Hello all. Just want to take a moment to shout out to all you like-minded gamers who, like me, would love nothing more than to see FFG obtain the license to Heroquest and do a modern reprint, complete with the same great stuff that made the original so great, but with new artwork, blah, blah, blah. I posted on the wishing well, but there hasn't been a whole lot of traffic there, so I thought maybe I could generate a little interest here on this forum since Descent is similar to Heroquest. I don't know how to get FFG to consider this idea, but I thought if we could start a little fire and garner enough support, FFG big wigs would take notice and something might get done.

Cheers,

If you ask me, Descent is a new and improved HeroQuest.

Perhaps if you were more specific about what "the same great stuff that made HQ so great" is, exactly, it would help us understand what you're looking for.

- Both games have cool quests that tie together into a longer campaign.

- Both games have traps and monsters to challenge the heroes.

- Both games have equipment that improves over time and advances the hero's capabilities.

- Descent also has new skills for heroes to learn, which HQ did not IIRC.

- HQ's combat system was skewed in favour of the heroes (2/3 chance for a hero to block damage, 1/3 chance for monster)

- Descent's combat system is evenly balanced on both sides (everyone rolls the same combat/defense dice with the same odds of damaging/blocking.)

About the only thing HQ had that Descent doesn't is the exploration of the map angle. That's something that DID exist in D1E, but was removed to assist with the streamlining of components and the development of quest goals other than "kill the boss.")

I am all for a HQ remake. Another company tried to do it but i think MB still holds the rights or at lest part of them. But descent is a bit like HQA which i never got to play but did get to see.

If the heads remake the HQ game i will per-order it.

Steve-O, i have to say you are right in your analysis.

Agreed with Steve-O.

Hero Quest in its old form is completely outclassed by Descent in many aspects. It's not exactly the same game, but HQ feels reaaaaally old in comparison and would require a major revamp to be released today. We´re in 2015, tons of fancy mechanisms have been introduced by games since HQ was released and one deciding factor in a game's chances of success is either to be completely innovative (which I don't see happening for a classic fantasy adventure game like HQ), or to combine popular mechanisms and succesful game systems. Today dice systems and resource management are on top of the hotness. Look at Conan for instance. They´re just surfing on that wave.

Plus Advanced hero Quest replaced Hero Quest, giving the line a clear RPG direction. That doesn't make the game younger.

There was a cancelled Kickstarter about reprinting Heroquest (25th anniversary). It turned into a massive shitstorm for licensing reasons.

I actually believe it is more likely for FFG to release a new Warhammer Quest. I wouldn't want that, since it would put us back to the Descent 1E line, but since they have Talisman, now Drakon, Dungeonquest and the rest, it doesn't feel like an impossibility to me.

There was a cancelled Kickstarter about reprinting Heroquest (25th anniversary). It turned into a massive shitstorm for licensing reasons.

That project is still going strong, just on another crowdfunding platform. And as of now, it still doesn't sound like there's any sign of the game being delivered any time soon. =P

You can check out the "HeroQuest 25th Anniversary Edition" game entry on BGG to see where it's at now, if you're interested. It's looking like the game will actually be produced now, although what kind of legal fallout is going to come once there's an actual product to target remains a subject of some debate.

I find it to be entertaining popcorn reading, no matter how it all turns out.

Heroquest was a gateway game for many, into rpg's, warhammer and fantasy gaming.

I've probably outgrown the game now, it has been surpassed by descent and other dungeon crawlers, but I think it would still do really well for a younger audience.

I don't think FFG would do warhammer quest, ffg like to make minis for all the monsters in their games and WQ allows you to fight almost every warhammer monster. Games workshop would never allow ffg to make that many warhammer figures.

If FFG remade space crusade I'd buy that.

Thanks so much for your "expert" analysis of the game, El' ******-O, this puts to bed any possible chance for a discussion and surely must be the definitive opinion; I sure feel put in my place. I will go quietly now into the long good night. Really....the point of this thread is to garner support for a great game title that I am sure was the reason many of us on here (well, those of us who weren't in diapers when the game came out) got into RPG board games in the first place. This thread was not intended to agure the capabilities of one title over another. I many, many games, some old and some new. I surely would love to see what could be done with Heroquest, were it in the the hands of a competent group of individuals such as those at FFG.

@Eighth Air Force ...

Just because someone offers a different perspective, does not mean your response has to be completely belligerent, and quite frankly, inappropriate as well. I would think someone who has a military avatar would have the discipline to show proper respect when communicating a different point of view.

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of liberties people take when responding to others on an Internet forum, just due to them being completely anonymous.

This forum has been an immense treasure trove of advice, strategies, and yes, even opinions. That is what makes it so valuable. Your response detracts from that value.

Thanks so much for your "expert" analysis of the game, El' ******-O, this puts to bed any possible chance for a discussion and surely must be the definitive opinion; I sure feel put in my place. I will go quietly now into the long good night.

My response was not meant to be definitive, nor was it intended to put you in any particular place. It was merely intended to be my personal opinion on the subject.

For the record, the original HQ was the first "real" board game I ever owned. I have it to this day and I cherish it all the same. I'm not saying I dislike HeroQuest - it's awesome. All I'm saying is that I (personally) feel like Descent is a modern board game that hits on all the same points. It is a new HeroQuest.

When I asked you to elaborate on what exactly you would want from an HQ remake, I was being quite sincere. I want to know. I am trying to encourage discussion, not discourage it.

Evidently you have interpreted my response in a much different way than it was intended. I apologize for whatever I said that offended you. Please, do not interpret a different opinion as an attack on your original position - it was not intended as such. Reasoned debate and an examination of all view points will only help to flesh out this idea you propose.

There was a cancelled Kickstarter about reprinting Heroquest (25th anniversary). It turned into a massive shitstorm for licensing reasons.

That project is still going strong, just on another crowdfunding platform. And as of now, it still doesn't sound like there's any sign of the game being delivered any time soon. =P

You can check out the "HeroQuest 25th Anniversary Edition" game entry on BGG to see where it's at now, if you're interested. It's looking like the game will actually be produced now, although what kind of legal fallout is going to come once there's an actual product to target remains a subject of some debate.

I find it to be entertaining popcorn reading, no matter how it all turns out.

Indeed, the HQ 25 Anniversary project is still progressing, but it is unclear when it will be delivered. I am one of the backers of that project that is sticking it out until the end. I am confident that I will receive my copy, but when, and to what legal ramifications is unknown.

I am most looking forward to the release of the official HQ25 rule set. But, as I do not own the original HQ, even if the rules are questionable, I will be happy to play with my kids, using the new components and the original rule set. I would just have to find or make some dice, which is not difficult.

As to the comparison of HQ and Descent. There is an argument to be made that modern dungeon crawlers and adventure board games are superior in many ways, but HQ is a great game to introduce to and play with younger players, which Descent and others sometimes are not. My kids are not ready for Descent, and I would very much like to play HQ with them.

As to FFG gaining the rights to HQ and doing a fully new edition, I would be all for that, too.

HQ 25th anniversary still progressing? I´m surprised to see that because last time I checked there was zero update about anything including delivery dates, licensing issues, vouchers cancelled, project progression... At this point Spanish seems like the only supported language etc. I´m not sure why people still stick around that project bearing this in mind, as it sounds like a project you should get the hell out of, no questions asked. Or maybe the funding has already been processed and you backed it so you´re stuck with it?

Agreed that Warhammer Quest will never happen (though I don't really care). I forgot about the mini issue, plus the wouldn't release the same game as Descent (1ED in that case) as they share the same theme (as opposed to IA which has a the sci-fi theme).

But when it comes to playing with kids, wouldn't Mice and Mystics be the best modern adventure game to play? Theme is fantastic, mechanisms are interesting yet not convoluted. Yeah you don't fight against Orcs and Mummies, but there's a half million other games with these in anyway so you may want to suggest something different?

I own HeroQuest since I was a kid, but I don't know if I would play it again, I just don't seem to get "that great feeling" again when I try to play these older games, video games included. It used to "smell that smell" when you opened the box. Cards had "that particular touch" when you held them in your hands etc. Every time I get nostalgic and bring forth a game like that then I automatically end up being disappointed. That's just based on everything I´ve played in the meantime, and the realization that games also do get old and unmodern after all these years.

I just sold a 96 wargame mixing scandinavian mythology and some kind of resource management system, game was great 20 years ago but now it just feels like the idea was exploited by a million other games and developed further by another thousand.

Same feeling with HeroQuest. Plus HQ was way too random and completely lacked abilities so you just didn't have any choice in game other than checking what range you got from the two D6 and attack the most dangerous foe you could reach. Magic was underwhelming in that game and gear was too powerful. Monsters had piss poor defense. So yeah just that.. That would be my review of the game today, and that really doesn't make the game shine in any way. But it's normal, what I enjoyed 25 years ago is different than what I enjoy today. The above issues did not matter one bit back in the days, I was happy with every little bit of it.

But releasing the exact same game with re-vamped components? No way. Only the fans or the "I heard the legend" fanboys would go for it, it wouldn't stand a chance on the market. It's just completely outclassed. My point being that it's better off staying a Legend.

As for today, there's plenty of other good games out there. Let me take that back, there is plenty of better game systems. Back in the days, there was HQ and that was it. They released more adventure games a few years after but none of them was even close to a competition, maybe up to Warhammer Quest, although I guess it's arguable.

Anyhow, I wouldn't pay 100$ on a HQ kickstarter unless the game was heavily remade. Minis don't justify everything, I need good games on my shelf instead of pristine condition boxes I never open. That's why I´m still undecided with Conan since I´m not sure the box actually contains a good game for the announced price tag.

I hated Space Crusade by the way. Way inferior to HQ if you ask me. Space Hulk was the reference at the time but I never managed to play it, and 30$ for a board game was already the highest price I could afford. Space Hulk and the GW products were expensive even at the time.

Well i grow-up with HQ playing it with my dad and some of his friends. Some of my best memories is family board gaming.

now i found descent and i getting in to the game a lot. I even got my dad to try it out went good. now i have a family base quest line going and my son age 7 is playing with use and he does really well most of the time. so thank you ffg and the rest of you. Huzzah to QH the game that put a lot of us on this path.

Thats the problem with this world Steve-O, too many people worried about offending other people. I am a big boy, I'll get over anything given time, as would others if this political correctness would just stop seeping into our lives. I guess I will never get used to this "Brave New World". In my day, if we said something to offend, we just punched each other in the face, laughed about it afterword and then sat in front of the fire and rolled bones

Anyway, alright, for starters, while I love the wooden dice that came with Heroquest (and I am only going to discuss the original, the advanced heroquest was a flop-though in all actuality, it probably is more collector worthy because of its rarity) they inevitably chip and peel resulting in small, indistinguishable little wooden blocks. I should think some updated plastic dice are in order. I believe the foldout board is pretty good and stands the test of time; though I would love to see an updated version with rich color and that small attention to detail that FFG is known for.

The cover art on the box was awesome and inspiring, no update necessary. I believe most updates required are in the artwork throughout the contents of the game (I know, the original artwork has its nystolgic, diamond-in-the-rough feel) and in the rules and mechanics themselves. Now, maybe I am just spoiled from all the great artwork that has been produced from FFG. However, when you play Heroquest, you can't help but feel a little depressed at the drab, brown and cream colored cards. I love rich, vibrant color that FFG implement throughout all of their products. Also, the textured cards and boxes that FFG produce are addicting.

As for rules and mechanics, I would like to see a few more basic items for purchase at the armory (I always started heroes with no weapons and an armor save of +0 at the beginning of a campaign to offset the simpicity of the campaigns) as well as a few more choices in the spell selection. So, in summery, more content. Now, you may agure that Descent has all of this and you would be right. But the one thing that Descent does not do as well, in my opinion, is provide that extra mechanic where traps are concerned. I always liked to place traps in my quests. Traps were favored over monsters because, while combat is important, too much can become tedious. I always like a nice blend of traps hidden throughout the game, followed by a few small skirmishes to really get the heroes to sit up in their chairs. While Descent does have a traps mechanic within their OL deck, it is fluid in its use; it is not definitive. That is to say, as a hero, I cannot challenge the GM and say "show me where that trap was located on your quest sheet, because two other characters just walked over this space and nothing happened to them". It is just not the same as having to search for traps and then later disarm them or risk becoming wounded or killed as a result. It is not the same as knowing that once a trap is disarmed, it cannot cause you any more strife. I guess I would just like to see FFG recreate the original Heroquest and all of its expansions and incorporated them all into one boxed core set, with additional material flowing out for purchase for those of us who sold our original game and its expansions and fear we will never be able to afford to buy them back

Cheers,

Being politically correct is not the same thing as not being rude or obnoxious, just as being politically incorrect is not the same thing as being deliberately offensive. The two sometimes correlate, but they aren't related. Political correctness usually refers to utilizing polite euphemisms and other words to say things in a more circumspect manner. It's called political correctness because it refers to the way a politician will dance around a subject to avoid angering anyone at all.

Being direct is the opposite of political correctness, but being direct isn't the same as being deliberately rude. Taking a deliberately sarcastic tone as your first response and looking for a fight right off the bat is not conducive to a useful discussion, which is the point everyone was making.

HQ 25th anniversary still progressing? I´m surprised to see that because last time I checked there was zero update about anything including delivery dates, licensing issues, vouchers cancelled, project progression... At this point Spanish seems like the only supported language etc. I´m not sure why people still stick around that project bearing this in mind, as it sounds like a project you should get the hell out of, no questions asked. Or maybe the funding has already been processed and you backed it so you´re stuck with it?

I agree. Communication was lax from the get-go and the publisher was caught out on several outright lies concerning the legitimacy of their project (which lead to KS shutting them down.) I'm not sure why so many people have followed it this long considering it has all the red flags that have sunk previous kick starters.

I'm pretty sure it has funded now (on the third crowdfunding platform they launched on.) I don't think it's a scam, per se, but I do believe the publisher is in over his head, so to speak. The publisher is an established company with a good track record of producing miniatures for other companies' games, but now they're making a whole board game (with an IP whose rights are tenuous at best) and I just don't think they're doing a very good job of managing it.

I haven't backed, and I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole before it actually exists. But if an actual product does come out of this and I see it on local store shelves, I'll certainly check it out.

Now, you may agure that Descent has all of this and you would be right. But the one thing that Descent does not do as well, in my opinion, is provide that extra mechanic where traps are concerned. I always liked to place traps in my quests...

It is just not the same as having to search for traps and then later disarm them or risk becoming wounded or killed as a result. It is not the same as knowing that once a trap is disarmed, it cannot cause you any more strife.

Fair enough. Having static traps and allowing heroes to search for and disarm them is certainly something lacking in Descent. I would agree that would be a neat mechanic to introduce (although it wouldn't work in D2E as-is - at the very least they'd need to institute an expansion rule to prevent hero players from reading the quest guide.)

It does seem like they're taking the basic game engine in that direction with Imperial Assault, though. It's my understanding that at least parts of the quest guide are hidden from the rebel players, so fixed trap locations could be a thing. (I don't know if they are, but they could be.)

The project looks funded with a latest update on the 21th of November. Just that fact leads me to believe the risk for a scam is pretty high. That's just way too long. They can blame everything on third parts but the project itself seems completely wasted. I feel sorry for the backers, on the other hand I seriously wonder why people would throw money at this given the project's history. No way.

Another thing is that even if it came to life through a crowfunding platform, it would certainly be driven by the huge fanbase and therefore contain a lot of exclusives, precisely like the current Conan campaign. that's the CMON business model to raise millions of dollars through these kinds of means. What this means is that the retail version has a high risk of being a shallow version of what the game would have been with the exclusives and all of the free stretch goals and add-ons in it. Like Myth, which is completely unplayable if you just buy the core box at retail.

If HeroQuest gets reprinted by a game publisher then I would certainly have a look at it. But today's reality is that minis are automatically overpriced and therefore the price tag for normal games of that sort is way beyond what it should be. Don't get me wrong, Descent is not exactly cheap either but it's totally fine with the perspective of a game providing so much playtime and re-playability. I'd go as far as saying that the amount of excitement we´ve experienced with this game completely exceeds these financial frames. But with a game like Conan, or HeroQuest, I am not sure I would invest that much time in these games bearing in mind every typical old-style adventure game is clearly outclassed by any modern game with modern game mechanisms. The market is not the same today as it was 25 years ago. That means I´m not willing to spend a SWIA price tag on an unrevised HeroQuest game even if the dices are made of plastic and the cards getting the modern quality standards.

Now, you may agure that Descent has all of this and you would be right. But the one thing that Descent does not do as well, in my opinion, is provide that extra mechanic where traps are concerned. I always liked to place traps in my quests...

It is just not the same as having to search for traps and then later disarm them or risk becoming wounded or killed as a result. It is not the same as knowing that once a trap is disarmed, it cannot cause you any more strife.

Fair enough. Having static traps and allowing heroes to search for and disarm them is certainly something lacking in Descent. I would agree that would be a neat mechanic to introduce (although it wouldn't work in D2E as-is - at the very least they'd need to institute an expansion rule to prevent hero players from reading the quest guide.)

It does seem like they're taking the basic game engine in that direction with Imperial Assault, though. It's my understanding that at least parts of the quest guide are hidden from the rebel players, so fixed trap locations could be a thing. (I don't know if they are, but they could be.)

In Imperial Assault, the heroes are not permitted to look at the quest guide at all. The Imperial player has some things he's required to inform them off in each quest. This works great the first time you play each quest with a particular player, but if their memory is decent they'll remember the trap locations the next time.

Fortunately, in Imperial Assault, you usually have a choice to gain additional threat (for buying reinforcements) instead of activating traps when the trigger conditions are met.

I must admit the Objective tokens system in D2E sounds a lot more subtile and flexible to me than a pre-defined setup that is designed as classified information to the OL/imperial player. It lets the Overlord sets these things alone (and sometimes it's done randomly), and the heroes know what to expect, just not where exactly. It's good enough for me, coupled with the OL cards system that basically introduce that element of surprise at any location of the map.

Not letting the heroes/jedis look at the quest book sounds like a severe limitation to me. The quest book in HeroQuest however made more sense as being exclusive to the Overlord because the game had elements of exploration in it, and the quest was the full map with its secrets. There was a dedicated mechanism for searching for treasure or secret passages. More RPG like, with guidance from the quest book.

Limitation or not, we can argue. I just find that it's more fun to have undisclosed information. It prevents tricky situations from happening since everybody catches the deal before the quest is played. There is no BS and any difference of interpretation of the rules is figured out before it's too late. Puts some pressure on the OL as well.

It's not that much of a limitation, which you admit we can argue over. There's a big briefing section that contains everything that isn't a trap/hidden that you read to the players that is pretty much identical to every descent quest. This contains the part with the objective tokens and stuff that get randomized or chosen.

The traps are very similar to influence tokens from Nerekhall. Every time one would be triggered, you usually have a choice between 2 or 3 different things that can happen.

OK so at least you could play the same quest/mission and trigger the traps differently based on the choice between these 2-3 effects. That's nice.

The question though is how much of an edge it would give the jedis, to know about the exact location of the traps (despite they don't know which effect the imperial player wants to use) when playing the quest several times. I suspect it affects re-playibility in terms of making things more predictable. But maybe I´m making this a bigger deal than what it really is.

Sorry, we digress. I was just thinking that a HQ remake could have a use of existing mechanisms in popular games like D2E or SWIA (and others, but these are FFG's and OP was about FFG doing it).

Well, you can usually take extra threat instead of setting off the trap, so it's not THAT big of a help to the heroes. Threat in IA is the mechanic the game uses to buy reinforcements, so it's the equivalent of getting more monsters.

HQ 25th anniversary still progressing? I´m surprised to see that because last time I checked there was zero update about anything including delivery dates, licensing issues, vouchers cancelled, project progression... At this point Spanish seems like the only supported language etc. I´m not sure why people still stick around that project bearing this in mind, as it sounds like a project you should get the hell out of, no questions asked. Or maybe the funding has already been processed and you backed it so you´re stuck with it?

Agreed that Warhammer Quest will never happen (though I don't really care). I forgot about the mini issue, plus the wouldn't release the same game as Descent (1ED in that case) as they share the same theme (as opposed to IA which has a the sci-fi theme).

But when it comes to playing with kids, wouldn't Mice and Mystics be the best modern adventure game to play? Theme is fantastic, mechanisms are interesting yet not convoluted. Yeah you don't fight against Orcs and Mummies, but there's a half million other games with these in anyway so you may want to suggest something different?

I own HeroQuest since I was a kid, but I don't know if I would play it again, I just don't seem to get "that great feeling" again when I try to play these older games, video games included. It used to "smell that smell" when you opened the box. Cards had "that particular touch" when you held them in your hands etc. Every time I get nostalgic and bring forth a game like that then I automatically end up being disappointed. That's just based on everything I´ve played in the meantime, and the realization that games also do get old and unmodern after all these years.

I just sold a 96 wargame mixing scandinavian mythology and some kind of resource management system, game was great 20 years ago but now it just feels like the idea was exploited by a million other games and developed further by another thousand.

Same feeling with HeroQuest. Plus HQ was way too random and completely lacked abilities so you just didn't have any choice in game other than checking what range you got from the two D6 and attack the most dangerous foe you could reach. Magic was underwhelming in that game and gear was too powerful. Monsters had piss poor defense. So yeah just that.. That would be my review of the game today, and that really doesn't make the game shine in any way. But it's normal, what I enjoyed 25 years ago is different than what I enjoy today. The above issues did not matter one bit back in the days, I was happy with every little bit of it.

But releasing the exact same game with re-vamped components? No way. Only the fans or the "I heard the legend" fanboys would go for it, it wouldn't stand a chance on the market. It's just completely outclassed. My point being that it's better off staying a Legend.

As for today, there's plenty of other good games out there. Let me take that back, there is plenty of better game systems. Back in the days, there was HQ and that was it. They released more adventure games a few years after but none of them was even close to a competition, maybe up to Warhammer Quest, although I guess it's arguable.

Anyhow, I wouldn't pay 100$ on a HQ kickstarter unless the game was heavily remade. Minis don't justify everything, I need good games on my shelf instead of pristine condition boxes I never open. That's why I´m still undecided with Conan since I´m not sure the box actually contains a good game for the announced price tag.

I hated Space Crusade by the way. Way inferior to HQ if you ask me. Space Hulk was the reference at the time but I never managed to play it, and 30$ for a board game was already the highest price I could afford. Space Hulk and the GW products were expensive even at the time.

I had not heard of any 25 anniversary edition rumor before this. Hum... Interesting? It would have been nice if at least GW would have produced a twenty-fifth anniversary edition in its entirety, but I guess they are too busy nickeling and diming everyone to death with their overpriced codices and model miniatures!