Dungeon! Variants #2

Continuing on from my previous article here, why not Hobbits and Thieves to your Dungeon! experience?

Hobbits and Thieves in Dungeon! by Gary Gygax.  

We have found the game, Dungeon!, to be most enjoyable when each participant plays a different piece.

With the standard game, four makes the best match, and then with the Dwarf and Cleric are added six persons are able to play different pieces. With the desirability of adding still more diversity to the game, as well as the desirability of allowing up to eight different strategies to be played, the following new types incorporated.

Subsequent games have shown both the Hobbit and the Thief are viable competitors against the standard types, as well as against the two optional pieces.

THE HOBBIT: The Hobbit pieces moves only four spaces per turn. The Hobbit fights as either a Hero or an Elf, whichever has the higher score to beat the particular monster and, when rolling on the PLT a score of 11 is treated as a 6 or 8 score.

However, the Hobbit is able to arm themselves with up to seven missles. Hobbit missiles are treated as spells with regard to combat. There is no PLT roll if the Hobbit fails to kill the monster. The missle adds +2 to the Hobbit's dice score. As with a spell, he must indicate he is using a missle (any unused spell card will suffice), and the missles may be replenished in the same manner as spells (one per turn at the "Start" space).

Hobbits are able to open Secret Doors on a die roll of 1-3. They ignore Traps just as a Dwarf does. The Hobbit needs 10,000 Gold Pieces to win.

THE THIEF: The Thief piece is able to move six spaces per turn. It fights as a Hero, but on all attacks which are non-sequential upon the same monster the Thief adds +1 to his dice roll score (due to stealth and surprise), and if he fails to kill the monster the Thief ignores all PLT dice scores except 2 (he hides in the shadows to escape the monster or climbs out of it reach).

If he ever attacks the same monster in two consecutive turns, he loses all of the above benefits and fights exactly as if he were a Hero. On any attack score of 12, it is assumed the Thief has stolen the prize without combatting the monster, and he may then take a bonus move of up to 3 space, but he may not engage in another combat.

The Thief opens Secret Doors on a die roll of 1 or 2. All Traps, except those which transport him to a Chamber one level lower, are ignored by the Thief. In order to win, the Thief must accumulate Prizes at least equaling 30,000 Gold Pieces value.

EDITORS NOTE: Although not specifically mentioned in the original article above, I believe that the Thief fights as a Hero.