dwarven doors

[needhelppls.]

i have tried to pass this but the orcs always kill me after I reach the gate and learn that I must go through the mine.

[turin]

You don't have to go to the gate at all. If you head directly for the mines, you still win.

[needhelppls.]

cool

[toms]

I stay 2 turns in the camp to recruit/recall. But then it´s really time to run!
You can hold off the orcs easily with some griffon-riders for a time (but they are weak against trolls).
But you´ll find your own method to get trough this after playing a few times.

You CAN kill them all too. Then I would use Silver Mages and fast units for this.

[Tearfang]

Run like the wind. The main party (Konrad Mage and Elf) go straight to the back door (a gryphon rider visits the blocked door) not going out of their way for anything except to avoid a fight which meant veering slightly to the east of the fastest route but not by much. No one is hired unless they are faster the Konrad and can take 1 hit without dying. The key is to avoid getting attacked by two enemies at once because that has the possibility of pinning you down.

I tried this one a number of times before I got a strategy that worked well (read no-one died). Using two gryphon riders was the key. Note I did the Isle path so I started with a footpad with me, netting me a thug as well (when visiting the right village) but I didn't really use these units except for taking villages.
Recruits:
2 gryphon riders (helpful if they are resilient)
1 avenger (quick)
1 paladin
1 outrider

Konrad leaves the 1st day after recruiting so all the units must be faster than he is or they will be caught by all the orcs converging from the east and west just behind Konrad.

unit explanation:
The 2 resilient rider's main purpose is to divert the enemy forces from your main troops. They are essential to the success of this strategy. Place them in the two castle hexes furthest south. (CTR-U is your friend when placing recalled units) On turn two they should each be able to take a village one to the far east the other to the far west. Besides getting you gold this will divert the enemy’s forces a little to the south as they prepare take those villages from you. Don't worry it takes two attacking units to pin down your gryphon rider and they can survive one attack. By strategically placing the gryphon riders after this every now and then you will be able to leave them in a town attackable by one enemy unit, but not killable in one round diverting enemy forces. I also use the gryphon to get to the door and tell me it is blocked. Strictly speaking not necessary as you can win without ever visiting the blocked door but I'm not supposed to know that yet.

1 avenger: I wanted a tough unit with decent ranged and melee attack a quick evish hero or champion would also fit the bill. this unit plays body guard to Konrad and crew giving them the ability to take a few more hits from whoever is not fooled by all the diversions and 1 turn village/tower defenses. Since this unit is only one move faster than Konrad it should be place in the north most castle square. The time I played this through he was never attacked, but I'm not sure Konrad and crew wouldn't have been attacked if he wasn't around.

The outrider's purpose in life is as a diversion and road block as it is tough enough to withstand two hits. It takes villages and moves into positions trying to confuse the opponent while trying to find a position that will slow down one of the fast orcs coming to intercept Konrad. I ended up having him and a gryphon rider (to prevent getting pinned down) to hold the tower just below the lake against two orcs for a turn. He is just far enough away from the lake there so as not to rouse the lake monster.

The Paladin’s primary roll is healer for Konrad and crew, but he also makes for a tough body guard as well. His healing services weren't really necessary when I played, but I felt a lot safer having him along.

[Free]

You don't have to go to the gate at all. If you head directly for the mines, you still win.

You have to use Konrad though, because I saw the cave right away and sent a gryphon rider up there and nothing happened.

[yakip]

You don't even have to goto the doors with any unit, as soon as you have Konrad on the abanoned mine you win.

[scott]

This will change. And I think I'll make discovering the true location gryphon rider-resistant.

Seriously, how is a gryphon rider going to be able to tell whether a door is real or not from up in the sky?

The level will also be playable like it was before. I just have to get around to it.

[turin]

Seriously, how is a gryphon rider going to be able to tell whether a door is real or not from up in the sky?

Uh... don't they land at the end of their turn?

Although, I can't blame you if you do this. I do something similar in "Searching for the Runecrafter".

[scott]

Well, the rider must go inside a little bit to tell if it is the true entrance. The mount won't go in. If the rider leaves the mount, both are defenseless, so they don't do that.

Edit: also, we can't penalize those who didn't ever get the gryphons.

[bruno]

I complained about this previously and I think have a bug (wish) opened for it.
I think the scenario is broken because it has poor replay value as is now.
Either Konrad should be forced to go to the doors before the mine or scouts should be able to tell you that the doors don't work, but the mine will.

[purki]

I stay two turns in the castle:

1st Turn:

3 gryphon rider
1 white mage
1 arch mage (great mage)
1 Hero ???

2nd:

2 gryphon rider
1 avenger
1 silver mage
1 outrider
1 paladin


and then run

[Chris Byler]

Well, the rider must go inside a little bit to tell if it is the true entrance. The mount won't go in. If the rider leaves the mount, both are defenseless, so they don't do that.

Edit: also, we can't penalize those who didn't ever get the gryphons.

Those who didn't get the gryphons can use an outrider. Having the fake-out is a big enough slap in the face to people playing the scenario for the first time, making it undiscoverable by fast units would compound the frustration. (And not penalizing people who didn't get the gryphons equates to not rewarding people who did, doesn't it?)

There are few things I hate more than scenarios that are designed to make you play them multiple times because you don't discover critical information until it is too late to benefit from it. Fortunately Wesnoth has very few or none of these - going to the doors first in DD is bad, but not unrecoverable. But if you had to go to the doors *with Konrad* and then to the mine with Konrad, *after* getting past the orcs, I don't think there would be time.


P.S. The cave scenarios really point out the flaws in the granularity of Wesnoth's movement system. Something needs to be done to address the "5 / 3 = 1" problem. Mountains are just as bad but you can usually go around them.