HQ - HEROES & VILLAINS (knightkrawler's full rule set)

[knightkrawler]

Dude, it's an icon. Obviously you use it for unlimited range,
but with me it's just line of sight (which includes theoretically unlimited range for projectiles).
Cf. the Cards & Icon Key.
This is the most obvious example of a sign/icon that also doesn't mean the same everywhere:


I use the line of sight icon in corridor sections to get an even wider range (pardon the pun) of possibilities for where to put up the figure(s).
It means the same as in a room. Once the corridor section containing the note letter is explored (come into line of sight of a hero for the first time),
the hero interrupts his move, you set the corridor section up according to the corresponding note,
but you have a freedom of choice where you put the villain(s) in that corridor section.

I have been thinking about not using the icon for line of sight in a corridor section, thus rather writing "Set up X in this corridor section", analagous to the rooms,
but the icon offers itself because of the line of sight chapter in the rulebook and the icon entry in the Cards & Icon Key.
It's tidily defined that way and imposes itself.
I'll have to reconsider that at one point, I think.

In regards to the link:
Obviously I have to release the link individually even though the file is within a folder that has been released.
What a stupid freakin' bullshit *lemony goodness*fraggle right there. Jesus.
Well, it's done now and the link is fine on its own, going over the link in my signature will be safe as well when I add something.

Thanks for your input and pointing me to the link problem, guys.
Something new every day.

[Anderas]

No I would use the icon as well once it is defined. Mine will be on morcars screen for reference. I don't use it for blocking the view as I prefer an open table, but at least I can hand it to the others when they have questions and it is nicely old style, better than a sheet of paper.

But nevertheless, I am thinking about monster set up in strange positions now.

[knightkrawler]

No I would use the icon as well once it is defined. Mine will be on morcars screen for reference. I don't use it for blocking the view as I prefer an open table, but at least I can hand it to the others when they have questions and it is nicely old style, better than a sheet of paper.

But nevertheless, I am thinking about monster set up in strange positions now.

I like to give people ideas.
I have Fate cards and Summon spells that use unconventional villain spawning areas like "out of any hero's line of sight, but in an explored area" and stuff like that.

Also, I'll print and laminate the Cards & Icon Key to hand to the players whenever there's a question.
That's why it's not in the rulebook itself in the first place.
I also don't use a screen, equipment and laptop sitting on chairs left and right of me.

[Geofonos]

I recently stumbled upon this thread. First thought is "Holy cow, this is so much work!" so kudos for that, whatever the content may be.
I will be going through the files during this month or during the holidays and will get back with some feedback.
Once again, congrats for the effort.

[knightkrawler]

Yeah, thank god this is my hobby!
I would appreciate feedback very much indeed. Any feedback...

[knightkrawler]

I uploaded the first part of my next questbook,
Caellar's Caer, part I: Down https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eexo4ury8titpzx/AABPnu9HOG_F9anq7R__nqyAa?dl=0

and the Dungeon Guide, which saves a lot of space in each questbook and describes how to handle both gameboard and modular tiles,
Questbook Guide https://www.dropbox.com/s/rsnm56fssml1hbi/08%20Questbook%20Guide.pdf?dl=0

and a blank Villain Tracker, which is just a printable chart
Villain Tracker BLANK https://www.dropbox.com/s/u45gbpjqrjvjzgx/07c%20Villain%20Tracker%20BLANK.pdf?dl=0

These updates are all indicated by the version number 1.3 in the dropbox folders.

[Daedalus]

The rules look great as a fnished download! There's not much to add as suggestions at this stage, but here is what I could find:

Rules and Regulations
p. 9 The Cards
"Shuffle the 1st search, 2nd search, and furniture treasure decks individually and put them next to each other where all Heroes can reach them, all of them face down." > Shuffle the 1st Search, 2nd Search, and Furniture Treasure decks individually, then put them all face down and next to each other where all Heroes can reach them. (I see you chose not to capitalize instances of the different cards while the various decks on pp. 10, 23, 25, 26, and 30 are capitalized.)
p. 24, Search for Traps
(1st paragraph)
"Traps are, aside from villain attacks, the second major source of loss in
most dungeons...." > Traps are, aside from villain attacks, the second major source of loss in most dungeons....
p. 28 Death
(2nd paragraph)
"...Only if no hero is in that area these cards are discarded...." > Only if no hero is in that area are these cards discarded.
(5th paragraph)
"...Morcar should first designate the types and number individual villain figures (inscribing the rims of the figure bases with “Orc 1”, “Orc 2”, “Wight 1”, and so on), connecting each individual villain figure to an entry in the Tracker." > ...Before play, Morcar should label the rims of the appropriate villain figure bases with "Orc 1", "Orc 2", "Wight 1", and so on. Villain figures in a Quest can then be designated by [an -edit] entries on the Tracker as needed. (Reworded a bit as villains with just 1 Body Point generally don't need tracking.)
p. 29 Fate Cards
(paragraph 3)
"Only when you do play the card you read the text in italics to the heroes and
comply with its effect...." > Only when you play the card do you read the text in italics to the heroes and comply with its effect....
p. 30 Between Quests

• "...In the latter case, the old heroes' equipment cards are discarded; their artefact cards are dealed out to the heroes starting the next quest." > ...In the latter case, the old heroes' equipment cards are discarded; their artefact cards are dealt out to the heroes starting the next quest.
• "All players or Morcar alone decide on if and which optional rules (cf. Optional Rules Supplement and Optional Rules Tracker) will be implemented for the next quest." > All players or Morcar alone decide on which--if any--optional rules (cf. Optional Rules Supplement and Optional Rules Tracker) will be implemented for the next quest.

Some of the optional stuff seems new to me. In any case, I have more suggestions:

Optional Rules Supplement
1. "Rolling Dice for Turn Orders" > Rolling Dice for Turn Order (Orders can be confused with dictated actions.)
2. This is opinion here: "...After time is out, Morcar may pick which
hero's turn it is, one after another, or draw a fate card...." > ...If time runs out, Morcar draws a fate card and resets the timer.... (I like the elegance of a penalty as a single motivator that still leaves the players' choice intact.)
3. "...Use the villains' base inscriptions and the Villain Tracker to keep up. A round and Morcar's turn end with the end of the last of the villains' turn...." > ...Use the villains' base inscriptions and the Villain Tracker for keeping tabs. Morcar's turn and the round
end with the end of the last of the villains' turn....
5. "You may agree on some or all villains negating a hit from a hero's attack roll by rolling 1 ━ in their defense roll." > Some or all villains may negate hits from heroes' attack rolls for each ━ in their defense roll. (Maybe this isn't precise for you-- no prob. I'm just sharing what works for me. Yours also gets the point across, of course.)
7. "Right after a figure has made a successful attack, they may either exchange squares with the attacked or move them into an unoccupied orthogonally adjacent square and in turn move into the square the attacked has just been pushed out of. The push is impossible if there is no unoccupied square orthogonally adjacent to the attacked. This is neither an attack action nor side action nor movement, rather it is part of the attack action...." > Right after a figure has made a successful attack, they may either exchange squares with the target or move them into an unoccupied, orthogonally adjacent square and in turn move into the square the target has just been pushed out of. The push is impossible if there is no unoccupied square that is orthogonally adjacent to the target. This is neither an attack action nor side action nor movement; rather, it is part of the attack action.... (If target isn't acceptable, I'd go with attacked figure.)
8. " Secret Doors Stay Close" > Secret Doors Stay Closed
"You can rule that a secret door that has been found stays close until a hero moves into an adjacent square and opens it like a regular door. Only then Morcar sets up the room on the other side." > A secret door that has been found stays closed until a hero moves into an adjacent square and opens it, like a regular door. Only then may Morcar set up the room on the other side.
9. "...The first hero to search for treasure in a room as described above finds all secret doors within that room alongside the draw from the 1 st Search deck...." > ...The first hero to search for treasure in a room as described above finds all secret doors within that room along with the draw from the 1st Search deck. (Alongside can be ambiguously confused with position next to the deck, so it reads awkwardly for me.)
11. "Following a search for traps, Morcar sets up all traps in the searched area, which means this is when he puts a trap marker (cf. Markers & Tokens Key) out on the board for each trap, regardless of their type. Nevertheless, the Heroes do not yet know which kind a trap just found is...." > Morcar sets up all traps in a searched area following a search for traps, which means this is when he puts a trap marker (cf. Markers & Tokens Key) out on the board for each trap, regardless of their type. Nevertheless, the Heroes do not yet know what kind any traps just found are....
12. " ...Alternatively, he may choose to incorporate either a fate card draw or setting up an additional villain at the end of his turn, regardless of other villains being on the board." > [i] ...Alternatively, he may choose to incorporate either a fate card draw or set up an additional
villain at the end of his turn, regardless of other villains being on the board.
14. "If cards listing╍ should be allowed to be retrievable after an attack against a non-adjacent square has been made with them, the attacker puts a card stand with the card into the area the attacked has last occupied instead of discarding it. The first hero to end their move in that area before Morcar's next turn finds the thrown weapon and is given the card from the stand. Otherwise, or if the attacked moves out of the attacker's ╧ during that same round, the weapon is stuck or stolen, and the card is now discarded into the Equipment deck." > If cards listing╍ should be allowed to be kept after an attack against a non-adjacent square had been made with a thrown weapon, the attacker puts a card stand with the card into the area the target last occupied rather than discard it. The first hero to end their move in that area before Morcar's next turn retrieves the thrown weapon and is given the card from the stand. Otherwise--or if the target moves out of the attacker's ╧ during that same round--the weapon is stuck or stolen and the card is now discarded into the Equipment deck. (You may prefer attacked figure over target.)

I like to think my suggestions are all useful (yeah, right), but of course you are the best judge of the tone of your project. Great work!

[knightkrawler]

This is awesome and very much appreciated.
Thank you, D.!

[Daedalus]

Some more suggestions:

Questbook Guide
paragraph 1
"First and foremost, the questbook is only for Morcar's eyes and it is him who will be addressed therein!" > First and foremost, the questbook is only for Morcar's eyes and it is he who will be addressed therein!
paragraph 2
"...When you open a questbook anywhere, it shows you a map on the top half of the left page, an introduction on the lower half that gives the heroes instructions or information, and then several notes on the right hand page." > ...When you open a questbook anywhere, it shows you a map on the top half of the left page, an introduction on the lower half that gives the heroes instructions or information, and then several notes on the right-hand page.
paragraph 3
"...Take your time to carefully read it and memorize at least a rough outline as well as the most eyecatching mechanics and specifics before you even start playing...." > ...Take your time to carefully read it and memorize at least a rough outline as well as the most eye-catching mechanics and specifics before you even start playing....

The Map
"...They show you the position of components like furniture, traps, or doors as well as marks (capital letters in a circle) which have you refer to the corresponding sections in the notes. They explain what happens in the area that contain them.... > ...They show you the position of components like furniture, traps, or doors, as well as any marks (capital letters in a circle) which have you refer to corresponding sections in the notes. These sections explain what happens in the areas that contain the marks....

Areas
paragraph 2
"To accommodate play with tiles instead of the gameboard presented in Rules & Regulations, the definition of what a room and what a corridor section is, is hereby overruled: playing with tiles,..." > To accommodate play with tiles instead of the gameboard presented in Rules & Regulations, the definitions of room and corridor sections are hereby overruled: Playing with tiles,... (I'm not sure if my simplification reads correctly for you, but the comma and repeating be verbs felt a bit awkward to me. The capitalization of playing is a stylization choice I prefer because in my opinion it more clearly links the two sentences following the colon in parallel.)
paragraph 4
"The undefined areas of a map, colored in gray, are not mapped out to be explored. If a hero enters an undefined area (which is regularly impossible), anyway, and remains there until the beginning of their next turn, they lose all their body points and mind points; the figure is taken from the board and their player serves a fresh round of India pale ale from the fridge." > The undefined, gray-colored areas of a map are not to be explored. If a hero enters an undefined area anyway (which is regularly impossible) and remains there until the beginning of their next turn, they lose all their body points and mind points; the figure is taken from the board and that player serves a fresh round of India pale ale from the fridge.

The Introduction
"This part contains a title with a quest numbering to the left and a suggested mode to the right of it....They mustvbe played in the order they are represented to follow the storyline and the plot. The mode determines if the quest should be played by a all heroes (and which) or a number of them....Underneath the title, the text in the parchment is Mentor's briefing of the heroes, a description of the mission for the quest and sometimes containing hints and recommendations. You read it aloud to the heroes before they embark on the quest. Below the parchment, you are told how many villain figures the heroes are going to encounter at most according to the quest notes, and which villain type is most represented (in brackets). Further, you are told a villain type that is used to implement the effects of a “Wandering Villain” card." > This part contains a title with a quest numbering to the left and a suggested mode to the right...They must be played in the order they are represented to follow the storyline and the plot. The mode determines if the quest should be played by a single hero (and which) or a number of them....Underneath the title, the text in the parchment is Mentor's briefing for the heroes, a description of the mission for the quest which sometimes contains hints and recommendations; you read it aloud to the heroes before they embark on the quest. Below the parchment, you are told the maximum number of villain figures the heroes may encounter according to the quest notes and which villain type (in brackets) is most represented. Furthermore, you are told the villain type that is used to implement the effects of any “Wandering Villain” cards."

The Notes
"...Under A, which describes how and where a quest is started, they may describe some mechanics specific to the quest as a whole, which will overrule any other rule texts if conflicting, but only for the given situation(s). From B on, the notes deal with an area marked correspondingly in the map (white encircled letters). Each of these notes tells you what happens when a hero gains line of sight to or of the corresponding area. While reading a section generally to yourself, you read passages in italics aloud if you are not instructed otherwise in the surrounding section itself....These cards you keep behind your screen, but keep the decks for individual figures apart to avoid confusion." > ...Under A--which describes how and where a quest is started--the notes may describe certain mechanics specific to the quest as a whole which may overrule any other conflicting rule texts for the given situation(s). From B on, the notes deal with any areas marked correspondingly on the map (white circled letters). Each of these notes tells you what happens when a hero gains line of sight to the corresponding area. While reading a section generally to yourself, you read passages in italics aloud if you are not instructed otherwise by the surrounding section....These cards you keep behind your screen, but keep the sets for individual figures apart to avoid confusion.

Starting and Finishing a Quest
"...You simply set up the entrance door or the area where the heroes start and have the first hero make his first move to gain his first line of sight. In order to win a quest, at least one hero must complete the objective given in the quest's frame and exit the quest...." > ...You simply set up the entrance door or the area where the heroes start and have the first hero make their first move to gain their first line of sight. In order to win a quest, at least one hero must complete the objective given in the quest's introduction and exit the quest.... (I believe you wish their to be your stylization pronoun choice for hero throughout.)

[Hmm...I now see that Trials and Tribulations contains a very similar opening section. I wonder if if this post is useful.. .-edit]

[knightkrawler]

The Morcar Compendium is done.
It contains additional rules for BASE SIZES, DARKNESS, UPGRADING VILLAINS and other awesome stuff.
Feedback is very appreciated.

In the dropbox folder for the Morcar Compendium, you'll also find some additional cards.
For those who download as I go along, you're looking for folders and files with v1.4.

I deleted Caellar's Caer, pt 1, because I decided to make it one big beast with 8 quests anyway.
Will be coming soon, editing is needed.