Effective Procrastination: Hunt for the Golem solo conversion (finished)

[Pseudok]

I do have some things to do, yet this is what I came up with.

Hunt for the Golem mini campaign, in my mind, is a terrific sequel to Dark Alchemy campaign. Something caused the explosion in the ancient factory, right? Let's find out, who!

I haven't played the campaign in as a co-op version, so I'm not even trying to make this a co-op modification. They are intended for solo play. Wizard is assumed to have a little bit of experience from Dark Alchemy campaign, around three to five levels. Setting up a base between these two campaigns is probably reasonable enough. Since warband isn't retreating in haste, roll post-game injury tables for rank-and-file soldiers in the normal fashion.

Rules haven't been playtested even once. I'm not procrastinating that badly... yet, at least. Rules probably aren't going to make a lot of sense if you don't own Hunt for the Golem campaign pdf.

So, here are my proposed changes to make campaign fit for solo play:

************
(Changes made recently are underlined.)

Scenario one: The Attack Site

- Scenario should be played on 2ftx2ft board instead. Warband deploys within 3" of one of the table edges. Six corpse markers should be placed on board at least within 9" of player deployment edge and within 6" of each other. At least one should be placed on a second story (or above) of a terrain feature. Player doesn't need to roll initiative in this scenario.

Player can choose Wizard or Apprentice for this scenario, plus three other members of the warband.

Corpse check result table is modified thus:
2x Treasure: 1-10
3x Zombie Attack: 11-19
1x Golem Notes: 20

- If golem notes haven't been found and there is only one unchecked corpse on the board, notes will be found there without need to roll the table.

- War Hound can search a corpse marker, but cannot carry treasures or the golem notes.

- A successful casting of Reveal Secrets spell doesn't add a treasure token - instead you can check the result of one of the corpse markers. If it reveals a zombie attack, the zombie won't re-animate until a warband member moves within 1" of the marker.

- All the bodies on the field are smouldering with eerie, alchemical fire - no doubt caused by whatever infliced all this damage to surroundings.

Zombies in this scenario have same Burning rule as skeletons in Dark Alchemy scenario 2. When a corpse marker check turns out to be a zombie attack, the zombie gets +2 Fight for that attack on the warband member. Ordinary zombies don't feign death that well...

- Additionally, there is a time limit in this scenario. At the end of Creature Phase five, golem notes are consumed by alchemical fire.

- Warband wins the scenario if golem notes are in possession of either Wizard or any other member of the warband after six rounds have passed. If notes self-destruct, campaign ends. (easier but less table-flippy mode: if wizard is in contact with the last unchecked corpse marker at the start of  seventh turn, it can be considered that he or she snatched the documents at the last minute... no, last quarter of a minute)

Treasures and Experience:
35 experience per treasure token that exits board or is being carried by a warband member when scenario ends in victory. If scenario ends in loss, treasure tokens are worth only 10 experience points and 10 gold.
10 experience for each zombie slain by the warband.
20 experience if wizard exits the board in possession of golem notes.

Roll treasures from the Dark Alchemy treasure table.

- - - - -

Scenario two: Field Research

- This scenario should be played on a 2ftx3ft board, where one of the short table edges is the player deployment area. Deployment area is 3". Player may select Wizard or Apprentice for this scenario, plus three other soldiers. Player doesn't need to roll for initiative in this scenario.

Place the Granite Golem within 12" of a long board edge and 4" from the opposite short table edge.

Place four treasure tokens on the board, no closer than 8" from any long table edge and at least within 6" of each other.

- Place six statues as per scenario instructions. These statues work exactly as written in the scenario description, except that magic emanating from Granite Golem starts to animate these statues from the second Creature Phase onwards. Roll randomly which statue animates. Statues take only one action on the turn they are animated, but follow the normal rules for creatures from then on.

Statues animated by the Granite Golem are tainted by some sort of demonic sentience from ancient magic gone foul - Banish causes two points of damage to a small construct that fails Will roll, and Planar Tear functions against the constructs as if they were demons.

- Granite Golem functions a little differently in this scenario. It will throw the rock as usual, but unless there is a warband member within 10", it will just take a 3" movement in random direction as it's second action. It will not throw a rock into a melee combat if there is another valid target.

- Warband wins this scenario if wizard or apprentice is within 5" of the Granite Golem at the start of a Wizard phase. One warband member also needs to exit the board. In this scenario it is possible to move away from melee combat with Granite Golem. If a warband member escapes this way, Granite Golem will attack by throwing a rock immediately.

You can attempt this scenario a total of two times if it doesn't succeed at the first time. If warband loses scenario, wizard gains only 10 experience points and 10 gold coins per recovered treasure.

Campaign ends if warband loses this scenario twice - a more professional (or aggressive!) wizard has already captured or destroyed the golem.

Experience:
35 experience per recovered treasure token. Treasure tokens that haven't been moved off board when scenario ends in loss are not recovered. Treasure tokens that aren't being carried by a soldier when scenario ends in victory are not recovered.
15 experience points per destroyed small construct if scenario ends in victory.
+ scenario specifics.

Roll treasures from the Dark Alchemy treasure table. Player may exchange one treasure for a roll from the table in main rulebook.

- - - - -

Scenario 3: The House of the Golem

- This scenario should be played on a 2ftx2ft board. Player may choose either Wizard or Apprentice or both for this scenario, plus other soldiers for a total of four warband members. Place four treasure tokens on the board, at least 9" from player's table edge and at least 6" from each other. Maximum Line of Sight for this scenario is 10" because of the debris all over the ruined factory.

Deployment area is one of the short table edges. Place Granite Golem in the middle of the opposite table edge.

- Randomise the target of crumbling machinery between the members of your own warband, ignoring Wizard and Apprentice as normal. Starting from second turn player gets a -2 penalty to initiative rolls, plus additional -1 for each turn thereafter. If only warband members still in action are Wizard and/or the Apprentice, randomise between the two.

Scenario ends in victory when Granite Golem is destroyed or captured and there are no warband members on the board.

This scenario may be attempted twice. If scenario is lost twice, the golem has accidentally buried itself in rubble of the ruined factory.

Treasures and Experience:
35 experience per treasure token that has been carried of the board. If scenario ends in loss, each recovered treasure gives only 10 experience points and 10 gold coins.
+ scenario specifics

Roll treasures from Dark Alchemy treasure table, or from the table present in this scenario.

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I tried to keep Dark Alchemy as the guideline for allowed warband size and such. First and last scenario have a sort of pressure with time limits. Second scenario in my opinion didn't need one, as the scenario isn't won by wrecking face. Any thoughts and considerations?

The "extra attempts" on second and third scenario might be unnecessary added complexity, but I thought that it might make sense that you can have a couple tries when background story isn't life-threatening or that urgent matter. Yet I didn't want to make it a worthwhile "grind" to fail intentionally the first time, so treasures and most experience gains are kind of trash.

[Dreadknot69]

Thanks for the tweaks to the scenarios.  I'll give it a try after Dark Alchemy and let you know how it goes.

[Pseudok]

Some tweaks 16/05/16:

- I did the first scenario with a couple mock-up runs, and turned out the turn limit is way too generous. Only time it came even close was when I purposefully decided that zombies will win first attack, no matter the rolls.


- Second scenario was broken, as I had not read Granite Golem's rules well enough. Updated golem AI for that one.


- Third scenario looked passable as is. Mock-played this one only once, though. However, I added a limit on Line of Sight for this scenario.

[Pseudok]

After a few more play test runs:

Tweaks on 20/05/16:
I realised that player could be gaining quite a bit of wealth from this campaign, so I made all scenarios use Dark Alchemy treasure table one way or another.

First and last scenario had a little bit of difficulty added to them, and second scenario had even more tightening up of rules for Granite Golem.

After latest changes I feel the required rules for solo play are now complete. Difficulty level, on the other hand, is quite another matter. In my experience the second scenario was toughest. First and last scenarios seem to be lost mostly when dice skews absurdly in favour of monsters. Of course I haven't spent countless hours playtesting this with every possible school of magic, so I'd love to hear any thoughts if difficulty should be adjusted even further up.

[chrisbogert]

Nice, I will have to try this.

[Wyrmalla]

Ooh, thanks for these. I'll have to have a shot with a new warband.

Hmn, I'm just wondering how the single player names would integrate into later multiplayer ones. I suppose they could be kept separate (I could always have two warbands on the go).

[Pseudok]

Hmn, I'm just wondering how the single player names would integrate into later multiplayer ones. I suppose they could be kept separate (I could always have two warbands on the go).

In my experience the gold gain is significantly less in Dark Alchemy (and I tried to keep it that way in my conversion also, with just a little bit regular treasures added) but on the other hand, so is experience gain. I don't have any reliable data if the progression is 1:1 when compared to average multiplayer games in terms of level and gold, but I doubt the discrepancy is so extreme that migrating into a play group is going to be a problem (unless, of course, there are trust issues)

However, number of solo games does not equal number of multiplayer games, that one is for sure.

[punkrabbitt]

I am going to give this a try right after the Dark Alchemy campaign. Thank you for creating this mod.

[Like_Clockwork]

I personally have not yet tried Hunt for the Golem, due to the fact that my dad and I were planning on playing it when our Enchanters are a bit tougher. However, I do like this idea, and may give it a try, even if just as a simulation. However, for me, this mini campaign is leagues harder, because my objective is to capture the Granite Golem, and use it against my opponents. The Golem has a will of 6, and I have not poured enough into my Control Construct spell, so I am still leveling a little bit.

Thank you,
Like Clockwork