HQ Inspired Videogame

[Giuanni]

I have a project in mind: a game similar to Heroquest Revived.

For now I have done: movement (including jumps) and progressive dungeon revelation. (a pic here)

I will depart from standard HQ: I will use custom board, custom minis and lot of House Rules.

I'd like to share with you some of those House Rules: they are in a very preliminary stage but I'll share them anyway.... in search of comments, links to similar stuff or inspiration sources...

Zargon's "Shifting Grimoire"

This system completely redefines the role of Zargon, transforming him from a passive arbiter to an active and strategic enemy.

* How it works:
1. Chaos Economy: Zargon doesn't act for free. He uses a resource called Sorcery Points (SP).
2. Passive Income: At the start of the quest, he receives a fixed "budget" of SP, determined by the quest's difficulty.
3. Active Gain: During his turn, Zargon can "sacrifice" a monster on the board (removing it from play) to gain bonus SP, with the gain varying based on the monster Body Points. The sacrificed monster must not have taken damage.
4. The "Shifting Grimoire": At the start of the quest, a fixed number of "Sorcerer Spell" cards are drawn (e.g., 5, 6, or 7 cards depending on the difficulty of the quest) from a larger deck.
These 5-7 cards become the fixed menu of spells that Zargon can "buy" by spending his SP during the game.

* Added Value (How HQ Improves):
In the original HQ, Zargon is primarily a storyteller.
His only proactive actions are moving monsters or casting Chaos Spells, but only if he controls a Chaos Wizard.
This system is a improvement because:
1. It makes the Zargon role fun: Both the AI ​​and a human player now have deep tactical choices (should I sacrifice a Fimir for 2 SP, or have him attack?).
2. It increases replayability: The "Grimoire" that changes every game (thanks to the 5-7 cards drawn) means the Zargon's strategy will never be the same.

1-point Spells:
Monstrous Charge: Choose 1 monster. That monster doubles its base movement this turn.
Dark Healing: Choose 1 monster. That monster regains 3 Body Points.
Lash of Hatred: Choose 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. The Hero takes 1 point of "true" damage (ignores armor).
Infectious Touch: Choose 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. The Hero rolls 1 fewer Combat Die in defense until the Sorcerer's next turn.
Misstep: Choose 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. Move the Hero 1 space in a direction of your choice (cannot walk into a wall or trap).
Charming Gaze: Choose 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. The Hero cannot use the "Search Treasure" or "Recover" actions on their next turn.
Shadow Wall: Place 1 "Shadow Wall" tile (1x1) in an empty space. Blocks line of sight (but not movement) until the Sorcerer's next turn.
Alarm: Open any closed door on the board.
Slammed Door: Close any open door on the board; it can be reopened with a skull on a combat die.
Cowardice: Choose 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. The Hero rolls 1 fewer combat die in attack until the Sorcerer's next turn.

2-point Spells:
Frenzy: Choose 1 monster. That monster can take two Attack actions this turn.
Summon Trap: Place a "Trip Pit" tile on an empty space in line of sight of a monster.
Tactical Shift: Swap the positions of any 2 monsters on the board.
Rust: Choose 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. One of their items (Shield or Helm) is destroyed (not Artifacts). If they have none, destroy their weapon (if it is not an Artifact).
Summon: Grinning Orc: Summon 1 Orc to an empty space. Special Ability (Grinning): While this Orc is alive, adjacent Heroes cannot use the "Recover" action. (it's a special action on my system)
Summon: Fragile Skeleton: Summon 2 Skeletons to empty spaces. Special Ability (Fragile): These Skeletons have only 1 Defense die (instead of 2).
Personal Nightmare: Choose 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. The Hero cannot be targeted by Healing Spells (PYL) until the Sorcerer's next turn.
Blood Bond: "Choose 1 Hero and 1 Monster. For 3 turns, each time that Monster takes damage, the Hero also takes 1 true damage."

3-point Spells:
Summon Horror: Summon an "Elite" monster (e.g., Fimir or Chaos Warrior) to an unoccupied space.
Reanimate: Choose 3 "Minor" monsters (Goblin, Orc, Skeleton) that died in this room. Return them to play.
Mind Control: Take control of 1 Hero in line of sight of a monster. The Hero can move and use their Attack Action against other Heroes.
Summon: Gargoyle Sentinel: Summon 1 Gargoyle. Special Ability (Sentinel): This Gargoyle cannot move. It is immune to ranged attacks.
Wall of Phobia: Places up to 3 "Wall" tiles (1x1) within a monster's line of sight. They block movement and line of sight. They last until the Sorcerer's next turn.
Chaos Armor: Choose 1 monster (typically a Boss). Until the Sorcerer's next turn, that monster is immune to damage.

4-point Spells:
Subdue Heroes: All Heroes on the board lose their next Action (they can only move).
Chaos Barrage: All Heroes in line of sight of a Sorcerer's monster take 1 damage per skull on a roll of 4 combat dices.
Summon: Pestilent Mummy: Summon 1 Mummy. Special Ability (Pestilence): "Aura of Nausea" - All Heroes adjacent to this Mummy roll 1 fewer attack die and 1 fewer defense die.
Suffocating Darkness: For 4 turns, Magic is blocked. Each Hero casting spells must roll a combat die; with a skull, they cannot do so for 4 turns.

[Giuanni]

some video on progressive dungeon revelation and jumps.

[StratosVX]

I'm interested in seeing this develop. I currently have no one to play HQ with, so this would be great for someone like myself. What are you developing it in? What platforms are you planning on releasing it to?

[Giuanni]

the game is in babylon.js, i plan to:

1. release it as a standalone desktop single player game (I will convert it using electron.js or nw.js ..... Electron apps run natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux across all supported architectures).
2. release a quest builder also: this second software totally free.

(anyway 'quests' will be plain old json: you could use a simple text editor to create a little one .... but for complex projects 2 will be super useful)

if there is interest and a little community will form...

3. i will 'convert' it to a multiplayer web based game with his own server. (the code will be already ready since is javascript: it will be a super easy step)

[Giuanni]

I've improved the models, interface, and some animations:

esploration

jumps

But above all, I've finalized the framework for the rules.

...it will be 'Heroquest On Steroids' (very tentative title: 'That Nineties Boardgame On Steroids,' which would give me a cease-and-desist in two hours, or, alternatively and more sensibly, 'Gruesome Quest').

If any Heroquestologists is curious just send me a PM: I will happily share. I you have any feedback, I'd be happy to hear it... it's written in a terrible style, but the ideas it contains are what matter.

[HispaZargon]

Interesting project, I will keep my eyes on it.

Just one comment, since this is not a remake of Gremlin's official HQ videogame, I think we should rename this thread differently to avoid confusions. Giuanni, please so you agree in renaming the thread as for example "HQ Inspired Videogame"? Or maybe you prefer other title?

[Giuanni]

"HQ Inspired Videogame" is just perfect!

[HispaZargon]

Great, so tread title already updated

[Giuanni]

In the meantime i have done Traps and Secret Doors.

The final game will support all major languages (English incuded of course).

It was not simple to debug: luckily today Vibe Coding exists... I'm an huge fan of VS Code + Github Copilot + Claude Sonnet 4.5

EDIT:

After much consideration, I've decided to drop "Zargon's Shifting Grimoire" as a house rule:

1. Developing an AI that plans spell use correctly is too time-consuming.
2. It's also too punishing: if the random spells that come out are the right ones, the heroes have lost before the game even starts.

In its place, there will be Dungeon Events: similar to the excellent AxianQuest expansion for HeroQuest.

Treasure search added.

Assets finalized for Equipment and treasures.