"Heroquest: what's all the fuss about?" Topic

A while ago there was a lot of hullaballoo about the Heroquest kickstarter that did start, wouldn't start and got startled and ran off to Spain or something.

What's all the fuss about Heroquest? I only remember it as a so-so boardgame that I bought 2nd hand mainly for the minis and started gathering dust after one or two games.

Is there a complete HQ scene somewhere?

Well you have to understand that for many of us it was our first exposure to miniature gaming and role-playing games. It was the game that gave got into my life one of my oldest friends, and got me in the path of RPGs that gave me all my other best friends, and wargaming down the way. It was also my first exposure to the world of warhammer.

Now do not get me wrong. We opened my old set a decade ago (after 6 years of RPGs) and the game simply felt flat. But it was a great intro game. It birthed multiple imitators, and it was a gateway for heavier wargaming.

It still is the best game I know for introducing young children to the genre of dungeon-exploration.

Been kind of enjoying it; although the monster encounters are starting to get a little repetitive now.

Hoping to get people interested in Adv HQ which has (I feel) more potential for storytelling.

I played Heroquest with my chums when it first came out. It lead quickly to Advanced Heroquest which encouraged me to build a 3D Dungeon, just like this.

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Jim

I don't get it either. Surely there must be something better as a gateway drug? One of the D&D boardgames?

I started with Advanced Heroquest. When I got round to trying the original version, it was too simplistic and unchallenging for the heroes. Playing the same quests with the AHQ rules led to a bloodbath by comparison. :)

The production values are still second-to-none, even twenty-five years later. The board is thick, solid card, the playing pieces nice hefty plastic and then there's the model furniture; it still gives Fantasy Flight Games' Descent a run for its money.

Of course today there are better games, it's mainly the nostalgia value that drives the interest. I'd say that HQ is a pretty bland, if not bad, game gameplay wise, with great presentation and artstyle but the replay value isn't really there.

I played Heroquest back when it first came out and before that with people who were involved with it. I was a child at the time in Nottingham and I have fond memories of it. Its a good game but there are better ones now but Phil is right it is superb for introducing to the hobby since it bridges the boardgame to miniature gaming very well.

GBS
alternative-armies.com

I have Heroquest, which I occasionally play (Mrs WW and my 6-year old enjoy the odd game). Are there any better rules in a similar vein out there which I could use all the Heroquest stuff with?

Regards

Too be frank Warhammer Quest was the greater game. But out of the budget back then.

Mind you nostalgia aside, I would not buy HQ today. WQ though I might.

Funny. I never perceived the game that way. My introduction to role playing was roleplaying itself and I encountered Miniature wargaming through Spacehulk 1st edition.

Thx for replying. I had no idea.

Whirlwind-have you looked at Song of Blades and Heroes? 3xd6 per player, no fiddly measuring or book-keeping, and games last no more than 30-45 minutes. Play an entire campaign of 3-5 games in an evening! Your Heroquest figures would be perfect for it.

Yes, I'm a SBH fanboy.

On another note, when I read the OP I thought he was referring to Heroscape. Anyone have any comments on how that game played?

No one played HeroScape, but everyone was buying those boxes for the cool terrain hexes ;)

Heroscape tiles, I have thousands.

Never played the game.

I've played Heroscape. It's not a bad game engine, but it's also oddly limited. You field an eclectic mix of units from fantasy, historic, modern or science fiction settings. Each unit can be a single very powerful figure, or a unit can consist of several weaker figures that can spread out across several hexes. Each turn you select three units to move, but you must choose the order in which they move before the turn begins, and mark each unit's card with an order marker. Your opponent can see which units you've chosen to move, but he can't see the order number, and a fourth unit is also given a decoy marker to add to the opponent's uncertainty. The markers are revealed in order, with players alternating movement and attacks. Once all three moving units for each side have moved and attacked, a new turn begins and the order markers are placed, and so on. What makes it limiting is that effectively only three units ever move at a time, and there's nothing to prevent a player from moving the same three units over and over. While there's a certain tactical element involved in making that choice, what always seemed to happen in my games is that players kept moving the units that were in combat range (otherwise such a unit would simply be an unresponsive target), and the remaining units rarely if ever moved unless or until another unit was eliminated. This was especially true if the units were particularly powerful, with the weaker units basically just being spectators to the big fight. So while I thought it was fun, I also found it unsatisfying for my tastes.
On the plus side, the figs aren't bad at all, and the terrain system is nifty, while the units do have unique capabilities that influence how they should be used tactically. I'm sorry Hasbro discontinued it, though perhaps my wallet is not.

Warhammer Quest is popular here.

A later game I saw being used as a successful gateway to RPGs was the sadly short-lived Mage Knight Dungeons.

I love Hero Quest. The board and the Furniture are brilliant.

While I could not imagine playing it seriously, I usually whip it out for the kids at Christmas, I go DM and wing it. I usually have to pretend to consult the manual though otherwise they get upset when I do crazy things. Like turn their party into Goblins because they triggered a trap.

It does take quite a lot energy though, so I usually regret my decision the next day, when they want to play some more.