Dead hero, starter weapon sell back

[mitchiemasha]

This is part of the reason I...

I agree. To me it seems quite likely the case.

[Maurice76]

However being a Champion doesn't really add anything to perks. In your method of play, does being crowned a Champion to the Empire add anything to the game?

No, it was just for show. However, I am going to alter it in the next playthrough and make it the threshold after which the Heroes can recruit Men At Arms to support them in their adventures.

[wallydubbs]

However being a Champion doesn't really add anything to perks. In your method of play, does being crowned a Champion to the Empire add anything to the game?

No, it was just for show. However, I am going to alter it in the next playthrough and make it the threshold after which the Heroes can recruit Men At Arms to support them in their adventures.

Yes, I was thinking this could be the payoff too. However bringing mercenaries into the original game would undo the balance for later quests. When were you thinking of implementing this?
I was thinking, maybe having the he heroes pay a certain amount of gold just to go on this quest, since it will have a lasting payoff in the form of mercenaries. However if they pay for it before they're ready and fail they'd have to wait until Wizards of Morcar to hire them.

I see no problem adding mercenaries to the later quests, though. Since KK, RotWL and AtOH are all connected and the heroes can't go to the armory there's reason why they can't hire more mercenaries in these scenarios so it's doubtful the mercenaries will survive all 10 (or 7) quests.

However, Fozen Horror does concern me, though. Quests 4 - 10 are all connected and yet heroes can hire mercenaries between quests... and it's not entirely doable without them...

[mitchiemasha]

I am going to alter it in the next playthrough and make it the threshold after which the Heroes can recruit Men At Arms to support them in their adventures.

I do like that idea, seems logical... M@A aren't going to follow any old randomer. I've needed to add this to my print out since the last time it was mentioned.

However bringing mercenaries into the original game would undo the balance for later quests.

Not so much an issue, they're not rich yet. Renting mercs would get in the way of buying stronger weapons and armour, especially if the BROKEN mechanic is used.

However, Fozen Horror does concern me, though. Quests 4 - 10 are all connected and yet heroes can hire mercenaries between quests... and it's not entirely doable without them...

They could of been in the last room of the previous Quest or the first of the next. Adventurers can bump into all kinds of people, in the strangest of places, whilst on their journey. It does break my version as you need to stay at the INN, which cost 25gc, to shuffle the deck and see who's available, the odd drunk, gypsy or pike man. I'd make exceptions for joined quest. Same for a dead Hero, replaced by a new.

Disclaimer: I've not printed the INN deck yet. It hasn't been played. We've got Mother of Dragons to try before HQ is back on the table.

[Maurice76]

Yes, I was thinking this could be the payoff too. However bringing mercenaries into the original game would undo the balance for later quests. When were you thinking of implementing this?

I'm not sure when I'd be implementing this. Somewhere before the Witch Lord quests at the end of the original game in any case. Maybe around the Bastion of Chaos quest.

As for mercenaries in later quests, I wouldn't allow them to rehire mercenaries while running the Kellar's Keep or Return of the Witch Lord quests. They're in it from the start and what they lose along the way (they will, no doubt), they can't hire back.

In fact, I don't even plan to allow them access to a shop during those quests; depending on need, though, I might introduce a roaming rogue Goblin merchant who doesn't mind trading with the "enemy", or a Skeletal merchant who just fell back to old habits after having been raised from the dead. They'd encounter those once during the run, between quests, so the Heroes can't simply kill the merchant and steal his money .

[mitchiemasha]

I do like the idea of thinking how many you might need and them slowly dieing with each Quest... The sense of growing dread as your once mighty band shrinks to nothing. I can almost see Heroes protecting them a lot at first, hoping to hold on to as many for long as possible.

[wallydubbs]

One could also consider adding the stipulation that if you defeat an evil mercenary during a quest the hero can recruit them afterwards and hire them right on the spot.

The Dark Warrior saw the error in his ways and will then fight for the hero if he has the money to hire him. A Yeti probably doesn't pay well.

[Maurice76]

One could also consider adding the stipulation that if you defeat an evil mercenary during a quest the hero can recruit them afterwards and hire them right on the spot.

The Dark Warrior saw the error in his ways and will then fight for the hero if he has the money to hire him. A Yeti probably doesn't pay well.

But then you'd need to go out all caveman like and clobber up some Dark Warriors, to hire their services . And if you can find out what the Yeti wants ... hmm, Yeti mercenary sounds interesting .

[wallydubbs]

Would a Yeti hug work on a Polar Warbear?

[Kurgan]

Never run into this before. I guess because either the dead hero has all his stuff claimed by monsters... OR they all die and there's nobody left to pick up the free bonus short swords, etc. I think I WOULD allow it, unless it started to be abused. Still, it's a lot of risk for such a paltry amount of gold. If it were such that the Heroes were attacking and killing each other at the end of the quest to get extra stuff, that might start to be a problem... (but I haven't had to deal with friendly fire yet either, it's not even stated that this is possible, except for bonus certain spells that might damage friend or foe alike).

If this started to happen, I might go with the Japanese rule where you lose all your gold to come back.