HeroQuest (the board game) - what's good about it?

[Age of Fable]

I downloaded the free computer version of HeroQuest (here), and didn't really like it. I didn't seem to be making any meaningful choices.

Given its high reputation, I'm obviously missing something. Please explain what that is.

[Gabriel2]

I downloaded the free computer version of HeroQuest (here), and didn't really like it. I didn't seem to be making any meaningful choices.

Given its high reputation, I'm obviously missing something. Please explain what that is.

This is a bit of a non answer.  I love the game.  Every time I play it I have a blast.  I definitely know there are tactical and strategic decisions to be made during the game.

But I'll be damned if I can think of what any of them are right now.

Much of it IS pretty basic stuff that any RPGer would realize.  Be careful.  Check every nook and cranny.  Keep the party together, even if it means taking extra time.  In a one player game this can get pretty dull.  In a multi-player game you'd be amazed at how many people completely disregard those basic tactics.

There's a little bit of a gambling game with whether you keep pushing your luck on treasure cards.  A little bit of proper tactics there can nullify random encounters and net you a much greater haul than a quick run through the dungeon.

It's very basic.  In most of the scenarios the players have the overwhelming advantage.  Much of it is luck although players who used massed attacks and concentration of fire will do better than those who don't.  Spells can really turn the tide, so theres a lot of importance in how the Elf and Mage play and implement their spell decks.

I'm hard pressed to think of much else.

[Age of Fable]

Does the DM player make many choices?

[Skyrock]

For me, HQ is mostly about nostalgia. Elsewhise, I have little reason to get it from the attic every now and then.

The tactics are basically limited to postioning and the standard dungeon crawl tactics (keep together, search for traps etc.), and the improvement by equipment makes it just worse, as especially the crossbow allows to take cheap shots at the enemies.
Wizards and elves get a little more choice with their spells, but not much.

Unlike likewise rudimentary RPGs as OD&D, you also don't receive the luxury to go beyond the rules and experience a living world, it's just straight hack and slash where the orc tribe next door isn't alerted by the loud boom of your fireball, and not even good at it as it only requires very trivial thinking and strategy.

As I've never been the GM, I can't really speak of GM choices, but as 9.5 out of 10 monsters are limited to the "run up and clobber them" ability, I wouldn't expect too much as long as no monsters with special abilities (as the Chaos Knights) enter the picture.


So, basically, if HQ hasn't been formative for you, so that you can gleam over the trivialness with the fond feelings of the good old times, I can't really recommend it and would rather go for a real old-school dungeon-crawl RPG. (The very similar Descent seems to have got good reviews, but as I haven't yet got around to try it, I won't evaluate it myself.)

[Age of Fable]

Would it be more interesting if it was competitive (between the different 'good guys')?

Or if the 'DM' player got more choice about what to throw at the players?

[Kellri]

I'm going to disagree with everybody and say the boardgame version could be right up your alley. If you try to play the game straight, as written, it reveals some flaws that will inspire you to start tinkering immediately. The game also works well with lots of random tables. If you want to construct a bigass DMG-style SOLO dungeoncrawl allowing you to play all of the characters relatively objectively - start with Heroquest and a notebook.

Warhammer Quest, another flawed but beautiful game, is roughly comparable and you could mix things up betwixt the two. WHQ has options for between-adventure play in towns and the like that uses random events tables. Some of the online fan material expands these tables to 30 or 40 pages.

It's not ever going to be OD&D, but you knew that.

[Gabriel2]

Would it be more interesting if it was competitive (between the different 'good guys')?

Or if the 'DM' player got more choice about what to throw at the players?

You might be more interested in Descent: Journeys in the Dark.  It's structured to be competitive.

Descent does have serious problems with it's endgame, though.  All of my plays have either been crushing defeat for the heroes, or a long multi-hour drawn out affair as the heroes are assured of victory, but just can't quite enforce it.

[Age of Fable]

What about this idea:

the heroes are competing against each other, but can't attack each other.

Each monster is controlled by one of the players - but players can make their monsters and their hero fight if they want the experience. There's no DM player.

Maybe players bid for control of the monsters (treasure? experience?), or there's a Charisma stat which governs it? Charm-type spells could transfer control as well.

[Windjammer]

I didn't seem to be making any meaningful choices.

You're definitely right here. That said, ...

I downloaded the free computer version of HeroQuest (here), and didn't really like it.

I also recently downloaded that PC game, having played the board game roughly 15 years ago. The PC game felt lame, and reminded me why I thought the board game great: it had style, and the figs and play mat were really beautifully crafted. (The PC game looks awful and not in the least inspiring.) And that's it already. Even if the game blows chunks mechanically, it really captured my imagination as a child in my early teens. To quote a great post by Haffrung, games of this style have one huge thing going for them:

Thematic chrome that has little game purpose

And that's true of most Games Workshop product. Read Haffrung's entire post, I think it pertinent even though Heroquest is hardly Ameritrash by virtue of its Geographic origin:

http://www.therpgsite.com/showpost.php?p=257948&postcount=11

[Age of Fable]

OK, so it sounds like the appeal is high production values, plus interesting and unexpected things that can happen to your character?

[Tommy Brownell]

I found it to be a great "stair-stepper" to get people into RPGs as well.

[Tahmoh]

herquest is the game that helped get me into proper rpg's, so has a special place in my heart. i still tend to use it in the same way today coz usually by the time your reaching the end of the main adventure book most players are loaded up on gear and nothing is much of a threat anymore.

i used to play warhammer quest alot back in the mid ninties and loved the hero packs gw put out for it but found it got abit broken once the whole party is using the characters from the packs instead of the basic ones.

[Silverlion]

It's fast setup allowed me and a few friends to just run through and have a blast, without worrying too much about anything else, but playing.

[SuperSooga]

It was the first thing resembling an RPG that I ever played, when I was about 10. Came straight after WHFB with me and was handed down to me from an older cousin.

What turned out to be a mixed blessing was that the game was missing the adventure book that told the DM what to do. We just had a board, lots of things to put on it and the rules. Before I even knew what a GM or DM was I had to decide what was in each room the heroes explored and how the monsters acted.

I have a fond memory of throwing a room full of too-dangerous monsters at the players, who decided to run through a nearby door and push a table infront of it, prompting a discussion of how long it would take the monsters to break through. I figured something out based on the attack value of the monster, must have been the first game mechanic I ever made up!

Not sure what value it holds for an experienced gamer but it was great fun for me as a kid that knew nothing about RPGs.

[Benoist]

I downloaded the free computer version of HeroQuest (here), and didn't really like it. I didn't seem to be making any meaningful choices.

Given its high reputation, I'm obviously missing something. Please explain what that is.

Wow. I didn't even know there was a PC version. Cool!

The board game was totally awesome. I guess that was just for the opportunity to strip the D&D game of all role-playing pretense and just bash stuff. The ultimate beer & bretzels passtime, in other words. Kill orcs, make voices and just laugh out loud on die rolls, all that with a Clue-spin on it. "Space Crusade" was basically the same thing, but with a fantasy/Warhammer 40K spin to it. Very cool as well.

The high production value remark above is also totally true. You get a board, minis that you can use in your D&D games later on... I mean, that game was win-win for a gamer. Great stuff.