GAME DISSECTION: Me and You and a goblin named Boo...
ART: This game is from the late 80's and the art reflects as much. By that, I mean that it very much resembles a Big-Hair-Metal-Band road tour...AND THAT IS AWESOME! Its not dainty and Tolkien.... this is a game that fits more with a good night of Conan the Barbarian, 13th Warrior, and Highlander playing in the backround. Everything looks as it should, nothing looks out of place...the art both printed and 3D... does its job perfectly!
PRICE: Well now here's the thing.... its out of print. I know, I know.... that usually makes it harder to find and harder to obtain. Now hear my story.... I played this game first with some church friends years ago, then I was GIVEN a free copy of my own....then....a freak basement flooding left its boxes and other cardboard pieces decimated.... now, many years later, thanks to EBAY and some fancy bidding on my part...i have mine for about 40.00$ . With the remainders from the last water-logged copy.... my hordes of minions shall destroy the heroes once and for all MOO HAA HAA!...BUT I DIGRESS! You can search Ebay or other online sites, maybe even poll your local game stores to see what they have hidden away. Or check your basement... maybe you forgot you had this.
REPLAY: Heh... where do I begin! the game is designed so the board may be reused and reset as needed for each quest. the basic game comes with 14 such setups thereby giving you AT LEAST 14 good games to play. The back of the quest book has a copiable diagram that will let you make up your own quests and continue the story. there were also a few booster packs containing more pieces board elements and quest books as well! So even with a minimal investment in the first game... you have a virtually unlimited amount of replay here...as long as you have some imagination!
MECHANICS: Heroes have 1 action, from a choice of 6, to perform and a move each turn. So do the monsters. heroes then monsters, back and forth. Battle is handled with dice from Germany in my edition...roll skulls to hit, shields to defend. The mechanics are simple, smooth, and easy to enjoy. It sounds almost too simple to be fun, but its not! The board changes as play progresses, the heroes not knowing where the next doorway will take them or what is on the other side. All this without hundreds of dollars worth of manuals and supplements.... makes the game extremely playable.
FUN: I've played the first 14 adventures. I've played two sets of expansions. I've gotten my graph paper and created my own 10 quest adventure.... I've played with people my own age and my kids. Its still fun. for all of us, even after all this time. That being said.... its benign fun. No grand malicious powers behind it all. Its got as much dark menace as the Wizard of Oz or a Muppet villain... the emphasis on this game was getting past the monsters and getting the loot and having fun doing it! It succeeds.
GAMER PROFILE: You must choose... but choose wisely...
CASUAL: While My gramma might not ever play this....there's a whole generation of people out there that have been playing D&D, LARPing and attending renn faire's for years now and YOUR gramma might like to sit down and pound out a nice dungeon crawling adventure with you. If so, she'll find the rules and choices simple, but addictively fun!
ACTIVE: Tired of passing GO? Do you really want to choose between apples AGAIN? not wanting to plunk down another 100.00 to get a set of books you already spent money on less than 5 years ago? Well go get a copy of Hero Quest and some doritos and Mt Dew and have a high fantasy night of door bashing and orc stabbing!
GAMER: If you don't have it...GO GET IT! If you DO have it, host a night of Hero Quest, sport your OWN adventures, or even make adventures based off movies and stories you and your hard core friends know.... Hero Quest: The Princess Bride could be the start of a whole new fun nights at your place!
CREATOR: Its a big box company game that ACTUALLY does what it should. Don't copy it... not even for flattery, but take the time to get the balance as right as they did here. this game has been out of print for some time but still has a DEVOTED AND CULT LIKE FOLLOWING. Supplements by fans abound, and there's even a free computer game version you can download off the web ( I know..because I did ) This is what we want people, a devoted following that we can share our creations with.
FOR THE LADIES: I've actually played this game with more women than I have men. 75% of the women I have played with have been the Barbarian with the GIANT SWORD and have kicked in doors and hacked down goblins like they were chopping up veggies for a salad. Though the game doesn't sport and specifically female characters, a trip to the game store could easily afford you a nice miniature reflecting your gender. Housewives might be desperate on Wisteria Ln. .... but its because they have no adventure in their lives!
ABOUT ME: I'm a Gamer, Game Designer, and above all, a good guy who loves sharing games with people! if you have any questions, write me at redearth72@gmail.com
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