So after 4 quests playing the OL I finally convinced my friend to be the overlord and I'm running quest 5 w/3 heroes (Silhouette, Steelhorns and Landrec). I've frustrated him to no end because I have Silhouette (5 movement) w/Acrobat and I'm running her through all the monsters he sets up, activating glyphs and popping into town. I then have Landrec pop in (he has divine retrib. AND the frost rune which he always has a blast 3 on due to surges from his innate ability and skill - so the OL is damned either way) and blast almost everyone, with Steelhorns cleaning up as needed (frankly he is completely marginalized). The quest, frankly, has been a cakewalk for me (it's not over but I have 12 conquest) but I'm running it the way I always wanted HIM to play - fast and loose, and abandoning old areas withOUT picking up every potion, gold pile, etc. I think one advantage here is the map is a bunch of hallways Silhouette just manages to get down in time, but I digress....

Is it "broken" if a hero were to have: acrobat, the skill w/+2 move and the skill with +2fatigue? This hero would, like Sihouette, be a running scout, activating glyphs, picking up treasure (which is risky) as needed, and the other 2 heroes would literally be along for the ride? I have been lucky as she has only fallen into 1 pit and opening treasure has not turned her into a monkey, etc. I will say the combo with her and a blast/exploding Landrec (who only gives 2 conquest at death) is particularly AWESOME for heroes but humiliating for the OL. I'm sure he's wishing he could dark charm a Landrec in the dungeon to kill/cripple the other 2 heroes, but he already used the card early and needs a deck reshuffle to get at it. Oh well...maybe this is just a lucky draw for the heroes? Any comments are welcome!

First: If Silouette got those skills, then she was very very lucky. As you probably know by now, she is the only hero in the original game who could get that combination as there is no other with 3 subterfudge cards. The way she has been played is just corret. That's what she is for.

Second: The original game is easier for the heroes, while the first two expansions make it much easier for the OL. I haven't seen the other expansions. Playing the OL against that team is a hard work. However the correct use of the trap cards should help the OL to get rid of both Silouette and Landrek. The OL should play the dark charm only when a hero has a powerfull weapon (not before). The gas on the doors and the monkey god curse would stop Silouette and the big monsters would "take care" of her. Since she has been running so fast I assume she is low armored. Combos with the pits and the crushing block would force her to play slower. The red spider can also block Landrek (or Silouette) while the big monsters have a word with the melee fighter.

Third: Silouette is fast while Landrec is slow. This means that either she doesn't run very offnet or one of them is usually alone. In this particular case this is not much as killing her would be like killing a flea with a gun, and killing him means death, but with other combination of skills, a low armor hero alone is death man. In general having a fast character is only useful at the beggining of an area. Otherwise he/she gets alone and is easy to knock out.

In general I dare say the heroes got very lucky and the OL has almost no way to stop them. If you had any expansion, he would still be able to do something more.

There are some awesome combos out there for the heroes. Unless a group has been stuck unable to defeat the same quest many times, or the OL is playing as a facilitator rather than a competitor then choosing skills should not be allowed. After that its just bad luck for the OL if excellent heroes combine with great skills.

You might consider asking for a redeal if too powerful a combo comes up. I doubt the players will agree though - until the first time you insist they keep their draw of Lyssa, Red Scorpion and Aurim!

Other really powerful combos:

Tahlia with Unmoveable, Knight and either Mighty/Weapon Mastery or Battle Cry. (4 attacks, 1.5 moves and +1 armour...)

Landrec with Spiritwalker, Prodigy and Wild Talent (Attacks from up to 10 squares away with 4 surges and 1 Sorcery, and an extra dice against traps (dark charm in particular!))

Brother Glyr with 2 of Bear Tattoo, Taunt or Tough, and Cautious (very difficult to hurt and exercises crowd control on the monsters with Taunt and/or Grapple)

Nanok with the same (add Enduring to the mix, probably replacing the unnecessary Tough!)

One Fist with Mighty, Swift and Acrobat (Runs 12 through anything and can still deliver a Red/Green/2Black/+2 damage attack. Without spending fatigue. Substitute Tiger Tattoo for Mighty for more speed and a lesser punch).

Laurel of Bloodwood with Lucky, and any two of Eagle Eye, Marksman, Master Archer, Born to the Bow (massive damage for ranged character)

Grey Kerr with Rapid Fire, Skilled, Vampiric Blood (machine gunning the plebs)

Several of these combos can easily substitue out one skill for a large number of others and are not particularly hard to get.