PROPHECY OF TELOR discussion

[wallydubbs]

In the companion app, all monsters under Zargon’s Flame have 0 BP, including the boss, so he can die with one hit like everything else.

As a fun note, in the final battle, my Elf charged into the room and cast Hypnotic Blaze (yes, I was using the Elf spells before MotM for fun). The spell worked automatically on all the undead creatures in the room. I found this amusng and made the final fight really easy.

The undead clearly weren't taken into account when this spell was made. Personally, when playing as Zargon, I wouldn't allow it to work on undead. Considering the overpowered nature of this spell, I consider the blaze to be constant in the room and if a hero enters the room shortly after it's cast they too must roll the Mind Point check.

[Kurgan]

Sorry I got carried away on this one, Zargon's Flame is its own thing, not necessarily comparable to anything else, just saying.

At the time Prophecy of Telor and Spirit Queen's Torment were made they may not have yet had MOTM in mind of course. Yes in the timeframe of releases they probably had to have it in the chamber, but it wasn't yet proven that the Haslab campaign would meet its goal (much less have the success it did, reaching almost to the last two stretch goals).

The question of whether to mix components from two or more different expansions together is certainly something that fans have to work out for themselves. In the app those decisions are arbitrarily made and they create more work trying to figure out all the unforeseen bugs, that's for sure! Then again on paper, MOTM/FH invite you to at least use the alchemist shops from other expansions you own (but not necessarily the other way around), MOTM invites you to use mercs from FH (and ROTDM too in theory), etc.

[Vorimir]

This expansion is Amazon Spain n1 seller in the board game deparment till its release, with more than 600 copies sold in the last month. I think its good news for the game.

[TheLastChaosWarrior]

I started PoT last night in the App.
Went fine, and the thematically relevant parts of the story worked well, I like the map design.
But it was very easy, didn't use any heals, spells or scrolls at all. Bard didn't even use any of his. My party is equipped well, but offensively a weaker group.
Knight,Bard, Rogue and my Homebrewed Battle Mage, total of 22bps. My battle Mage has 5bp, two spell sets, and a runic sword which rolls 3cd or a runic knife which is ranged which rolls two cd.

[wallydubbs]

So I got the chance to meet Stephen Baker and one of the first questions I thought to ask was about the end of the Prophecy of Telor, where the dark clouds roll in. This was Baker's way of leaving the ending open. An ostensible sense of "To be continued." It's also opaque enough where you can just let the ending stand if need be.
Much like the transition from Game System to Keller's Keep there's a sense of urgency to keep playing, Baker left it open to be connected with any other quest pack (the quest order play isn't in his hands, mainly Hasbro's).
I could see how one could connect this to the Frozen Horror in a "Winter is Coming" omen; or perhaps the growing dark power of the the Witch Lord... Maybe it could even stem to the attack on the city by Dread Forces in the opening of Crypt of Perpetual Darkness (though it's still confusing why the heroes would be in the tavern when the city's under attack). But I can see why he left it open like that.

[Kurgan]

Cool. So it wasn't an "official" acknowledgement that "The Gathering Storm" as a fan name for the 14 original quests is now canon like some people thought maybe was meant (and not that PoT takes place before Quest 14!).

And that's no slight against Phoenix. Quest 8 of MOTM used that title in 1992 and the version of the file (base.pdf) that bears that title on his page is dated 2008 (not sure the full timeline of when Dewayne Agin's Inn was online and if others used that title before him perhaps there, but I'm guessing it was sometime after '92).

[wallydubbs]

I'm not sure who, but I'd think it was someone at the inn came up with Gathering Storm as the initials are the same as Game System, as we commonly use abbreviations in sequel titles: KK, RotWL, AtOH, etc.
If you were writing a book, like Game of Thrones, this is only the title of boom 1 for the Song of Ice and Fire series. But for Hero Quest, the initial game system was never offered a subtitle. So you have the HeroQuest collection of Game System, Keller's Keep, Return of the Witch Lord, Against the Ogre Hoard, etc. Which of these titles does not fit?
Given the extended lore through expansions, the term Gathering Storm often refers to a beginning or calm before the storm because it's the start of a storm. So it's somewhat befitting as it carries no specifics as the game system has multiple storylines all pertaining to a greater whole while the rest of the expansions all focus on their given title.
So "Gathering Storm" is a substitute title for Game System as it gives the heroes journey a starting point despite the lack of origin while being vague enough to encapsulate the multiple different stories each quest adds to the game system.

[TheLastChaosWarrior]

In the old EU edition, you fight for the Emperor, not a King, so one of my Homebrewed Quest packs had a Quest that was called, "The Emperor Strikes Back"!!!
I love to give nods to my other loves or hobbies in my pastimes!!
I even have a Chaos Sorcerer painted like Skeletor!!!!!

[Kurgan]

Grimdead's Sorcery

[Vorimir]

As I said, my group are veteran players with leveled up characters so this expansion seemed way to easy.
But our 4th player can't play more than once every three or four sesions (when he is not in other players use his character and I also use his slot tonspice things up, sometimes is the barbarian, others the rogue...) so we are playing it with just 3 characters and I added the double wandering monster rule and at least they had to sweat a little.