
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Thunderstone Advance: Caverns of Bane
- 1–5 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2012

2013
Rules assistance for Thunderstone Advance: Numenera
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Thunderstone Advance: Numenera is a board game released in 2013 for 1–5 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Mike Elliott, Jeff Quick, Mark Wootton, Edward Bolme, Joe Babbitt, Curt Crane, and Will M. Baker and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
Game description from the publisher: The ancient evil known as Doom has decided to make a change. In this new world of Numenera, Doom has manifested as an intelligent virus that controls its hosts. The infected are known as "Doomladen" and they know each other regardless of a host's external form. They are lead by powerful beings with strange relics – the Thunderstones – and once again you must defeat them to save the world. In the deck-building game Thunderstone Advance: Numenera, which can be played on its own or combined with other Thunderstone sets, you build a party of heroes to defeat the Thunderstone Bearers. The "Doomladen" mechanism introduced in this game unites various monster groups against you, and new Setting cards take you into the environment of Monte Cook's Numenera RPG.
Thunderstone Advance: Numenera supports 1–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Thunderstone Advance: Numenera is 60–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Thunderstone Advance: Numenera for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Thunderstone Advance: Numenera has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Thunderstone Advance: Numenera belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Open Drafting, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Thunderstone Advance: Numenera are: Mike Elliott, Jeff Quick, Mark Wootton, Edward Bolme, Joe Babbitt, Curt Crane, and Will M. Baker. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Thunderstone Advance: Numenera as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.