So, I've been playing Campaign a bit, lately, trying to get some of the easier Quests out of the way, and I unconscientiously [I think that's a word] did something that made me wanna post this thread. .....I called the Strench The Pungent a "boss". Now, some of you may not think that the Strench is boss material, which is understandable if you've been playing for a few months like I have [5 months, actually], but, there are characters that are OBVIOUSLY more boss-material than others, and that got me thinking, "who's considered a boss according to the REST of the CH fanbase?" Of course there's seemingly obvious ones like Xanthicius and Blizkenripper, but, I do wonder who everyone else considers a Boss. Not a sub-boss/mini-boss, but, characters you consider as an actual "tougher than the toughest regular enemies at their level" boss. In my case, it would be guys with actual NAMES, instead of being breeds or races. Guys like Tvericus, Alet Zhav, Duke Oggencot, King Oakenshade, Grendel, Whorl, Riptide, Blackhammer, Greenfang, Xanthicius and Blizkenripper, The only exceptions to this list that I can think of offhand are the Elder Mind, The Hell Mantis, the Sharkbear and the Hydra. I'm almost positive I'm missing SOMEONE important. What say you?
Jon is the only true boss. Praise be to Jon. Oh, if you mean primary antagonist, well, that's the Gnome King, obviously, demented master of evil and carnage, and overlord of darkness that he is. I guess, as far as secondary 'boss antagonists' go, it'd be any singular entity with a unique card set. So, for example, if there was only one Bishop in Astral maps, it would then become a 'boss antagonist'. One could argue that 'No, boss antagonists have to be stronger than the other mobs, so this generalized approach doesn't work', but mobs like Lord Stafford have proven that argument to be invalid.
Strench is definitely a boss, because his adventure is named for him. He even has a throne. The "Boss" trope in adventure games is really pretty weird if you think about it. I've had many bosses, and very few were actually impressive. As a rule, the higher you go, the less impressive the boss is. Lord Stafford is a good example of a bad boss. Sure, he has some ridiculous attacks and blocks, but he scampers. There is precedent for lords a-leaping, but scampering is beyond the pale. He simpers as well. Death is too good for him. A boss is nothing but a backwards double SOB, so if you feel comfortable calling it a boss, call it a boss. As an experienced murder-hobo (Flaxative Trope), to me they're all just targets.
