I like introductory modes in a lot of situations, too! The odd thing is that the base game teaches you to hold onto troop cards until the end, which means they’re worth extra victory points. But with the expansion, scoring comes down to whether or not you defend the city and defeat a boss… So you want to use them strategically, yet not hang onto them.

Just feels like an odd decision for a new game. Had the expansion just added more of the same, it would make sense. But it changes the game a lot, from one that’s solvable to one that’s very challenging with an ongoing narrative across 3 plays. I’ve gone from winning a lot to losing consistently, and I’m finding some interesting things with the asymmetric elements. Really a shame to split things up! It’s hard to tell someone that if they don’t like the base game, investing more money in a separate expansion will make it better. Even though it does, that’s not a great feeling knowing that the base game doesn’t feel complete.