House Rules / Homebrew I use (2025):

[Kurgan]

I just have a simple take on it... "see" for purposes of missile fire or spell casting means the same thing as "unobstructed line of sight." So no distinctions between "visible" or "sight" either, it's all just the same thing.

Otherwise I'm saying you can be in a single square wide corridor and there's a row of orcs ahead of you and you can shoot the last one in line with your crossbow, bypassing all the other orcs ahead of him. I don't allow that. The first one in line blocks the rest of them, even though you know they are there, you can't hit them. Same with magic. So if the heroes are all lined up and the Wizard is bringing up the rear and the dwarf is next to him and then the elf and finally the barbarian is the further away, sorry, the Wizard can only cast a spell on himself or the dwarf... and the elf can only cast on himself, the barbarian, or the dwarf but not the wizard.

While I am choosing to interpret"see" for the purposes of searching to just mean are they on the board in the same room/corridor with you.

Avalon Hill's take on seeing for the purposes of searching is very old school and literal. If you're in the room with a monster, even if he's in a corner surrounded by friendly characters and there's a bookcase between you and him (and under a Sleep spell), it doesn't matter... you can't search for anything because the enemy is "present" in the room.

If if there's an open doorway and you could trace a line out that doorway and there's a monster in the next room or corridor from where you are, THAT stops the search (I think that's silly, but that's what is there and they don't want to change it). Now swap that door for a secret door, even if it's open, and for some reason the search is now allowed (at least according to the Companion App).

In the EU edition(s) there was a line about how you couldn't be adjacent to a monster to search. I agree with that. So if you're in a room and you want to search the room and you're at the doorway and there's a monster on the other side, maybe I'd say sure, that stops the search somehow. But if he's out the door a ways? Who cares. I allow the search. After all, you're not searching the area of that monster, you just happen to know he's there.

I like the idea that a monster (or hero) could "take cover" in the very corners of a room (or behind some big obstacle) to hide from the missile fire or spell attacks of an enemy, at least temporarily--forcing the enemy to get closer to engage. I don't think it's so great that you have to virtually clear the whole board (rather than just the strict area you're in) to search. Others may freely disagree of course!

The EU edition had some spells (namely Fire of Wrath and Genie) that allowed you to hit monsters that were on the board, but not within LOS or even anywhere near the same room/corridor. That was cool, so their simply them being "visible" on the board was enough. But those don't really exist in the NA/remake rules that I can recall. I haven't yet implemented any "seeking" spells like this so far.

So I'm not going to worry well I can see him but I can't see him. I'm just going to ask... is he being shot at or cast upon? Then trace the unobstructed line. Is he searching? Then check the room/corridor for enemies (and don't count sleeping ones).

[Bareheaded Warrior]

I just have a simple take on it... "see" for purposes of missile fire or spell casting means the same thing as "unobstructed line of sight." So no distinctions between "visible" or "sight" either, it's all just the same thing.

Otherwise I'm saying you can be in a single square wide corridor and there's a row of orcs ahead of you and you can shoot the last one in line with your crossbow, bypassing all the other orcs ahead of him. I don't allow that. The first one in line blocks the rest of them, even though you know they are there, you can't hit them. Same with magic. So if the heroes are all lined up and the Wizard is bringing up the rear and the dwarf is next to him and then the elf and finally the barbarian is the further away, sorry, the Wizard can only cast a spell on himself or the dwarf... and the elf can only cast on himself, the barbarian, or the dwarf but not the wizard.

Obviously I agree with your scenario with the single square wide corridor with a row of Orcs, as it is exactly the same as my previously posted example with Monsters C and D, but the piece that I am missing from your ruleset is if you employ a "if you can see it you can hit it" rule (and logically the same thing in reverse "if you can hit it then you can see it"), then the first of your long line of Orcs (or Monster C in my example) can be hit and therefore can be seen, but those behind him (Monster D) cannot be hit so according to your rule cannot be seen, so which rule are you applying that results in them being put on the board in the first place?

[dragon5145]

Kurgan wrote:
When looking through an open doorway with a corridor parallel to you, I say that you don't see the entire corridor (until you step out into it) but just the three squares traced from your figure out the door

I think you probably meant a corridor perpendicular to the open doorway the character is looking through, as a parallel corridor would follow same direction as a straight line out of the open door. Any corridor going in a parallel direction to a character looking through an open door should be completely visible, as the character should be looking down the full length of the corridor.

I apologize if this seemed nitpicky, but the use of parallel (as parallel lines do not intersect) kept hanging me up when visualizing the situation, even though I got what you meant.

For corridors perpendicular to the direction a character is looking out through an open door, I find the way you wrote exceptionally reasonable as the "House Rule / Homebrew" as the topic indicates. It's how I play it as well.

Edit: Just reread the NA rules on "looking" down corridors and through open doors and it seems your rule above follows what the rule book says. "When a Hero "looks" down a corridor place on the game board any closed doors, blocked square tiles, and monsters that are directly within the Hero's line of sight. (See page 15 "See" for clear line of sight.)" Page 15 is where it has the diagram with line of sight examples are. Apparently it is only for rooms that everything was put on the board as soon it opened. It looks like NA version was more restrictive in what was revealed in corridors, if followed to the letter in single corridors monsters or blocked tiles would only be revealed one at time as situations that block line of sight (intervening monsters) are removed. Doesn't make sense logically you couldn't be aware of a monster behind another, but that's how it reads since it says intervening figures result in blocked line of sight.

[Kurgan]

Forgot to include the new ability I gave my Ogres in ATOH (except the mercenaries). Instead of simply adopting the "they block the square for everyone" bit, I made it so that they actually "shove" other non-Ogre characters (except the Ogre Mercs, which they can also shove) backward one square each time just by moving into them!

In WOM I let the Dwarf "fix" triggered fallen blocks and pits (even pits of darkness) at Champion level.

I started using the "incapacitated" rule from JOD (The one where you get a round to heal the fallen character) first for Mercenaries and animal companions, then for heroes starting with WOM (since it's such a difficult pack, especially since I'm re-incorporated the deleted material from the original using Phoenix's conversion as a guide, when playing the remake edition!).

Recently I decided you can activate Courage but it stays dormant until you make your next attack, then it kicks in (and you have to be able to see a monster at the beginning of your next turn to keep it active).

I've kept using the "unmarked furniture of a certain type means... use an action to..." rules.

Weapons Rack: Hero can choose to search the rack instead of the room, to draw a random Equipment card (from my expanded armory deck, no "bad" cards). Each hero can do this once per quest.

Alchemist Bench: Wizard or Elf can draw a random potion form the potions deck (no bad cards... though I did print an exploding vial card I wanted to use, for now it's difficult enough to complicate things).

Sorcerer's Table: Wizard or Elf can restore 1 previously used spell. Wizard can draw a random spell scroll if all his spells are full.

Sly Storage (Cupboard): Draw 2 treasure cards and encounter them in order (Doug's rule from First Light, in any quest... but only once per quest, if one hero does it that's it).

Healing Hearth (Fireplace): Once per hero, restore 1 lost BP when doing an action next to the fireplace. (Doug's rule from First Light, in any quest).