Mal Eir Aurack

[Lorenelif 0]

I'm looking for some input on an add on I'm thinking of. The main purpose is some thing to sweep faceup cards off the table because our board gets filled up quickly and we dont get very deep into the adventure deck. Plus I'd like it to mess with the players a little so I'm seeing it as a reaper like model moving around the board.  I'd like thoughts about what I've already written. Plus ideas on what the Dragon does to you when he defeats you.

 

[Lorenelif 0]

 OK.. dont know why, but the image didn't upload...So here's the text I'm considering so far.

 

Mal Eir Aurack, The Great Dragon

Start : Crown of Command.

Text: When a player rolls 6 for movement, he rolls 2 dice for Mal Eir Aurack's movement at the end of his turn. The Great Dragon moves up to that many spaces sending all face up cards he passes over to the discard pile, and encountering all characters on the space he stops on.  The Great Dragon must leave the Inner Region and challenge those that seek the Crown of Command as soon as possible, He may not re-enter the Inner Region once he has left it.

Strength 14    Craft 14

 

You must either answer the Dragon's riddle or fight him. CChoose to do Battle, or enter Psychic Combat. If you defeat Mal Eir Aurock, roll 2 dice:

 

2-6) Draw a relic from the Relic deck

7-10) Teleport to any space in any region except the Inner Region.

11-12) Teleport directly to the Crow of Command.

 

If you are defeated, loose 1 life and roll on the following table.

 

 

Sorry about the blank image....

[Lorenelif 0]

 let's not all start talking at once :-)

[Cynewulf2 0]

My 2 cents is: not going through the whole deck during a game is a GOOD THING, because it keeps the game fresh.

[JCHendee 3]

I think this NPC is simply too potent and likely to end up hampering starting or fall-behind characters in some games.  I'm also against shortcuts to dumping more relics and treasures into the game.  There are already enough official and unofficial variants that do this.

As to a clogged board, I feel for you, but it is part of Talisman's nature from the old days.  Challenges that pop up must be overcome, and sweeping them away is like saying "oh, I don't like the dragon showing up so early... get rid of it so I can draw something easier."  And yet you've thrown in and NPC that's twice as dangerous as a dragon and doesn't stay in one place.

One little known house rule that I've seen used is to treat Strangers and Places in spaces as just that and not whole content of that space's territory.  When landing on a draw space, any Place (and/or Stranger if preferred) does not count against cards drawn. Cards are then drawn if possible, and the order of them is interpreted by Order Number inclusive of the Place (and/or Stranger) present.  Yes, sometimes you end up with the same problem of one draw spaces filling up, but early in the game it allows access to more cards... later in the game it allows continued faster cycling of the Adventure deck without having to figure out how to knock off Places (and/or Strangers).

I don't use it myself, but I've been in games with this rule, and it works fairly well for keeping access to the Adventure deck avialable on a broader scale.

[Lorenelif 0]

JCHendee said:

I think this NPC is simply too potent and likely to end up hampering starting or fall-behind characters in some games.  I'm also against shortcuts to dumping more relics and treasures into the game.  There are already enough official and unofficial variants that do this.

As to a clogged board, I feel for you, but it is part of Talisman's nature from the old days.  Challenges that pop up must be overcome, and sweeping them away is like saying "oh, I don't like the dragon showing up so early... get rid of it so I can draw something easier."  And yet you've thrown in and NPC that's twice as dangerous as a dragon and doesn't stay in one place.

That's part of what I'm wrestling with myself..So maybe I make him lesser powered and just have him do things besides damage to you. Maybe he eats a follower or takes your gold or something.

JCHendee said:

 

One little known house rule that I've seen used is to treat Strangers and Places in spaces as just that and not whole content of that space's territory.  When landing on a draw space, any Place (and/or Stranger if preferred) does not count against cards drawn. Cards are then drawn if possible, and the order of them is interpreted by Order Number inclusive of the Place (and/or Stranger) present.  Yes, sometimes you end up with the same problem of one draw spaces filling up, but early in the game it allows access to more cards... later in the game it allows continued faster cycling of the Adventure deck without having to figure out how to knock off Places (and/or Strangers).

I don't use it myself, but I've been in games with this rule, and it works fairly well for keeping access to the Adventure deck avialable on a broader scale.

 

Thought about doing this as well... or just going ahead a draw, while discarding the stuff already on the space...The problem I seem to have is that we NEVER see cards like the Dragon or Lord of the pit because we always have to land on a filled space so often. That doesn't keep the game fresh. it just keeps you landing places where you really can't do much. Hmm... maybe it should be he removes a card from a space on  a certain die roll... like a 1 or 2 on a d6?