Revealing monsters in a line in a corridor

[Maurice76]

What The Admiral said.

[Rath of Un]

I look at it this way, if you can see one, they can see you and they "know" and would alert their buddies. So I place monsters on the board that are within line of sight with each other in the corridors.

Sotiris wrote:
I use line of sight only for spells and ranged attacks.
I don't use it on exploration. It complicates the game.

the simpler the better

[wallydubbs]

Although the instructions imply that your way is correct; I think everyone here will reveal all monsters in the appropriate corridor.
Look at Quest 6, the Great Citidel, when you get to that final hallway full of Greenskins, do you mean to actually just put 2 monsters down only to be replaced with one that's behind?
I think that's why Keller's Keep comes with as many additional greenskins as it does. It's supposed to be a giant battle in the city. Place 'em all down and alternate attack formations!

I can understand if you do this in Against the Ogre Horde with Ogres, but in Keller's Keep, I think you're safe to lay them all out at once.

[Jalapenotrellis]

Wouldn't this be disadvantageous when the elf can cast hypnotic blaze later? I can see it being advantageous for Zargon right now.

[mitchiemasha]

What do y'all make of page 13 then of the NA rulebook? "How Zargon Reacts to Hero Movement: as Zargon, You must carefully watch a hero's movement. Continually refer to the quest map and the quest book. When a hero "looks" down a corridor, place on the game board any closed doors, block square tiles, and monsters that are directly within the heroes line of sight. (See page 15 "SEE" for clear line of sight.)

Again, another example of the American rule book trying to make things clearer but only confusing further.

I'm sure i'm suffering serious deja vu here, i thought this was an old thread resurrected but it's fresh.

[wallydubbs]

Wouldn't this be disadvantageous when the elf can cast hypnotic blaze later? I can see it being advantageous for Zargon right now.

Well Mage of the Mirror is a bit tougher then Keller's Keep and Hypnotic Blaze also works on other heroes as well, so it kinda evens out.
If your heroes seem to be getting by Keller's Keep without much difficulty, I don't think you'll be doing anything wrong by making it a bit more challenging.
Mage of the Mirror is twice as hard as Keller's Keep (look at the Ogre and Giant Wolf stats) and the odds are he'll cast it in a room anyway, so you're not losing much if the Elf plays Hypnotic Blaze.. who knows it might effect the Barbarian and Dwarf too.

[Jalapenotrellis]

What do y'all make of page 13 then of the NA rulebook? "How Zargon Reacts to Hero Movement: as Zargon, You must carefully watch a hero's movement. Continually refer to the quest map and the quest book. When a hero "looks" down a corridor, place on the game board any closed doors, block square tiles, and monsters that are directly within the heroes line of sight. (See page 15 "SEE" for clear line of sight.)

Again, another example of the American rule book trying to make things clearer but only confusing further.

I'm sure i'm suffering serious deja vu here, i thought this was an old thread resurrected but it's fresh.

How is it said in the other rule books? The European version wants you to lay it all out at once?

[Jalapenotrellis]

Just read the English rule book 1 and 2. Not explicitly stated otherwise either.

In either interpretation, there sometimes isn't enough room for monsters to trade spaces with each other to get two attacks on a hero anyway unless it is a wide corridor and they don't block it with two tank heroes, which actually allows more monsters to spread out and double attack naturally through the conservative line of sight reveal rule. However on the left side of Quest 6, monsters, if revealed early rather than by line of sight, could step backwards to allow double attacks. In the end of that quest, after the first two are killed, there is room if the heroes don't advance and let the monsters advance AND the monsters aren't killed immediately, which would be rare since heroes will always have the chance to double attack the same monster each turn if not take down more.

I understand the consensus is that most people will lay down everything at once in these situations. Has anybody played it both ways?

*Edit* actually even playing conservatively, the first monster could always attack and then move backwards on the left side of Quest 6, revealing the next monster through the rules as written, allowing it to attack immediately. It wouldn't be apparent why the first might move backwards as much as he did though (because he is hopping over the other monsters).

[mitchiemasha]

If you wanted to play it that way and cement it as a certainty for the rules you could alwasy design it into the specifics of the quest "this dungeon is darker than dark, as if some ancient magic absorbs light itself, sucking it away from the source. Corridors are only revealed to what is closest to the heroes sight"

I'm pretty certain you're over thinking it and it's not how it's meant to be played (I can be wrong, it's only my interpretation) but It would be a good variant to try, if designed into the quest.

[wallydubbs]

I guess you could do it whichever way you see fit... but I think it's easier to just lay out the contents of the hallway first and foremost because:
A. You don't have to keep track of the monsters and possibly lose count.
B. You won't forget putting the wall and door down the end of the hallway after all monsters are defeated.
C. You get to see the players reaction when they come across a line of greenskins that says "Oh $h*+, I just turned down the wrong corridor..."

Though I've never actually played it the other way, this way seems more logical...

Perhaps, though, there is a difference between Line of Sight and what the heroes can see. I think they'd be able to make out if there's more thdn one monster in a sins lined corridor... however, if the hero at the front of the line has a crossbow, perhaps the orcs in front would block line of sight from the Fimir in the back, so he can only shoot at the front orc.

But, like I said, it's up to you.