Zalminen's Beta Diary

Maybe the devs could add another flag like the one used to show which cards are visible to the opponent. This flag could be an hourglass or something, and designate which of your cards is the oldest. Visual reminders are typically always desired and the flags don't take up much real estate, so I don't see how this would be anything but helpful.

 

Or simply hovering over cards like "violent overswing" could highlight the card that's being discarded.

 

Yeh I was thinking it could do that too. So like when you mouse over violent overswing it puts a little red arrow pointing to the card it'll discard and pops the card up a little out of your hand.

 

I like that even better.

 

Yeah, such a minor card pop would be useful for other cards as well, such as hinting that the All Out Attack will trigger when using another attack.

--

Second attempt

The heroes quickly take up positions.
The foes move closer and Mizan hits a scuttler with a Sorcerous Bolt, its hide cutting the damage in half.
As the foes keep moving Agreyn Wild Runs to intercept the foes coming to the corner and as the scuttlers do nothing Agreyn's strong blow, strengthened with Righteous Frenzy sends the foe crashing into the ravine.

"Hey, that other one's mine," Silvershield yells and Mizana flings the dwarf towards the second scuttler. The dwarf 's Violent Overswing sends the other scuttler to meet the first one.



Looking good so far...

Agreyn moves closer and while he manages to get a hit on a speartrog he gets stabbed twice and Wild Runs back to safety.

Silvershield uses Wavering Faith on the speartrog twice and as the gougers move closer Mizana runs ahead and Fire Sprays both speartrogs and hitting the stronger foe with a Big Zap.

As the next turn begins the flames eat away at both unarmored trogs, leaving them barely standing and the closer one retreats back to spearing range.



Mizana and Silvershield retreat as the gougers move closer but don't quite have the moves to reach the heroes yet.

One of the speartrogs burns to death while the other still hangs on thanks to its Thick Hide.

Mizana is feeling some Arcane Feedback so she just runs, the speartrog in pursuit.

Silvershield slaps Agreyn with both frenzy spells and he charges madly at the gougers. Although he gets one good hit in he also gets stabbed twice and falls.
The dwarf grimaces at the sight and pulls back behind the corner.

The turn ends and Mizana gets to discard Arcane Feedback before it has time to do any damage.

Next turn begins and Silvershield draws no attacks.

The gougers move and Mizana retreats, Sorcerous Bolting the gouger but hitting only armor.
She tries again with a Long Spark with better results while the other one hits Silvershield.
As the speartrog moves closer Mizana zaps the gouger twice more, its armor stopping the first one.

Silvershield charges the foes hoping to either chase them away or to get to attack them the next turn and as Gary passes so do I.
Right after clicking 'Pass' I realize I could have still tried killing the speartrog with Unholy Frenzy.

For some reason Gary starts the next turn by passing.

Too bad my bad luck with cards continues.



Mizana uses her single attack against the gouger hoping to wound it enough for Silvershield to finish both foes with Unholy Frenzy but the spell just hits armor.
Silvershield gets stabbed but targets the speartrog with the first Unholy Frenzy - too bad its hide protects it from the jolt.
The frenzied foe gets to stab Silvershield but finally falls to the second Unholy Frenzy, the dwarf quickly retreating from the gouger.

Mizana gets hit - with a Strong Stab!
The sorceress falls, leaving me nothing to do but pass.

Although Silvershield finally gets a Violent Overswing on the next turn the gouger lands a Strong Stab and the dwarf's fight ends as well.

Aarggh, I could almost hear Lady Luck laughing behind my back during the end. This fight started nearly perfectly but I pretty much lost thanks to that single horrible turn:

1) Drawing just one attack for Miz and no actual attacks for Silvershield
2) The trogs succeeding in two crucial armor rolls
3) The gougers getting two Strong Stabs in succession

With better luck the next turn would have begun with Mizana still alive only one gouger standing against them which would have probably been enough of an advantage to win.

 

Third attempt

The Trog Spearmen move and I pass, waiting for the foes to get closer. To my surprise Gary does the same and even more surprisingly the gougers discard Crude Plates!

As the scuttlers move closer Mizana Long Sparks one at maximum range but does no damage.
The speartrogs move closer as well and Agreyn charges towards them, failing to get close enough as they immediately pull back.
Silvershield charges in to help and although Mizana gets stabbed the dwarf kills the trog with a Violent Overswing.

The gougers and scuttlers move closer while Mizana zaps the remaining speartrog with a Sorcerous Bolt and a Big Zap.

I get to pass first, deciding to keep both Agreyn's armors and discard an attack instead.



Mizana uses her Little Zap to kill the speartrog.

The scuttlers and gougers move closer and Silvershield and Agreyn charges in. One of the foes manages to hit Agreyn but his armors take most of the blow.

Agreyn hits the gouger and gets hit himself, both blows doing reduced damage because of their armors.
Silvershield uses Wavering Faith on the gouger but fails to get Crude Plates discarded.

Agreyn and Silvershield both battle against the gouger, again both sides mostly hitting armor.

Gary passes first and Silvershield retreats.

As Agreyn draws no attacks on the next turn and he gets Strong Stabbed past his shield the fighter retreats, the trogs in pursuit.
Silvershield also pulls back behind the corner and the others retreat as well, although one of the trogs manages to stab Agreyn in the back.



Agreyn pulls back behind the corner and the gougers head towards Silvershield.
The dwarf retreats, the scuttlers following.
Silvershield uses a Wavering Faith on the gouger but again fails to make it drop the Crude Plates.

Mizana tries to help the dwarf by blasting the scuttler twice with a Long Spark and a Big Zap, the first one managing to hit past its Thick Hides.
Out of attacks she commands her allies to move with a Shift, Team.
The gouger tries to stab Agreyn but the fighter blocks with his shield and then strikes the scuttler, hitting a weak spot in its hide.

Silvershield keeps getting beat up by the foes.

Next turn Mizana's Long Sparks slays the weakest speartrog as its hide fails to protect it.
Agreyn gets stabbed, his armors absorbing some of the force behind the blow.
He reaches Silvershield just as the dwarf falls to a Potent Stab. Agreyn roars and sends the scuttler flying with his Strong Bludgeon.

The gougers move and Mizana runs closer managing to drive the hairy beasts backwards. She Long Sparks one gouger in the back as Agreyn Wild Runs next to them, hoping to make them flee on the next turn.

Mizana gets Strong Stabbed.



Mizana gets Spark Inductor while Agreyn attacks the stronger foe. Unfortunately he gets struck down before getting a chance to do more.

Mizana Big Zaps the enemy but as its Crude Plates take most of the blast Mizana is forced to retreat from the advancing trogs.

I pass and Gary discards a Crude Plates card.

Next turn Mizana is just forced to flee and Gary discards another Crude Plates at the end.

Mizana is forced to keep fleeing as she can only get moves and Fire Sprays which don't have enough range.

Finally she gets to draw a Long Spark which manages to hit foe past its armor. As the foes move forward Mizana decides to take a gamble and Big Zaps the 4hp foe.
Nope, the roll succeeds for Crude Plates but atleast the foe is pushed back.

Mizana finally gets trapped by the trogs coming from both directions and is forced to attack the weaker foe.
She gets to Fire Spray the foe but the spell again hits only armor, and she gets quickly struck with a Strong Stab which leaves the sorceress alive if only barely.

The next turn begins and a Potent Stab ends Mizana's struggle.

Defeat. Out of attempts.

Ok, next time I'll be doing something different.

 

Everyone was at level 6 during that attempt.

I'm currently at level 7 as I'm now intentionally a bit ahead of what I'm posting. I may not have time to play every day but I'd still prefer to post more regularly so now I have a little buffer of stories ready.

 

Mizana buys a Perilous Bangle and a Glowing Bangle but won't equip them yet. I figure they might be useful against those damn gougers or in VP square fights...

I consider attempting the next harder level (The Compass of Xorr, a level 8 adventure) but decide to get my heroes to level 7 first.

Since the easiest adventures I can still gain experience from are Ruby Demon Portal and Dungeon of the Lizard Priest I decide to give the portal a new go.
I don't feel like attempting the challenges this time so I just choose the regular adventure.

Since I've already played through this adventure before, I'm switching to shorter summaries for this and will return to longer write-ups when I again get to the harder adventures.

--

Ruby Demon Portal revisited

Well, this will be easy since Mizana gets Resistant Hide. She runs ahead to draw fire and by the time Silvershield reaches the first imp she has been blasted 7 times and taken no damage.



After the first one is dead the two fire imps are also foolish enough to move closer to Agreyn:



and he gets to drop both. After that it's easy to chase down the last one.

Loot: Cleansing Hide, Cloudy Circlet

Fight two

Agreyn charges and kills acid imp on east side.

Silvershield catches the other acid imp, Mizana battles with the arcane imps and as they try to flee Agreyn gets to catch one:



It dies.
Mizana helps set second acid imp on fire with fire spray and Agreyn chases down and kills tje north arcane imp., Silvershield traps last arcane imp against edge.



The acid imp burns and Mizana moves to finish when last imp has no cards left.

Loot: Treasure, Gray Rapier

Fight three

Agreyn Wild Runs to catch one fire imp and wounds it, Silvershield does same with the other fire imp and kills, Mizana finishes fire imp with Fire Spray, runs after acid imps.



Mizana nearly kills acid imp with her spells (burning doing the rest on next turn), everyone moves closer.



Silvershield has Violent Overswing so you can probably guess what happens to the last imp...

Loot: Treasure and Beast's Robes

Fight four

Heh, last time I didn' have enough moves to reach center before imps, this time both Silvershield and Agreyn have Wild Runs:



All heroes get to the center before the imps and kill Fire Sprite together. Ironically the Fire Spirit dies to Fire Spray.



Silvershield clears arcane imp in the middle, Mizana spell duels with the fire imp at west and Agreyn kills the arcane imp coming from the east.
Although Silvershield falls to burning, Agreyn gets to charge and kill one fire imp on the west side.

Enough VPs for me, adventure complete. And almost won without any party deaths.

Everyone gets 2 XPs, loot: Stilletto, Dull Buckler, Old Padded Mail, Cover Shield, Dull Shortsword

 

Well, still no level 7 for the heroes so I choose my next target:

Dungeon of the Lizard Priest revisited

Agreyn charges the west lizard and nearly kills it while others evade.



Agreyn finishes foe, all three gang up against second lizard.



Frenzied Agreyn charges the stronger foe and nearly kills it with Able Bludgeon and All Out Attack. Mizana finishes the lizard and last foe dies to Big Zap.

Loot: Cloudy Circlet, Novice Healer.

Fight Two

Heroes target the southwest foes except Agreyn who gets no attacks.
Next turn Agreyn Trips but luckily one lizard strays too close .
Mizana fights the weakened lizard and Silvershield gets only heals and moves.



Agreyn kills one lizard but dies to the ooze, Mizana kills the second lizard, Silvershield the third one.

Having bad luck with armor rolls and card draws Silvershield soon falls.

Mizana flees, eventually gets to zap the ooze twice and kills it but then gets caught by the last lizardman and dies.

Second attempt

Frenzied Agreyn fights both southwest foes, kills one. Mizana helps finish second.

Next turn Agreyn charges the northeast foe.



Agreyn kills the lizard, heroes regroup northeast.

Silvershield fights the lizard while others retreat and zap ooze between moves.



Agreyn goes and helps finish the lizard.

Silvershield falls to poison but Mizana fries the ooze with Big Zap.

Loot: Poisoned Relic, another Club Of Wrath for Silvershield!

Heh. So far I've found three epic items and two of them have been Clubs of Wrath. Well, the dev team has mentioned that they are planning to add more Epic and Legendary items so it may be just that there aren't that many low-level Epic items yet.

Fight three

Agreyn charges and kills both Lizardman Warriors in the middle with Mizana's support.



Mizana takes advantage of the cleric's Defensiveness by chasing and zapping it.
Agreyn and Silvershield chase down two netters and Agreyn kills one of them, the other managing to avoid Silvershield.



Silvershield finally catches and kills the weakened foe with Violent Overswing.

Mizana and Silvershield trap and kill the other netter (dealing final damage with Unholy Frenzy) but Mizana falls.

Lizard cleric makes the mistake of moving next to Agreyn and is struck down.

Adventure complete and finally the heroes reach level 7, yay!

Agreyn gains a Human skill slot, Mizana gets a second Staff slot and Silvershield gets a third Divine item slot.

Loot: Heavy Wooden Shield, Vladimir's Battlestaff, Cover Shield - and a third Club Of Wrath.
Yeah, a little more variety would be nice

Small bug: Even though all heroes gain a talent, the talent pips are only visible and usable after I leave the screen and go to Keep. I think I saw this reported already though.

Agreyn switches Untrained Offense to the talent-requiring Novice Offense. Hooray, no more Tripping.

Silvershield adds the Cloudy Charm I bought earlier in an empty slot.

Mizana adds another Balsa Boltstaff in her new slot.

I'll probably try the kobolds again next.

 

Mizana switches Staff Of Flames, Carnelian Wand and Pyromancy back in.

Silvershield switches her shield to Heavy Wooden Shield.

Agreyn switches his Thick Club to a Crummy Short Sword.

Diamonds of the Kobolds

Agreyn moves to take a position in the eastern passage.



He drops one kobold with a Strong Bludgeon, his second blow gets blocked and he gets Mob Attacked.
With Silvershield's Inspiration he attacks once more and Mizana finishes the foe he wounded.

Mizana Long Sparks the first kobold trying to get through the western passage, the foe Jarring Blocks the first spell but gets equally damaged by the jolt from the shield. The second bolt gets blocked normally.

Silvershield walks closer and Gary passes first.

Next turn one foe Wimpy, Agreyn gets Clumsy Chopped.
Boosted with Unholy Frenzy Agreyn hits and drops two foes in rapid succession but gets Mob Attacked by the kobolds.

Silvershield heals Agreyn while the avengers move closer.
One kobold tries to push past to Mizana but gets a face full of club from Silvershield.



As the kobold is standing in the way Mizana is forced to spend her Fire Spray on the arrogant kobold, frying the little bugger for good.
Silvershield joins the defensive line and I quickly pass first as the avengers still move. One of the kobolds reaches Mizana and she retreats just in case.

Silvershield gets Mob Attacked while Agreyn smashes one of the kobolds down with a Strong Bludgeon. Another takes its place and as Silvershield and Agreyn are both out of attacks they just stand there, letting Mizana zap the western kobold with both her spells.
Silvershield gets bludgeoned but after that the other kobolds can't reach the heroes for the remainder of the turn and Silvershield is free to heal Agreyn.



Mizana's spells have left her target barely standing and Silvershield gets to finish it - with a Unholy Frenzy! Well, technically the foe finishes itself as it performs a Jarring Block and instead of the unholy jolt gets whacked in the head by its own shield.

The kobolds start the next turn by attacking Silvershield but Agreyn joins in on the fun by whacking the other kobold. Silvershield applies a Misguided Heal on the weakened foe, and the holy force proves too much for it and it falls clutching its chest.
The dwarf continues her rampage by hitting the Wimpy avenger taking the previous kobold's page with a Violent Overswing.

The single kobold left from the first kobold group runs - but doesn't actually move or even turn. Strange little bugger.
Silvershield pulls back and as the avenger tries to Lunging Bash Agreyn, hitting only his shield, Mizana gets to move closer and Ember Spray two kobolds, killing the closest one.

Agreyn Able Bludgeons the second avenger and I pass then as well.

Next turn the avenger chooses to retaliate against the sorceress who killed its ally, Lunging Bashing her back. Mizana responds with a Sorcerous Bolt.
As neither Agreyn or Silvershield drew any cards I can no nothing more and just pass, letting the foes hit Agreyn once.



My cards now look better and Mizana moves closer to Fire Spray the kobold, killing the closer avenger. Agreyn gets hit, the blow slipping past one armor layer but gets partially absorbed by the second.

The kobolds try to hit Agreyn again but don't even manage to bruise the fighter.
Silvershield slaps another Unholy Frenzy on Agreyn, his armors protecting him from the jolt, another avenger reaches Mizana through the western passage, forcing her to retreat.
The other kobolds try sneaking past Agreyn but the frenzied fighter drops the foe before it can do anything more.

A kobold avenger manages to bash Agreyn back with a lunge but Silvershield just slaps a Righteous Frenzy on him as well and when one of the kobolds moves closer he hits it with a double-frenzied Trained Bludgeon. (So far I've rolled thrice for Altruism in my games, each time failing)

The skillful bugger somehow manages to Parry the human fighter's blow, otherwise it would have become a nothing more than a smear on the nearest wall..

The left avenger tries to hit Silvershield but the dwarf parries the blow as well - and draws a Violent Overswing!



The avenger lives through the blow, if only barely and Mizana orders her allies to shift back.

Next turn Agreyn gets hit but his armors slow the Bludgeon down just enough to save him. His return blow ends the avengers fight but he's immediately forced to retreat as the next kobold moves after the nearly dead fighter.

The other avenger moves to Silvershield and gets almost cut in half. The foe roars in defiance and does a Shambling Bash at Agreyn, sending the human sprawling.

Silvershield ends the kobolds fight with a Simple Bash and Mizana's spells nearly kill the last foe, its life saved by a lucky block. Next turn it also joins the dead as Silvershield draws a Violent Overswing.

Loot: Some treasure and a Dull Shortsword.

 

Fight two

For this fight I decide to switch Mizana's equipment a little. I switch the White Orbs to Perilous Bangle and Glowing Bangle as drawing Hot Spot or Acid Blast would make it a lot easier to get rid of the foes trying to guard the VP squares. Both items have drawback cards as well but I'm feeling lucky this time...

Silvershield draws Altruism right at the start.

Agreyn Wild Runs towards the avengers, gets hit despite his armor and retaliates with an Able Bludgeon.
The kobolds move to Agreyn while Silvershield marches forward, using a Bad Medicine on the avenger that hits Agreyn.
The human fighter gets hit again as Mizana also runs towards the foes and again after that, both hits slipping past his armor.

Silvershield attempts a Misguided Heal on Agreyn but the bad luck continues - his armor fails to protect him from the jolt and Altruism still does nothing.

The pigs move closer but atleast I get to pass first.



Next turn and Agreyn gets to kill one avenger with two Trained Bludgeons.
Mizana gets charged and bitten by the pigs while Silvershield moves to trap one avenger and strikes it hard with a Violent Swing. The foe retaliates with a Bludgeon while Mizana places a Hot Spot on one of the VP squares.

Agreyn gets hit again, this time his armor helping to absorb some of the damage.
Mizana fries the weakest foe and after getting bit by the second pig uses her Fire Spray against the annoying little oinkers.
The avengers run to help and Mizana turns around and sets the avengers on fire as well with a Ember Spray.

Mizana gets hit by a Lunging Bash and she retreats while another Wimpy avenger Shambling Bashes Silvershield.
Agreyn runs towards the foe guarding the gate but his armor again fails him as another kobold's Lunging Bash ends the human fighter's battle.

As the next turn begins every foe takes damage, most from fire and one from poison.
Mizana again gets to Fire Spray, this time hitting four foes.



The pigs move and Mizana promptly retreats.

Silvershield gets bitten and she retaliates by killing one avenger with a Violent Overswing. The avengers move and Mizana soon gets struck down by the avengers, giving them enough VPs to win the fight.

Attempt two

Ok, the Hot Spots did work in clearing a square but killing the enemies seems more crucial so Mizana decides to switch back to the White Orbs.

This time I'll try ignoring the gate in the beginning and concentrate on killing enemies.

Agreyn gets an Unholy Frenzy and he charges the first foe who ignores him and lunges towards Silvershield.
Agreyn hits the kobold in the back with a frenzied Able Bludgeon and the kobold immediately turns around and swarms to Agreyn with its allies.
Mizana runs to help and Ember Sprays four of the foes while the pigs run towards the fight.

One kobold hits Agreyn who retaliates against another kobold with his second frenzied Able Bludgeon and deftly blocks another kobolds Lunging Bash. Mizana Long Sparks one of the weakened kobolds and Silvershield moves to finish another while Mizana gets lunged. The pigs reach Mizana who retreats.



The turn ends and the enemies gain a VP but lose one kobold to burning.

Agreyn's mail fails to protect him from an enemy's Bludgeon and only Mizana is lucky enough to draw attacks. Gah.
The human fighter pulls back while the pigs run to join the fight.
Silvershield moves out of the way and as the foes move to surround Mizana she sprays them with fire once again, unfortunately hitting Silvershield along with the four foes.
Mizana gets bitten as revenge and she retreats, one of the kobolds following her with a lunge.

The avengers force Mizana into the corner and she falls to the Mob Attack of the last avenger still left with an action point.

Next turn both remaining heroes draw one attack. Agreyn drops one foe with Trained Bludgeon, his armor protecting him from the enemies retaliation. Agreyn Wild Runs to the free victory square while Silvershield gets Shambling Bashed. She retreats towards the gate, the pigs pursuing her. The dwarf bashes one back while the other bites her.

I pass and the lone gate guardian tries Mob Attacking Agreyn but does no damage whatsoever.

Next turn begins - and once again no attacks for Agreyn or Silvershield. (The cards are truly trying to kill me this time...)

Silvershield's Inspiration does bring one attack to Agreyn's hand but the dwarf's Altruism again fails to trigger.



Agreyn drops the weakest foe with a Wimpy Trained Bludgeon but gets Wimpy Lunging Bashed aside, his armor protecting him from damage. (wimpy fight, woo)
Silvershield moves to the free victory square while Agreyn evades the avenger chasing him. The pigs move to attack and Agreyn is forced to pull back towards the avenger. The kobold hits him but one of his armors gets in the way and keeps the fighter still alive.
Unfortunately the pigs still have moves left and reach and bite Agreyn. His armor manages to stop the first bite but not the second and once again the enemies have enough VPs to win.

Argh, this time I had truly horrible luck...

 

Attempt three

Silvershield slaps an Unholy Frenzy on Agreyn who marches to hit the closest foe but gets bashed aside. Undeterred he moves back again, hitting the foe as the avengers move to surround Agreyn.
Silvershield uses Inspiration on Agreyn - who draws a Mail.

Mizana gets hit and she moves to a better location while Agreyn gets hit despite his armor.
Out of moves she can only Long Spark the weakened avenger beside her while Agreyn takes another blow past her armor.

Silvershield uses Bad Medicine on one of the avengers and Silvershield moves closer.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Agreyn still gets no attacks and again fails his armor roll when Shambling Bashed by one of the avengers.
Mizana drops the foe and Silvershield Bludgeons another while the pigs run closer. On the next attack Agreyn's armor finally helps, keeping him alive at 1 hp as the kobolds hit him again.

Mizana zaps one of the kobolds and as Agreyn finally falls she uses her Fire Sprays on the foes, killing one but getting struck as well. Mizana retreats and both players pass.



Silvershield gets to drop the weaker kobold with Unholy Frenzy and then Violent Overswings the first pig reaching the fight.

The Wimpy avenger lunges at Mizana who moves to a better location and Fire Sprays the pigs killing one. The other's bite takes her down and once again the enemies win.


Looks like my luck was pretty bad this time.

--

I'll be posting more again tomorrow. Let's just say that it'll be something new again

 

Ok, after my previous fail I have a few options.

1) Keep trying to beat the kobolds or the trogs. I did come pretty close to winning on both already so enough attempts would probably give me my victory.
2) Do some leveling on the lower level adventures and try again when my heroes are at level 8 and better equipped.
3) Try Defense of Woodhome or Forest of Souls

Neither 1 or 2 would be that suitable for write-ups though as I'd be just writing about the same battles over and over again.
Option 3 wouldn't have that problem but I kinda want this diary to show the 'Free version experience', although I'll be sure buy a bunch of pizza when the beta phase ends.

So I'll pick option 4 and go for The Compass of Xorr!

But first I check the shops.

Silvershield buys a Righteous Tome to replace Blessed Demon Claw.
Mizana buys a Viscous Locket in case it will be needed later and since I have no idea what I'll encounter she switches back to Balsa Boltstaff and Orzo's Excellent Wand.

The Compass of Xorr



"Next time remind me to keep you two away from taverns," Mizana sighs and zaps the closest guard.
"Hey, it ain't a real adventure without a bar fight or two. CHAAARGE!"

Silvershield, boosted with Unholy Frenzy charges the men-at-arms that are closing in and wounds both, with Mizana's magic finishing one of them.

"And no one calls me a shortass without tasting my mace," Silvershield yells, running towards the foes and clearly enjoying every moment. "I'm going to send these dogs running home howling! And do something about those damn pets," she adds as the angry canines charge to join the fight.

Hahaa, a bar fight! Yay!



Silvershield's mace intercepts the dogs leap with a Violent Overswing, and as it fails to Dodge it's dead before hitting the ground again.
The other dog proves more dangerous, hitting Mizana with a Cowardly Attack from behind.

I pass first, the enemies still moving a couple of times.

Mizana Sorcerous Bolts the dog and the dog retaliates with a Cowardly Attack but as it's now in front of Mizana it can't do enough damage to stop Mizana.



Agreyn crushes the annoying mutt and then moves to slay the remaining guard.

"Bah, was that all? I'm gonna go finish my drink, maybe that will put up more of a fight," Silvershield mutters, marching towards the table.

Ok, this felt really easy after the kobolds and trogs. It was partly luck as the guards didn't even happen to draw any parries but still...

The loot: Umm, looks like I hit the 'No loot' bug. Oh well, onwards.

 

Fight two



"Woohoo, you're learning Mizzie," Agrey hoots as Mizana zaps one of the angry mutts for the third time.
"Yeah, some of those insults were even new to me," Silvershield chuckles and bashes the lunging dog backwards.
"It's not my fault! You should've smelled what those sons of a goat tried to pass as wine, " Mizana grumbles. "And stop calling me Mizzie!"
"We'll make a tavern brawler out of you yet," Agreyn promises and his frenzied strike flattens the first mutt against the floor as the other lunges at him.

The guards reach the heroes as well, lunging at Agreyn. Silvershield heals Agreyn and as the servants move I get to pass first.

The next turn begins - and Agreyn feels Wimpy.



Agreyn hits the nearest guard, the foe failing to Parry the blow twice but he manages to strike back past Agreyn's shield as well.

Not wanting to get parried Agreyn targets the dog next while the servants keep yelling in the background.

As good as the men-at-arms may be with their swords, they still can't block Mizana's spells and the sorceress drops the first guard with a Big Zap and a Long Spark.

The armored dog really wants to use its Attack Skill:



Agreyn retreats from the dog and Mizana does the same as the guards move to surround Silvershield. The dwarf doesn't want to waste her attack either so she retreats as well.
The guard targets Silvershield with a Powerful Hack. Ouch, a 11 damage attack?

The dog moves to Agreyn who is out of attacks. While the fighter gets lunged by a guard, the dog scampers to the other side, still out of Silvershield's reach.

...and Agreyn draws no attacks. Damn.
Silvershield tries inspiring Agreyn but the fighter draws only a Walk card. Damn.

Mizana sprays the dog with fire and zaps it as the armored canine lunges at Agreyn. Mizana also gets hit by the guard.
As the guards are now out of moves and attacks Silvershield quickly moves behind one of them and slays the foe with a violent whack.



Mizana and Agreyn retreat just in case.

The next turn begins and the servants call for help as the flames keep eating at the dog. Mizana fries it just in case.

Mizana uses a Heal on Agreyn but gets hit by the guard. As no-one has attacks left Silvershield retreats.

Next turn Agreyn finally draws attacks. Although he gets struck by the man-at-arms Silvershield slaps him into a holy and unholy frenzy and hits the foe - but the lucky bugger managed to draw another Parry!

The next turn the heroes finally get good enough cards to end the fight:



Unfortunately the guard retreats away from Silvershield and she can't use her attack.
The heroes still have a plan B and Agreyn moves to block the guards escape route while Mizana Long Sparks the foe from behind.
As the servants move Agreyn gets to hit the guard in the back leaving it unable to parry the deadly blow.



Loot: Misenchanted Cloth Boots and Weakling's Helm.
Good news: It's a better helm than Agreyn's old one.
Bad news: I still can't get rid of Wimpy...

 

Fight three



"Oh come on now, a library is supposed to be for studying, not fighting," Mizana groans.
"I guess you kicked a wrong guy in the groin during the last bar brawl," Agreyn shrugs.
"Atleast try not to damage the..."
The bookshelves fall like dominoes as the frenzied fighter tackles the nearest one.
"... books. Gah, once this fight is over I'm going to personally shove you into one of those shelves."
Mizana punctuates her word by Long Sparking the mercenary at the other end of the room.

The dogs reach Agreyn who hits the first dog with a Trained Bludgeon. He blocks the dog's lunge and Agreyn moves to a better location despite getting hit herself.

Mizana sprays both mutts with fire and Silvershield uses Inspiration on Agreyn who gets to strike the stronger dog once more.

With the added burning damage from Firestarter the dogs are soon left with 1hp and 2hp.



Mizana burns down the closer dog and drops the other one with a Long Spark.
The mercenary finally gets close enough to Potent Stab Agreyn but the fighter just roars and charges the foe hitting him twice. The foe retreats towards Silverhshield who just grins and raises her mace.

One Violent Overswing later it's adventure complete!

Agreyn looks at the pile of charred bookshelves. "I can't help but notice that you did more damage to these books and anyone else here."
Mizana returns him such an angry glare that the fighter decides its best to crack any more jokes about it - yet.

Ok, this adventure was practically a playground compared to the kobold and trog levels. Only the middle fight got kinda close but still this adventure felt a bit TOO easy, just like the kobold and trog levels felt a bit too difficult.



Loot: Blessed Club and Trained Bashing.

My win opened more adventures again: Lord Stafford's Treasure (level 8), Garnet Demon Portal (level 10), The Viscous Tombs (level 10) plus a tavern called Dimwitted Dwarf that would allow recruiting level 10 heroes for 100 gold.

I'll be going after Lord Stafford next time!

 

Lord Stafford's Treasure

Agreyn catches up to Silvershield and Mizana and turns to the dwarf.
"So where are we going now?"
"We're going to breat into that manor, find our way downstairs, steal the geezer's treasure and get out."
"Ok."
Mizana looks at Agreyn quizzically.
"...you don't want to know why?"
Agreyn shrugs. "She said treasure. 'Nuff for me."



As the heroes try to sneak inside the manor they're stopped by two Men at Arms and a Copper Golem.

"Intruders! Kill them all!"

Silvershield uses both frenzies on Agreyn who hits the guard attacking from the west. The guard blocks the first two blows but as Agreyn evades the golem coming for him he also slips behind the guard, heavily wounding the foe.

Meanwhile the golem reaches the others and while Mizana pulls back, the foe targets Silvershield with a Shredding Strike.

As the enemies are out of attacks and moves, Mizana's bolt sends the weaker guard's face to meet the stone floor and her []Sorcerous Bolt hits the other guard.

Next turn begins and the golem lumbers towards Silvershield.



The dwarf quickly drops the guard but gets hit by a Mighty Bludgeon that whacks the dwarf against the wall before she has a chance to pull back.

Ouch, if I'd known the golem did that much damage with one hit I'd have retreated first...

"Damn, that walking pile of junk is as strong as it's ugly!"

Mizana Big Zaps the foe, hitting despite its Solid Mail. The heroes spread out and Mizana zaps the golem again, this time with a Long Spark, again hitting a weak spot in its armor.

As the next turn starts, the Clumsy foe moves towards Agreyn.



Agreyn retreats, the clanking hulk in pursuit.
As he's in danger of getting trapped in the end of the hallway he takes the risk and tries to get past the foe. It hits the fighter with two Shredding Strikes, Agreyn returning the favor with two Trained Bludgeons.
Unfortunately the golem happens to have another Mighty Bludgeon in store that ends Agreyn's fight.

Mizana moves to use her spells against the copper hulk, both hits getting lucky enough to hit past its armor.

Next turn Mizana retreats from the foe and hits it with two Long Sparks, only one of them damaging the foe.

Next turn the sorceress again draws just one Long Spark but is lucky enough to hit with it despite the golems three armor layers. She also has both Kindler and Firestarter but they're a bit useless with no fire spells.

Next turn - and no attacks. The enemy is again Clumsy so Mizana decides to try getting past it...



...and no chance. The golem happened to draw another Mighty Bludgeon and the sorceress falls.

Attempt two

Agreyn gets slapped with an Unholy Frenzy as the golem moves towards the heroes.
Mizana zaps the western guard and both men-at-arms charge closer. The guard gets a double dose of flames while the other guard Bludgeons Silvershield.

Now the question goes - do the Men at Arms still have a Parry in hand or not?



Let's hope the answer is no.

Silvershield targets the other guard with a Violent Overswing - and the foe falls to the floor lifeless.

I pass and the first guard burns to death.

The golem lumbers closer and Agreyn feels brave enough to attack the foe as he's ready for an All Out Attack (the card doubling the strength of another attack). His Trained Bludgeon connects doing a really nice 14 damage as the foe's armor fails to protect it.

The golem just stands there looking dumb. Hmm, is that one of Gary's random passes or does the golem truly have four move cards in hand?



Oh well, there's one way to find out...

Agreyn hits the foe again, the frenzied blow damaging the golem despite its armor absorbing most of the damage.
The golem attacks Agreyn with a Shredding Strike and Agreyn runs behind the foe.
The golem just stands there again so Mizana raises her arms.

"Taste the power of magic, you dumb copper pot!"

The golem's armor proves strong enough this time that the foe takes only minimal damage. With Silvershield's Inspiration Mizana zaps it once more, this time with better results. After that she moves away from the dwarf so the golem won't be able to catch both of them.

The golem proves out to be Clumsy again.



Another dilemma - does the golem have more move cards left? If it doesn't Agreyn can easily move behind it and hit it. If it does it would be safer to retreat.
Since Mizana has a Shift, Team in her hand I realize I can play it safe and still have the option of getting to hit the foe if it lacks move cards.

Agreyn retreats from the golem - and it pursues. Mizana orders her team to shift and Agreyn retreats again.

As the foe again stops Mizana moves to zapping range and hits the foe, hitting past its both armors. Silvershield inspires Mizana but she still can't attack more this turn so I pass as well.

The next turn starts and the Clumsy foe finally makes the mistake of not keeping to the center of the hallway which allows Agreyn to run past it. He realizes he doesn't have enough speed to get fully past the foe and he doesn't want the foe to be able to pin both him and Mizana so he moves only a little - and the dumb foe just barrels past him!
Apparently the AI didn't take into account that with Clumsy active the golem can't actually attack from the square it moved in...



Silvershield quickly boosts Agreyn with both frenzies and the fighter hits the golem yelling like a maniac. The blow is strong enough that even its armor can't protect it from the blow and it falls into pieces.

Hooray, victory!

Loot: Treasure and a Bo Stick. I'm not that sure why Bo Stick even has a talent requirement, it doesn't seem like that good a weapon...

 

Fight two

"Are you sure this is the right way? This looks like a chapel to me," Mizana whispers, looking around.
"All hail Bob! Come forward, ye faithful!"
The heroes give a little start as they realize they've been noticed by the.. person in front.

"Is that guy supposed to be a priest? He doesn' look like it to me..." Agreyn mumbles.
"Let's move forward, we don't want him to start raising an alarm or something," Mizana replies.

As the group moves towards the front the priest suddenly goes bug-eyed.
"A dwarf! They've come to take me away! They want to steal my potatos! Guards, heeeelp!"

The heroes take a look at each other.
"Nuts."
"Nuts."
"Nuts."



Heh, fighting in a chapel. And a mysterious priest? (Or just missing artwork).

Amusingly Silvershield starts with an Unholy Frenzy and the madly screaming Agreyn charges at one of the guards and hits him with a normal blow, as if to test his skills. (And if I'd guessed that he had no Parry cards yet I'd have used a stronger attack and killed him with the first blow...)

Mizana moves closer and zaps the enemy down, then targetting the other one with a Sorcerous Bolt.
The foes do nothing more until Silvershield moves which causes a mercenary to run from the other side and the enemy priest runs to him for help.



Agren charges towards the northern foes as the priest heals the man-at-arms back to full health.
"Run, Agreyn, run," Mizana laughs and flings the fighter towards the northern group. The priest looks at the flying warrior with fear in his eyes and flees.
Unable to reach the cleric he turns to attack the mercenary standing in his way. The first blow slips past the foe's attempts to block but the priest just heals the mercenary.

At the other side Mizana is forced to retreat from the approaching man-at-arms.

Silvershield targets the mercenary with Wavering Faith but the spell gets blocked (result is the same anyway).
The foe fails to block Agreyn's second blow, and the mercenary's Impaling Stab gets blocked by the warrior while Silvershield slips behind the foe.
The dwarf's Violent Overswing ends the mercenary's fight for good.

The priest looks at the grisly scene in horror and flees again.
"What am I paying you - you fools for? You were supposed to protect me, you idiots!"



Silvershield slaps Agreyn into Righteous Frenzy as the mercenary runs towards Mizana. She dances back and raises her arms, sending cone after cone of hungry flames towards the foe.

Agryen and Silvershield chase after the fleeing priest.



Mizana drops her burning opponent with a Big Zap as the enemy priest does a Healing Blessing on himself..
Agreyn gets a new Unholy Frenzy and he and Silvershield move to surround the enemy.

The enemy priest shows his true colors by suddenly unleashing his unholy magic and hitting Agreyn with a Consuming Touch:



The priest's unholy spells are no match for Agreyn's frenzied blows and the priest's mystical chants turn into screams of pain.
"No... no... this can't be... I'm invincible!"
Agreyn raises his club one more time.
"You're a loony."
THWACK!



Loot: Lunging Spetum, Apprentice Cleansing