White Box Buyer's Guide Part 2 – The Non-Seasonal Content (Patreon)

For the first part of this guide; see this link. This second part covers the boxes that come into stock on the shop in a more sporadic and non-seasonal manner. Again no Beta content or content without in game crafting/gaining rules will not be covered.

The structure of this review is a couple of paragraphs detailing what the in game content is, who it is best for and a note if the miniature(s) are suitable to use in game in a lore appropriate manner (You can use whatever minis you like; but for people who like to stick to “as official as possible” like myself when considering rules and miniatures, it is nice to know if the miniature is in universe.

The rating system here goes from F which means something that should be left for collectors/hobbyists because it is actively harmful for the game all the way up to an A for excellent content and a special S tier rating for stuff that I think is literally a “must have” for everyone who plays this game.

Note: Pin ups of Death 3 and 4 are not in this list because their content is not really worth spending money on unless you want the miniatures.

10th Anniversary White Speaker

I like the concept of an evolving fighting art; unfortunately this strain fighting art is not worth the hassle of going through the effort of using it. It has far, far too much bookkeeping for what I want from my game, you're constantly having to keep an eye on the various observation triggers that's a lot for a solo player on top of the Dark Adventures in Spreadsheeting that Kingdom Death requires from its players already.

At max level it is somewhat interesting, but it takes so much time to get there if you're not specifically gaming the system that I just tend to forget that this thing exists. There are many other much better strain fighting arts out there.

Rating: C

Allison the Twilight Knight

This pair of gear cards and alteration to the Hooded Stranger event is a huge quality of life improvement for the Twilight Sword, one of the more frustrating early elements of the sword (apart from having to game it so it doesn't go on a current weapon trainer) is the sentient requirement in order to be able to use this weapon. The Cloak fixes that problem while also being just a solid item and the Blue Lantern offers an excellent option for hit location scouting. Of course this is completely irrelevant in campaigns that don't trigger the Hooded Stranger event, but that is it be expected.

Rating: B (Going to an A for players who play a lot of People of the Lantern)

Before the Wall

Hybrid armors are great, they allow for a bunch of variation in play from one campaign to the next and also encourage hunting varied monsters. While Vagabond armor doesn't achieve the second one (due to it being an exclusively Leather Armor set) it is still a great armor set that is mostly well balanced due to having Sword synergy. Sword Proficiency/Mastery are very much 'nice to have, but not essential' things, so getting them earlier than normal encourages different playstyles and that is a good thing.

Two things that hold this back from getting an S tier is the Vagabond's interaction with certain swords and the still completely uncraftable White Dragon Gauntlets. It is still a great piece of content that is excellent if you are not abusing it.

Rating: A

Beyond the Wall

This “supporting” option for Vagabond armor is way less relevant than Before the Wall, both of the gear cards in this are nice to have, especially the leggings that let you get Vagabond Armor online a little earlier in the timeline and that is a positive. But the alternative cuirass has the heavy keyword and that can land a survivor in some really unpleasant situations, so much so that it's not really worth constructing.

That reduces the overall value proposition of this content and as a consequence I don't rate this one much more than average.

Rating: C

Pinups of Death 1

I quite like the Settlement Event that you get in this box, it reduces drawing bad settlement event cards and the Belt gained has a bunch of useful applications. The most notable of these is it can help fix a settlement that has suffered an accidental extinction of one sex (Normally this is males, due to the Manstealer settlement event making them sterile. It also has useful affinities and if the wearer dies then the item doesn't have “Irreplaceable” which means it'll sit in settlement storage for emergencies.

The boxed set is however rather expensive and the miniatures do look a bit old and small compared to the newer stuff. Also sometimes you can roll a 1 and if you don't have rerolls, that sucks.

Rating: C

Pinups of Death 2

Again this is an expensive set to purchase (fortunately this content also comes in the Legendary pack). The content that comes with this is linked to a new settlement event which provides a bunch of ways to gain pieces of gear. One of them is Sunstalker specific but the rest are all generic. The pieces that are good in particular are the Rawhide Corset and the Teeth Bikini as they are cheaper than the normal versions (especially the Corset which you can build with any resource) and the leather bodysuit is the worst of the bunch as it provides no positive benefits and isn't cheap enough compared to the normal version.

Again Pin up boxes are expensive, but you can get this in the Legendary card pack, which helps as long as that is available to purchase. Otherwise I consider this one to be good content, but most of the price is tied up in the pin ups, and if you don't want them that sucks. The models in this second box set are more modern than the first edition, so that helps give it a rare C+ rating.

Rating: C+

White Gigalion Vignette 

I really want to like the Gigalion, but unfortunately there are a lot of negatives that come with this vignette; the monster's updated Grab card has a flaw in the AI that can create showdowns that end in a draw (which the game's rules can't cover). It is an edge case scenario where it happens, but considering it was highlighted to the design team and they just doubled down on it, what can one say?

There are also issues with the gear. The Dense Bone Arrows have received a much deserved nerf in the new edition, so they do not immediately invalidate every single bow apart from the Catgut Bow, but they are still too strong and pushed for what you pay. Likewise the Lion Slayer Cape is insane when you stack it with certain other items (Specifically things like the Silk Body Suit or White Lion Cape/Brawler Armor). However, I have a lot of time for the Oxidized Beast Katar, Hooked Claw Knight and Lovelorn Rock gear cards, and the vinaigrette showdown is a sweet way to introduce new players to the game's mechanics without overwhelming them.

One other boo to throw at this boxed set is the fact that one of the survivors that come with it requires the Gorm expansion set to work fully. This is because the armor set cards are not printed on the pre-built gear grids, but Hungee Basalt wears full Gorment Armor. This omission is a real head scratcher for sure. Miniatures are gorgeous though.

Rating: B or C, depends on how I'm feeling.

Fade

Even without the future promised cross over of this box with the Red Witches, Fade is a competently designed Basic Hunt Event that can help new settlements out by giving access to a weapon that is powerful in the early game while also providing a reasonable drawback that will encourage you to get rid of it at some point in the mid game. Alternatively this event can give you extra population. Overall I think this one is close to a must have, but honestly you won't miss it if you can't get it, so just be patient and pick it up when it is in the store.

Cracking model mind you.

Rating: A

Percival

Released around the same time as Fade, Percival is a really mediocre event packaged with a model that is currently of no use in game (Due to Percival dying a long time before the current age in Kingdom Death). This event does make use of Pictographs which helps tip the unseen benefits of that innovation a little further. The Black Guard Style is a secret fighting art that has become stronger and stronger as time has moved onwards – with the addition of Novel Sword Weapon Proficiency from the Beta Content Willow (something not covered by this guide) this fighting art has reached the level of very playable (especially if you also own the Vagabond Armor Set card).

Overall though this is a synergy based expansion that needs other expansions to really shine, as such it is hard to recommend as an automatic . This may change when her dog's expansion arrives, maybe, but probably not.

Rating: C (But as more sword related content comes out, this will probably rise)

White Speaker

Smooth, straightforward and powerful. This is a gold standard for what white box content can be. It modifies a somewhat low power event by allowing players to trade for two very good gear cards. For experienced players the Cult Speaker Knife may trend a little too far towards poweful, but you don't have to use something just because it is busted – use it to max out Fist & Tooth and then take it back to the settlement and mount it on the mantelpiece to inspire younger generations of hunters.

The Bloodskin on the other hand is helpful without being busted, it has a very potent and rare ability that can keep survivors alive a lot longer than normally expected and some affinities that are rare and helpful (up and down green).

Rating: S

Swashbuckler

The Corsair Coat is awful in all the ways that the Durandel was (Oktoberfest Aya). Ethereal is a horrible ability unless you have somehow got multiple survivors in your settlement thanks to your strain bargain with the dreaming sky whale (aka Ethereal Pact) or eating strange fruit from strong trees.  Also sometimes you can gain it and it immediately archives itself.

It is super cool and a fun design; Ethereal is at least thematic, and near the end of a settlement's life this can be a silly little thing to enjoy. I can't give it a good rating however due to how closely it is tied to saviors – a type of survivor that is very rare outside of Lantern. If you do appreciate its ephemeral nature though, you'll have a blast while it is around.

Rating: D

Echoes of Death I

All of the Echoes of Death series give you miniatures that have in universe uses, so they are great for increasing the number of female hunters you can represent with good sculpts. This set of straing fighting arts include Ethereal Pact that makes a survivor into a savior (giving you saviors in Sun/Stars); Giants Blood that is solid in the early game due to it giving access to +1 strength in exchange for -1 evasion (dedicated attacking characters don't care about trading evasion for strength). Infinite Lives is an busted fighting art that essentially lets you lock in a survivor's Fighting Arts/Disorders and gain a replenish-able source of lifetime rerolls and Backstabber is probably the best of the bunch due to how it supports Daggers.

One other note that applies to all of the Echoes of Death boxes; they are content for players who play a lot of games, unlocking these strains often requires focusing a settlement in a certain way

Rating: B

Echoes of Death II

Where the miniatures are concerned this is my favourite quad of ladies; all of them are absolute gems and three of the four Strain Fighting Arts are reasonably well balanced. Shielderang and Infernal Rhythm are the stand out options here due to how they create new playstyles, though you really need to own the Grim Muffler (Winter Solstice Lucy Seasonal Content) or the Gorm (Gorn is an instrument without noisy) to really optimise the use of this fighting art. Rolling Gait is a little too pushed in power, but not obnoxiously so.

However, Convalescer is one of the most busted and overpowered fighting arts to have ever existed. Because of its wording you gain a ridiculous amount of armor points when departing. This card really needed to say 'during the hunt and showdown phases' in order to keep it more in tune with the normal power level (I suspect that is what the intention behind this card actually is). Also getting the club keyword on certain weapons is amazing thanks to Lantern Armor's club synergy. If Convelescer wasn't so busted I'd be ranking this one in S-Tier.

Rating: A

Echoes of Death III

Not as unique or as impressive as the previous options; this collection of fighting arts contains yet another bow fighting art (as if bows were not powerful enough already) an insanity based one which is reasonably balanced, a sword one that is kind of mediocre and a superb one for fist and tooth that requires you to complete a Lantern Campaign and lose to the final boss to unlock it. Which is a kind of daft unlock for the average play group, but it is a very fun and interesting fighting art that makes Gloom Bracers and Silk Armor a lot better than they normally are.

Marks deducted for requiring an entire campaign to get to the end and then fall to the final nemesis, but there is good stuff here.

Rating: B

10th Anniversary Survivors

An absolute banger of a boxed set, this comes with four useable leather armor wearing versions of the original prologue survivors. In addition most of the pattern gear apart from Erza's meme circlet are good, to the point that some of them are almost too good.

If some of the weapons were not as overpowered as they are and the circlet wasn't close to trash tier then this would be an S rating without hesitation. It is still an excellent set and worth your investment.

Rating: A

Ringtail Vixen

Probably the single best piece of white content ever released; this box is essential if you want to be able to craft the tail gear from the Halloween version of this character, but even without that the content that comes in this game is a HUGE quality of life boon and anti-frustration element. You get a book mark that means your that the first 1 you roll on the Intimacy table doesn't kill two survivors with no population gain. Instead you get +1 population and the child is female with +1 accuracy, Monster Claw Style, Hoarder and Quixotic – in future runs this event is only available half the time, but that's something you get get around if you really wanted to game the system.

Hoarder is a terrible disorder, and you are going to want to remove it with the trepanning before sending this survivor out for hunts (unless you are trying to unlock the Stockist Strain Fighting Art from Echoes of Death III, but she gets an incredible Fighting Art, a really good stat in accuracy and a positive disorder with Quixotic.

This is one that I think everyone should own and it is amazing for newer players in particular because a 1 on the Intimacy table is a completely heartbreaking result for your first game.

Rating: S Tier

Sword Hunter White Speaker

While I do appreciate seeing something of Welsh heritage being included in the game (Excalibur and Arthurian legends are mostly Welsh in origin) this is a thematic, but frustrating experience. Excalibur is another variation of the Hope Stealer, but with worse stats and harder to achieve scaling. It also demands that you always put it on an inexperienced Red Shirt survivor because if you draw the Sword Hunter event the White Speaker who turns up will kill them and steal the sword away, never to return until the next campaign.

The event itself is a nice addition to the deck, while it can archive swords it has a higher chance of improving swords so they either give survivors a permanent strength boost or increase the scaling of the sword in question. It's all fine content that can create fun moments, but it does have a little bit of awkward bookkeeping to add to the 'spreadsheets in the dark' experience.

Rating: C

White Sunlion Armor

This one requires owning the Sunstalker in order to utilise it. It's a great little piece of work and enhances a People of the Sun campaign in a meaningful manner. It is however a little underpowered on the design front and that weakness plus the dependancy on a specific campaign makes it less of a value proposition for most players.

Rating: B

Afternote

I do absolutely think that this system of a white box with miniatures and game content is a reasonable one for the game. Kingdom Death: Monster needs a constant injection of content in order to help mix things up and at the moment this is the only way we've been getting it. 

However, some of the boxed sets are just too greedy, with the Halloween Flower Costume representing a level of stinginess that we've not seen before. In addition pattern and strain sets demand collecting multiples of them otherwise their balance can get skewed in odd directions. They are both fun concepts; if not the right fit for KD:M because the game wasn't designed with them in mind - this results in them feeling like bolted on extras and the game starts to end up being more of a clunky Frankenstein's Monster than the smooth and focused creation it started out as.

You do not need anything listed here, especially if you're not playing on a weekly schedule, also some items have out of whack balance and require some restraint when using them. But collectively they do make Swords and Daggers more viable in the game and also offer some superb smoothing against randomness (looking at you Ringtail Vixen Bookmark, you beauty).

The main concern I have is that it is clear APG want Kingdom Death to be Gloomhaven/Frosthaven without realising why those games have been such massive successes. As KDM's theme and mechanical style is inaccessible for some players, either due to aesthetic/moral sensitivities or a preference for "Euro" style games (Which the Gloomhaven series absolutely is) at times these concepts like Patterns, Strains and similar honestly feel like they would have been better used in a sequel to Monster rather than being welded on in the fashion they have been.

All of that written I do reserve final judgement for when I get to play the Gambler's Chest. It is possible that the change in tack that the game is taking is for the better. I'm just concerned, because excessive bookkeeping and the legacy elements of Gloomhaven tend to keep me away from playing it except via the computer adaptation.