Shops
One of the biggest issues was the delivery of the shops to the players so that they could combat the tougher monsters. Initially shops were delivered by the players through the play deck. As previously stated this provided obstruction to the shops availability. One option that was tried was to leave the shops in the play deck but rule that they must be immediately placed on the board. Ironically after 2-3 games it was found that more often than not, the shops were always waiting for an available tile to be placed on, creating more frustration for the players.
It was suggested that the shops should be included as part of the tiles and removed from the play deck. This inspiration subtly changed the game play, for the better. Previously we did have issues with the rate in which the tiles were being placed. Adding the shops to the tiles increased the rate in which they were being drawn. Two birds, one stone.