Archon Studio Heroes of Might & Magic III: The Board Game Naval Battles Expansion

New Scenarios and Mission Book The new mission book contains three brand-new scenarios inspired by classic missions from the PC game. These scenarios are based on mechanics introduced in this expansion. The first scenario is a cooperative mission inspired by the Barbarian Breakout mission from the PC game. It’s designed for 2 to 4 players. This time, players cannot use the Stronghold faction. If possible, this faction will serve as opponents, so prepare for a challenge. The second scenario is a solo mission inspired by the classic Island of Fire. The main objective is to complete a series of tasks within a designated time. This is also our first solo scenario not linked to any known campaign. The third scenario, Gorlam’s Tentacle Swampland, is a 1v1 mission. The goal is to control as many mines and new locations (introduced in this expansion) as possible. Since this scenario focuses on 1v1 gameplay, we’re adding certain modifications to make it more exciting. Additional content—short combat scenarios—will be directly connected to a new component: Location Tokens. Location Tokens Remember the epic battles you had at the Dragon Utopia? The Dwarven Treasury? The Crypt? Or the Griffin Conservatory? Anyone who has ever played the PC version fondly recalls these locations, where you could gain valuable artifacts, resources, and units. From the player’s perspective, these buildings enabled a dynamic economic boost or acquisition of beasts that could be very useful during gameplay. These locations also featured considerable randomness in terms of the number of monsters to defeat, while still providing rewards proportional to the effort. In exploring ways to expand the mechanics, we realized this element of adventure was something our board game lacked, so we decided to introduce it. As you may know, most map tiles contain one “blocked space.” Players discovering tiles will have the option to place a token with an additional location on it or not, giving them another layer of choice and tactical manipulation of the map. When a location token is placed on a locked space, that space becomes traversable, offering a special combat encounter that’s more challenging than standard fights but with rewards proportional to the difficulty. Each of the 12 fights has a short setup scenario for monster placement. The player will start combat on designated spaces—often surrounded by groups of monsters. With 24 tokens, there’s enough to cover large scenarios and ensure adequate randomness, even in maps with up to 24 tiles. The addition of these locations, with the possibility of winning very valuable rewards, will bring plenty of surprises and is sure to be a game-changer. Neutral Tokens and Units And speaking of groups, to diversify gameplay, we decided to introduce a new format for neutral units. That’s why the game includes new cards for these units. These are enhanced stacks of units that can be gained by defeating them in locations such as the Dwarven Treasury. Furthermore, in certain locations, they will appear with a “Packed” token, which doubles their health points and increases their stats. You’ll use them during more difficult battles hidden under location tokens. You can also recruit them to strengthen your army. Additional neutral units will have their own deck, which can be prepared before gameplay, so you won’t have to search through the general neutral units deck for specific ones during combat. Empowered Ability Cards The board game has its own rules—not all mechanics can be perfectly adapted from the PC version. However, as fans of the PC game, we strive to stay as true to the core elements as possible. You may recall the boosted stat cards from the Inferno expansion, which provide units with bonuses from expert effects without needing to pay with a crown. This feature received a lot of positive feedback, so we decided to introduce a similar mechanic for ability cards. We also wanted to allow players to develop skills further. Depending on the scenario or modification, players will have the option to receive an “Empowered” token. This token can be used when acquiring ability cards when leveling up. Instead of a standard card, the player may draw an empowered version. Players should keep in mind that there’s only one empowered version for each ability. Thus, not everyone will have the opportunity to use the Token to boost a specific ability. Only the first player to choose to boost a given ability will receive its empowered version.