Expansions--access to armories, extra spells thereafter?

[j_dean80]

I have AtOh then MotM cause it continues the Ogre theme. From there is my adapted WoM (Summons of the Wizards' Council) to introduce mercenaries which continue into FH.

[wallydubbs]

Did you say elf quest pack before barbarian Quest pack? I was looking at that thread about what were the quest packs should be played... They said the opposite on the first page. Maybe I didn't read far enough?

There's no specific order when it comes to the Barbarian and Elf quest packs.
Some say to put Frozen Horror last as it is the most difficult, others would argue continuity that Wizard's of Morcar/Zargon allows mercenaries to hire, as does Frozen Horror, where Mage of the Mirror does not.
It's your choice, but I prefer Hero Quest, Keller's Keep, Return of the Witch Lord, Against the Ogre Horde, Wizards of Morcar/Zargon, Frozen Horror, Mage of the Mirror, Dark Company.

[Kurgan]

I'm playing in the following order:

GS-->KK-->ROTWL (actually, I had my heroes, who include veteran players, play a few remixed versions of quests from these packs, then move on..)-->ATOH-->WOM-->Dark Company-->EQP-->BQP
even so, I have someone playing the solo EQP quests simultaneously (any gear/loot will translate over, if they survive).

I prefer to think when these new spells become available, they are "unlocked" for the rest of the time. the players can always choose not to use them.

In those quest packs where they say you can't return to the surface to trade/buy, etc. I would still let them choose new spells, since the spells are presumably something inherent, that the character knows, rather than requiring materials (if they did, as in my Alchemist variant of the Wizard, he wouldn't be able to change spells here).

[wallydubbs]

I'm playing in the following order:

GS-->KK-->ROTWL (actually, I had my heroes, who include veteran players, play a few remixed versions of quests from these packs, then move on..)-->ATOH-->WOM-->Dark Company-->EQP-->BQP
even so, I have someone playing the solo EQP quests simultaneously (any gear/loot will translate over, if they survive).

I prefer to think when these new spells become available, they are "unlocked" for the rest of the time. the players can always choose not to use them.

In those quest packs where they say you can't return to the surface to trade/buy, etc. I would still let them choose new spells, since the spells are presumably something inherent, that the character knows, rather than requiring materials (if they did, as in my Alchemist variant of the Wizard, he wouldn't be able to change spells here).

That's all good if you want to play it that way. I agree about the spells being inherent and the Wizard and Elf should be allowed to change them in interconnected quests.
However it's very unlikely to get a playgroup together to play orderly and often, so odds are I'd never make it to the Elf Quest Pack to unlock those Elven spells. So to spice things up in terms of variety, I don't think it's too wrong to add those extra spells to the early quest.
Nor do I think adding certain extra Chaos spells to enemy spell casters would harm it... so long as it doesn't throw the balance off.

[Kurgan]

Fair points. In the end you can mix it all any way you like, you're the GM. It's all from the world of Hero Quest.
I haven't played with the new spells yet myself, but the general opinion on here seems to be that they're under powered compared to basic ones. For me it seems like a lot of wildcard powers for specific situations, vs. the basic "attack" spells used to destroy an enemy and healing spells used to save your bacon. I'm a simpler gamer, so that's what I go for. The other stuff requires cleverness and strategy... waiting for the right moment.

So if you're NOT playing it as a series, do what you like.

[wallydubbs]

Fair points. In the end you can mix it all any way you like, you're the GM. It's all from the world of Hero Quest.
I haven't played with the new spells yet myself, but the general opinion on here seems to be that they're under powered compared to basic ones. For me it seems like a lot of wildcard powers for specific situations, vs. the basic "attack" spells used to destroy an enemy and healing spells used to save your bacon. I'm a simpler gamer, so that's what I go for. The other stuff requires cleverness and strategy... waiting for the right moment.

I agree they're underpowered, but by bringing them out early Spells of Detection is something a hero might go for. The Treasure Hoard spell might entice a hero who is underequipped, daring to hope.
Also Spells of Darkness can be ranked slightly higher then Water in early quests where Veil of Mist is rarely used and Sleep doesn't really come in handy unless you're dealing with a big monster with low mind points. Water of Healing is still very useful, but Arrows of the Night and Chains of Darkness (and possibly Cloak of Shadows) can be quite useful in early quests... or so one of my groups agree.

[Maurice76]

In my group, I've opened the full board to them - including the Alchemist Shop and the likes - from the very first mission. It gives an overwhelming amount of options, but initially they won't have much gold to buy stuff anyway. Only the amount of Spells might be an issue; however, the Wizard player in my group doesn't mind and he enjoys selecting the proper spells from such a huge pool. The Elf player sticks with the Elf Spells.

[wallydubbs]

In my group, I've opened the full board to them - including the Alchemist Shop and the likes - from the very first mission. It gives an overwhelming amount of options, but initially they won't have much gold to buy stuff anyway. Only the amount of Spells might be an issue; however, the Wizard player in my group doesn't mind and he enjoys selecting the proper spells from such a huge pool. The Elf player sticks with the Elf Spells.

Do you still only allow the Wizard 3 sets of spells and the Elf 1 (or just 3 spells from the Elf set) at the start or the game?

[Maurice76]

Do you still only allow the Wizard 3 sets of spells and the Elf 1 (or just 3 spells from the Elf set) at the start or the game?

Yes. In fact, we're using the HeroQuest Revised Rules by Slev (sadly his website is offline since like today, getting a 404 error on it), which not only has a load more Spell Groups, but also the option to gain more sets of Spells as the characters evolve. Even the Barbarian could eventually get a Spell set if he skilled up that way.

[lestodante]

I'm inclined to agree with both of you, although I make the Wizard Run the Gauntlet (or other difficult quest) before he gains the new spells. It lends some incentive to fight the Cabiri Lords if the Wand of Galimateus gives the Wizard Hero access to more spell decks. The wand artefact as written is a bit meh, considering that the Cabiri are fearsome dudes to face.

I agree.. I prefer the Wizard to handle the Wand of Galimateus very soon. And once he own it, he can use all 4 set of Elemental spells.
As for the Elf, I will give him access to Elf Spells instead. So the Wizard can use the 4 elements while the Elf has his own set to choose from.
As for the Elf choice, I was thinking to apply a small rule to select his 3 spells:
The Elf player fist pick up 1 random spell from the deck, then select another one of his choice and finally pick up a 3rd one at random but if he doesn't like he can discard it and pick up a new one (that he can't change again and he is forced to take whatever is drawn).
Also (as I wrote on another topic) I add a 9th spell to his deck, wich is a curative one: it allows the Elf to roll 1 red die and recover as many body points as the result of the die, it can be from 1 to 6.