Marvel Winter Special wrote:The Portcullis can be used to block the way on larger passages and requires one round to be lifted. Although The Portcullis clicks back into an open position, it can close again at Morcar’s discretion…
Cool idea but to use this you would need to either get hold of a physical copy of this publication which would be a challenge and potentially an expensive one or source a suitable tile from elsewhere or failing that make your own.
Also because the portcullis tile used in this publication is 2x1 squares wide it is limited in its application to the relatively infrequent wide passages, whereas if it was 1x1 square and 2 were provided this would make its application more flexible, either for use in any place that a standard door may be used, including single width passageways and using both tiles side by side would mean it could be used in double width passageways also.
And the rules as written aren’t clear, at least to me, I assume that “requires one round to be lifted” means that a hero must use an action to open it and “it can close again at Morcar’s discretion” is likely to mean that the Evil Wizard player can close it on his own turn.
Finally portcullises are traditional depicted as being in the form of an open lattice design, which would block movement, would allow “seeing” but potentially block LOS in some circumstances, but maybe not others, such as someone adjacent to it with a crossbow, and could still allow hand to hand combat between those who are adjacent and armed with certain weapons such as a shortsword or spears but maybe more problematic for those armed with a battleaxe...this all sounds complicated especially for such a simple game!
Instead, I propose the following idea
Drop Door
A drop door is a heavy vertically closing, sliding door or gate, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the doorway or gateway and can be raised or lowered quickly by using chains or ropes attached to a winch.
This is treated as a standard solid door, depicted on the quest map with a closed-door symbol and a quest note that indicates it is a drop door rather than a standard door (and it could be deployed as two doors side by side in a double width passage) and depicted on the board using the closed-door piece (although you may wish to use the “wooden door” or “metal door” pieces to indicate that these are non-standard doors)
Unlike normal doors, drop doors cannot simply be opened in the usual way, instead they must be opened with a successful strength roll in a similar way to the Stone Doors from Against the Ogre Horde and the “jammed” door in another quest (can’t remember which one!). A successful strength roll means that the drop door has been lifted far enough that it clicks into its open state, a failed roll ends the character’s turn.
However, unlike the stone doors from Against the Ogre Horde drop doors that have been opened may be able to be closed again, by monsters operating a winch on their turn as an action, located in a nearby room (again indicated in the relevant Quest Notes).
Hidden Drop Doors
Drop doors may also be hidden in which case there will be no indication on the board, but the quest map and notes will indicate a square or squares which are trapped, moving onto the indicated square or squares will cause the drop doors to drop into a closed position and the EWP will place the closed-door pieces on the board.
As per normal traps these can be searched for, found and potentially disarmed by the Dwarf or a character with the Tool Kit located on the indicated squares. If the disarm is successful, then the drop door is disabled and cannot be closed.
= one hit
= one hit & pushback
= cancels one hit
