Beefing up Guardian of Grin's Crag

[Pancho]

We are getting closer to playing Grin's Crag and I am toying with the idea of beefing up the end bit of the quest, the encounter with the gargoyle guardian on the Crag itself.
It may be the battle on the iconic box/book cover, but although it gets its own tile, there isn't much in the actual game to spice this final boss battle up in terms of special rules.

Any ideas for special rule I could introduce for the Guardian of Grin's Crag to make it a bit more challenging? I have a few ideas but not sure if they would work well, or make it too difficult for the Heroes.

Thanks

[Pancho]

One idea I have is to incorporate Grins map somehow, as it has no real use otherwise.
Maybe, to open the gate to finally rescue the emperor a hero has to pass a roll based on his mind points. He can add 1 to the score for each part of the map he has (there are runes on the map that help), and the Dwarf gets a bonus too just for being a rune-reading-Dwarf-door-code-breaking dude.
Meanwhile, the freakin' stone gargoyle keeps respawning out of the very rock of the Crag itself, just like the picture on the front cover, so if a player fails his roll, he could be in big trouble.
Also, the Crag is very narrow so no hero can pass another, making it an important choice who stands by the door and tries to pass the door opening test.

What do you guys think?

[Anderas]

I uploaded an alternative version of the stone map somewhere here

[Daedalus]

Anderas' excellent alternate map can be found at this post and at the forum Gallery, as well.

. . . Any ideas for special rule I could introduce for the Guardian of Grin's Crag to make it a bit more challenging? I have a few ideas but not sure if they would work well, or make it too difficult for the Heroes.

Thanks

Beefing up the Gargoyle is your thread.

Beyond that, how about the Gargoyle has an ability that works similar to the Pass Through Rock spell? (That was how it suddenly appeared on the crag per the Quest notes.) On its turn, the Gargoyle may move into or out of any of the squares of the crag for its move. Remove the Gargoyle figure from the gameboard or place it back on any of the squares on the Grin's Crag tile as needed.

If the Heroes allow it, the Gargoyle should manage to escape half of the Heroes' attacks and get at the rear of the line. Smart Heroes can counter these tactics through positioning.

[Pancho]

I like it Daedalus.
Giving it the pass through rock spell is a very simple upgrade that nevertheless fits in with the art and fluff of the expansion pack. I like quests that use existing rules where possible rather than adding new stuff, so I'll think I'll go with this.
No more hiding behind the Barbarian on the Crag and letting him do all the work!

[benvoliothefirst]

Love it Daedalus! I had also thought to go completely bananas and introduce a "Bowling for Heroes" mechanic where the Crag would be as long as a typical gameboard and the evil wizard could put a number of orcs equal to the turn number into play and they roll down the hill at the heroes. The rules got very complicated very fast but I agree that making this iconic scene more than just a hallway should be a priority!

[Anderas]

That bowling part,
What exactly did you have in mind?
It just sounds quite interesting right now.

[Pancho]

It would be cool to have orcs on the Crag. I love the orc that has just gone over the edge and is clawing at the ground ground in desperation.
I'd like a rule where the monsters and heroes could potential fall into the abyss. Not sure about bowling though

[knightkrawler]

I'd like a rule where the monsters and heroes could potential fall into the abyss.

How about
"A figure (except the Gargoyle) that loses more than two body points while on the crag, tumbles down and dies."
This would be a mechanic that would solve the "Barbarian first, then the Dwarf!" problem.
It's brainstorming, though. There might be improvements.

[benvoliothefirst]

Keep in mind I'm NO games designer, so comments/criticism/emotional outbursts are welcome!

My plan was to make this an EPIC encounter, so I wanted to have a whole new board which was two squares wide like the wide hallways from the center of the standard HQ board. It would weave back and forth but still allow for heroes to fight side by side. (You know what? This would be easier with a visual aid. Quick detour into Illustrator later:

EDIT: Apparently google photos aren't linkable, try clicking the html link below and let me know if anyone can see the image.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VXmnilB1tA1U9T7E3

(Just a mockup, the full-size version would be as many squares wide as the actual HQ board.)

What's keeping them from circumventing the Guardian entirely if the "ledge" is two squares wide?

Each turn of the quest the EWP gets a corresponding number of orcs.Turn 1: 1 orc. Turn 6, 6 orcs! Orcs would start at the bottom of the above image, and rather than being able to move the orcs up to their maximum move distance each turn, for this quest the EWP would have to roll a red die and move them that many spaces up the board toward the heroes on the other side of the ledge. If the orcs make it across the crevasse by rolling a number greater than two, they make it to the other side and bowl into any heroes they land on, causing 1 damage. If they end their move IN the crevasse, make the Wilhelm scream because they've fallen in!

Thoughts?