The Legend of Arcadia Rules v2.3 - Initial Release (3rd Update)

3rd Update (6/6/26)

Sorry for these continued revisions, but playtesting is revealing some issues. Thank you for your patience...

Section 5.1, Doom Counter Movement. Failing a Trial advancing the Doom Counter has now been removed.

Section 9.1, How the Encounter Tracker Works. Failing a Trial advances the Encounter Tracker by 1.

The reason for the above changes is that failing a Trial was too punishing. In the base game, failing a Trial did not require you to exhaust a Merit, it only cost you time, measured in Days. In other words, there was a consequence for losing a Trial but it wasn't as severe as losing a Test. In my solo rules, I made them equally severe, which is wrong. While Days are still tracked, they don't have an impact on gameplay. The closest mechanic that does that in these rules is the Encounter Tracker, so that's where the consequence of failing a Trial now shows up.

Also in Section 9.1, there was some confusing text about Waylays previously on a League. That has been removed and the text has been simplified.

Section 9.2 Encounter Tracker Movement. This new table was inserted to simplify at a glance how the Encounter Tracker moves. Previous Sections 9.2 through 9.4 were renumbered to Sections 9.3 through 9.5.

Finally, some new text was added to the end of Section 3: Difficulty Modes. Here is the text that was added:

"A Note on Character Builds: The Legend of Arcadia's Waylay and Quest design naturally favors Might and Resolve attributes. Might (and as an extension, Combat) covers the majority of Terrain Trials and over half of all Waylay encounters. Several Quest Trials use Resolve to overcome them. Savvy characters face an inherently more challenging campaign and should be chosen by experienced players who understand this trade-off. This reflects the base game's design, and these solo rules simply carry that forward."

Keep it dialed here for any further updates...

2nd Update

Section 11.1, Quest 12 - Save Rosewood Keep: added the following text to the last paragraph: "If you failed a Test against Sir Wrathgar, you gain the Sophia’s Hatred Enemy Flaw. You must keep this Flaw through the end of the next Quest (Escort Lady Sophia), after which you may discard it. The meaning behind this is that you nearly failed to protect her — from her perspective you were inadequate when it mattered most." I think this adds some really cool flavor to the game.

Section 4.5 - Enemy Flaws: added the following text to the end of the first paragraph and expanded: "There are 3 exceptions to this:

Ardenmore Guard Patrol: beating this Waylay earns you the Sheriff of Raxis Enemy Flaw. defeating the Patrol means you physically overpowered law enforcement. The Sheriff takes this personally.

Tax Collector and Traveling Papers: defeating the Waylay instead of buying passage with a Bag of Gold earns you the Warrant Flaw, if you do not already have it. Defeating these represents defying civil authority and evading legal obligations. You're now a wanted person."

These changes move the document to version 2.2

Update

I've already found a few errors or clarifications as I've started playtesting that I will list here while I am updating the rules document to 2.1.

Section 2: The Waylay Deck, Flaw Deck, and Character deck are all shuffled and placed facedown when starting the game.

Section 4.3: Start with 10 base points for Merits, not 5.

Section 4.6 added the following note: "NOTE: As a general rule, cards from the Waylay, Flaw, and Character decks that leave play should return to the bottom of their deck faceup, unless otherwise instructed. This reduces the chance of seeing the same card too much. When the next card you would draw is faceup, it’s time to shuffle the deck."

Section 9.1: Added the following text - "Do not roll for encounters or advance the Tracker if the League already has an unresolved Waylay, a special Trial, or an opposing Character waiting to be defeated. If the League previously had a Waylay or opposing Character that was defeated, and the League is now empty. Leagues that physically have a Waylay or opposing Character on them tell you at a glance that the player should not roll for encounters or advance the Tracker."

Section 9.1: Also added the following text: "Staying on a League to recover Treasure, perform a special Trial, or other tasks designated by a Quest do not advance the Tracker…only idle rest does as defined above."

I'm betting there will be more to come... ;)

Original Post

It's finally here! My long journey to create viable solo rules for the Arcadia CCG is finally complete. Well, they are mostly complete. There's still are few areas that need to be finished up. You can find the new rules by following the Arcadia link in the sidebar, which takes you to a shared Google folder where I have placed all my Arcadia content. You want the MS Word file (docx file) titled "Legend_of_Arcadia_Revised_Rules_v2.1". If you download it, it will preserve the MS Word file format. If you double click on it, it should open in Google Docs, which is helpful for those who don't have MS Word. I did not make a PDF version because there is a blacked out section at the end called "Revealed Secrets" that can't be un-highlighted in a PDF. If there is demand for a PDF version, I can move the Revealed Secrets section to a separate document for only the PDF version. For ease of navigation, here is the link to the actual rules document (which will open directly in Google Docs):

Legend of Arcadia Rules v2

REMAINING WORK

As I mentioned above, the rules are mostly complete. Here's what I'm still working on...

1. Playtesting. I had done some initial playtesting and was having fun playing the new rules. But after re-reading this post over at the In Arcadia blog by darkyeoman, I had an inspiration for a new mechanic, and once I added that, it invalidated my previous playtesting. I'll be doing some new playtesting shortly while posting the results here; in the meantime, if you decide to give these rules a go, please leave me some feedback on how it went, either here in the comments, or reaching out to me through the "Contact Me" gadget in the sidebar. I certainly need to have these rules tested with different deck builds.
2. A deep dive into the new rules. Why certain mechanics were chosen, strategies to pursue and how decisions affect outcomes, a short section on probabilities and why certain story elements were chosen.
3. King Ironheart's Madness Quest path and guidance. This is the next major piece I will be working on. TWH is done and ready to be tested, and I have a Quest path set for KIM, but I need to evaluate each Quest and incorporate my solo mechanics into them, as well as figuring out which cards are incompatible with my solo rules.
4. Carrying over progress from TWH to KIM. This is the biggest looming hurdle. Does the character you've built up in TWH become too powerful for KIM? Sure, you can adjust the Waylay value for each Quest, but if the Waylays are too easy, you're just increasing the amount of boring play. I don't know the answer to this question yet, and it's possible it will affect the rules I've established...I might need to restrict the Merit cardpool to TWH instead of allowing KIM, when starting play in the TWH. Or other changes could be necessary.
5. Incorporating King Ardlanth's Fate (KAF). Figuring out a way to incorporate my forthcoming expansion into these rules. But that's still a ways off for now.

These rules are still a work in progress, but I wanted to get this released because a) it's been way too long and b) feedback from the community is valuable. I hope you enjoy this, it was a lot of work - the rules are 19 pages long, even without the KIM material - but it is rewarding to see the project take off. Cheers!

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest #11

QUEST #11 - CONSCRIPTION

The Waylay Deck is reshuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Map of the Land and places it on The Kyrrian Tower. He places Lady Kryddia on The Eastern Coastal Road (1). The two "dummy" Ally cards, Gurthdass and Shaebanaria, are placed on Eidle Road and Ardenroad (3) respectively.

To complete the Quest, Bill must collect all 3 allies and bring them to Eidolon within 14 days, while facing 15 points of Waylays.

Day 1
Bill leaves the Hamlet of Easlynn and uses the Warhorse's movement to move to The Eastern Coastal Road (2) and the The Eastern Coastal Road (1). The Waylay drawn is Pirates, a Combat 2 Test that costs 3. Bill rolls a 5 for a total of 8; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 10. Pyro exhausts Burn & Boil to change his total to 12 and defeats the Pirates. Bill must still face 12 points of Waylays.

Day 2
Bill recovers Lady Kryddia.

Day 3
Bill moves to The Kyrrian Tower. The Waylay drawn is Magical Barrier, a Resolve 3 Test that costs 5. Bill rolls a 6 for a total of 9; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 10. Since you must win 3 Tests to beat the Magical Barrier, Bill doesn't want the Treasure that badly and exhausts a Bag of Gold, retreating back to The Eastern Coastal Road (1). Bill must still face 7 points of Waylays.

Day 4
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement to travel to Oceanius and then to Goldenreach Fields. The Waylay drawn is Flock of Harpies, a Resolve 3 Test (with a cost of 4). Bill rolls a 9 for a total of 12; the opposing roll is 11 for a total of 14. Per the Flock of Harpies text, Bill is caught by the harpies' song and cannot retreat; instead he must test each day to break free. He exhausts a Bag of Gold and stays on the space.

Day 5
Bill rolls 7 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 4 for a total of 7. The Flock of Harpies is defeated. Bill must still face 3 points of Waylays.

Day 6
Bill moves to Eidle Road. The Waylay is Ogre Games, a Savvy 2 Test (cost of 3). Bill opts to have Lady Kryddia take the Test. Bill rolls 11 for a total of 14; the opposing roll is 5 for a total of 7. Ogre Games is defeated and Bill does not have to face any more Waylays.

Day 7
Bill recovers Gurthdass. Gurthdass smells really bad.

Day 8
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement to move to Eidolon, then to Ardenroad (3). He recovers Shaebanaria, who smells much better than Gurthdass.

Day 9
Bill moves to Eidolon and has returned the allies, completing the Quest. His Merits are restored, and he now has 2 XP. Bill recruits Wenig, Knocker Mechanic and has 0 XP remaining.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest #10

QUEST #10 -  PEACE MISSION

The Waylay Deck is reshuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Circlet of Resolve and Coin of Clarity. Bill studies the map before placing the Treasure. He only has 9 days to complete the Quest...he has to travel to 2 cities he hasn't been to before, and he will be doing a lot of retreating because he may not engage in Combat. Bill has been to Althros, Darkreach Loche, Raxis, and Oceanius...the closest Towns he has not been to are Balanvale and the Hamlet of Easlynn. He puts the Circlet of Resolve on Darkreach Loche and the Coin of Clarity on Balanvale. He must face 9 points of Waylays.

Day 1
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement to move to The Kyrrian Tower, then on to Darkreach Loche. The Waylay drawn is Huntsman's Snare, a Might 1 Test. Bill rolls 3 for a total of 6; the opposing roll is 6 for a total of 7. Bill is forced to exhaust the Belt of Troll Strength to change his total to 9 and defeat the snare. He must face 8 more points of Waylays.

Day 2
Bill recovers the Circlet of Resolve.

Day 3
Bill arrives at Balanvale by Road, so there is no entry Trial. A Waylay is played here but it cannot be a Combat Waylay. The Waylay drawn is Sandman, a Resolve 4 Test. Bill rolls a 9 for a total of 13 (+1 from the Circlet); the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 12. Bill has defeated the Sandman, and must face 4 more points of Waylays.

Day 4
Bill recovers the Coin of Clarity.

Day 5
Bill has Lady Kryddia handle the Savvy 6 peace Trial. Bill rolls a 5 for a total of 8 and passes the Trial. One town down, one to go.

Day 6
Bill leaves Balanvale by Road, so no exit Trial is necessary. He uses the Warhorse's movement to move to Darkreach Loche and then Ebonlique. The Waylay encountered is Mounted Spidereye Goblin, a Combat 4. Bill immediately retreats to Darkreach Loche, but does not have to face any more Waylays.

Day 7
Bill moves to The Kyrrian Tower.

Day 8
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement to move to The Eastern Coastal Road (1), and then to The Eastern Coastal Road (2).

Day 9
Bill moves to the Hamlet of Easlynn. This is his last day of the Quest, so he must pass the Savvy 6 Peace Trial today! Bill again uses Lady Kryddia and rolls a 3 for a total of 6, passing the Trial. The Circlet of Resolve and Coin of Clarity are returned, all Merits are restored and Bill earns 1 XP.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest #9

QUEST #9 - THE FLOWER QUEST

The Waylay deck is reshuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Circlet of Resolve and Fae Armor. He places Fae Armor on The Eastern Coastal Road (1) and the Circlet of Resolve on Oceanius.

To complete this Quest, Bill must journey to Orchid Isle and bring a blossom back to Eidolon, while keeping the blossom from wilting, within 16 days while facing 16 points of Waylays.

Day 1
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement option and journies from Eidolon to The Kyrrian Tower, and then on to The Eastern Coastal Road (1). The Waylay drawn is Trojan Horse, a Combat 3 Test. Bill rolls 8 for a total of 11; the opposing roll is double sixes (!) for a total of 15! Bill exhausts Burn & Boil to get to 15, then exhausts Perceptive Fighter for a total of 16. The Trojan Horse is defeated. Bill must still face 13 points of Waylays.

Day 2
Bill spends the day looking for Treasure and recovers the Fae Armor.

Day 3
Bill moves to Oceanius. The Waylay is Tiberius, a Combat 6 Test! Bill first rolls to overcome the illusions, a Resolve 4 Test; Bill rolls 11 for a total of 14; the opposing roll is 4 for a total of 8. Bill has defeated the illusions and now must face Tiberius. He rolls 7 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 13. Bill could use Dem Bones and Fae Armor to try to win, but he'd be out of Merits for the rest of the Quest. He decides to retreat back to The Eastern Coastal Road (1) and exhausts Bag of Gold. Bill must face 7 more points of Waylays.

Day 4
Bill decides to go around Tiberius, using the Warhorse's movement to move back to The Kyrrian Tower, then to Goldenreach Fields. The Waylay is Hurricane, a Might 4 Test with a cost of 3. Bill rolls snake eyes (!) for a total of 5; the opposing roll is 9 for a total of 13. He decides to exhaust Dem Bones, because if he retreats he'll have to exhaust a Merit anyway. He re-rolls both dice and gets a 4 for a total of 7. Admitting defeat, Bill retreats to The Kyrrian Tower and exhausts Lady Kryddia. He must still face 4 more points of Waylays.

Day 5
Bill decides to rest and recovers Burn & Boil. He must now roll a die, and gets a 2, an even number. Finally, some good luck! Since Bill can choose any League to begin the day, why not Orchid Isle?

Day 6
Pyro awakes on Orchid Isle. The Waylay is Fianna Garou, a Savvy 2 Test. Bill rolls 9 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 9. Bill has won a Savvy Test! He must face 2 more points of Waylays.

Day 7
Bill attempts to find an orchid, a Resolve 6 Trial. He rolls a 5 for a total of 8 and successfully gains an Orchid.

Day 8
Bill attempts to leave Orchid Isle, a Might 5 Trial. Bill rolls a 2 for a total of 5 and barely passes. Tsu Ocean (1) also has a Might 5 Trial, for entry. Bill rolls a 4 for a total of 7 and enters Tsu Ocean (1). The Waylay is Tax Collector, a Savvy 2 Test. Pyro is not very Savvy, and also suffers from the Warrant, so he gives up his last Bag of Gold. The Tax Collector stays on the space, but Bill has no more Waylays to face. Bill did not have to face the Orchid Trial because he went up against Trials and not Tests when moving from League to League.

Day 9
Tsu Ocean (1) has a Might 6 Trial to exit. Bill rolls a 4 for a total of 7 and passes. He moves into Coral Palace, which has no entry Trial.

Day 10
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement to move to Palinian Coast Junction, then on to Middleguard. He definitely wants to avoid Tiberius and the Hurricane on the two Leagues to the north.

Day 11
Bill moves to Raxis.

Day 12
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement again to move to Eidle Road, then to Eidolon, completing the Quest. The Fae Armor is returned, all Pyro's Merits are restored, and Bill gets 1 XP, which he spends on 2 Bags of Gold, leaving him with 0 XP.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest #8

QUEST #8 - ROYAL CARTOGRAPHER

The Waylay deck is reshuffled. For Treasure Bill draws Winged Sandals and Knocker's Artifact. He places Knocker's Artifact on Palinian Coast Junction and Winged Sandals on Oceanius.

To complete this Quest, Pyro must travel through at least 6 different Leagues, and return to Eidolon. Bill rolls a 4, so 4 of the Leagues must be a border. He must also face 10 points of Walays.

Day 1
Pyro leaves Raxis and uses the Warhorse's movement to travel through Middlemarch and on to Goldenreach Fields. Fortunately the Sandman has moved on, but the place still haunts Pyro. This time the Waylay faced is Cog Dragoon, a Combat 5! Bill rolls a 9 for a total of 12; the opposing roll is 10 for a total of 15. Bill exhausts Burn & Boil for a total of 16 and defeats the Cog Dragoon. He must still face another 5 points of Waylays.

Day 2
Bill moves to Oceanius. The Waylay drawn is Jealous Redcap, a cost 3, which Pyro chooses to face as a Combat 4. Bill rolls 6 for a total of 9; the opposing roll is 5 for a total of 9, resulting in a tie. Bill exhausts Perceptive Fighter for a total of 10 and defeats the Jealous Redcap. He must still face 2 points of Waylays.

Day 3
Bill searches for Treasure and recovers the Winged Sandals.

Day 4
Bill moves to Palanian Coast Junction. The Waylay is Spike Trap, a Combat 3 Test with a cost of 1. Bill rolls 6 for a total of 9; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 11. Bill exhausts Dem Bones and re-rolls his 1, getting a 3 for a new total of 11, resulting in a tie. The Belt of Troll Strength can't be used because it's a Combat Trial, not a Might Trial. However, since it is a tie, Bill does not have to retreat or exhaust a Merit. He also does not have to face the Waylay again because Spike Trap specifically states that you discard it after it's encountered. With a sigh of relief, Bill has outlasted the Spike Trap and must face 1 point of Waylays. The Spike Trap is discarded.

Day 5
Bill has traveled through 4 Leagues, 3 of which are borders, so he has plenty of time to search for Treasure. He recovers the Knocker's Artifact.

Day 6
Bill moves to Coral Palace and encounters the last Waylay, Corporeal Ghost! Pyro has seen far too many of these for his liking. It's a Combat 1 that must be defeated twice. Bill rolls 7 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 3 for a total of 4. So far, so good. Bill rolls 4 for a total of 7; the opposing roll is 4 for a total of 5. Bill wins and Corporeal Ghost is discarded. There are no more Waylays left to face.

Day 7
Bill has now met the "4 Borders" requirement but must travel to 1 more League. He uses the Warhorse's movement to move back to Palinian Coast Junction, then on to Middleguard.

Day 8
Bill exhausts the Warhorse to move to Goldenreach Fields, then to Eidle Road. He has now traveled to 6 different Leagues.

Day 9
Bill moves to Eidolon and the Quest is completed. The Winged Sandals and Knocker's Artifact are returned and Bill's Merit's are restored. He now has 2 XP and spends it to buy off Indecisive, leaving him now with 0 XP.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest #7

QUEST #7 - EVEN DRAGONS PAY TAXES

Without Davelon around, the Pilgrim's Burden revealed that Pyro could really use more Savvy, so he recruits an Ally, Lady Kryddia, Sidhe Adventurer, for 3 XP (leaving him 0 XP). The Waylay Deck is reshuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Winged Sandals, Hawk Knife, and Coral Trident. Bill places Splendourscale on The Kyrrian Tower, the Hawk Knife on The Eastern Coastal Road (1), the Coral Trident on Oceanius, and the Winged Sandals on Palanian Coast Junction.

To complete the Quest, Pyro must journey from Raxis to The Kyrrian Tower, confront the Dragon, recover 2 Treasures (Bill chooses this option instead of Testing), return to The Kyrrian Tower, then return the other Treasure to Raxis, all within 10 days. He must also face 9 points of Waylays.

Day 1
Bill leaves Raxis and uses the Warhorse's movement to pass through Middleguard and on to Goldenreach Fields since both are Field Leagues.The Waylay drawn is Sandman, a Resolve 4. Bill rolls a 5 for a total of 8; the opposing roll is also 5 for a total of 9. Pyro loses and Bill opts to retreat, because Indecisive will make this a difficult Test to pass, and exhausts Bag of Gold.

Day 2
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement to move from Middleguard to Palinian-Coast Junction and then on to Oceanius since they are Field Leagues. The Waylay drawn is Sphinx's Riddle, a Resolve 2 which Pyro once faced on his  first Quest (cost is 3). Bill rolls 10 for a total of 13; the opposing roll is 9 for a total of 11. Indecisive is exhausted and Bill most roll again. He gets a 7 for a total of 10 and loses, so now he must immediately test as Combat. Bill rolls a 10 for a total of 13; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 12, and Pyro defeats the Sphinx's Riddle once again. He must face 2 more points of Waylay.

Day 3
Bill moves from Oceanius to The Eastern Coastal Road (1). The Waylay drawn is Ardenmore Guard Patrol, a cost of 1 which Bill elects to face as a Might 2 Test. Bill rolls 6 for a total of 9; the opposing roll is 6 for a total of 8, however Warrant must be exhausted since it is an Ardenmore Guard Patrol, so the opposing total is actually 10. Bill exhausts Belt of Troll Strength to change his total to 13 and defeats the patrol. He must face 1 more point of Waylay.

Day 4
Bill does some quick calculations and determines that he can complete the Quest as long as his last Waylay can be overcome. Bill moves from The Eastern Coastal Road (1) to The Kyrrian Tower and confronts Splendourscale. Pyro agrees to recover Treasure for the dragon. The last Waylay is now played and it is Oathfriend, a Savvy 2 with a cost of 1. Arrgg! Another possible delay! Bill opts to have Lady Kryddia test in Pyro's place. Bill rolls 7 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 5 for a total of 7. Success! There are no more Waylays to face.

Day 5
By resting here Bill could start on Oceanius, but he'd have to give up a day to rest and he doesn't have the time. Instead he uses the Warhorse's movement and moves to The Eastern Coastal Road (1) and then on to Oceanius. He spends the day searching for Treasure and recovers the Coral Trident.

Day 6
Bill moves back to The Eastern Coastal Road (1) and recovers the Hawk Knife.

Day 7
Bill moves to The Kyrrian Tower. Bill rolls and Splendourscale keeps the Coral Trident. Bill must now deliver the Hawk Knife to Raxis.

Day 8
Bill uses the Warhorse's movement to Eidolon and then to Eidle Road (both are Field Leagues). He avoids Goldenreach Fields because Sandman is still there.

Day 9
Bill moves to Raxis and the Hawk Knife is delivered as the dragon's tax payment. Pyro's reknown increases as he becomes the first to collect taxes from a dragon! Bill's Merits are restored and he now has 1 XP.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest #6

QUEST #6 - AMNESIA

Note: I made a mistake on this Quest when I first played it...for some reason I thought you could choose how to face Pilgrim's Burden, but it is actually a Savvy Test and Bill failed the test. This affected some other parts of the Quest. It has all has been fixed now.

The Waylay Deck is reshuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Writ of Carte Blanche. He places Burn & Boil on Mouth of Grey, Perceptive Fighter on Grey Reach, and the Writ on Irondew Road (2).

To complete the Quest, Pyro must get to a non-marsh League within 6 days while trying to recover his Merits, then he must journey to Raxis in 10 days, and face 8 points of Waylays along the way.

Day 1
Bill tries to leave Sibylline Swamp and enter Mouth of Grey; he must pass an Exit Might Trial of 4 and an Enter Might Trial of 5. Bill rolls 4 for a total of 7 and another 4 for a total of 7. The Waylay is Pilgrim's Burden, a Savvy 3 Test. Bill rolls 6 for a total of 7; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 11. Pyro loses and must travel with the pilgrim's statue on his back. Pilgrim's Burden stays with Bill, and he must face 5 more points of Waylays.

Day 2
Bill recovers Burn & Boil.

Day 3
Bill attempts to move from Mouth of Grey to Grey Reach; he must pass an Exit Might Trial of 5 and an Enter Might Trial of 4. Bill rolls a 1 for a total of 3 (-1 from Pilgrim's Burden) and decides to exhaust Dem Bones to re-roll; he rolls a 3, making his total 5, and passes the Exit Trial. He then rolls a 4 for a total of 6 and enters Grey Reach. The Waylay is Roc Attack, a Might 3 (cost of 4). Bill rolls 9 for a total of 10; the Roc rolls 4 for a total of 7. Pyro wins and Roc Attack is discarded. Bill must face 1 more point of Waylay.

Day 4
Bill recovers Perceptive Fighter.

Day 5
Bill attempts to move from Grey Reach to Grey River; he must pass an Exit Might Trial of 4 and an Enter Might Trial of 5. Bill rolls 4 for a total of 6 and 6 for a total of 8 and moves into Grey River. He faces the last Waylay, which is Nymphs. Pyro does not want to hurt them and is relieved it is a Resolve 1 Test. Bill rolls 8 for a total of 11; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 8. However, Indecisive must be exhausted since it is a Resolve Test, so Bill re-rolls and gets a 9 for a total of 12. Pyro overcomes the Nymphs and they are discarded. Bill does not need to face any more Waylays.

Day 6
Bill wants to move from Grey River to Irondew Dew Road (2); he must pass an Exit Might Trial of 5. Bill has left no room for error, as he must be on Irondew Road (a non-marsh League) since it is the 6th Day. He rolls a 4 for a total of 6 and sucessfully moves to Irondew Road. Bill claims the Writ of Carte Blanche. He must now make it to Raxis in 10 days.

Day 7
Bill uses the movement option of the Warhorse to move to Middlemarch Junction, then to Irondew Road (1).

Day 8
Bill exhausts the Warhorse to move to Splendour Bridge and then on to Sundered Copse.

Day 9
Bill moves to Sundered Woods.

Day 10
Bill enters Raxis 6 days early and the Quest is complete. Writ of Carte Blanche is returned. Bill's Merits are restored and he now has 3 XP.

Change to Solo Rules

As I've been working on the sample games I've noticed that a flat 15 days for all quests doesn't work. For some Quests it isn't even a challenge, and others are still impossible. What I've done instead is make the time limit equal to the base Waylay rating of the Quest. This required modifying some of the Quests, Like Seek the Oracle's Advice, so that not as much travel is called for, or that additional tasks give you extra time. The exceptions are Balm for Madness, which is double the base Waylay rating due to having to cross the map twice (and is really two quests in one), and Middlemarch Invaders, which has no time limit. Still, it wouldn't hurt for players to choose at least one Merit with a movement option, like the Warhorse I chose in my example.

For KIM, this is a little more problematic due to the high Waylay ratings. I'll have to see how that shakes out when I get to that part of the game.

The modified Quests now list Days for each Quest that represent the time limit, and are in the original The Legend of Arcadia post, found  here.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest#5

QUEST #5 - SEEK THE ORACLE'S ADVICE

The Waylay Deck is re-shuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Sidhe Sword and Fae Blade. He places the Fae Blade on Court of Praxis Tynon and the Sidhe Sword is set aside for now.

To complete this Quest, Bill must have Pyro travel from Darkreach Mountains to the Sybilline Swamp, meet the Oracle, recover the Sidhe Sword, and return to the Swamp, while facing 8 points of Waylays. Bill plans to run the Warhorse hard to complete this Quest.

Day 1
Bill moves from Darkreach Mountains to Court of Praxis Tynon. There is no Exit Trial since Pyro is traveling through Hills, but that also means he cannot use the Warhorse movement option, since that is only valid on Roads or Fields. The Waylay is Unseelie Knight, a Combat 3. Since Pyro is Seelie, the Knight is actually a Combat 4. Bill rolls a 7 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 11. Bill exhausts Burn & Boil to change his result to 14 and Unseelie Knight is discarded. He must still face 5 more points of Waylays.

Day 2
Bill recovers the Fae Blade.

Day 3
Bill uses the movement option of the Warhorse, moving from Court of Praxis Tynon to Greyview, and then to Palinian Road (Court of Praxis Tynon and Greyview are connected by Fields). There are no Entry or Exit Trials, but Bill must now face a Waylay. He draws more Slavers, a Combat 2. Pyro tears into them, as Bill rolls a 4 for a total of 8 and the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 9. Bill exhausts Dem Bones to re-roll and gets an 8, for a total of 12, and defeats the Slavers, who are discarded. Bill has 3 more points of Waylays.

Day 4
Bill decides to exhaust the Warhorse by moving from Palinian Road to Splendour Waters and then to Middlemarch Junction...it is his last opportunity to take advantage of the horse's special movement, so he does. There are no Exit or Entry Trials, but once again Pyro must face a Waylay. Bill draws Oathfriend, a Savvy 2 Test that counts as 1 Waylay point. Bill rolls a 5 for a total of 6; the opposing roll is 6 for a total of 8. Pyro loses and must spend an extra day on the space. The Waylay text states that Bill does not have to exhaust a Merit. Bill has 2 more points of Waylays.

Day 5
Bill passes the required extra day on the space.

Day 6
Bill moves from Middlemarch Juntion to Irondew Road (2). There are no Exit or Entry Trials. Bill draws Huntsman's Snare as the Waylay, a Might 1 Test. Bill rolls 9 for a total of 12; the opposing roll is 5 for a total of 6. Bill wins and the Huntsman's Snare is discarded. Bill has 1 more Waylay point.

Day 7
Bill moves from Irondew Road (2) to Irondew Keep. There is no Exit or Entry Trial since Pyro enters by Road. Bill draws Corporeal Ghost for the Waylay. Pyro has dealt with these creatures before and attacks. Bill rolls snake eyes (!) for a total of 6; the opposing roll is 11. Bill loses and is forced to retreat and exhaust Bag of Gold. Since he loses by more than 2, he must also exhaust the Fae Blade.

Day 8
Instead of messing with the Corporeal Ghost, Bill decides to go around it. He moves from Irondew Road (2) to Grey River. It's a Might Trial 5 to enter. Bill rolls a 3 for a total of 6 and enters the Grey River. Bill has no exhausted abilities, so there's no reason to rest. Since the Grey River is a marsh league and Pyro has entered it successfully, the first part of the Quest is ended. Pyro now has 6 days to get to Sibylline Swamp.

Day 9
Bill tries to move from Grey River to The Ruins of Plugrath, but must complete Exit and Entry Might Trials for each. He rolls a 2 for a total of 5, then a 5 for a total of 8 and passes both. He rests and recovers Dem Bones.

Day 10
Bill attempts to move from The Ruins of Plugrath to The Swamplands; he must pass an Exit Might Trial of 5 and an Enter Might Trial of 4. Bill rolls a 6 for a total of 9, then a 3 for a total of 6 and enters The Swamplands.

Day 11
Bill moves to Sibylline Swamp from The Swamplands by rolling a 4 for a total of 7 and a 6 for a total of 9. Pyro rests as he speaks with the Oracle and recovers the Fae Blade. The Oracle tells Pyro he must recover the Sidhe Sword and bring it back to her. Since the Sidhe Sword must be placed up to 2 spaces away, Bill places it on The Ruins of Plugrath. Bill has completed the second part of the Quest 3 days early; he now has 6 days to finish the last part.

Day 12
Bill moves from Sibylline Swamp to The Swamplands, passing the trials by rolling a couple of 2s.

Day 13
Bill moves from The Swamplands to The Ruins of Plugrath by rolling a 3 and a 4. He recovers the Sidhe Sword.

Day 14
Bill moves back to The Swamplands from The Ruins of Plugrath by rolling a 2 and a 3.

Day 15
Bill moves to Sibylline Swamp from The Swamplands by rolling a 2 but gets a 1 on the Entry Trial and has to exhaust Dem Bones to re-roll a 3 and pass. He gives the Sidhe Sword to the Oracle, and also returns the Fae Blade since he has completed the Quest (2 days early!). Bill's Merits are restored and he now has 2 XP.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest#4

QUEST #4 - SLAVERS

The Waylay Deck is re-shuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Knocker's Artifact. Davelon, Warhorse, Dem Bones, and Belt of Troll Strength are removed from play.

To complete this Quest, Bill must journey at least 3 Leagues from Darkreach Mountains before playing Waylays. Since Bill has 2 Allies and 2 Treasure, plus the Knocker's Artifact, he must defeat 5 Waylays (7 points' worth) on 5 different Leagues, then return to Darkreach Mountains and defeat the Slavers Waylay. Time will be the most crucial factor, so Pyro may have to leave an Ally or Treasure behind to complete the Quest.

Day 1
Bill travels from Darkreach Mountains to Ogre King Road. there's no Exit trial since Pyro is traveling by Road. There's no need to rest so Bill takes no further action.

Day 2
Bill travels from Ogre King Road to Hall of the Ogre King.

Day 3
Bill travels from Hall of the Ogre King to Blackrock Pass. He is 3 Leagues from Darkreach Mountains and may now encounter Waylays and recover his lost Treasure and Allies. The Waylay drawn is Giant Slug. It is a Combat 2, so it fits the Waylay requirements. Bill rolls an 11 for a total of 13; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 11. Bill defeats Giant Slug and it is discarded.

Day 4
Bill rolls to see which Treasure or Ally he recovers and it is Dem Bones.

Day 5
Bill moves from Blackrock Pass to Eidolon. The Waylay drawn is Corporeal Ghost, a Combat 1 that must be defeated twice! Bill rolls a 6 for a total of 8; the opposing roll is 5 for a total of 6. Bill wins the first round, and may continue to attack on the same day until he loses. His second roll is an 8 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 8. Bill has defeated the Ghost and it is discarded.

Day 6
Bill rolls to see what is recovered this time and it is the Belt of Troll Strength.

Day 7
Bill moves from Eidolon to Ardenroad (3). He faces the Waylay Unicorn. Since Pyro is Seelie, this is a Savvy 2 Test. Bill rolls a 6 for a total of 7; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 9. Bill exhausts Dem Bones to re-roll the die with 2, and gets a 5, for a new total of 10. With a huge sigh of relief Bill has passed the test, and Unicorn is discarded.

Day 8
Bill rolls to see what is recovered and it is Warhorse.

Day 9
With only 1 day left, Bill is in a tight spot. He has not found Davelon, but he needs to get back and defeat the Slavers. He uses the movement option of the Warhorse to move from Ardenroad (3) to Hills of Steam, and then to Court of Praxis Tynon. He has faced 6 points of Waylay, so there is only 1 left. The Waylay is Banek, a Combat 1. Bill rolls a 4 for a total of 7; the opposing roll is 11 for a total of 12. Bill could tie the Banek by exhausting Burn & Boil and Perceptive Fighter, but that would leave him very helpless against the Slavers. Instead, Bill takes the defeat and has a -1 to Combat and Might Tests and Trials. Bill exhausts Bag of Gold. Since the Banek has fled with Pyro's food and has been discarded, Bill does not need to face the Waylay again or retreat back to Hills of Steam. There are no more Waylays except for the Slavers. Knocker's Artifact and Davelon are lost; Davelon sold into slavery in some Fac Tory in Middlemarch. With fury in his heart, Pyro seeks the Slavers.

Day 10
Bill moves Pyro from Court of Praxis Tynon to Darkreach Mountains (no Entry Trial since travel is by Hills) and Pyro attacks the Slavers camp. Slavers is a Combat 2. Bill rolls 7 for a total of 9 (he gets +1 from the Belt but -1 from the Banek); the opposing roll is also 7 for a total of 9. Bill exhausts Burn & Boil, and the Slavers are burned alive. The Quest is complete and Bill's Merits are restored. Knocker's Artifact is returned. Bill now has 1 XP.

Slight Change to "Legend of Arcadia" Rules

As I was playing the game, I noticed some Quests were impossible to complete within the given time period based on the Waylay rating - such as 10 days for Seek the Oracle's Advice - and that's with Steed movement and passing all Tests and Trials!

Therefore, I'm changing the time limit to 15 days per Quest, about half of what I originally suggested for Solo Rules. I'll see how that works on my next few Quests...

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest#3

QUEST #3 - SCOUR DARKREACH MOUNTAINS

The Waylay Deck is re-shuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Al-Kanon The Chaos Sword, but it has a cost of 3 and the Quest only has a Treasure rating of 2, so it is buried and Satyr's Pipes is drawn instead. The Pipes are placed on Ardenroad (3).

To complete this Quest, Bill must travel through at least 4 different Leagues, one of which must be Darkreach Mountains, and he must spend an extra day looking for Gamine in each League. The Waylay rating is 9 instead of 8 due to Bill's experience (and of course Lord Gamine's Backing).

Day 1
Bill travels from Eidolon to Ardonroad (3). The Waylay drawn is Mounted Spidereye Goblin, but it doesn't fit the terrain, so Bill draws Trojan Horse instead. The Horse is a Combat 3. Bill rolls a 4 for a total of 6; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 10. Exhausting Burn & Boil will only force a tie, so Bill exhausts Dem Bones instead and re-rolls both dice. This time he gets 8 for a total of 10. Now he exhausts Perceptive Fighter for a total of 11 and defeats the Trojan Horse. He has 6 more Waylay points to face.

Day 2
Bill cannot count his extra day if resting or encountering a Waylay, but looking for Treasure is neither of those, so Bill claims Satyr's Pipes while searching for Gamine and fulfills the "extra day" requirement.

Day 3
Bill moves from Ardenroad (3) to Hills of Steam. The Waylay drawn is Gord's Knot. Since Bill has already recovered the only Treasure, this Waylay is buried and a new one is drawn: Gnome's Brew, a Might 4. Bill rolls a 9 for a total of 11; the opposing roll is 10 for a total of 14. Bill fails, giving Pyro a massive hangover and a -1 to all Tests and Trials. Bill exhausts Bag of Gold and Gnome's Brew is discarded. Bill only has 2 more Waylay points to face.

Day 4
Bill uses this day to search for Gamine. At the end of the day he tries to pass a Might Trial 7 to get over the hangover, and rolls an 6 for a total of 7 (he has -1 from the hangover). Pyro passes the Trial and shakes the hangover.

Day 5
Bill moves to Court of Praxis Tynon. The Waylay drawn is Rogue Troll, but it is a Combat 4 and Bill only has 2 Waylay points left. Rogue Troll is buried, and Bill continues to draw and bury Waylays until he gets one that matches terrain and Waylay points: Thomas the Lame Brigand, a Combat 1. Bill rolls 11 for a total of 13, and the opposing roll is 4 for a total of 5. Bill beats the Waylay. Normally Thomas could be sent against another player, but since this is Solo, he is merely discarded. Bill has 1 more Waylay point to face.

Day 6
Bill spends the required extra day to look for Gamine instead of resting.

Day 7
Bill moves to Darkreach Mountains; there are no Exit or Entry Trials since Court of Praxis Tynon counts as Hills. He draws Boulder as the Waylay, a Might 1. Bill rolls 6 for a total of 8; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 9. Bill has failed to move the Boulder, and exhausts Davelon.

Day 8
Bill tries again to move the Boulder, rolling an 8 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 7 for a total of 8. Bill moves the Boulder (it stays on the space).

Day 9
Bill spends the required extra day searching for Gamine. Though his search was fruitless, Bill has completed the Quest. He turns in Satyr's Pipes and his Merits are restored. He now has 3 XP. Since he has been getting hammered in Might Tests, Bill uses his 3 XP to buy a Belt of Troll Strength for Pyro, so his XP is reduced to 0.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest #2

QUEST #2 - MARAUDERS

The Waylay Deck is re-shuffled. For Treasure, Bill draws Lance of Ardlanth and Fae Blade. The Lance is placed on the Ardenroad (3) space and the Fae Blade is placed on Hills of Steam.

Bill must defeat 4 Combat Waylays; his Waylay score is reduced to 11 thanks to Lord Gamine's Backing, and he has 15 days to complete it. He starts in Eidolon and may move to any League.

Day 1
He decides to start with Ardenroad (3). There are no Exit or Entry Trials, so Bill moves Pyro and draws from the Waylay Deck. He draws Fianna Garou, but it's a Savvy Test, so he buries it and draws Magical Barrier. That is a Resolve Test, so it is also buried and he next draws Waterrunner. It is a Combat Test but doesn't match the terrain. He draws Cog Soldier, but again the terrain is wrong. Whirlpool is buried, and finally he draws Slavers, a Combat 2 that is playable on Roads. Bill rolls 5 for a total of 7; the opposing roll is 6 for a total of 8. Bill exhausts Burn & Boil to change his result to 11 and Slavers is defeated. Three more Combat Waylays to go.

Day 2
Bill claims the Lance of Ardlanth.

Day 3
Bill moves Pyro to Hills of Steam. There are no Exit or Entry Trials. Bill draws from the Waylay Deck and draws Mounted Spidereye Goblin, a Combat 4. Bill rolls a 5 for a total of 9; the opposing roll is 6 for a total of 10. Bill decides to exhaust Dem Bones to re-roll his one, and rolls a 2, forcing a tie. Bill then exhausts Perceptive Fighter and wins the combat. The Goblin is discarded. Two more Combat Waylays to go.

Day 4
Bill claims the Fae Blade.

Day 5
Bill travels back to Ardenroad (3) and rests.

Day 6
Bill rests for a second day and is able to recover Perceptive Fighter.

Day 7
Bill returns to Eidolon and rests, recovering Dem Bones and Burn & Boil.

Day 8
Bill travels to Blackrock Pass. He draws Arborian Oak-kin from the Waylay deck (Combat 6) but that takes him over his Waylay limit, so he draws again and gets Giant Slug, Combat 2. Bill rolls a 7 for a total of 11; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 10. Bill has triumphed! Giant Slug is discarded. He has faced 8 Waylay points and must encounter at least 3 more. One more Combat Waylay to go.

Day 9
Bill moves Pyro to Darkreach Loche. This has a Might Trial 5 to enter. Bill rolls a 6 for a total of 8 and passes the Trial. From the Waylay Deck Bill draws Water Elemental, Combat 3 and a perfect terrain fit. The Lance is of no use against the Water Elemental. Bill rolls an 8 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 10 for a total of 13. Bill exhausts Burn and Boil, cooking the Elemental with a total of 14. Bill has won and defeated 4 Combat Waylays, fulfilling the Quest. He just needs to return to Eidolon.

Day 10
Bill moves to The Kyrian Tower, and does not have an Exit Trial since he is leaving Darkreach Locke by road. He also doesn't have any more Waylays to face.

Day 11
Bill moves to Eidolon and completes the Quest 4 days early. He returns the Lance (nice weapon!) and the Fae Blade, and has 2 XP. All his Merits are restored.

The Legend of Arcadia: Quest#1

QUEST #1: PROVE YOURSELF

This is the first in an ongoing series of posts that use an example that shows how to play the Legend of Arcadia Solo Variant. The example uses a fictional player named Bill...

Bill selects Splendour Lake to be his base camp. He chooses a Male Naga for his character and names it Pyro. Pyro starts with 4 free Pyretics Arts, so Bill selects Burn & Boil. He takes 4 flaws: Imps (Enemy), Slaugh (Enemy), Indecisive (Weakness), and Warrant (Curse). This allows him to add 6 extra points of Merits, so he has 16 Merit points total. He chooses Lord Gamine's Backing for 5 (Advantage), Dem Bones for 4 (Treasure), Warhorse for 2 (Ally, Mount), Davelon, Gleeful Satyr for 2 (Ally), Perceptive Fighter for 2 (Ability), and 2x Bag of Gold for 1 (Treasure). Indecisive and Perceptive Fighter  are Seelie and there are no Unseelie cards, so Pyro is Seelie.

The Ardenmore League cards are laid out, the special cards are set aside, and Bill is ready to go. He draws the first Quest, Prove Yourself. This has a Waylay of 14 (which is reduced to 10 thanks to Lord Gamine's Backing, but still gives him 15 days to complete it) and Treasure of 1. Bill has decided to draw from a Treasure Deck rather than pick, so he draws until he gets a Treasure of 1, Pixie Dust, and puts the others he couldn't use on the bottom of the Treasure Deck. Pixie Dust is placed on Sundered Woods and Bill begins.

Day 1
Because he needs to travel to 4 different Leagues, Bill decides not to use the Warhorse movement. Pyro moves into Sundered Woods to try to claim the Pixie Dust. There is no Enter Trial. From the Waylay Deck, Bill draws Sphinx's Riddle, which can be played on Road and has a rating of 3. Sphinx's Riddle can be played as either Resolve or Combat. Bill chooses Resolve and rolls a 9, giving him 12; the Sphinx rolls 4 for a total of 6. However, since it is a Resolve Test, Bill is forced to exhaust Indecisive and re-test. His second roll is 6 for a total of 9, and the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 10.

Bill could re-roll one of the 3s he rolled using Dem Bones, but to win he'd have to roll a 5 or 6. Bill fails the Test and exhausts a Bag of Gold. According to the Sphinx's Riddle, the Resolve Waylay now becomes a Combat Waylay.

Day 2
Pyro attacks the Sphinx in combat. Bill rolls 11, for a total of 13 and the Sphinx rolls 11 for a total of 15. It looks like Bill has lost, but he exhausts Burn & Boil to add 4 to his score for a revised total of 17. The Sphinx is beaten and Bill has completed a Combat Waylay, with three more now to go. Sphinx's Riddle is discarded.

Day 3
Bill claims the Pixie Dust Treasure.

Day 4
Since Pyro is Seelie, he can recover a Merit by resting on Sundered Woods, so he does and recovers Burn & Boil.

Day 5
Bill decides to move Pyro from Sundered Woods to Pitha's Testing Zone. There is no Exit Trial for Sundered Woods and no Entry Trial for Pitha's Testing Zone. There is a Special Trial, but according to the rules, under Leaving Leagues, "You must pass any Terrain Trials stipulated by your current League before you move." So Bill will not have to pass this Trial until he leaves. The top card of the Waylay deck is drawn: Slavers, cost of 2, so Bill still has 5 points of Waylays to face. Bill doesn't want to mess around with another Combat Test, so he exhausts Pixie Dust, which allows him to ignore a Waylay until the end of the next day.

Day 6
To avoid the Slavers, Pyro needs to leave. Althros, The Steam City, has no Trials, so that's where Bill wants him to go. He now faces Pitha's Special Trial, Reserve 6. Bill rolls a 6, adding the Naga's 3 for a total of 9 and passes the Trial. There's no Exit Trial for Pitha's and no Entry Trial for Althros. The Slavers Waylay remains on Pitha's.

The Waylay drawn for Althos is Roc Attack, a Might Test and 4 point Waylay. Normally that would only leave 1 Waylay point and make it impossible to complete the Quest, but Bill will have to exhaust Lord Gamine's Backing at some point to overcome this. Bill rolls 5, for a total of 7; the opposing roll is 11, for a total of 14. Bill loses and Pyro is carried off to the Mountains. He rolls a D6 for the 6 closest Mountain Leagues, and rolls a 3, ending up on Ogre King Road. He exhausts Lord Gamine's Backing, and Roc Attack is discarded.

Day 7
Still smarting from the bitter defeat, Bill would like for Pyro to rest, but Ogre King Road has a Trial for resting and Bill's running out of time. He decides instead to move to Hall of the Ogre King. There is no Exit Trial from Ogre King Road and no Entry Trial for Hall of the Ogre King because Pyro is traveling by Mountains and Road. He draws the top card of the Waylay Deck and it is Huntsman's Snare, a Might Test of 1 that can be played on Mountains. Bill rolls 11 for a total of 13; the opposing roll is 8 for a total of 9. A relieved Bill has passed a Might Test, and now only needs to pass a Savvy Test and a Resolve Test. The day ends.

Day 8
Bill decides to rest and can recover 1 Treasure, so he recovers Pixie Dust.

Day 9
Instead of trying to climb down from the Mountains, which would require a Trial, Bill instead heads for Blackrock Pass. Blackrock Pass has no Trials, and since it counts as Mountains and Road, there's no exit Trial from Hall of the Ogre King. Pyro moves to Blackrock Pass and draws a Waylay: Hurricane. This is a Might Test of 3, which would leave only 1 point of Waylays and make it impossible to complete the Quest. Hurricane is moved to the bottom of the Waylay Deck and the next Waylay is Pit of the Grubworm, a Combat of 3 and the same situation as Hurricane. It is also recycled and the next Waylay is Arborian Willowtree Warrior, but it too is recycled since the terrain does not match. Finally Bill draws a Waylay he can use, Oathfriend, a Savvy Test of 2. Per Quest rules, Bill cannot use Davelon to test in Pyro's place. Bill rolls a 7 for a total of 8, the opposing roll is 9 for a total of 11. Bill elects to exhaust Dem Bones to re-roll his 3 and gets a 2. Crap! Bill does not exhaust a Merit, but he must stay on the space the next day. Oathfriend is discarded.

Day 10
Bill uses up the day on the space since he failed the Waylay.

Day 11
Only Abilities can be recovered on Blackrock Pass, and Bill doesn't have any exhausted, so there's no reason to rest. Instead, Bill moves to Eidolon. There's no Exit Trial from Blackrock Pass and no Enter Trial for Eidolon. Bill only has 3 Waylay points remaining and starts drawing Waylays: Whirlpool (wrong terrain), Quicksand (wrong terrain), Rogue Troll (Combat 4), Arborian Oak-kin (Combat 6), Pilgrim's Burden (Savvy 3), Hound of Hades (Combat 4), Renegade Dragonkin (Combat 4), Sandman (Resolve 4), Ogre Games (Savvy 3), and finally draws Lost!, Resolve 1 in Town. Bill rolls 7 for a total of 10; the opposing roll is 6 for a total of 7. Bill has defeated the Waylay! He must now beat only a Savvy Test of 1 or 2.

Day 12
Nearly out of time, Pyro moves to Ardenroad (3). There are no exit or Entry Trials, so Bill starts drawing Waylays: Unseelie Knight (Combat 3), Rockslide (Resolve 2). Finally he draws Tax Collector, Savvy 2. This is perfect to fulfill the Quest! With Savvy not the greatest of Pyro's attributes, and having a Warrant that would make things even worse, Bill elects to discard a Bag of Gold to pass the Test. Note that even though the Bag of Gold is exhausted, it may still be discarded to fulfill the Waylay requirements. Exhausted cards prevent you from benefitting from card effects listed in the text of the card; this does not affect your ability to discard a card if necessary. The Waylay stays on the space but Bill has passed it and needs only to return to Eidolon. He has also used all the Waylay points (14) for the Quest.

Day 13
Pyro moves back to Eidolon. There's no Exit or Entry Trials, so he moves and the Quest is complete. Bill returns Pixie Dust and Gains 1 XP. All his Merits (and Flaws) are restored.

NOTE: When Bill drew Slavers, he could have buried it and drawn another Waylay in its place, since he had already faced a Combat Test. Also, he could keep drawing Waylays until he got low enough numbers to stay within the Lord Gamine's Backing Waylay score. Lord Gamine's Backing is not truly a Merit if it must be exhausted and rendered useless to satisfy card draws every time you play. You'll see that this "draw until you get the Waylay you need" method (without affecting Lord Gamine's Backing) is done in Quest #2.

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.