drmauric

1 hour ago, Ken said:

Should we explain at the beginning that some players might not get to play the same character all the way through the campaign?

 

....but for consistency we could keep Shentu throughout the campaign by eliminating Njord in scenario 4...
 

@Ken I have thought on this all day! And it just occurred to me that the Stygia expansion does the same thing that we do.  It uses Shevatas, Hadrathus and Ikhmet for 2 scenarios.  Conan, Shevatas and Hadrathus for 1 and Conan, Shevatas and Ikhmet for the last one. And the scenarios are thematically connected, though not a campaign in the usual sense.  

We are doing the same thing, we are trying to tell a story. We just called it a campaign and that implies certain things, like using your character all the way through.  Maybe a  brief word of explanation is in order. I mean, there should be an Intro anyway, to kind of state our intentions upfront.  I'll try to think up a brief explanation/intro.

But I don't think you should switch out Niord. I really like the different Hero combos for the 2 endings. To me that lends to replayability and a cool story with a great cast of characters.

@Ken another question: If your group didn't like the idea of their weapons changing between scenarios, how are they going to take it when Yogah and (potentially) Shentu are replaced later in the campaign?  🙂

That is a reaction I just didn't expect.

@Ken Another question: Did your group use Teleportation to move through the floors from level to level? When I re-read my scenario I realized that I didn't specify that there shouldn't be any movement like that, due to the magic seal.  My intention was that the only way to move between floors was via the Stairs.

Thanks @Ken that was exactly what I needed fresh eyes for. I will look at the Stairs issue and see what I can do to make it easier to understand.  

Due to the nature of the scenario I felt it necessary to define the stairs because there are no official specifications for them. (I mean, technically Yogah and the Dark Demon shouldn't be allowed in the Stairs spaces if you go with the Occupied Space rules as written.)

Bummer about the Bonus gems. But I can understand their viewpoint. Maybe that needs to go back to the drawing board... I think the challenge is how to make it appealing, but balanced, so one side doesn't run away with the campaign...

Could you elaborate on what exactly they didn't like about the Spellbook?

Definitely thanks to you and your group! 🙂

@Ken @Neil Amswych

One thing that may need to be addressed in the Carry Over Items section is exactly which card represents Neil's Medallion of Zhaungpau. In Fight or Flight it is just a token. To be a Carry Over Item in other scenarios it should be an equipment card. 

Looking at our options, I'd say it can't be the Stygian Artifact, as I use that to represent a non carry over item that is a goal in Scenario 1 and Ken is using it in Scenario 5a as a critical item.

One of the Amulet Fragments from Nordheim could be used. No one else is using those.  It is a 0 weight item. Seems like that may best represent the Medallion for carry over because in Fight or Flight the token has no defined weight. Unfortunately there isn't another card in the core box or expansions that "looks" specifically like a Medallion.

Neil, it's your item... what do you think?

@Ken

I played The Streets of Khemi with 1 Crown (gave it to Hadrathus) and no Atali.

Again the sceanrio flowed great. The special rules all clicked and it had enough drama to make for a great conclusion to the campaign.

Overlord won. Initially I thought the OL was done for. Hadrathus found the Sorcerer Scepter on turn 2. But his player never was able to capitalize on his fortune and made a critical mistake and was killed by the Dark Demon shortly after. And while the Heroes were eventually able to kill both demons it was too late, the sorcerer's united and it was over.

I feel that the Sorcerer's Stack in particular works very well. Mind control is brutal but survivable for the Heroes.

Again, well done.

See I used the "I'm Batman" to respond to @Not Quite Dead and "Crom!" would have been way better... 🙂  I guess Sentma gets a pass... for now...

 🙂

Who else thinks we need a Crom! response like the I'm Batman one or the Joker one?

@SentMa ? 

@Ken Exactly. Maybe we should post it in the playtest hub as well? Might help."make it real" for other.

Would you mind if I share the Prologue page on the Conan Gaming Group Facebook page, to advertise?

@Ken Wow! That looks amazing. This is a big step forward. Thank you.

@Ken

I ran through The Streets of Khemi tonight. (I used 2 crowns, because I read your post in the other forum after I played it.)

I gave the crowns to Conan and Hadrathus.

All in all, I think it played well. Overlord won by killing all the Heroes. A lot depends on how soon that Sorcerer Scepter is found. Makes things easier for the Heroes. But it was too late.

I also used Atali. Which totally messes with Conan's strategy. In a good way.

Ultimately the Heroes couldn't get any traction and were overwhelmed by reenforcements.

To me all of the special rules seemed to click. Mind Possession event was brutal, not so much that a Hero caused a ton of damage, but that it used up his gems

I think it's a good, challenging ending for both sides.

Hopefully I can run it once more, this weekend.

On 6/1/2018 at 9:37 AM, Ken said:

 

I think the onus of the playtesting will be on us. So be it.

I agree.

I have run through all of the scenarios multiple times, except The Street of Khemi. I will play that one this week and report back. They all seemed good to me.

I know The Time For Flight is Nigh could use a different set of eyes. It worked well for my group but I know what I intended so it would be nice to know if other people can understand it.

After that, we may be close. Neil said he was done. How do the rest of you feel about the shape of your scenarios?

@Neil Amswych @Ken @Primeval @Matt John S 

@Footballzs Sounds like you have your priorities in order. 🙂 Good luck with the move, hope all goes well.

@Matt John S @Primeval @Neil Amswych @Ken

I've been messing around with some intro text for the Campaign. A while back we tossed around the idea of naming the campaign "Whispers From Stygia" so I put this together based off of that. It's pretty generic and allows a lot of freedom for tying the individual scenario narratives together however we see fit. Let me know what you think! (as always it's open for tweaking as things develop and any ideas from you guys as well.)

"Know, O Prince, that in the time when Conan the Cimmerian sat upon the Throne of Aquilonia there arose whispers from Stygia. Whispers of a scheming sorcerer whose black heart was set upon vengeance. Heard first in the ruined temples of demented fanatics, then in the back allies of thieves quarters, where the malcontent and the grumblers welcomed the sinister winds of change that blew from the South.

The sorcerer was none other than Thoth Amon, High Priest of Set, a name once cautiously whispered, now spoken openly in the streets. His venomous influence quickly crept, undetected at first, into the courts of all the Hyborian Kingdoms. Promises of riches and power caused alliances to shift, loyalties to expire. If promises failed to convince, then lotus and assassins were employed as his grip tightened, like serpentine coils, across the lands.

Before long the machinations of the Mad Sorcerer threatened to topple entire kingdoms and plunge the world into a darker age. Thoth Amon's quest for power was great. But his vengeance knew no bounds. He would have Aquilonia and it's Barbarian King beneath his heel if the world had to burn for it to be accomplished.

But know also, O Prince, in that selfsame hour there were those who stood opposed to him..."

1 hour ago, Neil Amswych said:

I would definitely rather leave it if possible. Can we write into the introductory text of scenario number 3 that it takes place after he finds a new book?

@Neil Amswych 

Scenario 3 already has the Spellbook written into it. So no alterations are necessary.

I think if you leave it off the equipment list and out of the special rules for your scenario folks will know what to do.

And rather than cluttering the narrative with spellbook instructions, like I said, it's included in the scenario 3 equipment list and special rules so folks will know what to do there as well.

🙂

14 hours ago, Neil Amswych said:

 

I playtested it so many times without the spell book because I didn’t realize it was going to be in later scenarios. Seriously, I’ve tested this at least 25 times. I’m not sure so can play it again. If someone else wants to add the spell

book and make suggestions for balancing it for the OL as well (it already now leans towards the heroes without the book) then I could try one or two more times.

 

Or, the third scenario’s narrative can have him find a new spell book beforehand. The point of scenario 2 was that they had already met the Dark Demon and nearly lost since the last scenario.

 

Your call but I really don’t have it in me to test this many more times.

@Neil Amswych I would strongly recommend that you DO NOT make any changes. You are happy with it and it sounds like you are done with it, so that's great.

Winning and losing in yours is dependent on many other factors besides 3 extra gems for Hadrathus. For example, as we discussed privately, if the Merchant shows up too soon he is a pin cushion for the archers. Hadrathus' spellbook can't change that. 🙂  

So, my recommendation, leave it alone. It will be fine.

@Ken @Neil Amswych @Matt John S @Primeval @Footballzs 

As promised here is my attempt at a summery of a few things that we still need to reach a consensus on.  I've included page numbers so you can go back and check out the conversation around these topic. These will also need to be included in the campaign rules when we finalize them.

#1 Bonus Gems

#2 Leveling up

#3 Carry Over items

#1Bonus Gem Idea- some of you had a positive response to this idea back on page 11
Winner gets 2
Loser gets 1

Overlord uses Blue Gems and places them in his Reserve Zone at the start of the game.
Heroes use Red Gems and place them on the table near the Hero area. These are a common pool that any Hero can draw from at any time. These gems do not count when determining the Heroes' Life Points. All bonus gems are one time use and used gems are discarded during the End Phase. If there are any unused Bonus Gems at the end of a scenario each side may carry 1 over to the next scenario.

#2 Leveling Up (page 10,12)

1. Victory Points only determine the level up. One time level up after scenario 4

2. Yogah Idol scenario determines the final battle.

Scenario 1 - The Time for Flight is Nigh

Scenario 2 - Fight or Flight

Scenario 3 - The Fate of Yag-Kosha

Scenario 4 - Dreams of Atali

Scenario 5a - The Streets of Khemi (if heroes win scenario 3)

Scenario 5b - The Trap (if Overlord wins scenario 3)

3. Nordheim scenario determines whether Thoth gets an Atali buff in the final scenarios.

Ken's suggestions for leveling up, page 9

Overlord 4 VP | Heroes 0 (Overlord tiles get +1 armor AND +1 yellow die)

Overlord 3 VP | Heroes 1 (Overlord tiles get +1 armor AND +1 yellow die | Heroes get +1 defense)

Overlord 2 VP | Heroes 2 (Overlord tiles get +1 armor AND +1 yellow die | Heroes get +1 defense AND +1 Reroll)

Overlord 1 VP | Heroes 3 (Overlord tiles get +1 armor | Heroes get +1 defense AND +1 Reroll)

Overlord 0 VP | Heroes 4 (Heroes get +1 defense AND +1 Reroll)

#3 Carry Over Items

Hadrathus' Spellbook- scenario1

pr 17 Xuthal's Crowns 1 Crown in 1st scenario, 1 crown in 2nd scenario +1 Armor vs. Spell damage Immune to Mind Control 

pg 18 Medallion of Zhangpau -1 to Dark Demon or Outer Dark Demon armor

@Ken I think the community gems kind of slipped through the cracks. We never really finalized that idea. I'll go back through the other thread post a summary of outstanding issues like the gems, crowns, and leveling up in the over there so we can move toward finalizing some of these ideas. But no pressure! I have the time and motivation now so that's why you guys are hearing a lot from me. Please don't burn out on Conan. 🙂

@Neil Amswych

Ok, poor choice of wording. My apologies. 

FYI I did test Fight or Flight with the spellbook and I was having similar results to what you were having. So you do what you feel is best, but in my opinion the spellbook certainly doesn't knock things out of balance.

@Primeval

Sorry for misrepresenting your event. It doesn't come across in the way I stated. It's a great mechanic and has exactly the effect you desire. The fortress being a foe and annoying the player.

Hey guys,

I played through Dreams of Atali a couple times this week. It is a solid scenario with a number of pretty cool elements. Next up is The Streets of Khemi, which means I will have played through them all. I am stoked about the quality of these scenarios! Especially the unique way a lot of components are being used. The hidden merchant tokens, jumping from fortress walls because you're wacked out on lotus fumes, Frost Giant allies!?!, and multi map boards. Things are looking good to me!

How is it going for all of you? 

@Matt John S @Primeval @Neil Amswych @Ken

14 hours ago, Footballzs said:

I have been having trouble finding time to test these. I have had the board set up for the first scenario in my games room for over a week but haven't managed to actually play. Sorry for the lack of testing on my part, I'll get there.

Your help this far has been most appreciated. Thanks for checking in!

34 minutes ago, Neil Amswych said:

My concern is that we could end up with crowns, medallions and shards and it could all start getting rather complicated.

Well, it's no more complicated than carrying over say a Life potion. If an item is kept low key but interesting, such as the ones that have been described, I don't think there is any reason to be concerned about over complicating things.

1 hour ago, Primeval said:

I like this - perhaps I could go back to including shards, or probably just a shard, of the Idol of Yag Kosha as a carryover that confers some bonus in place of a Xuthal Crown, like the medallion.

Perhaps that shard item could impact Yogah in Ken's The Trap? Just a thought.

@Neil Amswych @Primeval @Matt John S @Ken

Neil and I have been doing some behind the scenes work on his sceanrio, Fight or Flight?, and things are looking good. It has a variety of victory conditions and gives the Heroes some real choices.

The Xuthal's Crown has been worked in as a chest item. Not the main goal of the scenario but an important choice. (Thank you to those who were willing to try to work it in)

One of the things that came up is how to make the Medallion more attractive for the Heroes to go after. Because the Heores can bypass it and go for an easier win.

Neil had the idea of making the Medallion a carryover item that gives an armor reduction to the Dark Demon or the Outer Dark Demon if it is in the same area as the Medallion.

One cool thread Neil and I have noticed in our campaign is what I call "the evolution of the Dark Demon". It goes from the evil hound, to the dark demon to the outer dark demon. It is kind of the reoccurring, relentless villain, Thoth Amon's strong arm so to speak. I think we have all included one or the other. So I think when we go to write our narrative tie ins we have a cool thread kind of running in the background of this creature getting more and more powerful (or more annoying).

So I'd like to propose the inclusion of The Medallion of Zhangpau as a carryover item to reduce the Demon's armor. (exact word to be determined)

Thus far we have Hadrathus' Spellbook and the 2 Xuthal Crowns with their magic protections as carryover items. (I still have to rewrite my scenario to include the first one)

I don't believe any of these items (Spellbook, Crowns or Medallion) will break a sceanrio or knock one wildly out of balance. We don't really have any other carryover items. ( of the ones I've tested... ahem... Matt... ;) )

And I think this addition of the Medallion as a carryover will greatly enhance Fight or Flight and our overall campaign narrative.

What do you guys think?

Hi, @tet2brick

There are a number of Crossbowmen tiles in the editor that don't exist in the standard game. It is also missing one that has different statistics. I've included a picture.

Also could you add the Push Back spell from the Khitai expansion?

Thank you!

Great point @Neil Amswych. Where I was looking to enhance, it may be having the opposite effect. Definitely don't want to do that. (See Ken's Question #3)

Perhaps there is a simpler solution. Maybe Ken and I could work them into ours in such a way that has no bearing on anyone else. If I introduce one Crown, (and it is treated as out of game baggage) then it's not so weird when it shows up in the Heroes' possession at the end of the campaign, or it won't require an explanation as to why the Heroes would be looking for another one during the Finale.

I still think that it would be valuable for everyone to consider Ken's questions.