
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,561
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Thunderstone Advance: Numenera
- 1–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2013

Rules assistance for Thunderstone: Avatars
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Thunderstone: Avatars is an expansion for Thunderstone released in 2012 for 1–5 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Mike Elliott, Mark Wootton, and Edward Bolme and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
Thunderstone Avatars is a 25-card expansion – five copies of five different cards – that adds variable player powers to Thunderstone. The cards in detail are: Cleric Village: Draw 1 card for each disease present. Spoils: Discard 1 XP to destroy 1 card. Fighter Weapons weigh 1 point less. Dungeon: One weapon is considered equipped, even if you do not have a hero to equip it. You may use the abilities and traits of that weapon. Ranger Dungeon: Switch the positions of 2 adjacent monsters in the hall. Dungeon: Reveal the top card of the dungeon deck. You may attack this as if it were 1 rank deeper than the monster in the last rank. Thief You can buy items and weapons for 1 fewer gold. Dungeon: Discard 2 XP to have each other player discard a card. Wizard Village: If you purchase a spell, draw an additional card when you draw a new hand. Dungeon: If you have used a spell's ability this turn, discard 2 XP to gain Magic Attack +3.
Thunderstone: Avatars 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: Avatars 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: Avatars 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: Avatars has a complexity rating of 2.4 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: Avatars belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, 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: Avatars are: Mike Elliott, Mark Wootton, and Edward Bolme. 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: Avatars as an expansion for Thunderstone. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Thunderstone to use it. Check that your edition of Thunderstone is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.