Is it Possible to Play with 5-6 Player Characters?

[DC1346]

The observation about making sure that monsters may shoot or attack diagonally is a good idea.

This is the special traits I was on about earlier. They are in the link i provided ...

Very nice! I particularly like the idea about the goblins because they're small and cunning little guys. Unlike orcs, I've never seen goblins as being the sort of creatures to stand toe to toe unless they're fighting halflings or gnomes. This hit and run tactic could be very interesting.

Thanks!

[mitchiemasha]

it's my favourite... It was the first one and if they had to be only one, it would be the one.

[Gold Bearer]

I wouldn't introduce a bunch of new house rules like monster skills for beginners. Mitchiemasha just wants everyone to use his stuff, or his version of other peoples stuff.

The simplest way would be to increase monster strength by giving them extra BP.

[mitchiemasha]

I wouldn't introduce a bunch of new house rules like monster skills for beginners. Mitchiemasha just wants everyone to use his stuff, or his version of other peoples stuff.

The simplest way would be to increase monster strength by giving them extra BP.

You are right and wrong.

Yes, I do want people to use my version of other peoples stuff. That would please me more than anything in the world.

No, increasing monsters BP is the single worst thing to do. It's boring. Its only result is more dice rolling and adds no spice to the game at all. Compared to most games today, the unique skills and a few other tweaks are minor, nothing too much to take on. Most don't even need to be known by the players and come about, discovered, as they play. Also, when Heroes start to die, randomly increased BP would be the first thing to be seen as cheating, not a nice twist to the game. Lets not forget... the lack of space in the dungeon prevents the extra heroes being that much of an issue. There's no space to surround a monster. Group splits are more likely.

I'd skip the character creation at the start and simply make a few extras myself, using the system. Those who come back after a death, might want to try. We love creating characters so why wouldn't they? it ends up being a huge part of the game, a game of its own. It's very easy to add their ideas to the system, that's how many of the ideas came about in the first place. It's what players wanted to try (the best thing about HeroQuest) and why they're split out into basic traits not clumped to specific classes, races. You want to be a Half Orc Thief that dabbles in magic, yeah do it!

The extended armoury is of no concern as they won't have the gold anyways. Neither is the reequip. These becomes more important later on as the game evolves. I would skip all that.

The EW tokens (or the Chaos Deck), the players don't even need to know about these rules. I'd do the first run through myself as the EW. If a few player really got into it, have them create their own quest packs. They'd of picked up the more complex rules and I'd play as a hero with the others through their quests. Our group often had changing heroes and different players at different quests, tweaking the story flow was very easy, they did all that themselves. It's fun watching others imagination come to life.

All the mods on the print out have very important reasons for being there. We all know about the issues players can learn to milk. These mods work heavily towards reducing them, with out having to say, no you can't do that or no that's not how it works. The GIVE (Bonus Action) rule was rewritten many times to incorporate the many ways they might try to play it. I'd be tempted to skip the Bonus Actions, making them all free, if the players were young. If very young, i'd play vanilla, it wont matter anyways.

[j_dean80]

To keep it HQ vanilla-ish...

The way I would do it:

Add 1 and sometimes 2 more monsters to each room (same type as what is already there).
Add more rooms to explore as the group will most likely split up (possibly using a second board for space).

These two simple mods will accomodate a larger group without making it complex.

[Gold Bearer]

You are right and wrong.

Lol!

To keep it HQ vanilla-ish...

The way I would do it:

Add 1 and sometimes 2 more monsters to each room (same type as what is already there).
Add more rooms to explore as the group will most likely split up (possibly using a second board for space).

These two simple mods will accomodate a larger group without making it complex.

Exactly. There's absolutely no need to add new rules for a starting group of players, let them experience the game as it was meant to be played.

I wouldn't even go as far as far as adding rooms. Simply adding more monsters would be the better solution but that means either editing the quests before hand or adding monsters on the fly which is really unfair, the WP having that kind of control instantly ruins the game. You could add monsters to the quests before hand but increasing base monster BP is simpler, they should put up more of a fight anyway.

[j_dean80]

You are right and wrong.

Lol!

To keep it HQ vanilla-ish...

The way I would do it:

Add 1 and sometimes 2 more monsters to each room (same type as what is already there).
Add more rooms to explore as the group will most likely split up (possibly using a second board for space).

These two simple mods will accomodate a larger group without making it complex.

Exactly. There's absolutely no need to add new rules for a starting group of players, let them experience the game as it was meant to be played.

I wouldn't even go as far as far as adding rooms. Simply adding more monsters would be the better solution but that means either editing the quests before hand or adding monsters on the fly which is really unfair, the WP having that kind of control instantly ruins the game. You could add monsters to the quests before hand but increasing base monster BP is simpler, they should put up more of a fight anyway.

More Heroes will cover a board quicker. That is why I said adding more exploration space. "The best thing about HeroQuest is" exploring to see what else there is.

If every single room was setup with 1 or 2 more monsters (depending on room size as to which) then it wouldn't be unfair on-the-fly tactics by the EWP. Merely a mod to counterbalance more attack, defend, and BP by the larger group of Heroes.

[knightkrawler]

Where exactly are more monsters added in a 4x5 room with a table and three goblins and six heroes?
I think the issue at hand is being overthought, to be honest.
I would add exactly nothing until, during a quest, I hear complaints or see bored faces. Too easy? Too tedious? Only then it's time to make adjustments accordingly. I wouldn't take the risk to chance things beforehand and then find out it might have been the wrong tweak. THEN, changing back things would look like cheating.

[Anderas]

The thing is, the base game is a bit on the easy side. It all depends on the age of the players. If they already have their second teeth it can be a little bit harder than the original. If they start to grow hair in strange places, it can be another bit harder.

With six players it does get easier. So yes I would add some monsters in the rooms where they fit, also I would let them shoot or attack diagonally. I would not touch the rest of the game for starters. That can still be done when the players start wanting moar moar moar.

The Mod of Goldbearer with more BP per Monster is a thing I would do only to the bosses and their lieutenants. There, then, it is a very good mod.

Mitchies Mods are a nice forum's compilation. Most of us have most of those mods in one variant or the other. Heroquest lives partially through the exploration and discovery. In each good quest there is something new or unique. And that's the reason why I would introduce those mods or your own mods, one by one. Like that the players have new stuff to discover every time.
The coolest mod, move action move for goblins, is at the same time a bit dangerous. I was once accidentally killing a hero with it. Take care if you use it, be careful that you have not more than two or three of those MAM goblins at the same time.

[Pancho]

Limit searching to once per room, plus one search for each piece of furniture.

This is vital for a number of reasons;
1) will keep the game moving
2) keeping track of who has searched a room is tedious enough with 4 players, let alone 6.
3) it solves the conundrum of how treasure chests and trapped furniture actually works
4) it will slow down the Heroes advancement. Less gold, less equipment purchased.

The 4th point should ensure that the heroes split up and explore the dungeon in smaller groups. This is the only way I can see this working, and if you play as Morcar/gamesmaster it should be your primary goal to make this happen.

Somebody else suggested that you let one of them play as Morcar, and you sit out and act as a rulesmith and guide. That could work really well. (You could be Mentor himself!) In which case you would only have 5 heroes, which is a bit more manageable. Add in a low body point character such as a thief or another Wizard maybe (you could give the Elf the Elf spells and the two wizards get to choose from the extra spell decks from Wizards of Morcar).