I like the idea of banishing a random card from your deck if you lose the scenario. At least it gives the pressure to not lose the scenario rather than run away when the going gets tough.
Well, I've played quite a lot... so here's my 2c:
1. when the timer runs out we play that each player has to banish one completely random card from their deck for each unclosed location.
If there are three unclosed locations at the end then everybody loses 3 random cards.
This encourages everybody to keep trying their best until the very last moment. We even miraculously won a scenario we all thought was a completly lost cause by finding the villain, temp closing his escapes and finishing him off on the very last explore of the game.
If the timer runs out, maybe you'll have to banish some weapon that you didn't even want. Or maybe you lose Poog or Fire Sneeze (if you have them) or your Holy Candle - or, heaven forbid, Lini might lose that $%&! Sabre-tooth she took 6 scenarios to find.
It is possible to complete every scenario but you have to remember that it's a bit of a race (especially with lots of characters) and you can't just explore every card from every location.
This may sound harsh but it gives a real urgency to proceedings - try it and you'll find it impossible to play any other way ;)
2. Don't change the permadeath rules.
Dying is really rare in this game (there are countless threads complaining about how easy the game is!) and needs to come with a heavy penalty. Without that fear of death there is no real risk in exploring too much or any risk of failure. Play under the shadow of permadeath first and then tweak it later (after you've played through at least the first 8 scenarios) if you find it's a negative for your group.
I hope that helps and that your group has a blast!
Oh, and one last thing - I have to recommend you take a look at the turn sequence docs I posted on BGG. Should help you have a smooth experience if you follow along for your first scenario or two:
http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/95118/turn-sequence-breakdown
I guess it depends on how experienced and talented your group is. My bunch are heavy-thinking 30-somethings and we find the game a touch easy. The houserule I suggested above has added some real spice to proceedings!
(We also play that if you have to take damage but have no cards in your hand before the damage step then you have to bury the top card of your deck)
I agree with Fromper on this one. Until you get the hang of the existing rules, modifying them with house rules will only cause confusion. Wait and see how hard the game is as intended.
As for permadeath, I know its a bit scary, but it also serves to motivate people to work together and plan things out. To be honest, there have been a few times I wished that a character died so that I could 1) try a different one or 2)play through the early stuff again with that character.
As for an alternative house rule (if you insist on using one), I suggest the following:
Replace one location in the scenario with the apothecary. This way, there is always a way to heal for everyone, so permadeath is far less likely.
I'm also with Fromper and Bulldozer, it might be best to play it as written the first time.
Having said that, we usually house rule that you can withdraw / run out of time once per scenario. If it happens twice it's a TPK and we start again. It removes enough of the blind luck factor (villain is the last card you search or things went bad) but still keeps enough pressure on to make you take risks.
if you fail a scenario you can not keep any of the boons you received while going through the failed scenario
You can, of course play that way (knowing that it's a house rule) but you need to consider:
(a) what happens to the boons you banished during the scenario (e.g. blast stone or caltrops)? If you're 'saving and resetting' it's less thematic to me than running away, dropping some of your gear in your flight and then coming back again, wiser and hopefully a little stronger
and
(b) I think the idea is that you're kind of ALLOWED to fail scenarios by running out of time. If you do, then maybe you're not strong enough for it so the extra boons you acquired might help you to succeed the next time you try. If you don't keep anything you found then you might end up completely stuck. The real problem is players 'gaming the system' and failing on purpose just to get more and more boons from exploration.
Personally, my gaming group and I love the 'banish one card per unclosed location' house rule if the timer runs out. But it's up to you what works for you! (And we may change our mind in future if the scenarios get much harder!)
P.S. And, yes, of course the IRL loss of time and lack of progress should not be forgotten as penalties for failing a scenario!
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I totally disagree with any house rule about 'punishment' for not completing the scenario when the Blessings Deck runs out. The idea of the Blessings deck running out and you not completing the scenario is no different that trying to assault a keep or dungeon and having to regroup because you have spent all of your resources. Sometimes you get through the dungeon, and sometimes you need to back off and try again.
It's a house rule and entirely optional, but it works very well for our group.
To use your example of the keep assault - the 'punishment' represents the forces in the keep getting stronger because you took longer. Maybe they persuaded one of your allies to abandon you, or sent a raiding party out to deplete your supplies.
For us, it adds to the theme. For others it may not.
Chief Technical Officer
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...I do think it makes sense to institute an altered version of the rule, in that if you fail a scenario you can not keep any of the boons you received while going through the failed scenario.
Note that then you'd have to keep track of which cards you acquired during the scenario. (We've done our best to eliminate that sort of bookkeeping from the game.)
I'm not sure the idea of losing loot is even consistent with the game. The object in most scenarios is to hunt down and destroy the villain(s). You get a reward for doing so, i.e. you can think of yourself as being "hired" to perform a service. If you fail to perform the service in the designated time, it's not always very likely that you lose what you started with... you'd also be free to keep what you found along the way while tracking the villain, but the punishment for failure would be not receiving the reward.
I.e. You're hired to track down a local drug lord, but to get paid you have to do this within 30 days. You look high and low for him, finding stashes of his cash and weapons, making friends who want to help, but still can't find him in 30 days. The result would be that you don't get paid... but why would you lose the clothes you started with?
It would be interesting if there were a way for the villain to punish you for not catching him fast enough, like he kills your sister or something, but that wouldn't really affect the game play, here, would it? ;)
I.e. You're hired to track down a local drug lord, but to get paid you have to do this within 30 days. You look high and low for him, finding stashes of his cash and weapons, making friends who want to help, but still can't find him in 30 days. The result would be that you don't get paid... but why would you lose the clothes you started with?
You're looking for flavour?
- The townspeople demand recompense for your failure (maybe they gave you a downpayment, or just think you're a softer target than the villain to take their anger out on)
- One of the allies in your entourage is not impressed by your failure and deserts
- The timer represents the villain tracking you down, when he found you he stole some of your stuff
- You went to the tavern to drown your sorrows after your failure and lost some gear gambling when drunk
- The mental anguish of the lives lost due to your failure made you forget a spell you thought you had mastered
... need I go on?
Like I said - it works for us, but it's not for everyone (and I don't suggest it should be!). I just put it out there as an idea (which some people have said they really like).
I like the flavor! I still don't think such a consequence would be warranted every failure though. I like the idea of choosing a different flavor based failure condition a bit though!
Like I said - I float these ideas out there and you're free to choose which ones or parts of ones to implement :)
...until of course I create my own game and then all house rules you wish to use will have to be signed off in triplicate by the Central Bureacracy.
So I just ordered this game in order to play with a group of friends who are inexperienced in both board/card games and RPG games. ...
While I think house rules are great, I personally suggest that new groups play through a few scenarios without any additional death penalties. this will give everyone a chance to learn the rules, learn their characters (and change if they want), and figure out the balance of risk/reward that each player individually and the group collectively wants without feeling punished too quickly.
There's a noticeable learning curve to the game. That curve flattens out if you're familiar with Pathfinder, table-top RPGs, board games, and deck-building card games. People who start out without all that experience frequently report that they fail often their first few scenarios, until at some point, it all clicks. I don't recommend making people climb that hill in handcuffs and roller skates. :-)
Good luck, and thanks for playing!
Ah, the video game generation and their love of save points and do-overs ;)