I guess the question is why the suggested changes would unbalance the game. It doesn't seem that way on the surface at least. I mean, Ents can enter mountains, shambling corpses can enter mountains, fire ents can enter mountains. Even Spaf's Greatbow, with a Sparrow scouts, can enter mountains. Are any of those also unbalancing?

As far as making sense, that is definitely one of the aims of the game. For example, a ground unit can attack an air unit if it attacked a ground unit that turn. And why? Because it is assumed the air unit has come down to ground level. So it is supposed to make sense. Similarly, it makes sense that a dwarven blunderbuss sqad can enter mountains. They are not the same as something like a dag cannon.

Anyways, the main question is why the proposed changes would unbalance the game.

As I understand your proposal, are you suggesting ALL units have the ability to move at least one space per turn outside of their speed ability? This becomes tricky to program I would imagine. What about units with 0 speed?

I will suggest myself, as has been suggested elsewhere, that when cards were created most races got screwed when it comes to "strides," and that more MF cards should have mountainstride. As it stands there are two units, one of which has no attack value.

As for the Squad, it's like you said yourself, spaf's can move to mountains with enough speed upgrades. Well, so can the squad. Get creative. Find Draknor's chain and just jerk him from one end of the map to the other in a deadly hail of arrows and blood. Get out your geomantic trickster to pave the way for the squad. The GT can change multiple tiles in a single turn, you know.

I guess that assumes that, like m:tg, the -stride function is independent of the 'strategy of the domain' so to speak. Sylvan has a bunch of fast moving weenies. Moving fast includes foreststride. Mountain Folk are big and bulky, and strong. "Stride" as a general matter is not in their vocabulary. More like "lumber."



So there are three ways to get Blunderbuss into the mountains; increasing its speed, giving it mountainstride, or letting every creature move at least one space. As for the first two, they would requires that the squad cost more flux. As for the third, Akkmedk has it right; what happens to creatures with 0 speed? What happens to creatures that have been encased in ice? And before you say "well just change the text for Icy Encasement" remember that at point, you're advocating for a change in multiple cards which would almost never be done.

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-Minds

Okay. To lay it out again, what I am suggesting is that is that a unit be able to move one space, whatever the terrain, if they use their full move.

Let's put spells like Draknor's Chain to the side for now. I'm just concerned about normal movement.

Also, don't worry about cards with zero movement. This doesn't apply to them. Same for if Icy Encasement is used. Your creature must have at least one move for the mechanic to apply.

A possible addition to this is to add a negative ability, "cumbersome," which would prevent certain cards from entering mountains and swamps. Of course, under the existing rules they can't enter anyway, because they have such a low movement. This should apply to cards such as Spaf's Greatbow, or also, now that I think of it, the card that gives buildings movement, etc. So it should make sense.

Interestingly, this last change would not change things, in one sense, because the cards can't enter mountains anyway. In another sense, it would limit them because even with a sparrow scouts they would not be able to enter mountains. In another sense, it would increase their mobility, because they would be able to use their one move to enter terrain such as wooded hills, which they previously wouldn't have been able to enter.

We should probably just put the mountainwalk and increased movement options to the side. The option I have been describing seems like the interesting one.

One other interesting side effect would be that it becomes feasible to have cards that give only 1 movement. That would probably be quite useful for future card development. For example, you could have some sort of ooze, with a movement of only 1. So it can only move one if it is entering a mountain, using the mechanic described, but also only 1 if moving on plains.

Finally, I wouldn't worry about the programming side. What I am proposing is very simple to program compared to everything else that has already been done.

Giving possibility to move at least one hex need re-balancing for all figures with speed lesser than 4! So almost all creatures need review.

that would imply that people use creatures with speed less than 4

I'm not sure why all cards with move under 4 would need to be rebalanced. After all, the point of having low movement is to slow you down, not to stop you completely. The same with terrain. It's supposed to slow you down, not stop you completely. (Of course, water is an exception.) And when it comes to slowing you down, you can't get much slower than only being able to move one hex.

So why would so many cards need to be rebalanced?

Because all creatures logic with speed 3 or lesser will be changed.

Also...mountains seem to be an exception in some cases, like the one you describe at the beginning of the thread. But other than limited situations like that, why not go around the mountains?

Your suggestion fixes a very small set of problematic situations that are arguably not really problems but bad luck and good strategy on the part of an opponent. And on the other hand, there are cards you can use to get your Blunderbuss Squad out of that corner which have already been discussed.

I think the system is working how it was intended. Slow units have trouble with difficult terrain (you can make up reasons for that like hauling ammo if you want...in the end, it's just a game mechanic).

As for your ooze...it can have one movement and 'everything'-stride. No huge change to programming needed.

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Some people have a way with words. Other people...not have way.

Okay, on the rebalancing thing, Altren, I thought you meant the statistics of all those cards would need to be looked at. That is what I was questioning. But you are actually talking about the programming. But for this it would actually be a game command, rather than special programming for each card. Take my word for it - it's easy.

For Lordbrocolli, you start out a discussion with something you know ought to be changed, and take it from there. We know the blunderbuss should be able to enter mountains - it's just a question of how to do it. We've looked at a few options, and ended up with a pretty interesting one that would, I think, deepen the game.

So you are right. This did start out with a minor point. But sometimes a minor point will lead you to deeper implications. If it does, then why not go with it.

Now as far as the unusual situation I was in, and normally just going around the mountain, this unusual situation actually happened to me. That's why I started this thread. In legal language, I have "standing" to raise the matter, since I have personally been harmed by it.

Once again, I want to put all magical types of movement to the side. I know about those as well as everyone else.

Also, the point with the ooze is not to have everything-stride. The point is that it is actually feasible to have a creature with only one movement. It is a fact that this would open up some new doors in card development. You can have a lumbering creature that can lumber through difficult terrain, but doesn't go any faster on the plains or desert.