Why I love HeroQuest
HeroQuest is a Milton Bradley board game that came out in the 1980s that was effectively a dumbed down version of Dungeons & Dragons. It came with a board, miniature heroes and monsters, miniature doors and furniture pieces, cardboard tiles, special dice, character sheets, and cards. My brother and I used to play it when we were kids.
Well, they had a crowd funding event and decided to bring it back to market. The new HeroQuest game is essentially the same, but they had to give it all new artwork, new miniatures, and tweaked some names to avoid copyright and trademark issues. I've been playing it with my 11 and 8 year old boys, and they love it. There's even an app you can download that can act as the dungeon master/narrator (or "Zargon," as they call it in the game), so I can play a hero with my boys. You can also use the app to play the game solo. It's great dungeon hacking fun.
1. It's a boardgame
The neat thing about board games is that the whole game is confined to the area of the board. It forces the game to be primarily visual and keeps the focus in one place.
2. Simple, yet challenging
The game is designed for players ages 10 and up. It is a simple game to learn, but there's enough there that the players still have to think and strategize. My boys found out early on that if they don't work together, their heroes quickly get killed off.
3. The app
As I mentioned before, there's a nifty app that you can download that allows you to play solo or with others as a hero. The app will act as the dungeon master. I've been using the app to play with my kids, and it's solid. (the voice acting is a little over the top though, to the point of comedy)
4. Expansion packs
The game has "expansion packs" with new monster pieces, new tiles, new artifacts and equipment for your heroes, and other goodies that refresh the game and make it feel new again. So far, two expansion packs have been released, two more are releasing within the next few months, and they'll probably make more as long as it's profitable.
5. Highly visual
HeroQuest features epic artwork and detailed game pieces that you can paint if you're into that sort of hobby. You're basically playing in a 3D dungeon with 3D furniture, doors, and monsters.
6. Nostalgia
If you played RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons as a kid, there's a sense of nostalgia and good memories that come up when you play a game like HeroQuest.
7. No roleplay acting required
One of the intimidating things that keep a lot of people away from RPGs is the roleplay acting aspect. After all, they are called "role-playing games." It can feel just plain weird and perhaps too geeky to a lot of people. Since HeroQuest is primarily a board game, it doesn't have a roleplay acting aspect. It's just a good old fashioned dungeon hack.
8. Replay value
I like how the board has a standard layout of rooms, but it allows for seemingly infinite possibilities.
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