League: Ogre King Road

Here's the text I've come up with for our "missing League", Ogre King Road:


Ogre King Road Mountains, Hills, Road, Border
     Long ago, the menacing stomp of Ogre soldiers on the road echoed off these Mountains. Now there is only oppressive silence, occasionally broken by haunting whispers carried on the wind. Some have debated which is more frightening.
     Enter: Free by Mountains or Road; Might Trial difficulty 5 by Hills
     Leave: As above
     Rest: This is an uncomfortable place. You must pass a Resolve Trial difficulty 4 to rest. If successful you may recover 1 Ally or Art; otherwise, you will find no rest here. Ogres and Trolls do not have to face the Trial to rest.

The Mystery of the Missing League

As I was getting ready to play a solo game, I had the map laid out and noticed that I was missing a League. Moxtaveto calls it Ogre King Road:

I checked my database and Richard Uyeyama's lists and text, and did not find a listing for this League. So I checked a couple of other places, including Scrye's Collectible Card Game Checklist and Price Guide. No Ogre King Road there either.

A closer look at Moxtaveto's map reveals that he took a copy of Hall of the Ogre King and removed the city symbol...the two images mirror each other perfectly. In other words, Moxtaveto had a gap in the map and filled it in with another League.

Obviously something is supposed to go there...the road from Darkreach Mountains on one side and Hall of the Ogre King on the other shouldn't just end into midair. On the other hand, according to all the checklists I've found, all Leagues have been accounted for.

By happy coincidence, last week I ordered a back issue of Scrye that was supposed to have a color map of Ardenmore inside. It arrived today and I just scanned it. Here is what it looks like:

There is indeed a unique League in that spot, and it appears it was never printed. I've copied that section and inserted it into the combined map I made from Moxtaveto. here is what it looks like corrected:

I'll generate a full version of the card, complete with statistics, later on today or tomorrow. And since I like Moxtaveto's "Ogre King Road", that sounds like a fine name for The Missing League...

Minor Updates

I've updated the Excel Checklist/Database to add two Arts columns: Pyretics and Imagery. These are Arts that Naga Characters can choose to start the game with.

I've also uploaded a PDF version of the combined map of Arcadia. It's a little easier to read than the JPG version. You'll find the link in the sidebar to the right.

Solo Variant: "The Legend of Arcadia"

This is a solo variant I call "The Legend of Arcadia." It is a combination of Chronicle rules & Solo rules, and is designed for players who have a large collection of cards, but it can be played with proxy cards. The objective: complete every Quest, in order, for TWH first and then for KIM. Following the Quests in this fashion tells you the "story" of the game. And by the way, you have a limited time to complete each Quest...

What you will need:
All 25 Quests for both sets (total of 50)
All Leagues (use proxies for ones you don't have)
The Arcadia Map on this site for reference (this is your "game board")
As many Waylays as you can get, seperated into TWH & KIM decks
A deck of Flaws to represent the magic of Tiberius.
A character (can be from either set) with Merits (and Flaws if desired)
Quest treasures of your choice
White Dice for your rolls
Red Dice for your opposing rolls
Solo rules, with modifications found here
A counter to keep track of days (pen & paper, D20, etc.)
Database or card test list for any proxy cards

To begin:
Ardenmore and Middlemarch, when layed out together, are probably far too large of a gaming surface. Lay out the complete map for Ardenmore first, using proxy cards if necessary. Set up the TWH Quest cards in a deck, starting with Quest #1 (Prove Yourself) at the top, and in order down to #25 (Middlemarch Invaders) at the bottom. Shuffle the TWH Waylays and make sure the deck is placed face down.

Set the following cards aside (you will not use them as permanent Merits, Quest Treasures, or Waylays): The Wyldstone, Splendourscale, Sir Wrathgar, Duke Bane, Lady Sophia, Assjack, and Tiberius.

Choose your base camp - it may be any League that is at least 4 Leagues away from Eidolon. Your character starts here. Select the first Quest, place your treasure and begin. Remember, you will not be alternating days with another player, so keep track of the days - you must complete the Quest in a certain number of days. Move your character, resolve any exit or entry trials. Draw the top card of the Waylay Deck; if it can be played on the League, you must play it. If not it goes to the bottom of the Waylay pile, still face down. You cannot exceed the Waylay rating of your Quest, so terrain and cost will be a factor as to whether you can play the Waylay or not. For instance, if you are playing Prove Yourself and you've already drawn 12 points of Waylays, if you then draw a Waylay of 3 it cannot be played (only a 1 or 2 would work).

Treasure and Experience
As you complete each Quest you gain 1 XP, but for every 2 XP gained, Quest Waylay values increase by 1 (this does not affect the number of days to complete the Quest). As you gain XP, you may spend it on Merits or Permanent Treasure before starting the next Quest.

Quests
Quests will need some slight modifications. Follow the instructions on the Quest card, except where they differ as follows below. Each Quest is listed in order, with cumulative XP, adjusted Waylay values (based on XP earned), and Days allotted to complete each Quest. Don't forget to reset your day counter after each Quest.

Prove Yourself (XP = 0, Waylay = 14, Days = 14): Follow the rules above, except that type is now a factor. Move from League to League, drawing Waylays. You must complete one Waylay of each type, so you may discard a Waylay with a type you've completed and keep drawing until you get one you can use. After completing 1 Waylay of each type, you must be sure to return to Eidolon by the end of the 14th day.

Marauders (XP = 1, Waylay = 15, Days = 15): Defeat 4 combat Waylays. You may discard non-combat Waylays and keep drawing until you get one you can use.

Scour Darkreach Mountains (XP =2, Waylay = 13, Days = 12): You must travel through at least 4 different Leagues, one of which must be Darkreach Mountains.

Slavers (XP = 3, Waylay = 11, Days = 10): You lose all treasure and allies, and your other Merits are exhausted. Starting from Darkreach Mountains, you must travel at least 3 Leagues before you can start playing Waylays. Claim 1 treasure or ally for each Waylay defeated (you must claim at least 3), then return to Darkreach Mountains and defeat the slavers in a Combat Waylay. Any that you do not reclaim are lost.

Seek the Oracle's Advice (XP = 4, Waylay = 12, Days = 10/6/6): Travel to Sibylline Swamp from Darkreach Mountains and complete the requirements. You may place the treasure card but it must be at least 2 Leagues away from the Swamp. The journey from Darkreach Mountains to any League that is a marsh with an Entry Trial counts towards the 10 day time limit; you must pass the entry trial by the 10th day. You then have 6 days to get from the entered marsh League to the Sibylline Swamp. Finally, you are granted an additional 6 days to recover the treasure card and return to the Sibylline Swamp.

Amnesia (XP = 5, Waylay = 12, Days = 6/10): Place all your Abilities and Arts merits under different Leagues of your choice. You must recover as many as you can and journey to Raxis. Any you do not recover are lost. You have 6 days to move to a League that is not a marsh. Then start the 10 day time limit to get to Raxis.

Even Dragons Pay Taxes (XP = 6, Waylay = 13, Days = 10): You select the League where Splendourscale (counts as Quest Waylay) is to be placed, but it must be at least 3 Leagues away from Raxis. If take the treasure option, roll to see which treasure the dragon keeps and return the other treasure to Raxis. Discard Splendourscale at the end of the Quest.

Royal Cartographer (XP = 7, Waylay = 14, Days = 11): you must travel to 6 different Leagues, then return to Eidolon. One of the Leagues must be a Border.

The Flower Quest (XP = 8, Waylay = 20, Days = 16): travel to the Orchid Isle and return to Eidolon.

Peace Mission (XP = 9, Waylay = 13, Days = 9): from Eidolon, travel to any League that is a town, but the town must be in a League you have not traveled through yet.

Conscription (XP = 10, Waylay = 19, Days = 14): place 3 allies and your Quest treasure under different Leagues. If you don't have 3 allies, make up the difference with any 3 of your choice, but you do not get to keep these "new" allies, and you may not use their abilities. Starting from the Peace Mission town, recover all allies and return to Eidolon.

Save Rosewood Keep (XP = 11, Waylay = 19, Days = 14): Place Sir Wrathgar (counts as Quest Waylay) on Rosewood Keep. Journey to Rosewood Keep within the time limit. Hold it for 4 consecutive days, drawing a Waylay the first 3 days. If the Waylay rating of the Quest has been exceeded, continue to draw Waylays but they must be 2 or less. On the 4th day you must defeat the Sir Wrathgar Waylay. If you do not hold the keep for the first 3 days or do not defeat Sir Wrathgar, the game is lost. Discard Sir Wrathgar when the Quest is finished.

Escort Lady Sophia (XP = 12, Waylay = 24, Days = 18): Place Lady Sophia on Rosewood Keep. Journey from Rosewood Keep back to Eidolon. At least half of your Waylay points must be Combat Waylays (representing Duke Bane's forces). Discard Lady Sophia when the Quest is complete.

Victory Over Duke Bane (XP = 13, Waylay = 20, Days = 14): Place Duke Bane (counts as Quest Waylay) on Bane Tower. Journey from Eidolon to Bane Tower. You do not face Duke Bane there; instead, move to Irondeath Fields to encounter Bane. If you fail to defeat him, you have one last chance by moving to Dark Reach Pass, unless you run out of days. Discard Duke Bane when the Quest is finished.

Royal Wedding Gift (XP = 14, Waylay = 20, Days = 13): you may place the treasures, but they must be at least 3 Leagues from Eidolon. Return to Eidolon after recovering the wedding gift.

Courier for the Court (XP = 15, Waylay = 20, Days = 13): travel from Eidolon to Ebonlique and return to your base camp instead of Eidolon.

Capture the Traitor (XP = 16, Waylay = 22, Days = 14): Place Assjack (counts as Quest Waylay) on Eidolon. Travel from your base camp to Eidolon. You will not encounter Assjack there - roll to determine where Assjack is placed after you expose him in the throne room. Travel to where Assjack is hiding and defeat him. If you fail, Assjack is moved 1 space (roll to see where) and try again. Continue this until Assjack is defeated or you run out of days. Discard Assjack when the Quest ends.

Assault on Ebonlique (XP = 17, Waylay = 16, Days = 8): Place Tiberius (counts as Quest Waylay) on Ebonlique. Travel from Eidolon to Ebonlique. Draw from the Flaw deck until you have 1 Weakness Flaw costing 1, 1 Weakness Flaw costing 2, and 1 Weakness Flaw costing 3. These are used against you when facing Tiberius, so they must be Combat or Resolve related. Discard Tiberius when the Quest is done.

Quest for Knowledge (XP = 18, Waylay = 24, Days = 15): Travel from Ebonlique to any 3 Leagues with Ruins, stopping on the third League with Ruins.

The Wyld Hunt (XP = 19, Waylay = 25, Days = 16): Travel from the last League with Ruins you stopped on during the Quest for Knowledge, and journey to another League with Ruins that was not one of the three you just visited. Place The Wyldstone (counts as Quest Treasure) on this new League with Ruins that you have chosen. Pick 6 different character cards and roll a D6 to select one of them. During your travel, if you are on a League that did not have Waylay, you face the chosen character. The opposing character is a Waylay based on its highest type; if more than one type are the highest, select the type that is your lowest, and roll if you still cannot pick a test. For example, if you face a Male Imp it would be a Savvy Test, but if you face a Male Mer, it would be a Savvy or Resolve Test, whichever is your lowest, and if your Savvy and Resolve are the same, roll to choose one. This character may challenge you on a maximum of 3 different Leagues, even if you defeat it each time. When you recover The Wyldstone, you will keep it for the next Quest. Return to Eidolon from the Ruins. Do not discard The Wyldstone.

Jailbreak (XP = 20, Waylay = 18, Days = 8): Journey from Eidolon to Noria of Eternity. Discard The Wyldstone at the end of the Quest.

Balm for Madness (XP = 21, Waylay = 26, Days = 32): Travel from Noria of Eternity to Nowhere Glade, then from there to Eidolon. Gamine is only a burden from Noria to the Glade.

Gird the Realm's Heroes (XP = 22, Waylay = 26, Days = 15): Instead of searching for characters, take the treasures (one at a time) to three different cities of your choice, dropping off an unexhausted treasure and returning to Eidolon after each delivery to pick up a new treasure. Return to Eidolon when finished with the third delivery.

Reconnaissance Mission (XP = 23, Waylay = 27, Days = 16): Travel to any 3 Leagues that share a border with Middlemarch, then return to Eidolon.

Middlemarch Invaders (XP = 24, Waylay = 26, Days = N/A): Draw 26 points worth of Combat Waylays and place them on any of the Middlemarch border Leagues, one per space. At the beginning of each day after the first, move each Waylay 1 space towards Eidolon before you move. If any reach Eidolon, you lose the game. There is no time limit for this Quest. Journey to Irondew Keep to finish part 1.

PART TWO - MIDDLEMARCH

Use the Ardenmore map for the first Quest, except you replace Irondew Keep with Irondew Ruins. You will now draw from the KIM Waylay deck. Also, any new Merits (including treasures) must be from KIM. Set the following cards aside (you will not use them as Merits, Quest Treasures, or Waylays): Shrink Lamp, Blood Key, The Giant's Third Eye, Monkeywrench, Murch, Kenu, Mechopolis Blueprints, Flying Carpet, Steelwing the Steam Drake, Guthdass, Tiberius, Aldrich, General Electric, General Motors, Jacko D'Rakk, and The 4man.

Border Run (XP = 25, Waylay = 42): Travel from Eidolon to Irondew Ruins. Once you arrive at Irondew Ruins, defeat any Waylays there to finish the Quest. This will be your new base camp, a place where you can send messages to Gamine and receive instructions for infiltrating Middlemarch.

Stop play now and replace the Ardenmore map with the Middlemarch map, keeping Irondew Ruins, where you character will start the next Quest from. (Note: To enter Middlemarch from Irondew Ruins, you must go through Iron Swamp.) Now move on to Quest #2.

Hunted! (XP = 26, Waylay = 38): Travel from Irondew Ruins to Mirron. Encounter Waylays normally; do not use the "moving Waylays" part of the Quest.

The Dark Yeoman's Dream Test (XP = 27, Waylay = 38): Journey from Mirron to Nowhere Forest and Nowhere Timberlands, then return to Mirron.

Dark Yeoman's Quest: King of the Hill (XP = 28, Waylay = 35): Place the Shrink Lamp (counts as Quest Treasure) and General Electric (counts as Quest Waylay) on the Garden District. Journey from Mirron to the Garden District to obtain the Lamp, then travel to the Ant Hill. You lose the Shrink Lamp when the Quest is completed.

Dark Yeoman's Quest: Jacko D'Rakk (XP = 29, Waylay = 40): Place the Blood Key (counts as Quest Treasure) and Jacko D'Rakk (counts as Quest Waylay) on Jacko's Bog. Travel from the Ant Hill to Jacko's Bog to obtain the Blood Key. You may keep the Blood Key until the end of the game.

Dark Yeoman's Quest: Decoy (XP = 30, Waylay = 40): Starting at Jacko's Bog, journey to Bog Pits of Grey Filth to encounter the Cog Waylay. Each time you beat it, move it 1 space closer to Irondew Ruins. If you are defeated, it moves a space closer to Mirron. When the Cog Waylay is moved onto Irondew Ruins, set the Cog Waylay aside and enter the Ruins to finish the Quest.

Dark Yeoman's Quest: Cog Refinery Spill (XP = 31, Waylay = 42): Journey from Irondew Ruins to Cog Refinery, blow it up, then travel to Mirron.

The Secret of the Sleeping Giant (XP = 32, Waylay = 41): Travel from Mirron to The Sleeping Giant, then travel to Ruins of Srissan.

The Third Eye (XP = 33, Waylay = 41): Place The Giant's Third Eye (counts as Quest Treasure) on Chasm Spires. You must journey to Chasm Spires. After you recover The Giant's Third Eye from the Chasm Spires, you must journey to The Sleeping Giant. Give up The Giant's Third Eye at the end of your Quest.

Assault on Mechopolis (XP = 34, Waylay = 46): Journey from The Sleeping Giant and destroy Uptown, Downtown Mechopolis, The Skywalk, and The Promenade.

Enslaved! (XP = 35, Waylay = 45): Your allies and treasure are placed on Residential Mechopolis, The Market, and The Slums. Recover them and return to Irondew Ruins.

Join the Monkey Wrench Gang! (XP = 36, Waylay = 51): Place Monkeywrench (counts as Quest Treasure) on the East Watch Tower and Murch on Secret Tunnels. Journeying from Irondew Ruins, recover them both and finish at Western Watch Tower. You lose both at the end of the Quest.

Rally the Slaves (XP = 37, Waylay = 46): Place Kenu on Undercity Slave Pits. Journey from Western Watch Tower to Undercity Slave Pits, then to Irondew Ruins.

Raid on General Motor's Workshop (XP = 38, Waylay = 49): Place the Mechopolis Blueprints (counts as Quest Treasure) and General Motors (counts as Quest Waylay) on Iron Park. Journey from Irondew Ruins to Iron Park and back. General Motors moves at the end of the day. Give up the Blueprints when the Quest is done.

Stowaway! (XP = 39, Waylay = 49): Travel from Irondew Ruins to Undercity Slave Pits. Take the barge from there to The Great Dam as the Quest instructs.

Free the Waterfall City (XP = 40, Waylay = 45): Travel from The Great Dam to Kaihikaai. Once you convince the Kokua to rebel, draw until you get the 2 combat Waylays you must face to leave Kaihikaai, then journey to Omar's Tackle Shop to finish the Quest.

Kokua Raid (XP = 41, Waylay = 50): Draw from the Waylay deck until you draw 2 Cog combat Waylays; place 1 at Lastwater Fields and 1 at Splendour Riverbed (these count towards the Quest Waylay). Journey from Omar's Tackle Shop back to Kaihikaai, then to The Great Dam. The Dam must be approached from Lastwater Fields. You may not travel through the East Gate Access League.

The Floating City (XP = 42, Waylay = 53): Start Qadan over The Lighthouse, while you will start from The Great Dam. At the beginning and end of each day, roll for the movement of Qadan as specified in the Quest. A roll which would take it off the edge of the map is re-rolled, and a roll of 6 moves it away from you.

Air Assault (XP = 43, Waylay = 53): Place the Flying Carpet on Qadan (counts as Quest Treasure). Take leave of Qadan on the Flying Carpet. Attempt to guide it to the Middlemarch Airfields, then return to Qadan. At the beginning and end of every day during this Quest, move Qadan as established in The Floating City Quest. Also, if you fail to control the Magic Carpet, it moves 2 Leagues away from your intended destination. Your quest ends by landing on Qadan. At the beginning and end of each day on each Quests that follow, continue to roll and move Qadan.

The Steam Drake's Lair (XP = 44, Waylay = 53): Place the Steam Drake Waylay (counts as Quest Waylay) on the Lair of the Steam Drake. Journey to the Undercity Slave Pits, moving the Drake Waylay at the end of each day in the same manner that Qadan was moved in the previous 2 Quests.

The Slave Pit (XP = 45, Waylay = 52): Place The 4man (counts as Quest Waylay), Guthdass, and Tiberius in the Undercity Slave Pits. Start in Undercity Slave Pits and break down the door as instructed in the Quest, then defeat The 4Man. Return with only Guthdass and Tiberius as allies to Irondew Ruins. You will lose Guthdass and Tiberius but gain your other allies back at the end of the Quest.

Unwind the Key (XP = 46, Waylay = 55): Journey from Undercity Slave Pits to The Tower of King Ironheart and follow the Quest instructions.

Aldrich, the Mechician (XP = 47, Waylay = 43): Place the Aldrich Waylay (counts as Quest Waylay) on Aldrich's Workshop. Journey from The Tower of King Ironheart to Aldrich's Workshop. You must approach the Workshop through the Cog Training Grounds, defeating the Cog version of you and then Aldrich.

The Darkening (XP = 48, Waylay = 52): Journey from Aldrich's Workshop to Qadan. You must pass through The Tower of King Ironheart on your way to Qadan. Don't forget that at the beginning of each day you roll for your travel, and at the beginning and end of each day you roll to move Qadan as specified on the Quest card.

Escape the Great Caliph's Wrath (XP = 49, Waylay = 50): Place 2 treasures on different Leagues that are at least 3 Leagues away from the current location of Qadan. Move Qadan at the beginning and end of each day. Re-enter Qadan with both treasures to win the game!

In my next post I'll show a sample game using this variant.

Complete Map of Arcadia

Below you will find a complete map of Arcadia. I took Moxtaveto's Maps and combined them into one giant map. If you play both sets, this is how all the Leagues would look laid out. At the very bottom you will see Irondew Ruins sitting by itself; this League actually occupies the same spot the Irondew Keep does. Between the time of TWH and KIM stories, Irondew Keep has fallen to the Cog Army, so Irondew Ruins replaces Irondew Keep on the map.

Also, when combining these two maps, Road to Middlemarch from TWH and Irondew Junction from KIM lose their Border attribute. This is the only way to pass from Ardenmore to Middlemarch.

This was kind of a rush job in Photoshop, so it's not as pretty and lined up as it could be, but it still is usable. Thanks again to Moxtaveto for all the hard work!

Modification of solo rules

Sometimes it can become more of a challenge to find other players than it can to find cards. It would be a shame to let your cards to go to waste, wouldn't it? There's a solo variant in TWH rules (the booklet rules) near the very end. They go something like this:

"Play 10 Leagues per Quest attempted instead of the normal five.  Additionally, select the least convenient Base Camp, Treasure Leagues and objective Leagues for the Quest. Although you select your own Waylays, you must select a minimum number in points equal to your Quest's Waylay Rating.  If you can't evenly match the Waylay Rating with the ratings of cards available, you must exceed the Waylay Rating if possible.  Once selected, your Waylays are shuffled and placed face down in a pile.  Each time you move into a new League, draw the top Waylay Card from the pile.  If the Waylay can be played on the League's Terrain, you automatically encounter it there.  If the Waylay cannot be played, it goes to the bottom of the Waylay deck.  Of course, in Tests you must roll for both your character and the Waylay encountered."

There's a couple of problems with this version:

• Some cards require that your opponent make a choice...for instance, the Waylay Assjack, if failed, allows your opponent to choose which League to move you in. There are several other cards like this that require a decision to be made.
• The "Day" unit of measure becomes irrelevant. A Day signifies a player's turn ends and passes to the next player, so if there is no other player, it doesn't really matter whether you measure your actions in Days.
• Since you pick the Waylays you face, you know what's coming and can choose cards in your favor.
• Winning the game is based on one character completing their Quest before the other. If you're playing solo, how exactly do you win when your character is the only one? You basically "win" every time because there's nobody else who can!

How do we solve these problems?

• The first is most easily solved - whenever a card requires your opponent to make a choice, you analyze the possible choices, assign a number to each, and roll dice, accepting the outcome. 
• The irrelevance of the "day" can also be easily solved by imposing a time limit. You could use, say, 30 days as a maximum...if you have not completed your quest by the end of the 30th day, you lose!
• And thus we have solved the winning and losing problem as well. By making your victory dependent on days, you're basically in a race against time. You could also add another condition: if you ever exhaust all your Merits and then lose a Test, instead of discarding Merits, you lose the game. 
• The last problem unsolved is choosing your own Waylays. A better way would be to gather up the Waylays you possess and sort them into piles by cost...all the Waylays with a cost of 1 in the first pile, those with a cost of two in the second pile, etc (keep them face down). Shuffle each pile separately. Now pick out your Waylay points however you see fit. For instance, the Quest Prove Yourself has 14 points of Waylays, so you might select the top 2 cards of Deck 4 (cost of 8), the top card of Deck 3 (cost of 3), the top card of Deck 2 (cost of 2), and the top card of Deck 1 (cost of 1). You now hold 14 points of Waylays to match the Quest. These 5 cards are now shuffled, and Waylays are played as described in the solo rules above. 

I hope you find these modified rules more challenging and enjoyable. Feel free to tinker with the win conditions until they feel right. In my next post, we'll look at a very specific solo variant.

Proxy Cards

For some of the game variants I'll be posting, you may need to create a proxy card. What exactly is a proxy card? It's a card that you substitute for a card you don't have.

The proxy card concept is actually built into Arcadia from the start. Due to the fact that there are no "starter decks" in Arcadia, buying one Story Pack and a Character Pack to play can lead to a problem...the Quest card in the Story Pack might require you to travel to specific League that was not provided. In that case you pick another one of your Leagues to represent the missing one. In essence, you create a proxy card for the missing League.

In the game you only need to substitute one League for another. But what if game variants require you to make multiple proxies? There are a couple of ways to create proxy cards:

1. Remember which card is the proxy card in your head. This is ok for 1 or 2 cards; any more than that can become a problem.
2. Write out on paper which League represents another. You can make a list or actually map out your Leagues.
3. Write on the card itself. Let's say you don't have that copy of Sibylline Swamp needed to complete Seek the Oracle's Advice, but you have 5 copies of Fields of Rust. You can take one of the Fields of Rust and write "Sibylline Swamp" on it with a marker. Keep a cardlist or my database handy for cross-reference.
4. Photocopy/print. If you have a friend that has the card, you can scan it and print, or make a photocopy on to cardstock. Unlike other card games, since Arcadia cards have square corners, you don't have to try to round them.

You can do the same thing with other cards to create proxies, not just with Leagues. In my next post, I'll present a solo variant that may require several proxies, especially if you don't have very many cards...

Card Checklist Now Online

Well, it's complete - a card checklist, in Excel, listing every card available in TWH & KIM, searchable and with filters that allow you to sort on multiple fields.

There are a few things absent - no artist listing, and no flavor text for Leagues and Characters, but it shouldn't affect the usefulness much. And I may add that stuff in at some point.

The link is over in the sidebar, it's a shared xls file in Google Docs, created under Excel 2003, so if you've got that version or later you'll have no problems. Older versions of Excel - come on now, join the 21st century! You should be able to download an add-on to read Excel 2003 files if you haven't done so already.

Now that the card list is complete, we'll move on to my next 2 topics: proxy cards and solo play.

Many thanks to Richard Uyeyama for his fantastic card lists, which were invaluable, and Ravenpolar at Boardgamegeek, who came up with a Wyld Hunt checklist that I used as a baseline, and thus saved me some data entry.

Game Statistics and Information

The following information is taken from the Scrye Collectible Card Game Checklist and Price Guide:

Publisher: White Wolf
Designer: Mike Tinney

Booster displays contain 24 packs

Booster packs contain 15 cards

Character booster packs contain 1 Character and 14 Merits/Flaws

Story booster packs contain 1 Quest and 14 Leagues/Waylays

Wyld Hunt
Released August 1996
Cards in Set: 377

King Ironheart's Madness
Released December 1996
Cards in set: 404

No rarities levels in either set.

"Billed by White Wolf as both a card game and a role playing game, Arcadia never quite caught on with fans of either game format. The cards, square-edged and featuring different images and text on both sides, may easily be mistaken for simple trading-cards by the uninitiated.

The Wyld Hunt was designed to be the first in a trilogy of releases for the Arcadia line. The second installment, King Ironheart's Madness, with a whopping 404 cards, was released at the end of 996 - just as the upheavals following the initial CCG glut led White Wolf to reconsider its plans.

The concluding installment, The Lion's Den, never saw print, but 781 cards is still plenty for a two-release game. Only MLB Showdown in 2000, would come near that mark." - James A. Mishler

Reviews

Here are some reviews of Arcadia:

Adam B at Boardgamegeek

Bruno Canato at Boardgamegeek

Mike Haverty at Boardgamegeek

Sofacoin at Everything2

Rules

There are now links in the sidebar to rules for both TWH and KIM in a shared Google docs folder..

From this point forward, all rules references will be made using the KIM version, where it differs from TWH. Specifically:

• 10 points for character creation (instead of 5)
• rolling 2 six-sided dice for tests (instead of 1)
• if you discard all your merits, if returning to your base camp helps you complete your quest, your opponent may move you to a league of their choosing
• The winner, if the players are playing in Chronicle (Epic) mode, gains 2 experience points (instead of 1)

Goal of this blog

Arcadia is one of those great, forgotten games that emerged in the golden age of CCGs. I really liked the idea behind it and the fact that even though there's only one expansion, there's close to 1000 cards, which allows for some wonderfully diverse gameplay.

The goal of this blog is to become THE source for information on Arcadia on the web. There really aren't many places to go to gain knowledge or discuss the game. Boardgamegeek's page has done an admirable job to this point, but Arcadia is pretty much lost in the sea of tens of thousands of games on that site. Here it will have a place to shine.

So here you'll find resources gathered in one place, like rules, maps, card evaluations, game variants, solo play, strategy, spolier lists, and possibly even some homebrew cards. I hope you find that the information on the site kindles a renewed interest in the game. Thanks for stopping by!

Set References

To save me some time when it comes to typing, from this point forward I will be referring to The Wyld Hunt as TWH, and King Ironheart's Madness as KIM...

Maps of Leagues

Moxtaveto over at Boardgame Geek put together a map of the Wyld Hunt league cards, and then did the same for King Ironheart's Madness. I can only imagine the amount of time Moxtaveto put into this project. I'm currently trying to combine both maps into one large one, but I've run into some issues which are slowing me down.

Much thanks to Moxtaveto for the work put into this, it's very cool to look at...

Map of Ardenmore (from The Wyld Hunt)

Map of Middlemarch & Mechopolis (from King Ironheart's Madness)

Card (Spoiler) List + Other Thoughts

It's hard to believe that a year and a half has passed since I created this blog. My Guardians blog has been a monumental time-sucker! As promised, however, I am providing card lists for the two sets below. I'm also working on a database that will contain information on every card, but since I'm missing about 5-6 cards, it won't be totally complete. The database involves a painstaking card-by-card entry, so it will take some time.

In my next post, we'll look at maps based on leagues. For now, here are the card lists:

The Wyld Hunt
Aberhold Slave Pits
Absent-Minded
Aegis Monolith
Al-Kanon, the Chaos Sword
Allergies
Althros, The Steam City
Amnesia
Arborian Oak-kin
Arborian Willowtree Warrior
Arden-Coast Junction
Ardenmore Guard Patrol
Arden-Palinian Junction
Ardenroad
Ardenroad (forest)
Ardenroad (hills)
Arm-Wrestling Troll
Assault on Ebonlique
Assjack
Assjack's Trust
Autumn Plague
Axe of the Ogre Fiend Gurrgall
Bad Luck
Bag of Gold (Brown Border)
Balanvale
Balath Castle
Balm for Madness
Bane Tower
Bane Tower Road
Banek
Bell the Cat
Belt of Troll Strength
Bernard Assjack
Billy Smith, 8th Grade Honor Student...
Blackmail
Blackrock Pass
Bloath: Ogre Bully
Bog
Boil and Bubble
Bottom-Heavy
Boulder
Brilliant Strategy
Broad-Shouldered
Bully
Capture the Traitor
Chameleon
Chimera
Circlet of Resolve
Cityboy
Claustrophobic
Clear Thinking
Cog Dragoon
Cog Soldier
Coin of Clarity
Colinwell
Commanding Presence
Conscription
Coral Palace
Coral Trident
Corporeal Ghost
Courier for the Court
Court of Praxis Tynon
Coward
Crazed
Creativity
Cunning
Dark Reach Pass
Darkened Glen
Darkling Junction
Darklingvale
Darkreach Loche
Darkreach Mountains
Darkreach Spires
Davelon, Gleeful Satyr
Deductive Reasoning
Devilish Grin
Dictum
Dirty Fighter
Dishonest
Doppelganger
Dragonkin
Dragonkin (female)
Dragonkin (male)
Dreaming
Duelist
Duke Bane
Eagle Eyes
Ebonlique
Effigy
Eidle Road
Eidolon
Eloquent Speech
Ensnare
Escort Lady Sophia
Even Dragons Pay Taxes
Fae Armor
Fae Blade
Fair Fortune
Fancy Pants
Fealty to House Fionna
Fealty to House Liam
Fianna Garou (Brown border)
Fields of Rust
Fields of Sabine
Fiesole
Flock of Harpies
Foresight
Forest of the Midnight Sun
Forest Spiders
Forestry
Frost Giant
Frost Haven
Fuddle
Fugue
Gambling Knockers
Gauntlet of Herculean Strength
Giant Eagle
Giant Hopping Toad
Giant Slug
Gimmix
Gird the Realm's Heroes
Glamour Dance
Glamour Dust
Glass Jaw
Gnome's Brew
Golden Torc
Goldenreach Fields
Gord's Knot
Gorgeous
Grandeur
Grey Reach
Grey River (gold icons)
Greyview
Guilty As Charged
Gullible
Gurthdass, Troll Bodyguard (Brown border)
Hall of the Ogre King
Hamlet of Bloath
Hamlet of Easlynn
Haunted Heart
Hawk Knife
Heather-Balm
Hermit's Hollow
Hills of Steam
Hopscotch
Hound of Hades
Human (female)
Human (male)
Humans
Hungry Ettin
Huntinglane
Huntsman's Snare
Hurrgan Skurr, Ogre Henchman
Hurricane
Icarian Flying Skiff
Imp (female)
Imp (male)
Imps
Indecisive
Innocent Smile
Ione's Temple
Iron Will
Irondeath Fields
Irondew Artillery
Irondew Keep
Irondew Road (Fields) (gold icons)
Irondew Road (Marsh) (gold icons)
Jailbreak
Jealous Redcap
King Ironheart
Knocker (female)
Knocker (male)
Knockers
Knocker's Artifact
Kryllian's Pond
Lady Kryddia, Sidhe Adventurer
Lady Sophia
Lance of Ardlanth
Lightning Quick
Lost!
Low Moral Character
Magical Barrier
Manticora
Map of the Land
Marauders
Maze
Mead of Vigor
Mephisto's Seeds
Mer
Mer (female)
Mer (male)
Middleguard
Middlemarch Invaders
Middlemarch Junction
Midnight Falls
Mirror, Mirror
Mirthos Fjadal
Mountain Heritage
Mountain of the KIngs
Mounted Spidereye Goblin
Mouth of Grey
Noria of Eternity
Nowhere Blind
Nowhere Glade
Nowhere Junction
Nuvorg, Imp Conman
Nymph
Nymph's Wreath
Oakenshield
Oathfriend
Oceanius
Ogre (female)
Ogre (male)
Ogre Games
Ogre Kin
Ogre Watch Bridge
Ogres
Old Man of the Sea
Orchid Isle
Page
Palinian Road
Palinian-Coast Junction
Pansy
Pathetic Sniveling
Peace Mission
Pearl of Wisdom
Perceptive Fighter
Perfect Body
Pesky Merchant
Pferl
Pilgrim's Burden
Pirates
Pit of the Grubworm
Pitha's Testing Zone
Pixie Dust
Portal Passage
Potion of Love
Prometheus' Fist
Proper Etiquette
Protocol
Prove Yourself
Psyche Out
Quest for Knowledge
Quicksand
Quicksilver
Raxis
Reconnaissance Mission
Redcap (female)
Redcap (male)
Redcaps
Relentless
Renegade Dragonkin
River of Rust
Road to Middlemarch
Roc Attack
Rockslide
Rogue Troll
Rosewood Bend
Rosewood Keep
Royal Cartographer
Royal Wedding Gift
Ruins of Astalar
Runes
Runic Circle
Runs-Wild, Werewolf Traveler
Sabine Glade
Sadmost Bridge
Saining
Sandman
Sardinium
Satyr (Character)
Satyr (Flaw)
Satyr's Pipes
Save Rosewood Keep
Scorched Fields
Scour Darkreach Mountains
Scroll of Knowledge
Sea Worthy
Seek the Oracle's Advice
Sense of Direction
Seraph
Shadow Rust Vale
Shaebanaria, Nymph Guide
Shield
Sibylline Swamp
Sidhe
Sidhe (female)
Sidhe (male)
Sidhe Sword
Silvernahl, Mer Debater
Sir Wrathgar
Slavers (Quest)
Slavers (Waylay)
Snide Remarks
Sophia's Favor
Sophia's Hatred
Sphinx's Riddle
Spidereye Goblin
Spike Trap
Splendour Bridge
Splendour Lake
Splendour Waters
Splendourscale
Steadfast
Steely Sinews
Stone Egg
Stormguard Keep
Sundered Copse
Sundered Woods
Sure Pass Trail
Swamp Rat
Tattletale
Tax Collector
The City of Coral
The Crystal Falls
The Eastern Coastal Road
The Eastern Coastal Road (Forest)
The Edge of Grey Filth
The Flower Quest
The Graveyard of Ships
The Kyrrian Tower
The Loa-Heedron
The Marsh of Grey Filth
The Palinian Road
The Road to Nowhere
The Ruins of Plugrath
The Rust Mines of Toris Baalgarth
The Sheriff of Raxis
The Silver Branch
The Silver Tongue
The Swamplands
The Wyld Hunt
The Wyld March
Thieves Guild
Thieves!
Thomas the Lame Brigand
Tiberius (Flaw)
Tiberius (Waylay)
Ties to Middlemarch
Tome of the Dragonkin
Traveling Papers
Trojan Horse
Troll (female)
Troll (male)
Trolls
Tsu Ocean (Dif. 5)
Tsu Ocean (Dif. 6 Ver. A) (gold icons)
Tsu Ocean (Dif. 6 Ver. B) (gold icons)
Underdog
Unicorn
Unseelie Knight
Vengeful
Victory over Duke Bane
Wand of Ice
Wandering Imp
Wanderlust
Warhorse
Warrant
Wasteland
Water Elemental
Waterrunner
Weak Knees
Weakling
Wenig, Knocker Mechanic
Whirlpool
Whiselkane's Lane
Will-o'-the-Wisp
Willow Light
Willowtree Scrub
Willowtree Vale
Willow-Whisper
Winged Sandals
Witch's Curse
Witty Repartee
Wooden Horse
Writ of Carte Blanche
Wyldstone

King Ironheart's Madness
Accountability
Affectionate Oilslick
Air Assault
Aldrich, the Mechician (Flaw)
Aldrich, the Mechician (Quest)
Aldrich, the Mechician (Waylay)
Aldrich's Workshop
Alert
Al-Sidan, Djinn Assassin
Anal Retentive
Arborian Cog Tower
Arden Border
Arden Junction
Army Ant Guides
Army Ant Kommando Kit
Army Ant Platoon
Army Ants
Ash Heaps
Assault on Mechopolis
Assembly Line
Augury
Bag of Gold (Grey Border)
Barnacle Armor
Beguiling
Berserker
Blade of Cold Iron
Blind
Bliss Camp
Blood Key
Bog of Ire
Bog Pits of Grey Filth
Boggan Gang Bangers
Border Run
Bradburr's Mighty Pen
Braggart
Brawny
Buccaneer Colony
Bumpkin
Burn & Boil
Buster Zoltan, Human Mechanic
Capsized
Captive Heart
Carnivorous Plants
Chainblade
Charm
Charming
Chasm Range Foothills
Chasm Range Trail
Chasm Spires
Cheater
Clock Roaches
Clumsy
Cog Access Bridge
Cog Access Highway
Cog Autogyro
Cog Barracks
Cog Dreadnought
Cog Exoskeleton
Cog Hunter
Cog Hunting Dogs
Cog Juggernaut
Cog Marauders
Cog Mortar
Cog Platoon
Cog Refinery
Cog Sniper
Cog Spider Flyers
Cog Spider Tank
Cog Squid
Cog Steed
Cog Submarine
Cog Tank
Cog Training Ground
Cog Trap
Cogophobia
Commanding
Coughing Break
Creative
Cruel Geyser
Cutting Humor
Dapper Rokea
Dark Yeoman's Guidance
Dark Yeoman's Quest: Cog Refinery Spill
Dark Yeoman's Quest: Decoy
Dark Yeoman's Quest: Jacko D'Rakk
Dark Yeoman's Quest: King of the Hill
Dask, Dragonkin Knight
Dem Bones
Despised
Dignified
Discerning
Disciplined
Djinn (female)
Djinn (male)
Djinn Scimitar
Djinn Wanderers
Downtown Mechopolis
Dreamcatcher
Dunes of Remorse
Dystopian Maze
Earthquake
Earthshape
East Cog Access Road
East Cog Tower
East Gate Access
East Watch Tower
Egg of the Wyrd
Elder Form
Empathetic
Endurance Reserves
Enslaved!
Escape the Great Caliphs' Wrath
Eshu
Eshu (female)
Eshu (male)
Eshu Buckler
Explorer
Fairbanks, Eshu Pirate
Fallen Border
Fashion Victim
Fate Fire
Favored by Ali'i
Ferocious
Fianna Garou (Grey border)
Fields of Honor
Fields of Plunder
Fields of Sludge
Flame Lance
Flash Powder
Flatlands
Fleet of Foot
Flicker Flash
Flood
Footpad
Free the Waterfall City
Garden District
Geasa
General Electric
General Motors
Gremlin (female)
Gremlin (male)
Gremlins
Gremlins Tools
Grey Bog
Grey Marsh
Grey Mire River
Grey River (silver icons)
Grey Sod Glades
Gridlock
Griffin
Gurthdass
Gurthdass, Troll Bodyguard (Grey border)
Head Leech
Hermann, Boggan Scout
High Anxiety
Holly Strike
Hunted!
Hypo-Scorpions
Ill-Prepared
Industrial Accident
Inferno
Ingenious
Insane Homesteaders
Insidious
Insight
Intimidating
Intuitive
Iron Park
Iron Plains
Iron Swamp
Irondew Junction
Irondew Road (silver icons)
Irondew Ruins
Ironheart's Toll Bridge
Ironheart's Trust
Ironleaf Fields
Ironleaf Forest
Ironleaf Lane
Ironleaf Vale
Jabbermouth
Jack Hammer, Rehabilitated Cog Dragon
Jacko D'Rakk
Jacko's Bog
Join the Monkeywrench Gang!
Jungle Sirens
Kaihikaai
Kelwrath's Volcano
Kenu, Escaped Kokua Slave
King Ironheart's Highway
King Ironheart's Highway (Savvy Trial)
King Ironheart's Highway (Wasteland)
Knowledgeable
Kokua
Kokua (female)
Kokua (male)
Kokua Blowguns
Kokua Raid
Lair of the Steam Drake
Lastwater Fields
Lazy
Liberated Steam Sprites
Little Hammer God
Lodestone
Lord Gamine
Lord Gamine's Backing
Loric's Fields
Lost City of Mirron
Lyya, Naga Mistress of Secrets
Magic Beans
Magic Carpet
Maria, Satyr Poet
Marketplace
Mechanical Knack
Mechopolis Blueprints
Mechopolis Security
Mechopolis Water Works
Mechorg (female)
Mechorg (male)
Mechorg Assassin
Meditative Practice
Middlemarch Airfields
Mirage
Misdirection
Monkey Wrench
Mooch
Mr. Briefcase, Human Magician
Murch, Renegade Gremlin
Music Box
Naga
Naga (female)
Naga (male)
Naga Fangspear
Naga Guardians
Naturally Aggressive
Nomad
Northern Boglands
Northgate Fields
Nowhere Forest
Nowhere Timberlands
Nymphs
Omar's Tackle Shop
Overconfident
Oyster Pearl Ring
Pacifist
Passing Kraken
Personal Dirigible
Persuasive
Phantom Shadows
Plummet
Polluted Water
Pooka Mask
Porta-Sphinx
Possessed
Press Gang
Progress
Propaganda
Proselytizing Velociraptors
Qadan, The City of Clouds
Raccoon Pooka
Raid on General Motors' Workshop
Rally the Slaves
Rat Apple Fields
Rat Apples
Rational
Razor Hawks
Red Herring
Reflective
Remorseless
Renegade Cog
Renewed Vigor
Repeating Crossbow
Residential Mechopolis
Reweaving
Riddle Gate
Ring of Karma
River of Sludge
Road Crew
Road of the Sleeping Giant
Road to Kelwrath's Volcano
Road to Skyeholme
Road to the Fallen Lands
Robust
Rose-Colored Goggles
Rugged
Ruined Temple
Ruins of Srissan
Rust Bucket
Salamander
Sandman Pageant
Sands of Sleep
Sandstorm
Schism
Secret Tunnels
Seductive
Selina, Alternative Sluagh
Selkie (female)
Selkie Sealskin
Sewer Raft
Sharktooth Sword
Ship in a Bottle
Shooting Star
Shrewd
Shrink Lamp
Side Track
Sidewinder
Skeleton Key
Sky Ray
Slammer, Triton Mercenary
Sluagh
Sluagh (female)
Sluagh (male)
Sluagh Shadow Shoes
Smog Cloud
Sociopathic Steam Sprites
Sooper Gloo
South of Sybilline
Southern Wastelands
Splendour Brook
Splendour River
Splendour Riverbed
Springheel Jack
Spyglass
Star Body
Steam-powered Flight Rig
Steelwing, the Steam Drake
Stilt Gators
Stinking Rich
Storm Clouds
Storm Maker
Stowaway!
Streetwise
Stronger Than You Look
Stupid
Submissive
Svelte
Swamp of Fingers
Sweatshop Heat
Tangle Vines
Tempest
Tempting Illusion
Tenacious
Tenderfoot
The 4man
The Ant Hill
The Dance
The Dark Yeoman's Dream Test
The Darkening
The Eastern Grey River
The Far Steppes
The Floating City
The Giant's Breath
The Giant's Third Eye
The Great Caliph
The Great Caliph's Respect
The Great Dam
The Lighthouse
The Mirage
The Pipeline
The Promenade
The Secret of the Sleeping Giant
The Secret Trail
The Shipyards
The Skywalk
The Slave Pit
The Sleeping Giant
The Slums
The Steam Drake's Lair
The Third Eye
The Tower of King Ironheart
The Vortex
The Wastelands
Thick-Skinned
Tiger Trap
Timberlands of Grey Filth
Time Clock
Tornado
Torque Wrench
Triton
Tsu Coastline
Tsu Ocean (silver icons) (Dif. 6)
Tsu Ocean (silver icons) (Dif. 7)
Twist, Redcap Urchin
Undercity Slave Pits
Unwind the Key
Uptown
Useless Sycophant
Vain
Veiled Eyes
Vigorous
Volcanic Plain
Waste Tunnels
Wasted Fields
Weapons Master
Weaver Ward
West Cog Tower
Western Access Tunnels
Western Moor
Western Watch Tower
Wily
Wind Pistol
Wind Runner
Worn Out
Wyld Boars
Wyvern
Zip of Zeppelins

Cards I'm missing:
Dragonkin (male)
Fianna Garou (Grey border)
The Giant's Third Eye
The Graveyard of Ships