Ye Olde Inn

I really like the Evil Wizard cards as they achieve two results. First, they encourage to Heroes to get a move on or suffer the consequences. Secondly, they add a level of enjoyment to the EW player. I found the actual rule of a card a turn as too powerful. I also found the cards were used in the same situations all the time and that monsters appearing behind the Heroes just became tedious. My personal rules tailor the rate the cards arrive, and how many monsters/traps can be spawned to the size of the party. I have changed how some of the cards work, and added a more random nature to their use.

I think one of the main obstacles to their use is having to make the cards in the first place. I present here a simplified version of my rules that needs no cards making, but is still tailored to the party size and has the effect of encouraging the Heroes along. Instead of EW cards, use the Monster cards. Take whatever monster cards are appropriate to the quest and shuffle them. Place the cards face down to the side.

1) EW card phase - This occurs at the very start of the EW player's turn. The EW should draw a token (use anything) for each Hero in the party. Henchmen count as Heroes as follows: 1-2 = 0, 3-6 = 1, 7-10 = 2, 11- 14 = 3, 15+ = 4. If the EW now has 16 or more tokens, discard 16 tokens and draw a monster card. That card should not be known to the Heroes until it is later played.

2) The Spawning level - This corresponds to the number of tokens the EW draws e.g. 4 Heroes and 4 Henchmen would allow the EW to draw 5 tokens a turn and would give a Spawning Level of 5. The Spawning level is how many cards the EW may hold. If a card is drawn that takes the EW above the level, a card must be discarded. The Spawning level will also dictate how many monsters may be added to a room (see below).

3) Spawning monsters - Monsters may only be spawned in rooms. When a door to a previously undiscovered room is opened, the EW may add monsters to that room using the cards in hand. Monsters may not be added to a room to take the room above its Spawning level. Each monster and trap (not chest or furniture traps) already in the room counts towards that Spawning Level. e.g If we take the example above where the Spawning Level was 5, lets say a door is opened to a room with 2 monsters in it plus a pit trap. The EW could therefore add two monsters to that room. Once per quest, after the EW card phase, the EW may spawn a monster at the quest entrance i.e. it is either placed on the stairway tile, or comes through the entrance door.

4) Placement of spawned monsters - They may not be placed directly in the doorway, or on a trap square. If there is not enough room to place all allowed monsters, they may not be spawned.

5) Monster card deck - As each monster is spawned, its matching card is discarded face up into a discard pile. If a card must be drawn and there are are no more available, shuffle the discard pile to create a new deck.

This method doesn't have the tactical fun of my EW cards, but will add something to the game and result in some consequences to a party that dawdles. Anyone wanting my full rules please PM me.

On another thread, and I can’t recall which one, as usual, there was a reference to a Games International Magazine article that suggested the following house rule (fortunately I kept a copy of the article and managed to find that!)

At the end of each of his turns, Morcar rolls a combat die. If the result is a ‘white shield’, he may place a wandering monster anywhere on the board, in any room or corridor that the players have visited but no longer occupy. If such an area does not exist, Morcar does not place a wandering monster.

This certainly meets the criteria of being an Evil Wizard card rule that doesn’t require Evil Wizard cards!

Personally, I would amend it a little but essentially keep the same basic principle, although I am intending to review the WMs in the official publications before implementing this rule as I think it may be a little strong with some of the WMs like Chaos Warriors…

At the start of each of his turns, the Evil Wizard Player rolls a combat die. If the result is a ‘black shield’, he may place a wandering monster on any square at the limit of the Heroes vision and can immediately take a turn with it as normal. The monster must be placed on a square that can be seen by at least one Hero, and that is adjacent to a square that cannot be seen by any Hero. If such an area does not exist, the EWP does not get to place a wandering monster.

In my opinion, the trouble with that system is that it creates the same problem I experienced with the EW card rules. This is a gradual build up of monsters behind the Heroes. The Heroes begin to spend more and more time trying to manage what is going on behind them and less on the fun part of exploring new rooms. Sure It started out being fun, but I found it soon became really boring.

Also It doesn't take into account the party size. It gives one monster a turn every three turns on average. Fine for a normal party, but not for smaller parties or solo quests. The EW cards have the same problem.

I have played my EW card rules for a long time now and they are just second nature now as part of the game. They add an extra element of planning and choice for the EW player, while adding little extras to the challenge the Heroes face, while not being overpowering. They have also totally stopped repetitive boring play that had developed in our games. At one point because there are no time limits, when it had been established there were no traps ahead, we were just picking up all the Heroes and setting them up for the next room. Set up repeat and so on. The same would occur to set up the perfect treasure search positions. It was killing our fun and I new I had to do something. My development of the EW card rules has changed everything for the better. Now all the games flow along at a nice pace, and the fun has been restored.

If monsters spawning behind the heroes is a problem, them just add them to the next unexplored area instead, so they get revealed in addition to everything else in the new room.

cornixt wrote:If monsters spawning behind the heroes is a problem, them just add them to the next unexplored area instead, so they get revealed in addition to everything else in the new room.

It's not a problem because I don't do it. I do exactly what you say, as stated in my initial post i.e. monsters spawned via EW cards, or my suggestion above, are added to rooms when the Heroes open a door.

Hi Admiral,
I'm a huge fan of the Evil Wizard cards but probably haven't had as much experience using them as you.
We play a variation where the evil wizard only draws a card if he or she has no monsters on the board on the evil wizard players turn. There are a few oddball quests where this doesn't work very well but generally it does get the Heroes moving and exploring quicker, as well as giving the evil wizard player something nice to do.

The Admiral wrote:In my opinion, the trouble with that system is that it creates the same problem I experienced with the EW card rules. This is a gradual build up of monsters behind the Heroes. The Heroes begin to spend more and more time trying to manage what is going on behind them and less on the fun part of exploring new rooms. Sure It started out being fun, but I found it soon became really boring.

Also It doesn't take into account the party size. It gives one monster a turn every three turns on average. Fine for a normal party, but not for smaller parties or solo quests. The EW cards have the same problem.

In terms of your first point, the build up of monsters behind the heroes, I don’t agree. My proposed rule states Morcar places a Wandering Monster “on any square at the limit of the Heroes vision and can immediately take a turn with it as normal”. Obviously exactly where those squares might be will vary depending on the Heroes position and the dungeon layout but typically if they are in a room then it will be in the open doorway (behind them), if in a passageway it is likely to be either the corner behind them or the corner in front. Having placed the monster Morcar can immediately take a turn with it, that is move (and potentially attack). In most cases this will mean that by the end of the monster’s turn it will be either next to and attacking or close to at least one of the heroes, combine this with the monster appearing typically 1 in every 6 turns (not 1 in 3 as you stated) means that there is no build-up of monsters behind the Heroes, just an occasional surprise appearance (and potentially attack) from a Wandering Monster from the front, side or rear.

In terms of your second point I agree that I haven’t tried to adapt this for much smaller or larger party sizes than the typical 4 as I generally play with 4 heroes and for solo heroes and groups of 6+ many aspects of the game would need revisiting including this, but I can have a go at that now.

Party size

1 = [1/36] roll 2 combat dice - both black shields
2-3 = [1/9] roll 2 combat dice - both white shields
4 = [1/6] roll 1 combat die - black shield
5-6 = [1/4] roll 2 combat dice - both skulls
7-9 = [1/3] roll 1 combat die - white shield
10-12 = [1/2] roll 1 combat die – skull

In terms of the benefits of either system I agree with you on the benefits that you have listed (and the need for them).

Bareheaded Warrior wrote:

The Admiral wrote:In my opinion, the trouble with that system is that it creates the same problem I experienced with the EW card rules. This is a gradual build up of monsters behind the Heroes. The Heroes begin to spend more and more time trying to manage what is going on behind them and less on the fun part of exploring new rooms. Sure It started out being fun, but I found it soon became really boring.

Also It doesn't take into account the party size. It gives one monster a turn every three turns on average. Fine for a normal party, but not for smaller parties or solo quests. The EW cards have the same problem.

In terms of your first point, the build up of monsters behind the heroes, I don’t agree. My proposed rule states Morcar places a Wandering Monster “on any square at the limit of the Heroes vision and can immediately take a turn with it as normal”. Obviously exactly where those squares might be will vary depending on the Heroes position and the dungeon layout but typically if they are in a room then it will be in the open doorway (behind them), if in a passageway it is likely to be either the corner behind them or the corner in front. Having placed the monster Morcar can immediately take a turn with it, that is move (and potentially attack). In most cases this will mean that by the end of the monster’s turn it will be either next to and attacking or close to at least one of the heroes, combine this with the monster appearing typically 1 in every 6 turns (not 1 in 3 as you stated) means that there is no build-up of monsters behind the Heroes, just an occasional surprise appearance (and potentially attack) from a Wandering Monster from the front, side or rear.

In terms of your second point I agree that I haven’t tried to adapt this for much smaller or larger party sizes than the typical 4 as I generally play with 4 heroes and for solo heroes and groups of 6+ many aspects of the game would need revisiting including this, but I can have a go at that now.

Party size

1 = [1/36] roll 2 combat dice - both black shields
2-3 = [1/9] roll 2 combat dice - both white shields
4 = [1/6] roll 1 combat die - black shield
5-6 = [1/4] roll 2 combat dice - both skulls
7-9 = [1/3] roll 1 combat die - white shield
10-12 = [1/2] roll 1 combat die – skull

In terms of the benefits of either system I agree with you on the benefits that you have listed (and the need for them).

You are totally at liberty to disagree. Having extensively played monsters regularly appearing behind the Heroes, I don't like it. It's 1 in 3 for the post you quoted and 1 in 6 for your amendment. I don't like either. There is no obligation for Zargon to rush his monsters in for the odd attack and get picked off. I would accumulate a horde and wait for the Heroes to get to a tough room and then rush in. I would do that every time without fail.

But if you like that system, go for it.

Something confused me about this thread, Admiral it looks like you were playing a different system of Evil Wizard Cards to what I’ve always used. There is no build up of monsters behind the Heroes with the system I’ve been using, which I imagine would get tedious after a while. This is the system I use, here; http://english.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/ ... wizard.pdf

What rules have you been using?

Pancho wrote:Something confused me about this thread, Admiral it looks like you were playing a different system of Evil Wizard Cards to what I’ve always used. There is no build up of monsters behind the Heroes with the system I’ve been using, which I imagine would get tedious after a while. This is the system I use, here; http://english.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/ ... wizard.pdf

What rules have you been using?

It was a long time ago and I don't have them now as I use my own rules with them. I have even amended how a lot of the cards work The cards on your link look similar to mine but I have a different set of cards that I printed and made up.