Here is my entry for the first map contest (thus be-linked). The site is running a bit slowly for me, so I apologize in advance if no one can play this thing right now, but I assure you that the file works. . . . You are Lord Bratwurstford. You are enjoying a relaxing afternoon in the sprawling gardens of your estate, chewing out your dog boy in the gazebo. You are delving into a particularly scathing review of his activities when the boy, who nonetheless has good eyesight, spots lumbering shapes within the garden. The manorhouse is locked, but you should be able to reach a side door and raise enough noise to summon help. The question becomes: how? Will you traverse the maze-like gardens on your own, trusting your dog boy to shout eagle-eyed guidance? Or will the two of you make a break for it, distracting and deflecting the intruding beasts between you? Teamwork was never your strength . . . In this single-player map, your goal is to get to the Victory Squares near the manor's side door. None of the enemies can enter this area: their only goal is to kill both humans. You have masses of Move cards if you play Raise The Alarm correctly, so this should be easy, right? Right? The player has a three-Victory-Point requirement to encourage you not to fight the enemies. If you can avoid that, then please consider dropping it to 1 VP before playing: it's much more satisfying if you get to a Victory Square and win instantly (instead of waiting three turns). The enemy has the same requirement just in case you feel like changing your party around. Beyond that, I'm glad to say that I have the difficulty about balanced. Each monster provides a unique challenge (some harder than others) and appears in an order that shouldn't be TOO frustrating. Also, the art in this game is beautiful, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to use the detail in my "decorations." And a final note: technically, you could stall forever in the gazebo and make a stalemate, but that's no fun now is it? Get out there and RUN! SUPER-SECRET "HARD MODE" CHALLENGE: On your way, you should pay your respects at the grave of your dear departed Mum. Can you visit her and still make it back to the house?
Oh man, I was so looking forward to playing Batford in this, only to find it's actually silly old Stafford. First try: sent Boy ahead to try to reach the grave while Stafford stayed behind to beat up the ogre. Both died pretty quickly. Second try: ran away from ogre, intending to send Boy to grave again, but he was one-shotted by the Hydra. So Stafford visited the grave instead, then went on to win the game with 4 HP left. Next time I'll try to get the Boy out while Stafford stays safe (Stafford draws tons of Raise The Alarm). It seems that if you start off running, Oak Heart never gets LoS on you and can be completely ignored.
I know, I know. But I couldn't justify sending in Lord Batford. He has those ranged Attacks which mess with how you play, when all I really wanted is to leave the characters some "emergency: must push the enemy away" Bash cards. Very nice job with the silly "grave quest." I spent my playtesting effort on the main course to the exit, so I'm glad to know people can manage it. As to the King, actually, you're not safe. His Burst Attacks mean if you dally anywhere in the intersection near the red brick ovens then he can hit you (repeatedly). Of course he can also Shuffle in the wrong direction and mess it up if he's feeling ornery: his preferred range is kinda long and he does not just chase you down. But my goal was to make each intersection its own challenge so there's that one. If you have a suggested position to make him more likely to be a threat . . . that's a tricky one, because the player does need to have a chance to survive. I originally had him in the location of the Hydra (along with other changes) but then he would always have a target square where he could catch you in the Burst.
