Ye Olde Inn

Hi everyone!

Quick query - should we be shuffling the treasure deck before each draw?

Technically, yes. The instructions say to shuffle the deck before searching, and that bad treasure cards could be redrawn in the next search. This implies the same Wandering Monster card you drew on your turn, could be drawn by the next player after shuffling the deck. This is why Searching for Treasure can be so dangerous if played as written (after the first couple rooms).

When my group plays, we only shuffle the deck after a bad card is drawn, because its very annoying for Zargon to shuffle the deck four times every turn.

Just shuffle at the beginning of the game and when a card is returned to the deck.

The instructions say something like, return card to deck and shuffle before the next card is drawn, which could be taken in at least two ways, but logic dictates that you only need to "return card to deck and shuffle" so that the next card is drawn from a shuffled deck.

I know that's what the instructions say/implies, but as a Zargon you are allowed to change or at least tweak the rules. I do not play with those rules, as I have an expanded treasure deck and don't make a huge habit of shuffling every time someone takes a card from the deck. After playing through Frozen Horror and Mage of the Mirror, wandering monsters just make the game more boring in the later quests as they take several turns to clear out. They're much more threatening when the heroes aren't fully equipped.
I also play by the rules that only 1 search is allowed per room (unless there's a treasure chest in said room). This probably doesn't even it out but it does make treasure more sparse and limits wandering monsters/hazards. It works for my group.

I don't shuffle at all. 1 treasure search allowed per room and when the deck runs out shuffle the expended deck. Well, that is some shuffling I suppose.

I also don't shuffle usually, unless the deck is getting thinner and the card says "return this card to the treasure deck".
It is also to let the deck live longer.

My comment earlier was about the actual rules as written (EA edition), which aren't 100% clear, of course, so are often misread/misunderstood as stating "shuffle before you draw a card"

The actual text mentions shuffling exactly twice

The shuffled treasure cards should be placed, face-down, within reach

Trap cards and wandering monster cards are returned to the treasure card pile. The treasure card pile is then shuffled before another treasure card is taken.

The first line is in the context of setting up the game, the second is an instruction to shuffle when you return a card to the deck so whenever a treasure card is taken it is always from a deck that has already been shuffled.

So to the OP - NO, only at the beginning of the game and when a card is returned (as Lestodante)

Admiral, if I'm reading yours correctly that is a subtle variant...

I presume you shuffle the deck at the start of the game, player draws a card, if it is "gold" it goes into discard pile, if it is WM or Hazard it goes into the discard pile and if it is potion or similar, obviously the player holds onto it but if they later in the same quest use it then that goes into the discard pile.
If/when the original draw pile runs out you reshuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile?

I think their intention was that all the negative cards go back into the deck and reshuffled in. Any treasures or potions drawn once are left out. So as the deck runs out the good cards become more and more sparse.

Exactly that and limiting what you could draw, only 1 potion of strength in the deck so only 1 potion of strength can be drawn and so on.

Bareheaded Warrior wrote:Admiral, if I'm reading yours correctly that is a subtle variant...

I presume you shuffle the deck at the start of the game, player draws a card, if it is "gold" it goes into discard pile, if it is WM or Hazard it goes into the discard pile and if it is potion or similar, obviously the player holds onto it but if they later in the same quest use it then that goes into the discard pile.
If/when the original draw pile runs out you reshuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile?

Everything goes in the discard pile. Gold and potions are recorded on character sheet. Shuffle discard pile when deck runs out. This isn't the rules, but just how we play.