The HeroQuest FAQ
da...@my-deja.com
Author: Dewayne Agin (da...@my-deja.com)
This article is copyright 1995-1998 by Carl Forhan, and 1999 by Dewayne
Agin, and may not be reproduced in any form without permission by the
author, except for personal use or redistribution through normal Usenet
channels and no fee is charged for such use.
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Subject: 1. Disclaimer
HeroQuest is a trademark of Milton Bradley. Advanced HeroQuest is a
trademark of Games Workshop. The use of these and other trademarks is
not intended to challenge their respective copyrights. This document
is not specifically approved by Milton Bradley or Games Workshop.
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Subject: 2. Table of Contents:
1. Disclaimer
2. Table of Contents
3. New to this Version
4. Introduction
Section I - General Questions
5. What is HeroQuest
6. Who Designed HeroQuest
7. What differences are there in the UK (1989) and the US (1991)
versions of HQ?
8. What is Advanced HeroQuest
9. Is HQ still produced?
10. How can I reach Milton Bradley?
11. Where can I find HeroQuest?
12. What supplements (Quest Packs) were made?
13. What other sources of HQ supplements are available?
14. What information is available on the Internet for HQ?
15. What other games have components such as figures or boards that
might be compatible with HQ?
16. Do you have any suggestions for improving HQ?
Section II: Specific Rule Questions
20. HeroQuest game system
21. Kellar's Keep
22. Return of the Witch Lord
23. Quest Pack for the Elf
24. Barbarian Quest Pack
99. End of FAQ
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Subject 3: Updates
12/07/99 Updated the Miniatures Page URL
11/05/99 Added info about HeroQuest books.
09/26/99 Updated question on Quest Packs, added question about Unarmed
Combat
08/02/99 FAQ taken over by Dewayne Agin. Many changes in questions and
answers, hence the upgrade to version 1.0
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Subject 4: Introduction
Welcome to the HeroQuest FAQ! This Frequently Asked Questions document
is intended to provide you with information on the current status of
HeroQuest (HQ), such as new web sites, obtaining the main game and its
supplements, and answers to frequently asked rules questions. Please
forward all questions, comments, and suggestions for this FAQ to
Dewayne Agin (da...@my-deja.com).
Enjoy!
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Subject: Section I: General Questions
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Subject 5: What is HeroQuest?
HeroQuest (HQ) is a fantasy boardgame. Players take on the role of one
of four Heroes: the Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf, or Wizard. Another player
takes the role of Zargon, the Game Master, who controls the forces of
Chaos that the Heroes face in hidden stone labyrinths of underground
rooms or corridors. Game play is simple, and allows the players to
play as a straight board game or to incorporate Role Playing. A typical
session, or Quest, lasts between one to two hours.
----------------------------
Subject 6: Who designed HQ?
HQ was originally designed by Steve Baker, who worked for MB UK at the
time. He was also responsible for the design of MB's Space Crusade.
----------------------------
Subject 7: What differences are there in the UK (1989) and the US
(1991) versions of HQ?
HQ was first released in 1989 in the UK. The initial release contained
cards for every item that could be purchased from the Armory, plus each
monster had only one Body Point. The Heroes' adversary was named
Morcar. The US version released in 1991 had a cardboard box insert with
the Armory listing, and monsters had different Body Point statistics.
The adversary in the second release was named Zargon. The Quests
contained in the UK and US versions were basically the same with some
minor differences.
----------------------------
Subject 8: What is Advanced HeroQuest?
Advanced HeroQuest was produced solely by Games Workshop. It is
considerably different from its Milton Bradley counterpart. The rules
are much more complex and detailed. AHQ has been out of production
since 1992-1993.
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Subject 9: Is HQ still produced?
Milton Bradley is no longer producing HQ. Carl Forhan mailed them a
letter in August 1994 inquiring about this, and also on the
availability of the remaining HQ inventory. He received a form letter
reply saying, "Thanks for your interest, but HQ is no longer produced."
They didn't mention whether or not they had additional items in stock.
----------------------------
Subject 10: How can I reach Milton Bradley?
Here's the US address for Milton Bradley:
Milton Bradley Company
443 Shaker Road
East Longmeadow, MA 01028-5247
Phone: (413) 525-6411
Email: mbcon...@hasbro.com
Web: http://www.hasbro.com (MB's parent company)
----------------------------
Subject 11: Where can I find HeroQuest?
Since HQ and all the accompanying Quest Packs are out-of-print (OOP),
you can only rarely find them in stores these days. Check flea markets
and garage sales, or the Rare/OOP section in your local game store.
Online, HQ can be found at online auctions like eBay
(http://www.ebay.com), and can be found for sale on several of the
newsgroups (go to Deja's Powersearch page,
http://www.deja.com/home_ps.shtml?TAB=D, to look for recent postings
for HQ). A good idea when searching either an online auction or
newsgroup is to look for 'heroquest' (one word) and 'hero quest' (two
words) as the game gets posted both ways.
----------------------------
Subject 12: What supplements (Quest Packs) were made?
There were two Quest Packs released in both the US and Europe:
Kellar's Keep
Return of the Witch Lord
Two Quest Packs were released only in the US:
Elf Quest Pack (with the quest booklet "The Mage of the
Mirrors")
Barbarian Quest Pack (with the quest booklet "The Frozen Horror")
Three Quest Packs were released only in Europe, each in several
languages:
Wizards of Morcar
Against the Ogre Horde
HeroQuest Masters Edition contained the quest "Against The Black
Guard".
In addition the Adventure Design Kit was released in Europe. This
is not an actual Quest Pack, but a kit to use in designing your own
quests.
Three HeroQuest books were released in the UK. Two of these contained
single level, solo quests:
The Tyrant's Tomb by Dave Morris, contained the quest A Growl Of
Thunder, a solo quest for the Barbarian.
The Screaming Spectre by Dave Morris, contained the quest Running
the Gauntlet, a solo quest for the Wizard.
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Subject 13: What other sources of HQ supplements are available?
Adventures Unlimited #5 - "The Inn of Chaos"
Fractal Spectrum #13 - "HeroQuest: A Notch Above"
Fractal Spectrum #17 - "HeroQuest Hall of Foes III"
Vindicator Vol 1, #2 - "Review: Quest Pack for the Elf"
"HeroQuest Hall of Foes I"
Vindicator Vol 1, #3 - "Review: Barbarian Quest
Pack"
"HeroQuest Hall of Foes II"
Vindicator Vol 1, #4 - "HeroQuest Variants"
Vindicator Vol 1, #5a - "The Rogue"
Vindicator Vol 2, #3 - "HeroQuest Treasure Cards"
White Dwarf #134 - "The Halls of Durrag-Dol"
White Dwarf #145 - "The Eyes of Chaos"
Contact information:
Adventures Unlimited: http://www.greatbearlink.com/
Vindicator Online:
http://homepage2.rconnect.com/forhan/vindicator.html
White Dwarf: http://www.games-workshop.com/whitedwarf.html
----------------------------
Subject 14: What information is available on the Internet for HQ?
I have new Quests, Board Overlays, Monsters, Heroes, and Rules that can
be downloaded from my HeroQuest page, and a large collection of HQ
links on my Link Page.
There is also a free HQ email newsletter, the Alchemist's Bench being
published.
The Miniatures Page contains some HeroQuest articles and quest ideas.
Dewayne HeroQuest Page:
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Chasm/9223/
The Alchemist's Bench: http://alchemist.htmlplanet.com/
The Miniatures Page: http://theminiaturespage.com/rules/fan/hq.html
----------------------------
Subject 15: What other games have components such as figures or boards
that might be compatible with HQ?
Title Publisher
------------------- --------------------
Advanced HeroQuest Games Workshop
Warhammer Quest Games Workshop
Dragonfire Heartbreaker Hobbies
Dark World Mattel
BattleMasters Milton Bradley
Lionheart Parker Brothers
DragonStrike TSR
Note that all of these games are out of print.
----------------------------
Subject 16: Do you have any suggestions for improving HQ?
Here are a few:
Add some non-combat encounters. These could be anything from a dying
Goblin with an important message, to a Dwarf who's digging for gold in
a remote passage. Non-combat encounters make the players think more
about what's going on in their surroundings. Sometimes the encounters
have important implications, others may be to confuse or entertain the
players.
You can design Quests around a plots or themes. What if there's a feud
going on between the Orcs and the Goblins? Will they attack the Heroes,
or try to enlist their help? How about a mystic portal that must be
closed to stop the outpouring of Undead? These longer-running plots can
create ongoing goals for the Heroes to pursue.
And who can resist the Recurring Villain? Create a villainous Wizard,
Chaos Warrior, etc., complete with some special items or abilities, and
have him do his best to foil the Heroes' Quests. You don't have to use
him in every adventure, and sometimes he may not even be the primary
antagonist, but a properly played Recurring Villain can be a nuisance
and a challenge rolled up into one. Make sure he has a way to retreat,
however, such as the Escape spell. You don't want your Heroes defeating
him on the first encounter!
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Subject: Section II: Specific Rule Questions
----------------------------------
Subject: 20. HeroQuest game system
a. Spell Cancellation
How does one handle multiple (and possibly conflicting) spells cast on
the same character? For instance Zargon casts Fear (reduce to 1 attack
die) on the Elf whose normal roll is 2 attack dice. The Elf then casts
Courage (+2 attack dice) on himself. How many attack dice does the Elf
roll?
The spell effects should be applied in the order they occur. So in the
above example, the Elf would have 3 attack dice. No matter what weapon
he is using, he is reduced to 1 attack die because of the Fear. The
Courage spell then adds 2 attack dice to this number. If the Courage
spell is broken (either by losing sight of a monster or by using the 1
attack that it is good for) then Fear is the only spell in effect and
the Elf is reduced to 1 die. If the Fear is broken first, the Elf can
roll 4 attack dice (2 + 2 for Courage).
b. Jumping Pits and Diagonal Movement
In the basic rules, it pretty clearly states that diagonal movement is
not allowed. However, under the section that describes how to jump a
pit a diagram shows that a jump to a diagonal square is allowed. (See
diagram.) What's the deal here?
_______
| |\ /|
| | X | <-- Pit
|___|/_\|
| |
| |
|___|
In the basic rules, a pit may be jumped if the Hero has 2 movement
squares left. He moves into any of the Adjacent squares beyond the pit
(see the rulebook section JUMPING A TRAP). In this instance, the only
adjacent square is diagonal, so it is the only pit that the Hero may
land on.
c. Unarmed Combat
What happens if a Hero's weapon is destroyed with the Rust Spell? How
do they fight?
In HeroQuest, the Heroes roll attack dice depending on the weapon they
are using. The rules make no mention of fighting without weapons, yet
the possibility does exist. In the Quest #6, "Legacy of the Orc
Warlord", it states that an unarmed Hero rolls 1 attack die. Since
this is the same as a Hero armed with a dagger, I let the Heroes
roll "Unarmed Combat Dice" to attack unarmed. The Hero must roll a
Black Shield to hit. They may roll this many dice:
Barbarian 4
Dwarf 3
Elf 2
Wizard 1
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Subject: 21. Kellar's Keep
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Subject: 22. Return of the Witch Lord
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Subject: 23. Quest Pack for the Elf
a. Jumping Long Pits With Rabbit Boots
Do the Rabbit Boots behave differently when dealing with long pits? If
they fail a normal pit jump on a black shield, should they then not
fail a long pit jump on a white shield, or even a skull?
No, Rabbit Boots (an artifact gained in the Return of the Witch Lord)
behave the same regardless of the size of the pit.
b. Jumping Long Pits With A Potion Of Dexterity
Does the Potion of Dexterity really guarantee a long pit jump?
Yes.
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Subject: 24. Barbarian Quest Pack
a. Yetis and Defending
Can Yeti roll defend dice while hugging? (They can't make other
attacks while hugging, but can they defend?)
Every Hero or Monster should get to roll defend dice, regardless of
the circumstances. However, one could develop a house rule whereby
the defend dice of a Yeti is reduced while hugging by one or two
dice. This is strictly optional, of course.
b. Ice Gremlin Stealing And Moving
If an Ice Gremlin moves first, then steals something, does he still get
to run?
One could argue stealing is an action, and as such terminates the
movement phase. However, many things don't count as an action, only
those things specifically listed on the Hero cards and rulebook. You
could allow the Gremlin to use his remaining movement points in the
escape.
c. Lone Hero Against Yeti
If a lone Hero encounters a Yeti, which successfully "hugs" him, is the
Hero automatically dead? It would seem so; the rules didn't seem to
allow for a Hero to free himself from the Yeti's grip.
As the rules indicate, a "hugged" Hero may not defend nor take any
actions. This is probably intended to allow a deadly Monster in the
game, which will cause the egomaniacs of the group to think twice
before wildly attacking. :) One suggestion would be to allow the Hero
to roll his/her normal attack dice at the start of each turn. If less
than two skulls are rolled, the Hero remains in the hug. If two or more
skulls are rolled, no damage is inflicted on the Yeti, but the hug is
broken and the Hero may move away if desired (the Hero's action is lost
for the turn, however).
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Subject: 99. End of FAQ
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