Someone didn't get the memo, apparently, but they posted an interesting idea to help balance RTL a little towards the OL side in Silver and Gold. Posted here below verbatim.

Usagi Said:

I'm fairly new to this game, but here is an idea I came up with to help keep balance in an otherwise lopsided RTL game.
Looking through the general flow of the game, there is a function (EG the legendary locations) to help the heros, should they be behind in conquest. However, theres no similer function for the overlord player. So, the mechanic I came up with is very simple. At the point of a campaign level up (copper to silver, etc.) if the overlord is behind in conquest tokens, for the rest of the campaign all monsters get +1 armor and +10% wounds (minimum 1, rounded up at .5). So a monster with 3 armor and 10 hp, would have 4 armor and 11 hp for the rest of the game after that.

THis also works as a balancer for 5 heros, I have found, to just let the overlord start with +1 armor and +10%hp at copper level.

We haven't used this much, but it sems to work. I'd like to hear other peoples opinions or projections on how this could play out overall, though.

I heard a good idea or two as well:

*) Bleached Lizard's loadout sheets already give the OL a little more monsters in silver and a bit more in gold...

*) An user whose name I sadly forgot suggested that the OL be able to expand the dungeons a little in silver and a little more in gold by adding extra tiles (2 2x4 corridors in silver, some more in gold) to increase the room for spawning, distances between glyphs and somewhat inhibit the first-turn hero rush.

I know I'm going to get jumped on for saying this, but:

I don't see a problem with balance at higher levels. Two reasons:

1. I don't think it needs to be balanced at all levels. If so, then the heroes need some more help at the very beginning.

2. The OL has 3 ways to win the game (raze Tamalir, achieve plot victory, or defeat players in the final battle) while the heroes have only one. Two of the OL paths to victory can be achieved before the heroes gain the upper hand. It seems that the OL has to win by one of the first two before mid-silver level because if it comes to the third, the heroes are most likely going to win.

What is needed, in my opinion, is a way to concluded the campaign earlier (other than one side throwing in the towel).

Xandria, I'm a huge proponent of the expanded dungeons. My heroes let me do it if there are too many people playing on any given night. We planned to use that as a backup if this 5 player RtL session got out of hand, but so far, mid-silver, I'm still up two to one on them, so no need.

The size of the dungeon is massively important to the OL. Adding a 2x2 hall between all the pieces is a huge boost, and could easily help dynamically balance things in RtL if you are looking for something like that.

Rednek said:

Not at all Rednek, I actually agree. I think the tide of play is heavily balanced in the heroes favor. The OL has to build up strategically in order to be able to win the game. The heroes really just need to aqure skills which mesh together in order to gain an advantage.

At the end of it all, the OL has the chips stacked against him in the final battle, and the build up to that point will be the deciding factor. Usually the heroes will have the advantage, and that's why I believe the designers gave the OL alternate winning scenarios to compensate.

This idea is more for people who do find that the game gets a little boring once the heroes are all hulked up.

I definetly find the game boring once the heroes are bulked up, and so do my heroes!

They expect me to be able to keep the pressure on them, and while it's nice for them to roll over me for a room or two, its not fun to hit that break point and just walk through the game for the next 1 hour...

So what other custom rules do you guys have for the vanilla version of this game?

Adding tiles probably would work, but maybe that's just for the campaign expansion..

Any other ideas?

-sb

Adding tiles works in all versions. More tiles = more OL turns, sharper angles for LOS, etc.

In general, slower heroes = much more evil.

Tile addition is a great idea. It also allows the OL to add a little of himself to the levels - a little creative flair. The addition of corridors or a single room can potentially make a heck of a difference. Wish I'd thought of this