Looting for treasure and the merits of deck stacking.

[Decipher]

Again, I've never had this problem. One can always combine two seperate treasure card decks into a single one. This insures there are plenty of treasure and wondering monsters to go around for every room. When I was a kid, my cousin and I would always combine our treasure decks together when we played. That worked out real well.

[cynthialee]

Well damage is done.
I just need to make extra sure that the deck is well distributed and make assurances to the players that the game where all the wandering monsters happened was a fluke. And before we sit down and play make damn sure the first card isn't the wandering monster! That would make me look like an ass.

[IvenBach]

Show them the card distribution before you play and have someone else shuffle it. It's out of your hands and they shouldn't be able to blame you for anything.

[Lemmeron]

I rekkon you quickly print up a treasure deck of only wondering monster cards and show them to your group and tell the you accidentally used that deck last time, and then bring out the REAL treasure deck...

problem solved

[Anderas]

Let them search for a gem that should be here somewhere.... if only someone could remember where.... the quest is successful over when they find the jewel in the boot.

[cornixt]

A deck of mostly Nothing would be pretty realistic.

[Daedalus]

Since your group no longer wishes to search for treasure, I'd say it's up to you to design some fetch Quests where the stated goal in the Parchment Text describes some kind of treasure (not found in a chest) as the objective. The Talisman of Lore, the Star of the West, and the Spirit Blade are published examples of such treasure. Make sure the Quest treasure is sufficiently hidden so that random Treasure Cards must first be drawn in search of the objective. Also, throw in the occassional potion or weapon in those mandatory fetch Quests, so that the Heroes are guaranteed to be rewarded for searching.

Even if it takes a few Quests, the odds will even out as the better 58% of the Treasure Card deck manifests. The increase of rewards should cure them of their reluctance and infect them with greed. Thusly motivated, they should better understand the benefits of treasure searches and start finding the surprise artifact that they would otherwise miss.

[Anderas]

She's also handing out some equipment cards before the game so the heroes don't need so much gold

[cynthialee]

She's also handing out some equipment cards before the game so the heroes don't need so much gold

nods...
Gold is mainly to hire any mercenaries encountered in a dungeon.
When I pull a wandering monster for most games I will use a deck of potential bad guys one might find in that particular dungeon. When a wandering monster is pulled I pull a card. Now if the card comes up a mercenary they have a choice, kill the guy or try an buy him off. To buy the merc off the hero must end adjacent to the merc and pay him the gold piece cost listed on the card. Then I roll a Combat Dice. If I roll anything but a Black Shield, you have hired a merc. If I roll a Black Shield I decline the offer and take a free attack with the merc. If you buy the merc off, he is now your Henchman.
Gold is also useful to buy any gear or potions you simply must have.

[cynthialee]

This weekend will present itself with a new chance to play our favorite board game.
The challenge will be to go into an ancient crypt to recover one of the Sprit Blades. (There are a few of them around. But they are either owned or lost in dungeons.)
When we start the game I will state that "the catacombs you are in are stacked with bones everywhere. Whenever a 'Wandering Monster Card' is drawn the Hero is attacked by a easily defeated partial skeleton and they will lose 1 Body Point."
Basically they are searching through the catacombs and say an arm connected to a rib cage grabs the hero, or a skull bites them or a leg in the pile kicks them. The bones are easily smashed in instinct reaction and the players turn ends.
That way they do have a real and serious hazard, but they won't end with a serious problem like they have been dealing with.

As for the Spirit Blade, it is for their next mission when they will attempt to face the Lich Thandis once again.