This chapter will go into detail on the various regions of the map, how to interact with your world, including descriptions of the hex locations, how to move around in each area and how to accomplish other things like building a raft, a boat or a bridge, how to lock and unlock doors, as well as many other things that you'll experience in your explorations.
Some of these concepts may present stuff that you haven't learned yet. In fact, it may be hard to grasp all the concepts brought up in this chapter without understanding the next chapter on developing your character, and vice versa, but you'll find plenty of links to relevant areas of the rule book and things will become clearer as you go along.
Outdoor hexes will have values at the bottom of the hex. The first number is the minimum number of events that must occur in that location if you end movement there. The letter in the middle is the terrain type. The last number is the Movement Point Cost (MPC) for entering that location.
Your character begins the game with 6 movement points (MP) per turn. This may increase or decrease during the game. The MPC of a hex is how many MP the character must spend to enter this location. In essence, you may move your character as far as you have MP to spend or stop at any point along the way.
Specific details and restrictions on movement will be discussed as we go along.
Hexes are of a particular terrain type as shown by the letter code on the bottom of the hex. The terrain type effects movement and some characters may have abilities that are effective in certain types of terrain. Here's a list of the terrain types and you'll find a similar list under the
Charts menu icon
for quick reference during the game:
[D] Desolate - This would cover desert, barren and possibly plague-ridden locations. They're generally 1 MPC to enter but they quite often will require a
safety check
when passing through them.
[F] Forested - This would cover locations of light woodland to dense forests. MPC is generally 2 or 3 depending on how dense the forest is. Forest locations are the only places you can build
rafts,
boats
and
bridges.
Forested hexes will also provide cover from archery attacks.
[H] Hills - This would cover foothills and ridges as well as regular hills. MPC is generally 1 to 2 depending on how difficult the terrain and how steep the hill.
[L] Flatlands - This would cover meadows, plains, fields, etc. Generally they are only 1 MPC to enter.
[M] Mountainous - This would cover mountains and mountain passes. Generally cost 3 to 4 MP to enter and may be
impassable.
Some mountainous areas are dangerous and may require a safety check.
[P] Place or Personal - This type of location would cover buildings, specific places and/or a particular person. They're usually 1 MPC to enter and almost always have specific instructions to follow. You may NOT encounter a rival directly in a [P] location except to possibly
steal a companion
or the use of some ability that would allow you to do so. Creatures are restricted from entering [P] locations and no combat of any kind is allowed in a [P] location,
[W] Wetlands - This would cover general wetland areas like marshes, swamps, rivers and quicksand. They generally range in MPC from 2 to 4 and may be impassable in some areas and/or require a safety check. Wetland hexes will also provide cover from archery attacks.
The first number on a hex indicates that at least this many events must take place when you stop movement in this hex. This number would include anything that's currently in the hex unless it's hidden from you for some reason. Hidden items might have rival's tag on them, as those items are only known to the player who has tagged them, or they may simply be something that you must 'find' in order for it to be a known event. You may be able to attempt to find these items but only after all other events have taken place.
If a hex calls for 2 or more events, these events must be a combination of what's there and how many events need to be drawn. For example, if the hex calls for 3 events and there's a roamer there, the roamer would count as 1 event and you would draw 2 more to cover the minimum 3 events. If the location currently had a rival's boat, that would NOT count as one of the events as the boat is not known or accessible to you. So, you would draw all 3 events. After those events are resolved, you may attempt to find the rivals boat and make it yours, if you wish.
How events are drawn, the order in which they are encountered and what those events may be will be discussed in
6) Cards, Events & Encounters.
Hexes with a
have a description and/or special instructions attached to them. Right-click the hex and select [Info] for a description scroll. You're free to review descriptions for hexes with question marks anytime you like regardless of where you're at or what you're doing. If a location has a "?" and also calls for an event, read the description to see if it affects the event in some way. However, regardless of how the event may be affected, the events are always encountered and resolved before encountering the hex itself unless the description states otherwise or the hex has a yellow marker or border (see below).
Hexes with a
means these are potentially dangerous areas for travelers and you must immediately make a
safety check
when entering these locations, whether you stop there or you're just passing through.
Hexes with a yellow border means the influence of the hex is in effect whether you stop movement in, or pass through, the hex. So, it's a good idea to read the description to see what you're stepping into before entering these hexes even if you don't plan to stay. The affects of these areas are resolved immediately upon entering the hex regardless of what other events may occur. Once you've resolved the hex's requirements, you may proceed with unused MP unless you're prevented from doing so. You only need to encounter the minimum number of events in these location if you stop movement there.
Hexes with a
means you must stop in that hex regardless of how many MP you have left. However, you only need to stop if you enter the hex in the direction of the blue arrow pointing at the stop sign. For example: the tile on the left shows that you must stop and encounter that hex if you're entering the hex from the top. You would not have to stop if you are entering the hex from any other direction nor do you have to encounter the hex if you end movement there from another direction, unless you want to. However, if you land in a 'Stop' hex via teleportation or event, you must encounter it. If the location simply shows a stop sign with no arrows, then you must stop and encounter the hex.
Hexes with a red border means they are usually impassable unless you have an ability and/or equipment to enter that hex. These hexes also show a red "X" as an MPC to emphasize that they may not be entered normally. The description for the hex, talent, spell, etc., will tell you what you must do to enter that hex and the MPC if you wish to do so. If there is no description for an impassable location, then it simply cannot be entered under any circumstance. If you do have the ability to stop inside an impassable hex, it could be quite advantageous to do so if you are being hunted or as a shortcut.
Hexes with a
means that there is plenty of defensive cover like buildings, walls or ruins in the area. The number on the shield, which can range from 1 to 4, shows that the opponent that is defending in combat gets this as a bonus as they can use the terrain to defend themselves. This number would be added to the defender's 'To Hit' or Combat Point before they would make their Combat Roll. In the example shown here, the defender would get +2 To Hit or +2 TH. Combat will be discussed in
7) Combat.
Except where noted, each of the merchants will have at least one shop open for business somewhere in the
Mariah Lowlands,
the region where all players will start. Depending on the random creation of the lowlands, some or all the merchants may have a second shop open for business somewhere in the lowlands, as well. Once you visit a merchant, you may not re-visit that same merchant until you've left that merchant for at least one full round.
Many of the merchants sell collectibles; things you can purchase that will assist you in some way. However, merchants are selective and will only buy and/or sell a certain type of goods. You may click the
menu icon and browse the merchants to see what they have anytime you like.
The merchants will occasionally add new items to their inventory. When this occurs, the
Kingdom News
will post a message stating which merchant received a new item. Items that players have sold back to them will also be available. So you may want to check merchants periodically to see what's new. Getting that big item before your rivals may make a big difference.
You may only purchase two
collectible
items per visit. If the merchant has professional services (whether they have goods or not), you may partake of as many of these services as you like in one visit ...providing you can pay for them. There is no limit to the number of items you may sell to a merchant in one visit.
The base value on items that can be purchased or sold is on its [Info] description scroll as "purchase price / sell price", as well as where they may be purchased or sold.
Companions
for hire will simply show a hire price. The actual price you must pay (buying/hiring) or you receive (selling) is determined by
dickering
with a merchant or individual involved in the transaction.
In the following example for the woodworkers kit, it shows "Market: $150/$90". This means that the item is bought / sold at the Market and that it will cost you a base value of $150 to purchase and you'll receive a base value of $90 to sell.
Here's a list of merchants and places to acquire goods and services, the types of items that each one will buy and sell and other services they offer.
Market - Mostly non-arcane
general
market items and traveling equipment, some helpful tools,
packers
&
transports,
which includes a variety of animals. Don't confuse 'market' with 'marketplace', which is a term that is used to collectively include all merchants. In other words, the double $$ sign icon refers to the 'marketplace' which lists all the merchants of which the 'market' is just one of those merchants.
Blacksmith - Non-arcane
weapons,
non-arcane
armor,
and a few specialized general items.
Healer - Medicinal items, vaccines, antidotes, healing services.
Theurgist - All
arcane
items and
spells.
You may buy as many spells, specific or random, as you like beyond the 2 item limit, providing you do not exceed your own personal spell limits and you have the funds.
Docks - Includes the Mariah Dock, somewhere on the southern coast of the lowlands, and Breeneport, the main dock on
Breene Island.
They deal in boats, rolls of canvas, and secure docking services.
The Guild -
Companions
for hire.
Lapidary - They examine, appraise, and purchase
gems & jewelry.
Kingdom Bank - For depositing
gold coins
into your bank account. This is prudent as gold can be taken and/or lost. Once it's in the bank, it's safe ..unless it's tax time.
Pubs - Frankie's Pub & Tee Tee's Tavern are pleasant gambling establishments ...if you'd like to try your luck. There's also the Goblin's Cave in Breeneville and the Flea Bones Bar at the Flea Market, if it's available.
Psychic - Psychic readings and hiring Tygals. There will always be two psychics available in the lowlands as getting the services of a Tygal may be important.
Tygals are a highly spiritual, telepathic race. They support their sect by hiring out their telepathic abilities to the Kingdom so that folks may communicate with each other. Think of Tygals as the Kingdom's cell phone service.
Getting a Tygal is certainly not a necessity but you may have the opportunity to hire a mercenary or some other
independent
that you can instruct to do things away from you remotely ...like harass your rivals or buy stuff from a merchant. Without a Tygal, you won't be able to hire these independents as you won't be able to communicate with them when you're separated.
There's a specific spot in your inventory to place a Tygal marker to show that you have hired one.
Flea Market - If you're lucky enough to have the Flea Market included in your map file, it will be somewhere in the Mariah Lowlands. It's a gathering place for the local inhabitants and you can find just about any goods and services there that you would find at a professional merchant ...including the Flea Bones Bar, another drinking and gambling establishment. However, because it's made up of local residents, rather than professional merchants, things are generally much cheaper. The problem is, the shop you want to visit may not be open?
Breeneville -There isn't enough of a population or business on Breene Island to give each merchant their own location. Rather they all gather together in a small rural town known as Breeneville. You will find all merchants there except Dock services. You will also find that goods and services are more expensive and many of the merchants are closed most of the time.
Peddlers - These are
roamers
that may appear in the
Mariah Midlands
and/or
Breene Inland
regions but they're rare and you may not see one for several games. They do sell most goods, except larger items and spells, and they'll examine and buy gems, but they won't buy anything else ...and believe me, dealing with him will generally cost you plenty more that dealing with anyone else. They are convenient if they show up but they're generally not going give you any breaks on the cost of things.
Hexes will have a designation to indentify specific locations like ML-5. For example, here's a piece of the Mariah Lowlands region. You'll note the yellow numbers indicate the hex number in a row of hexes. In this case, ML-5 would be the Lapidary.
Each region has it's own numbering system so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out where a specific location is if you need to find it. If a region does not show a numbering system, it simply means that it doesn't need one within the current game system.
A region is a map or a designated section of a map. Here's a few notes you'll need to know about regions:
Indoor vs. Outdoor Regions -
Laurica's Palace
and the
Catacombs
are each considered indoor regions. All other regions are considered outdoor regions. To put it simply, the main Kingdom map is outdoors. The other maps are indoors.
Standard Outdoor Regions - Some of the outdoor regions are known as standard outdoor regions as general movement and event rules apply the same way throughout those regions. These regions include:
Mariah Lowlands,
Mariah Midlands,
the
Wastelands,
Breene Coastal & Breene Inland
regions.
Non-Standard Outdoor Regions -
The Palace Grounds,
the
Waterway,
and the
Mystic Realm
are considered non-standard outdoor regions with their own set of rules for movement and events.
Each character begins the game with 6 Movement Points (MP) to spend each turn and this may change during the game. So, to move, you simply travel from hex to hex subtracting the Movement Point Cost (MPC - 3rd number on the hex) of each hex you move into until you decide to stop or run out of MP.
Unless you are otherwise instructed, or you've been given the option, you MUST move during your turn. In other words, you cannot stay where you're currently located and just pass your turn or encounter that location again. Also, you must ALWAYS move at least one hex regardless of the MP cost. in other words, if your movement is currently limited due to some external event (poison, bad weather, etc.) you must still move at least one hex regardless of the current circumstances or MPC of the hex location you're moving into.
For example: You're on Breene Island during a severe storm which reduces your MP by 3, leaving you with only 3 MP. A neighboring tile costs 4 MP to enter. You may still enter that location as you must move at least one hex. Even if there's another neighboring tile that costs 3 MP or less, you may still move into the tile that costs 4 MP as you are always allowed to move 1 hex regardless of the MPC cost.
You don't have to spend all your MP when moving, i.e., you may stop movement anywhere you like as long as you have the MP to get there, but MP are NOT accumulative. In other words, if you only spend 3 MP this turn, you can't add the unused MP to your next turn.
Breene Island
may have adverse weather conditions. You should refer to the Breene Weather Conditions plaque in the center of the Kingdom Map to see how the weather will affect your movement.
Make sure to make
safety checks
and/or check
yellow bordered locations
if you enter them during movement. Once you've resolved whatever you're instructed to do, providing it doesn't stop you, you may continue travel with any unused MP.
Make sure to stop in
STOP locations
if you are traveling in the direction of the blue arrow when you enter those locations or if the location has no blue arrows or you land there via teleportation or some sort of event. You may NOT continue to travel during that turn even if you have unused MP.
You cannot move into the same location twice in one turn when moving. For example, you can't step away from the hex you're currently in and then step back into the same hex on the same turn. However, you may return back to the original hex on the following turn if you like.
Mariah Island is split into 4 regions. These were briefly described in the Quest to be King. Mariah Island is where the game begins (in the Lowlands region) and ends (in the Mystic Realm). Here's the details.
The most populated and civilized area of the Kingdom and, therefore, usually the least dangerous. It's a large area allowing for freedom of movement and it easily allows a player to gather health, strength, wealth and materials with a minimum of battles and negative events. At least one location for each type of merchant will be available and, in many cases, a merchant may have 2 locations available.
The Lowlands are split into a north and south corridor with Lake Mariah between them. There will be a stone bridge crossing the lake as some point depending on the map file. Also, both corridors will be disected with a river, 3 to 4 hexes long, with a wooden bridge. The region is numbered from ML-1 to ML-40, starting at the leftmost side and traveling east across the north corridor, and then from ML-41 to ML-80 in the southern corridor. This region is a standard outdoor region.
The Waterway travels along the southern coast of the Lowlands as shown by the light blue hexes.
Each of the 2 rivers in the Mariah Lowlands will have a wooden bridge. You'll note that the hex showing an intact Wooden Bridge tile (left) has red borders on 4 sides. This is because the bridge may only be entered from one end of the bridge and out the other. You cannot cross over a red border when entering or exiting a bridge hex.
A bridge can be destroyed via a random event and also by a torch. It will be rebuilt but it may cause some serious travel constrictions until that happens. The bridge's [Info] will provide details on that. The [Bridge Status] option on the bridge hex will change the graphic from an intact bridge, with both a straight and curved river version, and the destroyed bridge, also with both a straight and curved river version. [Bridge Status] can be changed as needed.
Even though a wooden bridge will be rebuilt by the locals, this may take some time. If you have a bladed weapon and a woodworkers kit, you may enter the hex with a destroyed bridge and announce that you wish to help build the bridge. Details are on the Wooden Bridge [Info].
Freedom of movement in the Mariah Midlands is much more restrictive and there are very few resources. Since this is a much more rural area, the chances of events involving creatures and dangers increase. There are no bridges to connect the northern and southern corridors of this district which further complicates things. Zerox the Kingmaker resides on the Eastern edge of the Midlands ...he likes his view of the ocean.
The numbering system has the same arrangement as the Lowlands; MM-1 to MM-12 along the nothern corridor and MM-13 to MM-24 along the southern. This region is a standard outdoor region.
There are several different ways to get from the lowlands to the midlands. The most conventional and, alas, the most dangerous way is to get by the Guardian. You can also get to the midlands by teleportation, levitation, by having a collectible specifically designed for that task, by virtue of a talent, by building a raft, encountering the raftsman, acquiring a pass, etc. Getting from the midlands back to the lowlands is easy. Just pass through the Guardian hex ...he couldn't care less who's leaving. His only concern is who's trying to get into the midlands. Barring some other means, here's the 3 most conventional ways of traveling into the Midlands.
The Guardian - This is obviously the most direct route as it's the only land bridge between the two regions but the Guardian is one tough cookie for those that are just starting their travels. He's been placed here by Zerox to keep the riff raff out of the neighborhood. If you don't have a pass, or some other means, to get by the Guardian, then you must challenge him to one segment of
combat.
The Guardian has a power of 8 (used in physical combat), a psychic of 8 (used in psionic combat) and causes
D8 damage
if he hits you.
To challenge him, you must have sufficient MP to either stop on or pass through his location. You may not use
stealth
with the Guardian ...he's very good at his job. However, you may challenge him either physically or psionically, even if you don't normally have psionic combat attack capabilities
[PCAC].
If you win the battle, you may continue with any unused MP you have left for that turn. If you don't have any MP left, you may proceed on the next turn. If you fail to defeat him, he causes D8 HP damage (unless you make a successful
armor check)
and you may try again on your next turn or move away.
Zerox's Apprentice - Zerox's Apprentice may or may not appear in your campaign depending on whether she was included in your map file. If she is present, she will be found somewhere in the Lowlands. She provides the quickest, albeit the most expensive, way into the midlands. She can teleport you to a random Midland location ($800) or directly to Zerox the Kingmaker ($1200), if you like ...but at those prices, she's nearly as expensive as buying a boat.
A relatively barren area, its landscape of cliffs, rock walls, patches of quicksand and canyons makes it difficult for anyone or anything to live there for extended period of time. As a result, fewer events take place in this area. You would normally only travel through this area if you have the Knowledge of the Mystic Realm and you're heading for the throne.
The numbering system starts at the top left corner, WL-1, and goes down each row before moving to the next all the way to WL-107 where you'll find "The Door", which is the entrance to the Mystic Realm. This region is a standard outdoor region.
This is an extremely dangerous and unforgiving area full of creatures and dangers of the highest level. Only a fool would even consider entering this area without building up their abilities and possessions to a very high order. You certainly would not want to enter this region without the Knowledge of the Mystic Realm or you'll end up in the Vortex. The Mystic Realm is NOT a standard outdoor region and has its own set of rules. It does not require a numbering system.
"The Door" is the entrance to the Mystic Realm. From there, you have two paths that circle around the Vortex and converge at the Mystic Gate. Unless one of the paths is blocked, you may take either path.
You'll note that the MPC for each tile in the Mystic Realm is 5. You may only advance 1 hex per turn even if you have more than 9 MP. You must always advance forward unless you've declared that you are "retreating".
You are always the
initiator
against any Mystic Realm
creature
and you may attack psionically, even if you do not have PCAC. Since you are always the initiator, every segment of combat is voluntary and you may choose to retreat instead of continuing the attack. You may only attempt to
surprise
a specific creature on your first encounter with it. To proceed, you must kill or
chase off
the creature.
Masters
may counterattack.
Once you have successfully cleared the obstacles of a location, you may move into the next location on your next turn.
If you choose to retreat, you must declare that you are "retreating" and you move back one hex per turn and you do NOT have any events or encounters until you reach "The Door". You may then decide to change paths, go back up the path you just came down or leave the area. If you go up a path that you've traveled before and retreated from, you must re-encounter all locations along that path just as if you were going up the path for the first time.
Two players, who are both advancing forward, may not occupy the same location in the Mystic Realm. The players will either have to take separate paths or one will have to follow the other. If one player is "Retreating", they may occupy a location with another player but they completely ignore each other in ALL respects.
More than one player may occupy the Great Throne as the only way to stop someone who is currently seated on the throne is to enter the throne room and confront them in a battle-to-the-death.
If a player is following another player through the Mystic Realm and the leading player has stopped and does not move forward on their next turn, as they may still be trying to complete the requirements to move on, the following player may pass their turn without moving as long as they are not involved in an encounter of their own. If they are simply waiting, they do not have to encounter the location they are in if they have already completed the obstacles of that location. If the waiting player is waiting in the Wastelands just outside the Door because another player is trying to get through the Door, they may pass their turn and wait, if they wish.
When you enter the Great Throne and it is currenly unoccupied, you become the regent of the Kingdom and you can use the influence of the throne to help eliminate your rivals before they have a chance to challenge you.
The throne room has some advantages and disadvantages. The throne room is devoid of arcane energy so you may not cast spells or use any magical items, unless those items have a
non-arcane element.
This also means that if you were under the influence of a spell when you entered the throne room, that influence dissipates. You also may not use the services of your companions or any other living beings in your party. However, since you now have plenty of room, you are not limited by a
carrying capacity
and you can hoard as much stuff as you like. In fact, I've found it advantageous to simply place all your belongings on the board around the throne. There's plenty of room to organize and group stuff. And, as you kill more rivals, you'll have more stuff to orgainize.
If one of your rivals enters the throne room while you are on the throne, you and your rival must fight to the death using only non-arcane weapons, armor and non-magical talents that each may have. If both parties are of good alignment, they must still battle-to-the-death instead of having a
persuasion
encounter as, once a player becomes regent, alignment is no longer a consideration.
When one of the player's dies, they would use the
[Kill Me]
option on their token which will cause their belongings to drop on the map. If there are still other living rivals, the victorious player should [Claim Ownership] of all the items dropped to tag them and prevent the game from removing them over time. If the current regent dies, they should [Disown/Drop] any items they have spread out on the map.
If you are alone on the throne at the beginning of your turn, you would [Consult the Throne] and you will be given 1 of 3 choices.
Visit a Merchant - You can visit any merchant just as if you stopped in their location. This is a voluntary choice. One of the throne's options is to [Enter Social Rating]. If you have no desire to visit a merchant, enter zero and this choice will not appear. If you would like the opportunity to visit a merchant, you may enter a number up to your current
social
rating. The chance of the merchant choice appearing will be 3 x # entered. For example: You currently have 8 social. If you enter 8, there's a 24% chance of the merchant choice appearing. You can adjust your social rating in the throne whenever you like.
All merchant descriptions and options, as well as the ability to
[Dicker],
are available as options on the throne so there's no need to physically move your character token to the merchant of your choice. It's just assumed that's where you went.
An Event - The throne will send a random
event to your spell book. You can not use or encounter this event yourself. However, if a rival must have an event, you may force them to encounter this event instead of one they would draw. If the event card is not used, it will be automatically removed the next time you [Consult the Throne].
Launch an Attack - You may teleport out to any rival and attack them in a
Player vs. Regent
conflict. You are not required to do so and you may pass you turn, if you wish. Otherwise, you would use the [Leap to... (rival)] option on your character token and you may take any items within your carrying capacity including
arcane items,
companions
and you may cast
spells.
Just keep in mind that the throne restrictions only apply in the throne room, not if you teleport out somewhere else.
Barring some extremely rare event, the ocean waterway must be traveled to get to Breene Island as Laurica's Palace resides on the summit of that island. The waterway is shown on the map as a series of light blue hexes that run along the southern edge of Mariah Island and then extend up alongside Breene Island. The waterway is NOT a standard outdoor region and has its own rules for movement.
A player may land or depart from any hex location along the southern edge of Mariah Island that borders the waterway via a boat. From there, the waterway travels north alongside Breene Island. However, the waterway is only accessible via 4 docks on Breene island; Breenport [BC-1], the Forest Cliff (Dock #2) [BC-12], the Old Dock (Dock #3) [BC-25] and the Hidden Dock (Dock #4) [BC-35].
A player's speed is dependent upon the winds and, although encounters in the waterway do occur, there will generally not be as many. Normally, players will travel the waterway to Breeneport [BC-1], the main Breene Island dock, but some my find alternate routes to the other docks, which could shorten the journey.
3.2.3.1 - Boats
To travel over the waterway, you'll need a boat. If you have the money, you can simply go to the Mariah Dock, which will be located somewhere along the southern coast of Mariah island, and buy one. But, boats have a base price of $1200 and, if you don't plan on using it right away, you would probably want to buy security services with a base price of $300 to prevent the possibility of your rivals taking off in it. If you don't have a high dicker rating, and your character and the merchant don't hit it off, it could cost you as much as $2000 for both.
If you don't want to spend that much, you can build a boat. The process for building a boat is very similar to
buiding a raft
except it takes longer and you need a Roll of Canvas (available at the Mariah Dock), as well as the usual equipment and location; bladed weapon, woodworker's kit and begin your turn in [F] terrain.
Traveling the waterway is dependent upon the wind. You'll note the large wind gauge in the middle of the game board. This will show the wind direction for the current round and that wind direction may change at the beginning of each new round by as much as 4 points on the compass.
The shipping lanes are narrow and a player may not occupy or sail through a location with a rival. If you are directly behind someone, you simply have to wait for them to move before you can proceed. Once players are in the double-wide area, they may freely pass each other.
If you and a rival are traveling in opposite directions, the one closest to the double-wide lanes will be forced to back up until the other can go by. Exception: A player that is currently 'set-adrift' (see below) does not block travel of rivals but they may not encounter each other in ALL respects.
If you are heading for Mariah Island, you may move along the south shore and dismount at any non-impassable hex location next to the Waterway. When traveling to Breene Island, you would normally head up the waterway to eventually arrive at Breenport [BC-1]. But, if the tides are favorable, you may be able to sail to alternate docks that would greatly shorten your land travel.
You'll note the hex labeled as "Tide Check". When you arrive there, while heading towards Breene Island, the Tide Check's [Info] will inform you if there's an alternate path available. If there is, you can head towards one of those docks. Regardless of whether you get an alternate path or not, you may continue traveling with any unused MP. For example, your die roll with the wind gave you 9 MP. It took 4 MP to get to the Tide Check. After checking to see if you have an alternative path or not, you may then move your remaining 5 MP.
You may only make one Tide Check per voyage to Breene Island. There's no point in stopping there if you are going to Mariah Island. Although you must use the Tide Check to see if there's an alternate dock that you may sail to, if you are on Breene Island, you may build, hide and/or disembark from any of the 4 Breene Island dock locations without having to make a tide check.
Immediately after moving in the waterway (even if you don't actually go anywhere), you must
draw an event.
Even if you can't move because someone is in your way, you still must draw an event. In the case of the Waterway, when you draw an event, most events will be announced as non-events but something might happen.
Although it may not be particularly realistic, combat in the waterway is conducted the same way it is on land. There are no special rules in that regard except that players may not directly encounter each other.
While sailing the waterway, you may have an encounter that states, "You are set-adrift." This means your sailing boat has become disabled and you cannot sail for the period of time, specified by the encounter, while repairs are being made.
While you are set-adrift, you are a slave to the currents. On each turn, while in this condition, you would drift 1 hex towards the island that the wind gauge favors. If the wind gauge is pointed directly N or S, you do not move anywhere. You must still draw an event whether you move or not. You do not block or interfere with other player's travel while you are set-adrift.
If you are set-adrift for more than one turn, you would use your character token's
tracker
and
reminder flag
to keep track.
Breene Island consists of the top of a gargantuan mountain sticking up out of the water. The normal way up to the top of this mountain is via an island road. Also, the weather conditions are constantly changing - you can have one round being mild and the next round featuring hurricane conditions. The combination of the steep, rough road and stormy weather makes for an often slow journey up to the summit.
The island only has about a quarter of the population of Mariah Island - obviously due to the inhospitable terrain and weather conditions - and, like Mariah Island, most of the inhabitants stay close to the shores in the lower elevations. There are some resources available but they're slim and may be more expensive compared to Mariah Island. This combination of few people and resources makes for a rather dangerous journey and that danger increases as the players make their way to the summit.
Breene Island has 3 regions:
Breene Coastal Region [BC] - Numbered from BC-1 to BC-39 with the path of travel noted by the light green arrows. This is a standard outdoor region.
Breene Inland Region [BI] - Numbered from BI-1 to BI-30 with the path of travel noted by the light red arrows. This is a standard outdoor region.
Palace Grounds Region [PG] - This is the area at the summit of the island beginning with the Healing Pond and ending with the Palace Entrance. This is NOT a standard outdoor region.
As you may have noticed, there are light green and red arrows connecting the hexes of travel. These arrows not only define the path you must take but also indicate which direction you're traveling; one end of the arrow will have a '+', indicating you are heading uphill towards the summit, and a '-' at the other end indicates you are heading down towards Breenport.
The Stone Walls - There's two areas of the map that have stone walls that head straight up to the next path. One is shown bordering the Rites of Passage [BI-1] and its neighbor hex [BI-2] and this wall allows access to the Mind Warp [BI-23] (shown above left). The other is shown bordering the left of the Pool of Chance [BI-15] and the neighbor hex above it [BI-14] (shown above right) and this wall gives access to [BI-30]. You can take a shortcut over these walls, either up or down, if you have a rope and hook or some special ability.
The walls have no MPC so you just need the ability to climb over them and enough MP to enter the hex you're moving into.
Companions
can climb up and down ropes with you providing they have the trait "Rope: Y".
Packers
and
transports
cannot climb rope. If you have any packers, transports, and/or companions that cannot climb rope, you must [Disown] them in the location where you climbed the wall. Whenever you climb a rope, you must make a
safety check.
This is the last outdoor region you must pass through to get into Laurica's Palace. You'll be faced with a series of tests. Passing these tests will improve your attributes ...but at what cost for repeated failures? Guess you'll find out.
Once you've made it to the Healing Pond, you've entered the Palace Grounds. From there, you have two paths that converge at the front gates and the Palace Guard. You may take the path of your choice.
You'll note that the MPC for each tile in the Palace Grounds is 5. You may only advance 1 hex per turn even if you have more that 9 MP. You must always advance forward unless you've declared that you are "retreating".
Once you have successfully passed the test in a location, you may move into the next location on your next turn. If you fail, suffer the penalties and you may try again on your next turn or retreat.
If you choose to retreat, you must declare that you are "retreating" and you move back one hex per turn. You do NOT have to fulfill any of the tests and you will back up until you reach the Healing Pond. You may then decide to change paths, go back up the path you just came down or leave the area.
Although two or more players may occupy the Healing Pond, they may not occupy the same location in the rest of the Palace Grounds unless one is retreating. If more than one player is advancing, they will either have to take separate paths or one will have to follow the other. If one player is "Retreating", they may occupy a location with another player but they completely ignore each other in ALL respects.
If a player is following another player through the Palace Grounds and the leading player has stopped and does not move forward on their next turn, as they may still be trying to complete the requirements to move on, the following player may pass their turn without moving. They are not required to take the test in their current location again if they already passed it.
If you retreat back to the Healing Pond and then decide to move through the Palace Grounds again, you will have to pass each test even if you've already passed one or more the tests previously.
The Palace Guard - If you make it to the Palace Guard hex and there is no guard in place, you must [Post a Guard]. That guard will remain there until killed. You are always the
initiator
against the palace guard and, if they have a psychic rating, you may attack them psionically even if you don't have
PCAC.
Since you are always the initiator, every segment of combat is voluntary and you may choose to retreat instead of continuing the attack.
Masters
may counterattack. You may attempt to
surprise
on your first encounter with a specific guard.
The Palace Entrance - If you kill the guard, or force it to
step aside,
you may enter the Palace Entrance hex.
Transports
and
Packers
(except a Donkey) may not enter the palace with you so you would leave them here. As long as your ownership tag is on them, they are considered hidden and a rival must make an
FS% roll
to find and take possession of them and they may only make this attempt if they are on their way out of the palace with their relic. On your next turn, use your character token option [Leap to the Palace Entrance] and go to the palace map to continue.
Laurica's Palace is a single indoor region that you must search to find the relic of your quest. It consists of 12 rooms and several hallways and is loaded with inhabitants, various creatures and dangers. The inhabitants, that is the ones that are "supposed" to be there, seem to get along with each other just fine even though many are natural enemies to each other on the outside. This is perhaps due to Spigo's mystical influence. However, strangers are not treated so diplomatically and, although you may find some helpful individuals, most of the inhabitants will attempt to kill you on sight making this a place you want to get out of as quickly as possible.
When you leap to the palace from the Palace Entrance hex in the Palace Grounds, you will appear in the Palace Entrance [LP-A1] location in the upper left corner of the palace map. You may begin exploring the palace as soon as you leap here.
There are 40 different rooms within the game module but only 12 will be in-play. This means that it's quite likely you'll run into brand new rooms every time you play a new game for quite some time. Each room will have 2 doors, some of which may be locked and each room will contain a relic. Locations within the palace are numbered via coordinates: the columns are letters and the rows are numbers. So, the main entrance would be at LP-A1 and the farthest corner on the bottom right would be LP-J10.
The first person to enter a room would use the [Flip Room] option, which will reveal the room to everyone. Read the room's [Info] to see it there's any room requirements for finding the relic. Also, if it's a room that may have random events, the room will show the minimum number of events that must be encountered in the lower left corner, ranging from 0 to 2.
If you enter a room and you have encountered the minimum number events and fulfilled the requirements of the room, you may use the [Peek] option to look at the Relic. It will be sent to your spell book so that you may look at it in private. If it isn't the relic you're looking for, you would use the [Return to Palace] option and it will go back to where you found it. If the relic is the one you're looking for, you can [Send to Inventory] and you would announce that you've found your relic and begin your trip back to Zerox. The following is an example of what may be a typical situation within a room.
to get to your Palace Notes. Let's say you've just explored the Dungeon and found Kram's Hammer as the relic. That's not what you're looking for but you'll want to list it in your notes. Click the first empty slot under 'Palace Room' and you'll get a drop down list of rooms. Select 'Dungeon'. Under 'Relic', select 'Kram's Hammer'. When you're done, it will look like this.
To move in the palace, simply roll a D6 and move, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, up to that many spaces. You can add extra MP shown as
MP+
on your stat sheet.
Whenever you enter a room, you must stop unless you've already cleared the room. A cleared room means that you already have the relic you needed to find, you've seen the relic in that room, or the room no longer has a relic. You can treat a cleared room like any hallway space, unless the exit door is locked. If you don't sucessfully unlock it, your must stop movement in that room and draw events if they're called for. Read the room description to see if you're required, or given the option, to do anything in the room. Naturally, you do not have to do what's required to see the relic as you've already cleared the room.
To open a locked door, you may attempt to pick the lock
(PL%)
or, if you have a weapon, you may attempt to smash the lock
(SL%).
You may attempt to open a particular lock only once per turn. If you pick the lock successfully, you may [Send to Inventory]. If you smash a lock, [Trash] it.
If you are in a hallway and you have enough MP to enter a locked room, you may attempt to open the lock and enter. If you fail to remove the lock, you may still travel down the hall with unused MP's and try any locks along the way. For example: There's a door 2 MP in front of you, another 4 MP in front of you and another at 5 MP. You roll a 6. Your first attempt wasn't successful so you head for the second lock. That didn't work either but you were able to open the last lock at 5 MP leaving you with 1 more MP to enter that room.
If you are trying to leave a room with a locked door, make the attempt to unlock it. If you fail, and the other door not locked, you must leave the room unless you have the option to stay. If the other door is locked you must attempt to open that lock. If you can't exit a room, you must stay there and wait until your next turn.
If you began your turn in a room, because of a failed attempt to open a lock on your last turn, you do not have any events nor would you re-encounter the room. Once you can travel, roll your D6 for movement.
If you have locks, you may drop a lock on any unlocked door as you are passing by it or passing through it. It has no effect on movement but be careful... you might lock your escape route.
You cannot be in the same room with a rival and you may not pass through another living being in a hallway; you'll either have to confront them or chase them off. There are a couple of exceptions to this:
You can walk right up to the door of a room with a rival in it and wait for them to leave. In this case, you can pass your turn, if you like, but you must still make an event check (explaned below).
You may pass through a rival or creature if you're leaving a room into a hallway and they're right outside the door. If your maximum MP for this move would place you in the same space as the rival or creature, you may step to the tile directly beyond them. However, you may have an encounter with the rival or creature (see below).
You may also pass through a cleared room with a
Creature
in it and there's no lock on the exit down to slow you down. Basically, you're running through the room before the creature has had time to react to your presence. Other types of events, like
Roamers
or
Places,
are treated normally and may or may not block your movement depending on the roamer or place sub-type and the card's description.
If you stop movement next to a rival or some other living being, an encounter takes place just as if both were in the same hex outside. If you successfully avoid or run from an encounter, you must move D4+2 MP away or as much of that roll as possible. See
Running in Laurica's Palace
for more info.
Anytime you end movment in a hallway space, you must roll a D8. If you roll a 1, you have a
random Event.
You must make this roll even if you don't move, like standing outside a door waiting for someone to leave a room. If the event drawn is a living being, you may place in on any tile next to yours and an encounter takes place.
If you leave a room that you've cleared and then return to that room later, you must encounter the room normally unless you pass through it without stopping.
There are two ways to leave the Palace. The obvious way is to head back to the entrance and leave. The other way involves finding a catacomb doorway.
On the turn after you've made it to the front door of the palace, you may [Leap to the Palace Grounds]. This will place you on the Palace Entrance hex in the Palace Grounds on the Kindgom Map. If you have any goods hidden there, you may pick them up. If others have left goods hidden there, and you have your relic, you may attempt to find those goods with an
FS% roll.
If successful, you may [Claim Ownership] and take them with you ...providing you can carry them (See
Collectibles
for capacity limits). Anything you can't carry is left on the location for anyone to pick up. In other words, you may only hide goods on the way in ...you must [Disown] anything you don't want on the way out. You are now considered to be
retreating.
On your next turn, you may begin traveling back through the Palace Grounds one space per turn. You do not have any encounters on the way out including the Palace Guard. If there is no guard established at the time, you do NOT establish a new one. You may occupy a hex with another player but you would ignore each other. Once you make it back to the Healing Pond, get yourself healed and you may now continue normal movement down the island road.
3.2.5.2.2 - Catacomb Doorways
Catacomb Doorways are hidden well and can only be discovered by random event or by finding an existing catacomb doorway. If you find a catacomb doorway as a random event, a catacomb doorway chit will be appear in your location. Use the [Known by (your clan)] option to tag it. You are the only one who has knowledge of this catacomb door. Once you find your relic, you may use it to leave the palace and enter the catacombs.
If you stop in a location that has an existing catacomb doorway that you do NOT know, it does not count as an event. If you receive another catacomb doorway as a random event, then you've simply found the door that's currently present, so go ahead and tag it and trash the new one just drawn. If you already have knowledge of that door while drawing events and you draw another door, trash it and get a new event in its place.
If you stop in a location where a catacomb doorway exists, and you do not find it by random event, you may attempt to find the door with a
CAT% roll
after all other events are taken care of. If you discover the door, tag it. If you fail to find it, you must leave that location for at least one turn before returning and making another attempt.
To use a catacomb doorway you have knowledge of, enter the location with the door and [Leap to the Catacombs Entrance]. This will take you to the Catacombs map and, on your next turn, you may begin moving through the catacombs.
The Catacombs were created by a race of Dwarves and Wizards centuries ago to provide quick passage between Mariah Island and Breene Island as well as create a sacred place to bury their dead. They discouraged intruders by creating an elaborate series of caves, corridors, secret passages and rotating rooms and those who do not have the knowledge of how to get around can become quickly lost and trapped. Only the rooms have location numbers. The corridor spaces do not.
This makes the Catacombs extremely dangerous and not for the faint of heart or ill of health. They provide a very quick trip back to Mariah Island, if you're lucky, or can keep you trapped inside them for a very long time. Most events that occur will most likely be ugly so, hopefully, you won't have to encounter too many. Since the catacombs inhabitants know all the caves and secret passages, they may appear and disappear at will leaving you wondering how they got to your location or how they left.
The teleportation device that would send someone from Mariah Island to Breene Island was destroyed and forgotten a long time ago but the device to get back to Mariah Island, known as the Mariah Gateway, is still functioning here in the Catacombs... and that is your goal.
Roll a D4 to determine your MP for that turn. You may NOT add any extra MP for any reason ...because of all the caves, corridors and secret passages, traveling quicker than D4 per turn simple isn't possible. Each hex (corridor or room) has an MPC of 1.
At the beginning of each round, 0 to 3 rooms will be randonly rotated. You may move in any direction you like up to your MP. However, you may be blocked from entering a room because the room has rotated in such a way as to not provide a door. You may also find yourself in a room when it rotates and there's no way out.
When you are faced with a room that you cannot enter or leave, you may fool around with the various levers trying to figure out how to rotate the room. You would do this by making a
CAT% roll.
If successful, you may rotate the room randomly and if you roll less than 10%, you've figured out how to rotate the room anyway you like. If you fail, you must wait until next turn to try again or go somewhere else. Here's an example:
If you don't make it all the way to the Gateway and you're finding yourself in dire trouble, there are ways out of the catacombs. The obvious way is via the way you got into the catacoms, the front entrance.
Another way to get out of the catacombs is via a quick exit room. Depending on the map file used, there will be from 1 to 3 quick exit rooms available. They'll show a free standing door in the middle of the room, like the one on the left. To use it, simply move into the room and leave. The quick exit also gives you a way out if the room provides no other exit and you wish to avoid or run from an encounter.
Regardless of whether you leave via the catacombs entrance or a quick exit room, you would [Leap to the Palace Entrance] and then move your token to any known catacomb doorway. If there is no catacomb doorway that you know of, move to a Random Palace Location. If it's not an allowable location (like in a room that currently has a player in it), roll again.