[Quest Pack] [5 Quests, 6 Encounters] - Out of the Wastes

[clmckay]

Here's the latest pack we're doing. We should play through the end by next weekend.

The write up is done, so I thought I'd throw it up here. Edit as needed for your groups if you use it.

Sorry, but thanks, if I stole anyone's art.

OutoftheWastes-Ver100.pdf

OutoftheWastes-Cards1.zip

OutoftheWastes-Cards2.zip

OutoftheWastes-Cards3.zip

I got in such a fluster splitting up the card archives that I forgot the tiles. Not my design, but I like 'em. Also includes a few cards I missed and a corrected card.

ForgottenStuff.zip

[Jump to Bane of Chaos Artifact

Additional components needed: 5 Bloodletter Demons, 1 Chaos Beast, 6 Chaos Dwarves, 7 Chaos Marauders, 3 Flamers, 4 Forsaken, 5 Ghosts, 6 Giant Bats, 8 Giant Rats, +1 Mummy (from Return of the Witch Lord), Northern Chaos Warriors, +4 Skeletons (RotWL), 1 Barrel Tile, 2 Crates, 6 Coffin Tiles (from RotWL), 2 Closed and 2 Open Double Doors (from Ye Olde Inn), 2 Crates (from Agin's Inn Archive), Giant Stone Boulder Tile (from Kellar's Keep), large and small Icy Vault Tiles (from Barbarian Quest Pack), 3 Iron Entrance and 2 Wooden Exit Doors (from Elf Quest Pack, KK or RotWL), Living Fog Room Tile (from BQP), +3 Open Doors
Necromancer Spell Cards (from Wizards of Morcar)

Heroes should be well equipped, at least completing all the Milton Bradley published Quests. -edit]

[The Admiral]

Is this the sequel to Karak Vlag?

[clmckay]

Is this the sequel to Karak Vlag?

Yes, if the Heroes chose to go through the portal in Karak Vlag they would then play this pack. I'm rather fond of how this one played out.

[clmckay]

It was pointed out that an artifact was missing from the package. Here it is:

DemonSlayer.zip

Zargon's should chose the version they think will work best for their players.

[Daedalus]

Um...I don't know what I was thinking, but I posted comments for Out of the Wastes in the Karak Varg thread. So here they are posted in the correct thread:

I started posting comments up to Encounter 4, but then lost them in the Internet abyss. Are you still interested?

Yes please!

Apologies to clmckay if these comments are too much...here goes!

As with your previous work, I like the story organization behind optional Encounters and necessary Quests. It's a pity some of the Encounters are likely to go to waste. I may borrow and transform your model into a rumor/selection mode of organization (if I ever get back to Quest designing.) Another Inn member once showcased this with town-rumor side Quests patterned after computer games.

I also liked the thematic malnurishment rule, and how it could be temporarily alleviated within Quests. Personally, I'm not as interested in the Chaos Gifts, but I imagine there are quite a few fans who appreciate this nod to Games Workshop background.

Some monster and artifact entries include black battle dice which most fans don't possess. Could you additionally suggest some standard combat dice alternatives in the notes where black dice are featured?

Quest 1

• I'm unclear if Kenerick is supposed to use the Chaos Black Blade in battle with the Heroes. You'd expect so, as he has 5 AD and it would be foolish to fight with a lesser weapon. On the other hand, the Chaos Black Blade uses black combat dice, and that isn't listed in the notes.
• The middle room at the bottom of the board appears to be misty. Is there a special tile and effect to go with this?

Encounter 2

• Do the misty rooms have tiles or special effects?
• Does the water tile use the same rules from the BQP?
• I really like the goal of saving a common family and how it translates to a reward that lifts in-game restrictions.

Quest 2

• As the Chaos Sorcerer may cast the Chaos spell Lightning Bolt unlimited times, Ice Shards isn't needed. Lightning Bolt will always inflict 2 Body Points of damage, while Ice Shards will average less even before defending.
  As Lightning Bolt is tied to his magical staff that a Hero will claim, I'd say limit casting that powerful spell down to once a Quest (and keep Ice Shards.) Otherwise, player imbalance is introduced as one Hero may reliably kill multiple, powerful monsters such as Northern Chaos Warriors (6 DD/black shield negates all skulls, 4 BP) in 2 turns while other Heroes will take considerably longer.

Encounter 3

• The top-left room looks mist-filled. Is there any tile or effect?
• The bottom-left room appears to use the Living Fog Room tile. Something should be mentioned of this in the Playing Out of the Wastes introductory section.
• I couldn't find a matching Artifact Card for the Demon Slayer sword.

That's it for what I originally lost. If more is wanted for the later Quests and Encounters, let me know.

[Daedalus]

The response from the Karak Vlag topic:

I would like to hear your comments on the remaining Quests/Encounters.
Here's a couple comments:

This is in the wrong thread. It should be the Out of the Wastes thread.

Black dice can be replaced by counting a Black Shield as a Skull on the regular White combat Dice.

Q1:

I hadn't had him use the Black Blade when my group played through. That would make a nice thematic change, I will adjust my copy of the QB to reflect it.

As I think about it, I think there are a couple of versions of the Black Blade in the files, including without Black Dice. I think that's why I didn't reference it in the Quest Notes. So Zargon could decide which version of the artifact to use.

The "Misty" rooms throughout the QP are Icy Vaults. They have the same rules and tiles as those found in the BQP.

E2:

These are Icy Vault. The Icy Rivers likewise have the same effect as in the BQP.

I'm glad you like the family rescue. I try to have carry over and optional side quests.

Q2:

True. In fact I did as you described when I Zargon'd this quest. As a side note, during our play through, the staff worked very well as written. Since Hero Replacent was not allowed during the QP the added firepower was needed against these very strong monsters.

However, shortly after the group escaped from the wastes and had their numbers replenished I destroyed this artifact. It was too strong outside of the Wastes QP.

E3:

Perhaps at one point ill make another rule page for tiles and what nots. It's not been on my radar as I easily reference the BQP or any other needed rules during play. (I love pheonixs master rulebook, it's all right there).

This has been downloaded 50+ times and this is the first someone's mentioned I forgot to put an artifact card in it!?! Good grief. I'llupload it to the proper thread this afternoon.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the remaining, I enjoy reading them. I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on the city quest at the end. I struggle making a decent city quest on the regular HQ board. In fact, we play tested on the HQ board version, but dd the real quest on a separate city-scape board.

[Figomurphy]

Nice quest pack

[Daedalus]

Really nice.

First off, I like to the Demon Sword cards and the options they thoghtfully deliver to suit individual games. Same goes for your other artifacts.

I would like to hear your comments on the remaining Quests/Encounters.
Here's a couple comments:

This is in the wrong thread. It should be the Out of the Wastes thread....

And so I'm finally responding in the correct thread in untimely fashion, months later. I expect they are too late to help with your campaign, but maybe others may yet benefit. I expect interest to continue with your epic stories.

...Feel free to post your thoughts on the remaining, I enjoy reading them. I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on the city quest at the end. I struggle making a decent city quest on the regular HQ board. In fact, we play tested on the HQ board version, but dd the real quest on a separate city-scape board.

Encounter 4- The Bloodletter Demons are super-scary with 6 AD, Move-Attack-Move, and magic resistance. How did this play out against your Heroes? I ask because I'm inexperienced with high-level Quests. I imagine the Demon Slayer sword figured prominently.

Since some people won't have ten Bloodletter Demons or a suitable number of proxies available, I'd say consider reducing the maximum on the board. As the Heroes are likely to fight a careful rearguard-withdrawal, as little as 3 figures could represent the visible, immediate threat up front. As Bloodletters are killed, they would replenish from the nearest out-of-sight corner along the path from the pit on Morcar's/Zargon's turn.

Played tactically, 10 Demons with MAM should commonly allow 5 to 6 Demons to attack with 6 AD each against a single, slow-moving, 6-DD, rearguard Hero (as I figure it.) I imagine that's 5-6 BPs of damage each M/Z turn--isn't that too deadly? Dropping the maximum number of Bloodletter Demons on the board down to 3 would help, but is still a lot of hurt. Maybe this is what you want? Otherwise, it might be safer to drop MAM or reduce a Demon's AD.

Keep in mind I'm unaware of the particular artifacts your Heroes had at their disposal. I'm pretty sure you knew what was needed to properly challenge them and how to play it, which would explain the numbers. I can only comment from an outside, general perspective that may or may not reflect the needs of other groups.

Quest 3- All's cool here, especially the bridge!

[clmckay]

Oh, that's strange! The wrong numbers there. That's how many demons came in the box (10). I must've brain farted when typing, apparently I should proofread better. I capped it at 5 on the board at once.

As I remember it, they stacked two heroes with bow / xbow at the front to clear the passages, then a tank at the back. Either through luck, potions or a bit of both, they got out ahead of the first group quite a ways, then after they were killed the replacements were back at the start and took awhile to catch up to the group, giving them a bit of breathing room. i know they didnt dare stop at the treasure because of the oressure from behind.

The sword has long since been lost to the group, so I'm not sure which version they had.

Humpf....I've just been looking through, there's several typos throughout, only one functional (other than those already mentioned), in the Undercity, the note describing the ghost should state that it disappears after attacking. I also have in my notes to roll 1 CD and on a skull 1MP is lost, however, I don't remember playing it that way.

[Daedalus]

Encounter 5- This slipped past me in the initial read-through, but then it hit me in the second read: how many Bloodletter are in the group? The last post leads me to believe you intended 5.

What I did wonder about the first time was what happens to Quest treasure looted by the Bloodletters after they are killed? The Quest mechanics imply those treasures are lost to the Heroes. Perhaps one of their number could use an Escape spell before fully losing the battle to deny the treasues. That way then Heroes could feel the loss of the potential treasure clutched in the gloating demon's claws. Alternatively, a demon or two could even use the treasures against the Heroes, but in that case I'd allow unused treasure to be recovered after the battle (staff, remaining spell scrolls.)

I recall a certain Dwarf pick axe Equipment Card in your cards download--was it from Karak Vlag? I think that would have made a cool consolation prize in place of the gold coins if the Dwarves were slain.

Encounter 6- As the boulder trap can be disarmed at the square space labeled A, it also nessarily can be found. That will likely be just around the corner, so I wonder why anyone would wish to spring a trap with unknown effect. I think upon searching for traps the Heroes should be told about the sloping passage or even a suspicious panel in the ceiling before square A. How much tipping did your group need, if any?

Some of the spaces along the boulder path are more than one square long. Is this intentional to simulate acceleration? If so, aren't the Heroes expected to still move in one inch increments? That's a big difference in movement rates. Are there special corridor tiles needed?