My girlfriend (aka Miranda the Elf in my 'Saturday Night Dungeon' posts) had an idea for a new house rule after we played Quest 5: Melar's Maze last night. When heroes find themselves trying to cover some distance on the board but they keep rolling small numbers, the game grinds to a halt. When there are no monsters on the board, there's not much for Zargon to do. We found ourselves in such a situation last night and spent at least three turns around the table with my heroes rolling
and
, and me as Zargon with nothing to do.
I have read, here and elsewhere, some people complain that rolling for movement is one of the weaker mechanics of the game, especially when Zargon's monsters do not roll and have a set amount of movement they can make. While I like rolling for movement during the normal gameplay, it can be a drag during those times when there are no monsters, most traps have been sprung or disarmed, and the heroes just need to get to the other side of the board.
So, my girlfriend's proposed house rule: If a hero begins their turn in a hallway, and there are no monsters present, the hero may roll one extra movement die instead of taking an action.
I think it's pretty fair. It can't be done if the hero starts in a room and, obviously can't be used just to outrun a monster. Additionally, it is only one extra movement die, so it doesn't necessarily make Swift Wind completely useless. It really shouldn't even come into play unless the game is starting to drag anyway.
What do you folks think?