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Top 5 Shadows Of Brimstone Expansions

Shadows Of Brimstone Feudal Village cover

So, you made the plunge, you picked up one of the core sets and explored the mines or the forbidden fortress and are craving some more variety, some more items, some more adventure. Well, if there is something that Shadows of Brimstone has to offer it is certainly more. More of everything you could ever ask for…

Another Core Set

Okay, so this one is a bit of a cop out as it isn’t strictly an expansion but it is however the best way to expand your existing game if you are willing to pay the higher cost. Each of the core sets has 4 unique hero classes and enemies. Even within the same theme the mine tiles and loot decks have a good deal of variance.

It has more of everything and despite the higher cost it works out more cost effective than buying the other expansions. You are looking at new characters, enemies, boss enemies and missions. The main decision is whether you keep in the same setting or jump to the other (e.g. Wild West or Feudal Japan). This can raise issues for whether to mix the core loot decks or to keep them separate, and that is a fair point but it is certainly worth buying another core set just for the expanded hero options. It can also be a blast being able to mix the hero classes together and have a wandering samurai join your Western Posse or a Lone Marshal take on the Forbidden Fortress.

Enemy Packs

There are a number of single enemy packs available in Shadows of Brimstone and most are themed to a particular otherworld but some can be found in multiple. There are also the regular and ‘deluxe’ enemy packs. The deluxe packs usually including a boss monster as well as some minions.

My top recommendations would be the Flesh Stalker for a deluxe pack and the Harvesters as a regular pack. The Flesh Stalker is a scaled boss encounter, loosely based on the Cenobite from Hellraiser who is a challenging fight and also has some nice thematic encounters. Their minions are capable of having other enemy group abilities grafted onto them via DNA splicing which can mix up their fights. They can also pop up in a few otherworld’s, namely the derelict ship.

The Harvesters on the other hand are lumbering scavengers who can turn up in all of the original otherworld’s and also scale nicely. A large benefit is that they usually carry additional loot if you can overcome them. But full warning they usually have some nasty tricks hidden in their steampunk diving suits. They are also tough but few in number, almost functioning as mini mini-bosses who can shrug off weak attacks completely.

Mission Packs

Similar to the enemy packs the mission packs feature a larger number of minis and come with an additional tile for the relevant mine/fortress as well as a themed otherworld so you might want to check it fits the otherworld’s you have before you buy them. The mission packs are usually tougher than the enemy packs and core sets foes (The Crimson Hand and Undead Gunslinger being especially bad offenders).

They also come with several themed missions and sometimes additional mechanics such as becoming a vampire/werewolf, as well as new artifacts and items. The enemy pack foes usually function as a horde with some unique mini-bosses such as an alpha werewolf or a gang leader.

My personal favourite is the underrated ‘Lost Army’ pack which features the undead assailants of the Alamo and have a very distinct battle tactic. They form a solid regiment, buff themselves based on their numbers, gain a deadly melee attack, and start firing inaccurate volleys at anything that moves. Their weakness being their low movement. It is a really intense and fun moment when a full undead army start shambling towards you as you scarper down the nearest side tunnel to evade them. They even have a mini expansion that adds cannons to their ranks.

Otherworld Expansions

There are two types of Shadows of Brimstone Otherworld expansions. Deluxe and regular. The deluxe have more of everything inside. They add another world you can access via the in-game portals. They also come with more enemies, items, tiles, artifacts, and missions. All of the otherworld’s are good in their own ways and usually mix up the base mechanics slightly and make it more likely to find artifacts themed to that world.

There is one, however, that I feel stands above the rest. That is the Blasted Wastes.  

It adds a post-apocalyptic world with sun/night mechanic managing pools of deadly acid. The enemies are giant land crabs, mutant raiders, and Native Americans. On top of this, it adds a new town type you can visit in the wastes as well as an alternative to the base game mines in the form of the canyons which is a welcome change from the dark brown of the original tiles. The canyons also act as a mini otherworld with their own card decks and artifacts to find. Most importantly it lets you take your Wild West/Feudal Japanese hero into a fallout style apocalyptic wasteland, which should be selling point enough when you give them a robotic arm and a scrap cannon to take back home with them. 

Town Expansion

The number one slot and best way to expand Shadows of Brimstone has to be the town expansion. Named either Frontier Town or Feudal Village depending on your base setting they massively expand the downtime between mission. They give more locations you can visit in each town, expand the town events and even add themed towns you can visit. This means more buying options and abilities you can spec your hero into. This is already a valuable addition but they also come with a town board letting you play new mission types within them.

You can rob a bank, save the sheriff, and fight off hordes of attacking waves. These missions usually utilize the new bandit enemy they add. These are a great low-level enemy that helps to bulk out the enemy roster and provide an added bounty reward when slain. Ultimately, The Town expansions increase just about every element within the game and are at a much lower price point than buying another expansion. 

Conclusion 

Given the modular nature of the game it can be overwhelming when you look at all the enemy packs and expansions available. I have found the best way to deal with it is to decide what game you want to build it into and buy accordingly. I enjoy fighting undead so I usually lean towards expansions like the Derelict Ship and the Lost Army which makes my game more undead intensive and this makes me happy!

Conversely the chaotic nature of mixing in exotic and different enemies can be its own rewards but if you have not tried it, I would recommend trying a themed game. Just remove all enemy types except for one or two so you only fight demons or void type enemies.  I think Shadows of Brimstone really comes into its own when you use it as a sandbox and tailor it to your group and this can be a good way to guide your way through the flotilla of expansions available.