One game that has made an indelible mark on tabletop is Hero Quest. To celebrate its 25th anniversary Issue 9 of The Campaigner became entirely dedicated to the game. Not only did we look into the games past, but set a crack team of gamers against Hero Quest to play with a critical eye. Issue 9 is still available as digital download or in limited print stock.
By Matthew Lee with Nic Equid, Terry Masson and Sam Phillips
Those who remember playing Hero Quest recall the experience fondly. Hours spent with friends as you explored dark dungeons, facing monsters and finding treasure until you reached your ultimate reward. It is this experience that has maintained Hero Quests place amongst board game royalty.
But how much of Hero Quests praise is created by nostalgia? What is the game actually like to play, especially when you have decades of other games to compare it against? The Campaigner assembled a crack team of tabletop game veterans and seasoned adventurers to put Hero Quest through its paces, and see whether its reputation is fully deserved.
Game One: The Trial
For the first quest it seemed best to start with The Trial, the first adventure in the Quest Book. Since Terry had had the most exposure to Hero Quest previously he started out in the Evil Wizard role. Sam took control of the Barbarian and Wizard, while Nic played as the Elf and Dwarf. This is the first quest in the book, so the players received no bonuses.
Terry set the scene with an over-the-top delivery of the quest objective, and then Nic and Sam were away and exploring the dungeon. It didn’t take long for Nic and Sam to get to grips with the rules, while Terry easily took to his responsibilities as Evil Wizard, providing funny accents to the monsters and odd descriptions to the proceedings.
Before they encountered their final objective, Nic managed to lose the Elf in a heated battle with a gang of Orcs. The Wizard proved the most resilient of the warriors, standing toe-to-toe with foes throughout the entire game and only losing a few Body Points.
After defeating the Gargoyle, Sam’s Barbarian found himself trapped and surrounded in a room alone, and soon succumbed to the blades of Terry’s monsters. Seeing discretion as the better part of valour, the remaining Wizard and Dwarf made their escape.
Game Two: Bastion of Chaos
The second quest played was Bastion of Chaos, since it was mid way through the book and started to include elements like traps and trap doors. Nic took on the role of the Evil Wizard, with Sam controlling the Elf and Dwarf, leaving Terry with the Barbarian and Wizard.
Each hero was allowed 300 gold to spend, as the assumption was made that in a situation with ongoing characters, this is a fair estimate as to the wealth they would have acquired by this point. This allowed the players to buy some equipment before they started the quest.
After milling about in the first few starting rooms, Sam and Terry split up. Try as Nic might, again the Wizard proved to be a mighty foe, slaying enemies and brushing off attacks as if they were nothing. Nic also encountered a little confusion with the Quest Book, having some trouble interpreting the monster icons. This led to a couple of occasions where Terry and Sam were fighting Goblins instead of Orcs, making a few sections easier than they should have been.
Sam uncovered the final room, containing a sizeable gang of monsters, first. Waiting until the monsters have moved and surrounded Sam’s characters, Terry walked his Barbarian straight through the stone wall and took down the exposed Chaos Warrior leader in a single turn. With their objective completed, and Quest Item in hand, the warriors mopped up the few remaining monsters and ambled from the dungeon.
The remainder of this article is available in Issue 9, where you can read about the last mission, as well as Nic, Terry and Sam’s thoughts on Hero Quest. The issue is still available as a digital download or in print.
