That's the best title I could think of for this idea, lol.
So the basic premise is that I'm using terrain cards to create mini areas that can be explored by characters. Each of these areas is composed of roughly 54 cards (makes it easy to send it off to the printer. One deck, that way) of which four are Terrain cards. Terrain cards are separated from encounter cards and are labeled according to the order in which they are encountered. Each mini-area has a starting location (terrain card entrance) which will allow characters to encounter that space (and draw one encounter card) until they achieve something that will unlock the next area. (Defeating an enemy, drawing an event, special item, etc.) Each of these entrance places are tied into a central gate that is only accessible VIA Runegate, making these mini-areas a little more exclusive (and they don't need to be stuck right in against the board, which for me, playing with both core boards and eight corner boards, has gotten a little big for my table.) The "Slipgate" and all mini-areas accessible through the Slipgate can be placed on a small adjacent table.
To the cards:
First, there is the Slipgate. This links all of the "chains" or mini-areas. (Right now, I only have one working mini-area, but plans for several others, and would love to see more mini-areas created by others inspired by this idea!)
Connected to the Slipgate are mini-area entrances like this card ^^^. This is the entrance to the Vaults of Zin (or Zin Chain) and it can be encountered again and again until one meets the requirements to unlock the next terrain card (in this case, it's a key-holding Enemy).
^^^ This is a key-holding enemy, and the way that new areas are unlocked in this particular chain. Two markers make it easy to tell that this is a way to unlock the next area. First, the icon next to the name, and second, the game text. Now, if you meet the requirements (beat the enemy) you unlock Terrain Card #2 and move deeper into the chain.
^^^ This is area #2. The action intensifies!
^^^ Area #3 is even more intense, but if you want to get the treasure, you've got to make your way through the meatgrinder.
^^^ Area #4 is the deepest area in the chain and it's where the good reward is. Only one player may claim this reward before the area closes FOREVER (well, for this game, at least) and becomes totally inaccessible (with all unencountered monsters and treasures hidden inside.)
Each area has a theme, and has a certain type of goodies that the players can recover from it. For the Vaults of Zin, it's all potions of varying strengths (and a chalice that makes potion-quaffing much more satisfying!) I've included some examples below:
I'm mostly through tweaking this particular mini-area, but ideas and suggestions are, of course, welcome. In a week or so, I'll send the complete chain (and the slipgate) to Talisman Island.
I'm very excited about this particular new dynamic!