Heroquest for Adults: New heroes and army

[airbornegrove26]

I have titled this Heroquest for Adults in a tip of the hat to Gaj over at Warhammer for Adults.

If you are into war gaming at all you should take the time to give this article a read, and check out his blog.

http://warhammerforadults.blogspot.co.uk/p/why-is-it-called-warhammer-for-adults.html

What follows is a slightly long winded view of my new gaming direction and what it holds for my future projects. As I try to lead a real life and find time to game with enthusiasm.

I’m calling it Heroquest for Adults because like Gaj’s article as adults we all take responsibility for the part we play.  The game’s richness and magic all comes form the efforts that we as a group put forth when we sit down to the table.

For the past two years I have really been struggling for a gaming compass.  The projects I had been working on led me in such haphazard directions that I neither had the time or actual motivation to actually enjoy or put on a game.  

Then I discovered the Old Hammer or Warhammer 3E community through many of your blogs I finally found my direction.  I was now on the right track but my pocket was still empty  I was still  going blind.  I still hadn’t found my compass.  

Then one the eve of my 30th birthday I found it!  

Let’s get  a bit of back story to start off.  I have always been into war gaming.  My dad started my brothers and I off at an early age pushing lead figures around on the kitchen table.  When I was in grade school I got my first White dwarf.  I didn’t know what it was but I loved it.  Then in 1989 Heroquest came out.

I was so excited when I got it the smell, the figures, the look it was all there.  I quickly snapped everything together, and my brothers and I started moving things around the board.  This started a several week gaming night were the whole family mom included played Heroquest.  I think we got to quest 8 or 9 when real life interfered and we never really got back to it.

Through High School, military, college  It was more or less back to historical war gaming.  Till last year when I got the Old Hammer bug.  For me I have always had fantastic worlds running through my imagination, I really get into it.  It is what I do to relax.  The rest of my group not so much.  Pushing the figures around is usually enough for them.  So I was really looking for that simple game where we could all connect to the magic and high fantasy that I had swirling around in my head.

So for my birthday I got the idea to forgo all presents and gifts, and asked if my family could just sit down for an evening and play Heroquest again.  They actually agreed and I even talked the wife into playing the role of Zargon.

That night we got through four quests.  We decided that we could keep this going.  It was simple everything was included, no one had to spend any extra cash.  It even falls into the Old Hammer category, being a partnered game between Milton Bradley and Citadel.  So  I will let it slide.

We have now continued on to quest 9, which was actually just played by my brother myself, with my wife still happily playing Zarganna.  She really enjoys trying to kill us!

This might be something you might want to try if you lack gaming partners.  Also my wife is not necessarily a gamer.  She has dipped her toe in the pool but not really jumped in.  She however really likes organizing the quest....and as before trying to kill us.  

She is actually expanding on the simplicity of the game by describing the rooms (with pathfinder D100 room chart), as well as creating non combat encounters.  So I am very proud of the effort.  I think she has just come to learn how much gaming means to me and puts forth the same amount of effort when she actually plays which I really appreciate.  I’ve also been lending an extra hand around with house chores so that helps too =).

So onto the quest.  I had played the first few quest with my knight Schmendrick.  I switched to my mice Striker and his sidekick Wumple.  I had had these figures commissioned last year by Ratnik over at Lead Adventures Miniatures.  So was pleased to finally get them on the tabletop.  

Another difference from the first four quests....eight people and doubled up monsters does not leave much room on the board.  So i had my local sign shop blow the board up into a 5x4 poster mounted on pvc. It is awesome, and freaking huge.

So begins the Race Against Time!

[magokiron]

HEROQUEST was my first "Miniature Love", and I actually have like 5 complete starter sets, 2 or 3 copies of Kellar's Keep and Return of the Witch Lord, and the Elf Quest Pack. 

Of course, I do have all the other quest books as PDF's.

And I'm making a 3D dungeon (but then, I've been doing it for ages...  )

Nice "comic book" AAR, and good for you to involve family and wife.

The room full of dogs and a puppy really made me smile.

Can you share the stats for the giant spider and other unusual monsters?

Thanks.

[FramFramson]

Only though gaming can having your wife try to kill you (AND your family) come out as a fun relationship-builder.

[Christian]

That looks like a great birthday present

[Mason]

 

Looks like you had a lot of fun.
Well it made me chuckle...

Also good to see you reviving an old love, and enjoying it all over again.

[beefcake]

Awesome. I still have my old HQ box. It has been used alot. although it was never revisited after we found out about warhammer. That will probably be the first game I play with my son... a few years from now. Such basic rules but so much fun. Good to see your wife giving it a go... now how can I encourage my wife... chores as well maybe

[The Voivod]

Love it.
My RPG group used to get out my old heroquest when a lot of players didn't show.
My wife would play too. I eventually ended up buying advanced heroquest on e-bay.
Now that's one of my many projects.

[joroas]

Absolute genius. Thanks for sharing. 

[airbornegrove26]

Thanks for the comments guys.  I am planning on doing a lot more of this.

magokiron:  For the spider I used the gargoyle stats and raised the Hp's to 8, probably could have gotten away with 10.  However It isn't that much fun sitting in the same combat for 5-6 rounds.  The heroes suffered but rolled shields when they needed to...for once.

I would be happy to answer any other questions so feel free to ask. 

[Cherno]

HeroQuest, a game many gamers hold dear in their hearts as it was this game that brought them into the wider world of miniature gaming. The same was true for me in the mid-90s, and a few years ago I bought a ton of HQ-related stuff, including all the european expansions, and played through all of them with my buddies. I like to "pimp up" my games and for HQ I made equipment cards for everything because we used Advanced HeroQuest rules most of the time. In hindsight, I have to say that the experience for me as the GM wasn't that satisfactory because you don't have that much more to do than move monsters around and put scenery on the board. The Heroes become overpowered very fast while the same old Goblins and Orcs try to wound them in vain. HeroQuest to me is a real Gateway Game, lots of eyecandy and quick gameplay but also very shallow. Perfect for gaming with kids who don't care about such issues  

Edit: Here's a thread about my AHQ pimping project:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=39630.0

[airbornegrove26]

Scurv:  I'm pretty sure I got it from Zak over @ http://dndwithpornstars.blogspot.com/ but don't remember which post.
I searched google images and found it on this site though http://www.allmystery.de/themen/uh43048-3366  That is what I do for msot of my pics. I wirt the story then search google images for what fits.  there is some crazy shit out there.

 Cherno:  I agree/disagree.  Yes in it's vanilla form HQ is very simple and can be a good introductory,or gate way game.  However by breaking it down, and putting some thought into it it can become what you want it to be.  That's what I am doing, making a great game fit into how I want to play. I was talking to the wife the other day, that we don't even need the board and minis if she draws the maps out like she did.  We can easily sit on the couch and role play at someone else's house if we had to.  How because it is all in our imaginations, we created it.  By no means were these statements meant to be critical, it's just given a level of effort original heroquest can become heroquest for adults.     I also enjoyed your AHQ post very cool.  I need to introduce skaven, would be a very good enemy for mice!!!!

[uti long smile]

Wonderful stuff. I was also a massive fan and had loads of fun running games.

Any more photos of the board - it's very impressive!

[DeafNala]

VERY CREATIVE, IMAGINATIVE & BEAUTIFULLY presented! Even as a Guy who's never played the game, I found it all very inspiring. GREAT WORK!

[airbornegrove26]

Scurv:  Its a very good blog.  I get a lot of ideas from there.

[Michka]

I only played Heroquest a couple times decades ago and had lots of fun. Then I played Warhammer Quest and went nuts buying minis. That was my gateway miniatures drug. Since Heroquest is the inspiration for Warhammer Quest, I now know what to blame.