Traps Write-Up

[Daedalus]

It may stretch out the game, but it also provides twice the opportunity for Heroes to fail to search when they should.

You can't fail at finding Traps and Secret Doors that are in the area being searched. The only danger exists in searching for treasures, due to the hazard cards in the treasure deck.

Fail to search (a choice), not fail at searching (a result). Failing to search for traps can lead to some dangerous results, of course.

[mitchiemasha]

3 different searches is tooooo long. It does make for a lot of potential missed secret doors. Let's not forget this isn't a mod, it's the standard UK version.

And, as I've wrote many times before. A secret door mechanism could be anywhere, not just walls, same for traps. OR... The action of the search could include the moving to where ever that happens to be and back again. Positioning here is rough not so important, especially as all the monsters will of already been killed. This is why I include "Treasure Search: A room not searched for traps will trigger the trap, place the Hero on the Trap square, they don't pick a card".

I've always seen a Treasure search as a fast grab, one turn, one action...

... "oh look a boot, I'll just grab it, might have a Gem in"

A Trap/Secret door search a more cautious Treasure search, it now takes 2 turns or 2 Heroes actions...

... "No wait, before you grab that boot lets check the room is safe first, no suspicious wires, cracks, cogs, levers or dodgy looking flagstones"

Which would reveal any threats or doors. When you pick the card, what ever happened to be on the card, you might of already been able to see. The ACTION, is the Act of going to where it is and picking it up. This could of been at any point during your movement. The last square you end on just happens to represent where you are after everything else you've done that round, regardless to how you conducted your turn.

I like to keep 'Search in the Presence of Monsters' a Thief skill. As standard it could seriously change the game.

[Maurice76]

Fail to search (a choice), not fail at searching (a result). Failing to search for traps can lead to some dangerous results, of course.

Ahh, I see I misunderstood your meaning there . Still, what you're suggesting boils down to punishing players for trying to skip those searches to avoid tedium. It doesn't add anything exciting or fun to the game, in my opinion. Punishing people for trying to skip tedium only detracts from it, if you ask me.

[Daedalus]

Good point. Exploring by rote can be a bore. I think some sort of pressure device such as a Morcar/Zargon event deck can help to drive the pace while forcing some tough choices to search or not. The Heroes may not be comfortable with this, but they should be more interested in the tactics of potential reward and penalty interaction.

I've observed that combined or separate searches for traps and secret doors is a bias born from our first exposure to Hero Quest. Occasionally people make a switch, but for the most part NA and EU players prefer their original rules set for searches. That's not a bad thing, as Quests aren't so precise that they can't handle either rule.

[mitchiemasha]

Bias... No... lol! it's Logic! Logic!!!

Edit: Although i would agree, we do see bias from American players. When i returned to the game I had non, I simply looked at what was the best of both, I have no memory of playing the game properly as a child to of developed a Bias.

[Anderas]

To add to the write up...

Rolling Boulder, KK: Start the boulder when the heroes pass a marked square. Move the boulder each EWP turn by squares. Every figure hit by the boulder is attacked with . Do not defend.

Pit of Darkness: Attack the victim with without Armor, with Chainmail or Borin's Armor, with Plate Mail. Do not defend.

Stalactite Trap: Lose 1 . Do not defend.

Swinging Blade Trap, ATOH: Set off only on the dark marked square. Roll to attack any figure in dark or light marked blade squares. Defend normally.

Swinging Axe Trap, BQP: Attack with . Do not defend.

Fireburst Trap: Place the tile in the room. You can disarm it with a tempest spell. Note that European rules do not allow to leave a room through the same door, the same turn you enter it. Beginning of the EWP turn, roll . Defend normally.

Hurricane Trap: Move any impacted figure 8 spaces backwards until they hit a wall or set off a trap.

Teleport Trap: Move any figure entering square A, immediately to square B. This ends the turn.

[Maurice76]

Note that European rules do not allow to leave a room the same turn you enter it.

Incorrect. It doesn't allow you to move through the same tile more than once each turn and hence blocks leaving a room through the same door you entered it. You could leave the room through another door, if present and if remaining movement allows to do so.

[Anderas]

Note that European rules do not allow to leave a room the same turn you enter it.

Incorrect. It doesn't allow you to move through the same tile more than once each turn and hence blocks leaving a room through the same door you entered it. You could leave the room through another door, if present and if remaining movement allows to do so.

I amended it. Know the rule but don't know how to put it in less than three words.

Yes I guess the design intent for the trap was that you had to run through the room out the other door, or suffer.

[Maurice76]

Yes I guess the design intent for the trap was that you had to run through the room out the other door, or suffer.

I guess you're right - which does remind me of the "Eyrie of the Storm Master" in the Wizards of Morcar. It featured 3 rooms in a chain, each with an exploding trap in it. There was no way to avoid getting hit at least once by those, unless the Hero was lucky.

[mitchiemasha]

Note that European rules do not allow to leave a room the same turn you enter it.

Incorrect. It doesn't allow you to move through the same tile more than once each turn and hence blocks leaving a room through the same door you entered it. You could leave the room through another door, if present and if remaining movement allows to do so.

Yes... we must always be a accurate with our words. Well spotted.