I'm preparing to package up and release In the Balance 2.0 in the near future, the successor to my first full expansion which doubled the count of cards in many of the standard decks and introduced some new mechanics, including some simplified new card subtypes. 2.0 includes many minor revisions, and while preparing final graphics, I stopped to ponder one new subtype set of cards - Place-Challenges. These were inspired by the original Cave card.

The Cave has often been seen as inside-out by both old-hand RPGers and even pure boardgames who stopped to consider it as more than just another gain of free gold. In essence, the Cave offers the chance of a reward but only if there's nothing in there that might have a hoard. On the flipside, if some nasty comes at you and your defeated, there's no hoard (aside from no trophy). So how did that gold actually get there? Pretty silly, since it didn't have to be that way.

Originally the 2E Cave was an optional encounter; you chose to enter or not. Most often, starting characters didn't go in. The risk was too high with a lack of places to spend any gold gained by luck early in the game. Standard spaces vs Stranger and Place cards offering services and goods weren't easy or plentiful enough for the risk. By the time characters were tough enough to risk it, they were more interest in trophies and had already gained gold other ways. Too often, I saw the Cave get blasted off the board by a spell before even 1 visit. It didn't have to be that way. The change in 4ER to a forced encounter didn't solve any of the Cave's innate faults. Hence my attempted creation of a new form of Place-Challenges (which doesn't include a remake of the Cave).

The "challenge" in creating these cards was to base gains on the danger faced, and to provide a little better variety in what could be gained. Most especially special rewards that might help a character more immediately than just seeking out a place to spend gold. Special gains differed from one card to the next. In addition, a couple of different card mechanics were implement across different P-C cards. But for ITB 2.0, I wanted to standardize the mechanic on all such cards, leaving the only variation between them as what was faced and what might be gained. And lastly, what would work best for the greatest number of players is of interest to me. By "players" I refer to those who like fan cards that bring something new to the game, not those just looking for cards with new titles and picture.

The example below, the Lonely Barrow, is one of five Place-Challenges in ITB. The others have different creatures and different special rewards beyond gold. (NOTE: before anyone brings it up, I will not use Treasure cards as special rewards; rewards will be based only in what can be found in the base game so than anyone can use ITB regardless of having commercial expansions or not.) I present here examples of the varied mechanics that were among P-C cards, but I show them using only one P-C for easier comparison.

So, if you game, give me your perspective on the potential strengths AND weakenesses for each type of card mechanic. Overall, my group and two test groups abroad that I use regularly like the third variation best. But that may not hold true for other players interesting in adding something new to gameplay beyond a picture and title.

Have at it, folks, and feel free to discuss these among yourselves. I may not make it back here right away. You can right-click and view/save any image to see and enlarged 300ppi version.

For the sake of those who are curious about other special reward variations, here are the other cards in the deck. You should feel free to comment on these as well, though my primary interest is in the mechanics issue.

Version 2 of the Lonely Barrow is the easiest to read and seems more consistant with current cards.

I like the idea. It sucks going to fight for nothing. The option of the 1 object from the 10 ten discards is kind of cool.

The Revenant to me should be a craft monster. In AD&D (which I've played since 82) it is a pretty devestating being with it's gaze attack.

Then again it attacks physically. Maybe it could be fought either craft or strength.

Hi there, a quick stop on a break here. So that's one vote for version 2, and your reason makes some sense (and was why that version was originally conceived alongside the others). About the revenant....

In more modern times, the term has been used for a spirit. Traditionally, "revenant" is simply a term for the deceased's remains in general, hence a corpse. In older folklore of the undead, a revenant was always physical, and what has been done in games has little to do with the term's supernatural origins. The undead (the original ones vs pop culture today) are sort of my thing. There are some accounts of a revenant rising from the grave.

These are now sometimes termed a High Revenant. In pop culture terms, they are kind of a self initiated uber-zombie without all that flesh-eating BS. They come back based on a great unfulfilled desire for something that was cut off from them by their death. They will never return to their grave until that desire is fulfilled. Vengeance was not always what drove them - often not. They are unkillable, and until rendered to ash, even their parts will seek their goal to the bitter end. They make vampires look like wimps if you get in their way, though they do not attack anything the isn't pertinent to completing their task. The one on the card is certainly not as strong as it should be.

I do remember one obscure tale of one that was trapped in a pit that was then covered in stone and mortar. It reappeared 7 years later having wormed its way around the blockage through the surrounding soil and rock. That one was never heard from again in the village where it appeared. It never attacked anyone on its way out into the wilds.

Well, I received 13 feedbacks including the one herein, and response and preferences were pretty much split evenly across all three forms of the card mechanics. Old schoolers (with or without RPG background) like the concept of version 3 for its wilder variety in both encounters and rewards. Boardgame purests wanted something closer to standard cards, including just the same thing as the standard Cave with only different creatures; for a fan expansion, that's been done to death and isn't going to happen here.

The only noteworthy comment came from those who preferred the second form of the cards. One reviewer mentioned that it might be better to "add" than "subtract" the second roll. Honestly, I should have thought of this myself, though such simply mathematics either way should be easy for anyone. But the notion that first die rolled for encounter would still be sitting on the board, and second die could be line up next to it for an easy "add" of two dice is certainly a cleaner approach.

And hence, I've decided to go with the 2nd mechanic as the middle ground to appeal to more players. I've re-rigged the second "rewards" die roll table to reflect results based on adding the two dice together. When ITB 2.0 comes out, it will also include a Cave "replacement" card for those who wish to have that card match the other Place-Challenger cards. Below is a preview of the results. Right-click and Save/View to look at the 300ppi printable versions.