a cardboard token.
The LT packs do two things, from what I can tell:
a) they allow you to replace the token with a proper figure.
b) they give you a means to "summon" one LT character as an "Agent" into any quest , which gives one of these figures a bit more visibility than LTs normally get during a campaign. It also allows you to bring that one favourite LT along for the ride in every campaign you play as OL, if you're so inclined.
I'll add a bit to that.
c) They add an extra resource (threat) which can be used for a buffing your own tactics along a particular theme according to which overlord. (It's not JUST the ability to summon an agent.) Example: If you pick up Splig's Lieutenant Pack, you can start buffing your minions to add more hit-and-run style tactics, even if you don't ever summon Splig.
I have a sort of related question. I am planning to skip LoR because of it's price and just get the Trollfens expansion. Does Trollfens come with a mini-campaign option like they eventually released for LoW? I am finding it easier to do shorter campaigns anyway with how infrequent I get to play.
I have a sort of related question. I am planning to skip LoR because of it's price and just get the Trollfens expansion. Does Trollfens come with a mini-campaign option like they eventually released for LoW? I am finding it easier to do shorter campaigns anyway with how infrequent I get to play.
Yeah, Trollfens comes with a mini expansion - For Trollfens, FFG included the mini campaign info in the rulebook!
Since you JUST bought the core set, I would recommend getting Lair of the Wyrm and Trollfens and saving Labyrinth of Ruin for later. To get through all of the quests in the Shadow Rune campaign (the one that comes with the core set), you have to play at least 4 campaigns. LotW and TF both introduce side-quests which can be used during Shadow Rune, in addition to new heroes, monsters, etc.
Then, once you get at least a couple play-throughs of the Shadow Rune campaign, you'll be ready for a completely different campaign, and at that point, I'd pick up Labyrinth of Ruin.
Griton hit the nail on the head here. The two small expansions are what you should buy first. If you do get bored with the Shadow Rune campaign, each of the small expansions can be played separately as a mini-campaign.
As for the LT packs. I think they're great for adding miniatures in place of LT tokens, but they're not really necessary for your first couple of plays. Some groups find that the game is unfairly stacked against the overlord, and if this is true in your group, then the LT packs become more necessary. However, some groups find that the game is unfairly stacked against the heroes, and there's no way to tell which kind of group you've got until you've played some games with them.
Personally I bought first LoW since I love the dragon theme. In addition Low adds the possibility to go for a little campaign of 5-8 hours, that's a superb option when you're searching for a deep experience with Descent (such as campaign), but no so deep and long (as a MAIN campaign).
BTW, Descent is an awesome fantasy game, and I'd like to collect all the stuff FFG will produce...
For a "tactical" choice I' d suggest you:
1) Play Shadow rune campaign once
2) Play it twice
3) If you have play as OL for the first two campaigns, then play it as hero, two times more
4) Play shadow rune adding LoW (and/or Trollfens)
5) Then go forward and restart from point 1 to point 4, changing Shadow Rune campaign with the Labyrinth exapansion (waiting to do the same process with the upcoming Shadow of Nerekal)
To do this way I'm sure will give you a huge amount of reneving fun with this epic game...
Personally I bought first LoW since I love the dragon theme. In addition Low adds the possibility to go for a little campaign of 5-8 hours, that's a superb option when you're searching for a deep experience with Descent (such as campaign), but no so deep and long (as a MAIN campaign).
BTW, Descent is an awesome fantasy game, and I'd like to collect all the stuff FFG will produce...
For a "tactical" choice I' d suggest you:
1) Play Shadow rune campaign once
2) Play it twice
3) If you have play as OL for the first two campaigns, then play it as hero, two times more
4) Play shadow rune adding LoW (and/or Trollfens)
5) Then go forward and restart from point 1 to point 4, changing Shadow Rune campaign with the Labyrinth exapansion (waiting to do the same process with the upcoming Shadow of Nerekal)
To do this way I'm sure will give you a huge amount of reneving fun with this epic game...
Ah, I forgot: Lieutenant packs!
I believe that LT packs are a great resource both for the experineced gamers and the developers of Descent at FFG.
For the gamers (as OL) 'cause LT packs give them an amazing opportunity to tailor better their strategy along the campaign, and the more LT packs will come, the more choices will arrive...
Of course, for the FFG guys this is a great way to produce new stuff for Descent at a low price (of course lower than a "boxed" expansion is).
Personnaly, if I was you, I'd buy LT packs only after several champaign's sessions. But, absolutely, I'd buy all of them at the end!!