ScooterinAB wrote:1) What do people think about letting short swords attack diagonally? This would give the weapon a little more purpose, as well as give the armory a less linear progression (with choice of weapons being more than just more dice to attack). However, it kind of renders the staff moot, since 50 gold would be the difference between being able to use a shield or not.
Sorry for commenting so late, but from the standpoint of realism, it doesn't make sense to let a shortsword attack diagonally. Arming swords (what the game calls 'broadswords') have greater reach than shortswords, and are just as suitable for thrusting. If a shortsword can attack diagonally, then so should a broadsword.
Historically, shortswords were preferred when fighting in tight spaces. The Roman gladius (a shortsword) was used in tight formations by soldiers with large shields. In the age of sail, the cutlass (a single-edged shortsword with a basket hilt) was used in boarding actions, where combat might go below decks. But in a simple game like HQ, subtleties like this are hard to model.
One thing that might make shortswords more desirable would be to make spellcasters more common, and occasionally have them cast spells like Rust, Thieving Wind, and Twist Wood. That would make a shortsword worth considering as a backup weapon. I like to have a caster in every quest (even if it's just a goblin with a couple of spells), though I do it mainly to make mind points more important.
ScooterinAB wrote:2) What do people think about letting Wizards use short swords? This is a bit more of a heretical leap, but bear with me. We know that HeroQuest and Warhammer are in bed with one another. Unlike their D&D counterpart, Warhammer Wizards are all packing heat. Many Wizard models (including the champ from Warhammer Quest) are all holding a sword. I've even seen converted HQ Wizards holding swords. I don't recall seeing anything in Advanced HeroQuest that restricts Wizards as heavily either. The benefit here is that Wizards have something to buy, and can fight their way out of a wet paper bag. I've never found that Wizards scale as well, end game, as the other heroes. The negative here is that, like the above suggestion, staves basically become useless. It also encourages Wizards to get into the fight, which may not be a good idea.
I've never playtested it, but I doubt it would cause problems. Wizards would still be substantially weaker in combat than the other heroes.
And one thing I've been thinking about is that, realistically, I don't think it makes sense for staff damage to be so low. Although staves are not lethal enough to compete with spears as battlefield weapons, martial artists generally regard them as highly effective weapons. They are held in a loose, mobile grip that allows powerful swings and agile parries. I think it would be reasonable to increase staff attacks to 2 dice. That makes them more powerful than daggers, but less so than arming swords.
= one hit
= one hit & pushback
= cancels one hit
