by Hello Hasbro,
I am very concerned about the imminent re-remake and release of classic packs "Hero Quest" "Barbarian Quest Pack: the Frozen Horror" and "Elf Quest Pack: Mage of the Mirror" (from 1992) and their potential negative impact to the community and the brand.
Why? Aren't these the most sought-after North American releases of all time, guarenteed to make tons of money in pre-orders in record time? Don't these packs regularly sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars in Ebay even in used condition?
I'm not saying these should not be released, and I'm sure this will be no problem for those who only wish to play with the miniatures or re-sell the products on ebay. But the majority will want to open the box and play, and when they do, they will be hit almost immediately with some issues we've known about for three decades.
Here is the problem and this is an open secret that the HeroQuest fan community has known for decades... these quests are "broken." That is, they clearly did not recieve adequate playtesting.
Despite their big ideas, the difficulty in them is extreme. We have in our communities documented numerous examples of errors...
1) Treasure chests surrounded by trap tiles (this is not how traps work... an orange treasure chest has a trap that triggers if it is searched without first disarming the trap, because there is NO mechanic for walking up to the chest in order to open it being required to obtain the contents inside). This error crops up in the first three quests of the Barbarian quest pack for example.
2) Numerous examples of "unmarked" treasure chests. The Elf pack is notorious for this. A treasure chest is surrounded by powerful monsters and is not marked, meaning the player must draw a treasure card. This seems to be an oversight.
3) Unused Artifacts. Yes it is true that players can be inspired to use whatever assets are found in order to make their own adventures, but the Elf Quest Pack grants the Elven Bracers (similar to the Barbarian pack's "Amulet of the North") granting 2 body points and 1 mind point. Yet it is NEVER given to the Elf in any of the quests, nor can it be found by searching. Fans have suggested giving it as a reward for completing the first (or third) Solo quests... or else placing it in one of the many unmarked treasure chests. Similarly the Armband of Ice is never granted in the Barbarian Quest Pack.
4) Impossible monsters. The Yeti is a creature that if it does any damage to a hero (and it is not a weak monster!) it automatically grabs the hero in a "hug" that deals 2 Body Points of damage every turn. Worse, the Hero cannot escape from it UNLESS the monster holding him is killed (the Yeti cannot defend while in the hold). This is a tough situation in the group quests, but the first Solo quests where the Barbarian fights alone, he has a good chance of facing a Yeti very early! Either remove the Yeti, or provide an opportunity for the Barbarian to be joined by a mercenary to "protect his back." Additionally the Polar Warbear makes two attacks per turn, and heroes can only defend once. It is unclear if this means the second attack is always unblockable or if a "good" heroic defense roll can cover skulls from both attacks. This is a very powerful monster. Next, the Ogres have 10 body points, which is a very high amount meaning a very long quest is in store since multiple instances of them appear though this is less of a problem compared to the Yeti.
5) High Frustration. The Solo Quests are billed as being intended for "new heroes" that is base level heroes, who don't have saved up gold, potions, or extra equipment and artifacts... only their starting gear. Worse yet, it is implied that brand new players to Hero Quest should undertake these missions in order to "catch up" to the other heroes. While it is true that the Solo quests in these two packs do offer opportunities for new weapons, armor, potions, and even Artifacts... the difficulty is extreme and most players will be killed 90-95% of the time, forcing them to repeat the quest over and over, making them much less likely to want to play with the others. This is in contrast to the relatively easy "beginner" level quests found in second and third Dave Morris HeroQuest novels (Screaming Spectre and Tyrant's Tomb.. albeit under the UK rules).
6) No Mercenaries for the Elf. The Elf Quests are almost as difficult as the Barbarian Quests and yet there are no mercenaries to be found, except in one or two cases where enemy elves can become allies. As such the ability to hire mercenaries or have additional reinforcements for these quests may be warranted to avoid the dreaded TPK ("Total Party Kill") being a frequent thing.
We're not asking for "easy" quests. We're not asking for the legacy of HeroQuest and history to be erased. But I think without some kind of disclaimer, errata, or helpful list of (community approved) suggestions for these two packs WILL result in a fan backlash online in terms of these which could hurt the brand, the franchise and future HeroQuest endeavors and even faith in the company itself from the customer standpoint.
I beg whomever is working on these remakes, whether at Hasbro or Avalon Hill to please do their research to see that fans have found work-arounds for these problems to make the quests playable and even enjoyable. Buyers shouldn't be forced to track us down after they buy the product to get the answers that should have come from the company that released it.
Sincerely:
A concerned fan,
Kurgan
Perhaps something like "Dear HeroQuest owner: We appreciate your continued interest in our new and legacy products. The following is a faithful re-creation of the Barbarian Quest Pack: The Frozen Horror" originally published in 1992 in North America. Due to time and budgetary constraints of the time, this product was not adequately play-tested to our exacting quality standards. As such here are the following suggestions in order to achieve a balanced playing experience: (insert suggestions here like removing the Yeti or adding mercenaries, additional potions, put stuff into the chests like missing Artifacts, flag the traps properly, etc).
Edit: Great news, "Into the Northlands" free online quest by Doug Hopkins was recently released and includes an attached errata. It gave many great suggestions and some now artifacts to make things work better. I sent a follow-up email to Hasbro CS in response.
