Heroquest reprint anyone?

By Eighth Air Force, in Descent: Journeys in the Dark

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!

I wouldn't calling it nickeling and diming. This sort of thing is kind of a niche market without a large volume of sales. There is a relatively small group of people willing to purchase such products at all, which makes the cost to produce them rather difficult to justify without a large price tag. I remember when Wizards of the Coast (hasbro) released a Colossal Red Dragon miniature for hundreds of dollars.

The fact is that they don't actually produce all that many of them, so the sunk cost can be high (relative to total cost).

Heroquest is a too old and to smilimar game to Descent but FFG has rights for Warhammer Fantasy so I would vote for a revised or new edition of this classical, cooperative dungeon crawl game.

FFG do Warhammer Quest You should!!! like Master Yoda would say

Nah I don't think Descent can be compared to Hero Quest at all. How is it similar besides theme? Descent is a tactical game whereas HQ is an adventure game.

Hero Quest has nothing to do with Warhammer Fantasy from a licensing perspective. It is owned by Moon Design.

I wouldn't calling it nickeling and diming. This sort of thing is kind of a niche market without a large volume of sales. There is a relatively small group of people willing to purchase such products at all, which makes the cost to produce them rather difficult to justify without a large price tag.

I wouldn't be so sure about that Whitewing. The Warhammer and 40k franchises are extremeley popular and a large portion of revenue in many stores. Many stores have been shut because they couldn't sell GW products anymore when they came up with their ridiculous code of conduct (which states a list of mindblowing requirements as for how you can sell their products, and above all what you cannot do).

It's still a hobby obviously, so it targets limited audience, but it almost got itself out of the specialist board game niche (precisley like I would categorize MTG) to reach a broader public and get unmatched recognition. GW products like these are played by thousands around the world, many of which don't play anything else. And the people who play these games spend massive amounts of money on the product line. They have to if they want the minis to build their armies, but they EVEN need to invest in new codexes and army books to keep their factions supported when they change version. Imagine paying for the exact same game (sorry, an army book is 1/15 of a game and that doesn't comprise the core rules) every 1.5 years with an increased price tag. It is called a subscription, and that's greedy at best when you consider what said subscription is selling you. It also removes the capability to use your older armies and forces you to buy the new stuff. In GW stores they would throw you out if you came with an army book from the previous version. Come on, it's a scam.

I think the GW line we´re talking about is a huge business and that the pricing is in fact very greedy, as the market approach is the most agressive I´ve ever seen and product quality despite being on top is still overshadowed by the minimal amount of content you pay for.

The dragon you´re talking about was probably intended for selling to specialist gamers in a tiny RPG niche. The GW dragon is aimed at an army of 14 years old.

So no, it's not the same thing at all. It's still about games, it's still about miniatures and tabletop, so it primarly targets an audience at hobby level, but the business plan behind it makes this another beast. Let's say GW are unique on the market when it comes to this. Unfortunately in a very bad way.

Edited by Indalecio

Warhammer is way more expensive than Descent, it's not a valid comparison. My point is that FFG isn't nickeling and diming, not that GW isn't doing it.

OK we misunderstood each other then, because (see highlighted text):

[...] 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!

I don't think we was talking about FFG there?

Anyhow, you clarified your response so it's all good =)

Edited by Indalecio

I remember when Wizards of the Coast (hasbro) released a Colossal Red Dragon miniature for hundreds of dollars.

I have that one! Really gives a new meaning to the word "miniature." =P

IIRC the price tag was only around $80 (CAD) at my FLGS though. You talk about small print runs increasing overall cost, and I'm sure that's true, but it's also worth noting that those dragons were a limited edition print run to begin with. Not exactly the same thing as GW's squad boxes for whatever army, which will get reprinted as necessary. Or FFG's X-Wing miniatures. These things might still have comparably small print runs, but the fact that they're not a limited series has to play into it somehow.