The Uber-Golden rule (if Mike allows me) is "this is YOUR game, whatever makes it fun, whatever makes you happy, is great". So if you want to try... do it.
This said, the game is balanced so that the level of difficulty is fun. If you make it too easy on you, where is the feeling of success and achievement? Since that level of fun is entirely personal, only you can can feel when you are pushing the "too easy" limit.
Now if you want to play by the rules:
There are at least some compelling reasons I can think of:
- Some scenarios need a certain location to be there to fullfill the logic of the scenario. That location is listed as one of the "mandatory for 1 or more character". If you replace it...
- Some scenarios are easier or more difficult depending on the number of characters. To balance that, clever (i. e. more boons, more barriers or more monsters, or difficulty to close, or bonus when closed...) locations are added each time a new character is added. If you change the order, the game becomes unbalanced for certain sizes of parties.
- If you allow you to get to the Academy during the first scenario of every adventure and empty the box of all the best spells of that level, what's the interest of playing the rest of that adventure (or cruise passed it because you already over equipped)? Jump directly to the next adevnture and reduce your game to 6 or 7 scenarios instead of 33 or so)?
- And more important (for me at least), the locations tell "real" the story (as from the Adventure Path in the RPG). There are locations that you must have visited for the sake of the story. I know that has 0 technical influence on the game, but I would feel bad... :-)
I'm not sure, but I think with 2 players you will play all the base set locations at least once. Probably all the adventure 1 locations too.
In higher AD numbers, it's possible you may miss some locations, but again I'm not sure.
The designers tried to expose every player counts to all the locations. But we know from the Afghanistan Principle that if you don't see a location during its adventure, you aren't going to ever see it, except the B/1 locations.
I am new to the game, so I am not knowledgeable about how well balanced this game is. (edit: to my untrained eye, it seems odd to not offer any spells in the first locations, as opposed to other card types. But, like I said, I don't know how far in detail the balance of this game goes. Maybe in subsequent scenarios this initial lack of spells is made up)
Some of your observations are spot-on, so I'll spoil it for you: no, the game will NOT make for lack of spells in subsequent scenarios, if you play 2 players. In fact, RotR is notorious for its spell-stinginess for low player counts.
So, what are your options? Keeping, in mind that what you're proposing is strictly AGAINST the rules as written:
- you prefer to get fun (=loots and upgrades) out of your games, over rule technicalities. Yes, go ahead and replace locations (just try to keep the general "toughness" of the locations - Academy is very easy, beneficial location for wizard - so just swap it for you best default location, etc.)
- you play for the "hardcore" challenge of a game, even when that means fighting against the game's balance deficiencies - do NOT replace locations, and enjoy your Forces Missiles well into AD3 or 4 (hopefully!)
- you fall somewhere down the middle: you want to see your chosen character grow, but you don't want to feel like "cheater": well, just add the Academy IN ADDITION to all the regular locations; Yes, that means with 2-char you'll have to cover 5 instead of your usual 4 location, but then it will feel so much more deserved when you draw that cool spell from the Academy! NB: You will severely tilt the game in you favor if you thrown in an Academy every scenario - so maybe only limit yourself to adding 1 location that is listed for higher-count characters (which may not be Academy, but Thassilionian Dungeon, or whatever makes your game more interesting)
Chief Technical Officer
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Addressing your replay suggestion: Even if you don't take the scenario reward when replaying, you're still gaining small improvements in your character decks. Eventually, those add up, putting you ahead of the expected power curve for your character, which will make the game less challenging, and likely less fun.
My advice is that you should only contemplate these sorts of changes if you're finding the game too difficult.
Eventually, those add up, putting you ahead of the expected power curve for your character, which will make the game less challenging, and likely less fun.
While I'd agree with Vic on pretty much any other card type, I would venture a guess the "expected power curve" for spellcasters is to have at least *encountered* more than a couple non-Basic spells (let alone those being of any actual use and/or acquired) by the end of AD2, for example. Unfortunately, my experience with solo wizard, and a sorceror in party of 2 doesn't support that.
So, by not giving myself access to more spells, I probably made my game MORE challenging than intended, but it was also certainly LESS fun (when the total of 2 spells in your scenario locations turn out to be Aid and Inflict, your Arcane wizard won't be very happy, guaranteed)
I will stick to the rules, and probably start a 4 character solo game.
It does seem a bit odd to me to put a character's favorite card type out of reach in games with low character numbers.
There are 11 characters in the set. You can't satisfy everyone every time.
There are also probably story reasons for the bias - RotR is actually fairly biased towards Wisdom check closes, for example.
My suggestion would be to check ahead (this scenario has no Academy, does the next? maybe a temple in either one?) and satisfy yourself that you simply cannot get decent access to the things you need to play the characters.
And when that is that case, add the one location. Not sub, not replay with a swap. Take 2 characters thru the challenge of five locations. You'll have more fun with the things they now have access to, and you won't feel like you're cheating yourself.
I seem to recall that that was actually a general suggestion for anyone that felt certain scenarios were too easy - add another location, as if there was another character in the party. It hurts the 'clock', it hurts the ability to corner the villain, etc.
Whatever you do, hope you have fun. And welcome to your new addiction.