Four Against Darkness Monster Cards Decks 1 and 2 Review

In this review, I will take a look at Monster Deck 1 and Monster Deck 2, add-ons for Four Against Darkness. Why do I say "add-ons?" Well, that's because you don't really need them to play but they do add a lot to the game by reducing the amount of dice rolling (still have to roll up dungeons, treasures, etc.). You simply pull a card for whatever you encounter; vermin, minions, weird monsters, and bosses. If this sounds interesting to you, then read on!

These cards are tarot sized consisting of 24 cards in deck 1 and 25 cards in deck 2 (an extra card for the zombies). They are available either in PDF form or printed cards. Deck 1 has 24 all new monsters to fight and deck 2 covers all the monsters in the core rule book of 4AD.

These cards boost the difficulty with the HCL (Highest Character Level) mechanic making your party face tougher challenges than just rolling on the core book tables. If you're not familiar with the HCL mechanic, it's pretty simple. The monster you're facing is the same as your highest level character. It also usually gets a bonus, such as +2. Say you have a group consisting of level 3, 2, 2, and 1. You come across a creature with HCL+2, which would be level 5, as your highest character is 3 and then add the 2 bonus. A pretty slick way of increasing monster difficulty, which equates to more replay value.

When you first start using these cards, make sure you have a solid party put together. I threw a party of all level 1's at them and wow, it was tense! I found myself hoping that a character didn't level up, just so wouldn't face a bigger boss (or even vermin!). So, if you're just starting out, maybe stick with the core rules tables and work your way up to these baddies.

I did notice that some of the creatures in deck 2 removed the -/+ on treasure rolls. For instance, the Hobgoblins no longer have a treasure +1 roll and the goblins no longer have -1 to their treasure roll.

The two most annoying monsters were from deck 1, the Black Knight and the Fiendish Ferns. The Black Knight shrugs off attacks at an alarming rate. The Fiendish Ferns are like a sick version of the Invisible Gremlins that, not only steal an item of your choice, but also inflict damage. Pro tip, save a fireball for the ferns! Of course, the Medusa in still in deck 2, waiting to turn your guys into stone, she's just been enhanced with the HCL now...

Pros:

-Very nice artwork by Alexey Aparin who also made the dungeon decks.

-Speeds up the game a little

-Deck 1 adds all unique creatures

-Deck 2 adds the HCL to the existing creatures from the core book

-The Tiger Chimera, I've drawn him so many times we're friends...That try to kill each other

Cons:

-The only real con I can see is it makes the game have a "bigger footprint," but it's well worth it, in my opinion

-Less portable, as any cards will do

There you have it, another 4AD product review!