In a very long discussion about house rules, we decided to reverse the way we played campaign 1 and that abilities that say "Within X spaces" have to actually be real spaces on the map (ignoring obstacles), rather than an actual radius of effect (cutting across parts of the board that dont exist).

However, a couple of questions came up. Is the effect blocked by doors? I couldnt find anything in the rules which say so. Take Command for example - does it work through doors? Spiritwalker? Divine Retribution?

Then another question came up. Is a figure that is in an adjacent space to another figure but there is a door in between still considered adjacent? Again, I couldnt find anything to say otherwise, but that seems very odd for abilities like Grapple.

The way you're playing it, I'd treat doors like obstacles. If you allow obstacles to block the effect than that should apply to doors too. Officially doors would only block LoS, so it would only affect those abilities

You should let people know how this works out. I could already hear people discussing for or against this house rule, but if it worked for you it'd be good to know.

I believe he said that he was playing that these effects were not blocked by obstacles, just walls.

I play that walls and closed doors block all effects, without exception. But the rules aren't terribly specific, so that's just conjecture.

Antistone, I believe you are correct. With Grapple, for example, there is no way that could work through a door or a wall, in my opinion. That would be far too much of a "reach".

Boo @ that bad joke.

This little Xandria would not let these things work through doors, either. If they can stop a boulder, then why not some dumb aura?

As the Overlord YOU make the rules. That's just my opinion. I see the rules as a guidline of how to play. Many people play Descent differently. Some groups it more like team vs. team. For other groups it's more of an experience, much like traditional role-playing.

As the overlord I see doors as an extention of walls. OR walls that are 'moveable'. If the door is open then the 'wall' is not there. If the door is closed then the 'wall' is there. And that, for me, brings a lot of clarity to how to decide on area affects.

Hope that helps.

firandsteel said:

Actually it doesn't.

While you are free to play any way you like, presenting house rules as actual rules in an area that already suffers from confusion is actively unhelpful.

As OL you are not the maker of the rules. You have no more authority on the rules than any other player. You are free to play in a different style, but this is the way the game is designed and written.

OTOH, the consideration of doors as walls is a helpful idea. I agree, remembering that stuff on the far side of an unoppened door (to a new area) effectively does not exist yet,

Yeah, what Corbon said. You cannot have a competitive game where one side is allowed to arbitrarily change the rules. The rules are the rules. The overlord has no special power to create or alter them.

Indeed; though, as OL, I find it most helpful to propose an on-the-fly ruling to the players when I see a problem coming up. We keep that ruling then, unless it shows to be ineffective.

Just my hint... Command ignores LoS as far as I know...