Old vs. 2021 version: cards

[Leander]

Hi!

Speaking of cards, is there a difference between the old US version and the 2021 remake or are they identical? (how much gold in the treasure cards, number of traps and monsters...spells, items etc.)

[Kurgan]

Only a few very small differences...

Borin's Armor clarifies that it can be combined with a Helmet and/or Shield.

Wand of Magic doesn't specify Elf/Wizard (so could be for any spellcaster).

Courage (fire spell) clarifies Line of Sight.

Weapons/Armor are on Equipment cards now instead of the Armory board (but the concept of "Armory" still exists). Potions in the Alchemist Shops for the Expansions are also on Cards (and EU exclusives like the Holy Water and Potion of Speed were added as purchasable "equipment."). Bracers were added (from EU) with a new (rather high) price 550 gold and can be used by anyone (clarified it can be combined with helmet and/or shield, equating it with Body armor). Hand Axe (from EU) was added but doesn't mention the Wizard not being able to use it (so he can!) with an adjusted price.

New Artifacts added to Game System: Rod of Telekinesis (once per quest, Tempest but can be resisted with mind points); Phantom Blade (non-throwable dagger that once per quest can be unblockable); Fortune's Longsword (once per quest gets a re-roll of one die). Ring of Fortitude (BP max increases by 1 when worn).


There are yet more artifacts but they only appear in the Mythic tier (Dragon Spear, Crown of Shadows) and Equipment (Rapier: 2 attack die with diagonal - sword; Wand: only usable by Warlock - 2 dice ranged attack weapon).

Otherwise it is like the 1990 NA edition.

Did I miss any? [Spell Ring might be generic now too for spellcasters I just don't have it handy to re-check at the moment...]

[Leander]

Thanks a lot!

How much gold is there in the treasure deck?
6 wandering monsters, 4 traps and how much gold?

[Jalapenotrellis]

Thanks for the concise list of changes. The existing threads were overwhelming for me. I have all the originals and can say they play fine until maybe midway through the elf quest pack because my players suddenly are realizing tanking ogres and wolves runs them out of potions. Had they used other tactics they should have figured out by now, they would still have potions. Like saving spells for ogres and wolves, kiting the ogres since they only move 4, or using spells to deny enemy turns or increase action economy.

For clarification, the fire spell courage in the new one is one attack still, right? Or is endless attacks as long as you can see a monster? Mirror Image in the elf quest pack is amazing because it lasts as long as you can see.

Sounds liken you can get 7 defend dice with the bracers in the new one, which sounds excessive for most of the expansions until elf and barb quest packs.

[SirRick]

For clarification, the fire spell courage in the new one is one attack still, right? Or is endless attacks as long as you can see a monster? Mirror Image in the elf quest pack is amazing because it lasts as long as you can see.

The Courage spell should last as long as the hero can see a monster, meaning they get the buff for multiple attacks. It’s a great spell, but with the cramped fighting conditions of the game, usually it doesn’t last for more than a couple turns (either because all the monsters are dead, or another hero ends his/her movement in a bad spot). I would think the spell’s value increases greatly in the late quest packs, where the monsters have extreme bp bloat.

Also the Bracers take the place of body armor, so it does not stack with Chain Mail or Plate Mail.

[Kurgan]

It's the NA rules, so once you lose line of sight to monsters, the spell ends. Many had different interpretations but the 2021 additional specifically means LOS.

There's the same amount of Gold in the Treasure Deck as 1990 NA edition (250 gold). The only real changes are the above clarifications, and a few extra pieces of equipment (borrowed from the EU edition) and the new artifacts which are never mentioned in the quests (only Mythic books) so are up to Zargon to put into existing adventures or custom quests.

The new heroes were part of the Mythic tier, which is now hard to find (and at grossly inflated scalper prices usually), however you can still find their stats online on the Avalon Hill playtesting pages AND in the Companion App. No guidance is given on playing these new heroes (only the Bard was mentioned in the Spirit Queen's Torment, again, a Mythic exclusive). In the App at least you can swap out any of the four classic heroes for one or more of the new ones, using your own proxy miniatures. None of that applies to the Guardian Knight however, who was a limited exclusive sold online just before the retail version was released.

[Leander]

Thank you!

Holy Water is not in the deck of treasure cards, right? It was in the German version. Moreover, there's a total of 330 (even 1 100 gold card) + 1W6*10 gold in the German version...so 340-390 gold compared to 250 in the US version. Besides, there are only 5 wandering monsters, 3 traps...

[TheLastChaosWarrior]

For clarification, the fire spell courage in the new one is one attack still, right? Or is endless attacks as long as you can see a monster? Mirror Image in the elf quest pack is amazing because it lasts as long as you can see.

The Courage spell should last as long as the hero can see a monster, meaning they get the buff for multiple attacks. It’s a great spell, but with the cramped fighting conditions of the game, usually it doesn’t last for more than a couple turns (either because all the monsters are dead, or another hero ends his/her movement in a bad spot). I would think the spell’s value increases greatly in the late quest packs, where the monsters have extreme bp bloat.

Also the Bracers take the place of body armor, so it does not stack with Chain Mail or Plate Mail.

Why would Bracers stop a Hero wearing body armour when they are worn on the forearms?

[Leander]

So many errors in the old German version. You could defend against Ball of Flame and Fire of Wrath with a monster shield only...Talisman of Lore added 2 mind points...and many others.

[Leander]

Don't bracers give the wizard +1 attack die? My old German version's card reads this.

By the way, how strong can the wizard become in the new base game? Cloak of protection -> one defense extra...but attack-wise? Can you find an item with 2 attack dice?