Custom EU cards [monsters]

[Sjeng]

Awesome work Sjeng. I'll have to compile these into PDF files for the Website when I have time.

Reminder I've finished all my card sets, they're on the forum. Credits are included, so go ahead and just put the PDF's on your page when you have time

[Zenithfleet]

Forgive my ignorance, but what game system or universe is the Carrion Crawler from?

I just realised I have a painted miniature that looks exactly like it! (From Reaper.) I planned to use as some kind of mutant worm thing for Necromunda.

A suggestion about the cards for monsters with different weapons (e.g. goblin archers): If I were making these myself, I wouldn't worry about them. Some of the official Quests include Orcs with crossbows, Goblins with shortbows, etc, and they're just noted in the Quest Notes. I'd probably just stick to the basic creature types for the cards, and save the extra equipment info for the map icons and Notes. But that's just me

[knightkrawler]

The carrion crawler is from D&D. there were two green plastic minis of it in the 2003 board game. Great looking minis, those.
I use them, too.

[Sjeng]

Some NPC characters from these quests:
- Into the Sewers (Mr. Groat)
- Rescue Sir Ragnar (Sir Ragnar)
- Chronicles of Sir Ragnar (Sir Ragnar)
- The Eyes of Chaos (Pierre Chancier)

npc-card-groat-sjeng.jpg

npc-card-ragnar-sjeng.jpg

npc-card-pierre-sjeng.jpg

If anyone has more NPC's, let me know

[Daedalus]

Okay, you've already created a great-looking set of monster cards here, but you did mention a possible second version. If you ever decide to do so, I'd suggest using larger, more legible text for a monster's abilities, leaving at least one blank line below for appearance. Some brainstormed ideas that may or may not work for you, with some repeated:

• Put the abilities on the back of the monster card.
• Put the abilities on a secondary monster card.
• Shrink the monster image.
• Do away with the bottom monster icon.
• Shorten the monster ability descriptions.
• List the monster ability in the Quest notes.
• Create a monster ability chart.
• Make the cards bigger.

[Sjeng]

Thanks for the input, but I'm trying to stay as close to the original layout as possible. Some monsters have extra abilites, which could be mentioned on a seperate chart though, such as the yeti or ice gremlin, but I find that bothersome to be honest. I'd rather have all the info on 1 card. I can read them pretty well, so I'm okay with my design so far

[Daedalus]

As you want to preserve the original card design and have everything on it, I'd say the only possible improvement left would be shortening the ability descriptions. I'd still badger you once more for:

1.) Those with less-than-perfect eyesight who will have to otherwise pass on your excellent contributions.
2.) My own selfish desire to see your work better match my sense of a cool monster card.

As an expample, currently the Ice Gremlin's wording is verbatim from the BQP. Minus the line spacing, it looks pretty much like this:

* The Ice Gremlin can either attack or steal one item from one Hero. It
cannot steal and equipped item. As soon as the Ice Gremlin has stolen an
item, it runs away at full speed. The Heroes can chase the Ice
Gremlin on their turn. If they catch it and destroy it, they
regain the stolen item. If no Hero can see the Ice Gremlin at
the start of Morcar's turn, the Ice Gremlin has escaped with
the item. The item should be crossed off the Hero's Character
Sheet. Remove the Ice Gremlin figure from the gameboard.

This could be condensed down to a quicker, easier-to-read description:

An Ice Gremlin can either attack or steal an unequipped
item and run away. Killing the Ice Gremlin regains the
item. If no Hero can see the Ice Gremlin at the
start of Morcar's turn, it escapes with it.
Remove the Ice Gremlin from the gameboard.

Everything needed to play the monster ability is there. The back of the expansion booklet still contains the original, longer wording in case more explicit wording needs to be referenced. Morcar already knows this stuff, so the card only needs to serve as an in-game prompt. Homebrew monster ablilities should follow suit--quick and dirty on the monster card, explicit and expanded in the Quest Notes or at the end of a Quest Booklet.

I'd be willing to reword these shortened abilities if you agree. However, I understand this is your baby and you're already happy with the original wording, so no problem if you decline.

[Sjeng]

I like your idea! As I'm not native English speaking, I usually need to think a long time when rewording something into something shorter, without leaving out important details. Your description is to the point, and short.
You have my permission to post shorter descriptions here, and I promise I'll reword the cards and post them here. Might take some time though, with carnival coming up here in Limburg

[Daedalus]

The Evil mercenaries. I left out the scout's ability to find and disable traps, as the "evil" scout wouldn't use that skill. I've also left out the "price to hire". These cards are meant as monster cards for the Morcar player.
I use the regular WoM Men-at-arms cards as the friendly mercenary cards for the other players, which have the hiring price on them and not the map icons (but unfortunately also not the scout trap finding/disabling ability)

monster-card-swordsman-sjeng.jpg

monster-card-crossbow-sjeng.jpg

monster-card-scout-sjeng.jpg

monster-card-halberdier-sjeng.jpg

Notes:
-The WoM men-at-arms have slightly different stats. All of those have the usual 1BP, but that would make them fairly weak when used as mercenaries for the heroes. But perhaps that's how it's supposed to be, and 2BP might be overpowered.
If that's the case, I'l change all of them to 1BP, good and evil. It makes them weaker as opponents, but I've read several posts that the BQP/FH was way too difficult and unbalanced anyway.
I haven't played with mercs yet, so if anyone wants to comment on that, please do. I'm trying to find a good balance here.

-The crossbowman has an attack of 2 (2) in the EU WoM set, not 3 (2) like the US version does. 3 Might be too much, so I might also choose to use the original WoM 2 (2) attack points.

-The swordsman had 4 movement and 5 defense in WoM, while he has 5 movement and 4 defense in BQP/FH. 5 defense seems an awful lot. Thoughts?

To state the obvious, the problem is the EU Men-at-Arms are balanced for Wizards of Morcar, while the US Mercenaries are made tougher for the more difficult BQP. drathe went with 2 BP Mercenaries in the remastered Wizards of Zargon, so that probably is the safer bet. But...

Another option is to provide both sets, using the appropriate hiring fee for each card. EU men-at-arms can be retained at a fraction of the original hire price should they survive. This makes their weaker BP score more affordable. A smart player can afford double (or more) the Men-at-Arms if they aren't all killed in one Quest. By having both available, a Hero can choose to hire either the cheaper-in-the-long-run EU 1 BP Man-at-arms or the tougher-but-more-expensive-to-rehire NA Mercenary.

For the most part, having seperate Man-at-Arms/Mercenary stats would work if you went with both sets as options. I don't see a problem with having both a 2-Attack-Dice Man-at-Arms Crossbowman and a 3-Attack-Dice Mercenary Crossbowman available at the same time. As for the EU Swordsman, I think he needs those 5 Defend Dice to compensate for his single BP. Other Men-at-Arms aren't placed in harm's way as often, with the possible exception of the Scout. On the other hand, The NA Swordsman is fine with 4 Defend Dice and 2 Body Points. He's still more durable, but costs more in the long run.

Same goes for the stats of the monster versions of these guys.

[Daedalus]

A lot of your cards already have short enough descriptions, so I'll go to the next longest one, the Yeti. You did a pretty good job with it already. From the original card:

* If the Yeti inflicts damage, it grabs the target in a powerful
hug. During the Hero's next turn, the hug inflicts 1 point of
damage unless the Hero rolls a white shield, breaking the
hug. As long as the yeti is hugging a hero, both
cannot move nor attack. Other heroes may try
to release the trapped hero by killing the Yeti.

The abridged version of the ability:

* If a Yeti damages a Hero, it hugs him for 1 Body
Point of undefended damage on future Morcar
turns until killed. Neither combatant may
move or take any other action. Rolling a
white shield on a Hero's turn frees him.

If necessary, the description could be shortened further by changing Body Points to BP and deleting Morcar. The way the ability is worded, a Hero that escapes a hug with a white shield could also attack and move on the same turn. I figured this is your intent and left that in. I did change when the hug damage is appplied back to Morcar's turn of the original version. I thought it best, as this always allows all of the other Heroes a chance to heal the hugged Hero before hug damage is applied. It also works better in my mind that a monster does it's damage on its turn.