Some rules questions, please help

[Leander]

Hi!

The EU version says that you can either search for treasure or traps AND secret doors. In the US version you can search for treasure or traps or secret doors, right?

I want to use the US version as it is better and more challenging. I'm from Austria so we played the EU version in the 90s. I was the dungeon master and it was boring as hell. One body point per monster? I could hardly hit a hero. It was way too easy. And guess what...we played it completely wrong. Before the actual game started I placed all monsters, doors and furniture. LOL Ok, the wizard instantly killed the Gargoyle with a spell (second mistake! As both were in different rooms)...it just sucked. LOL
I think later on we played it correctly but still the monsters were totally weak with one body point.

Back to my questions...

a) heroes can search for three things, right (treasure, traps, secret doors)?

b) heroes cannot search for treasure in corridors, right?

c) how often can a room be searched? I found a manual which said that EACH hero may search a room once...but we used to play this way that each room can only be searched once...what's correct?

d) if all treasure cards have been used, should you reshuffle the deck? Or is searching limited to the number of cards? If they are reshuffled it's a bit odd in my opinion. If the wandering monster is weak and each hero is allowed to search a room the heroes could search again and again and get tons of gold (as cards are not put away but reshuffled and used more than once in the quest)

e) if a room contains e.g. a table...can you search the table AND the room in general? Or can you just say "I'm searching for treasure" and you automatically search the table? The quest book sometimes say that a piece of furniture contains a treasure...are you allowed to search the furniture and the room in general or just the room (and automatically find the treasure in the table) or just the furniture?

f) the EU version's first quest is The Maze. It is not difficult. The US' first quest is The Trial. As far as I remember the wizard doesn't even have his spells...there's even a Gargoyle...why is this the FIRST quest? It is more difficult than quests 2 or 3...

[el_flesh]

a) yup. Unless you invented something else for them to search. Please share with us if you did!
b) yup they cannot. Unless you want them to be able to. Then they can.
c) Once per hero. Unless you realize, like everyone else, that adventurers will search THROUGHLY when they search. My group does like yours; ONE search per room only.
d) Nope. Sposed to be limited to number of cards, as I understand it, meaning you eventually get nothing else but wandering monsters. DUMB! We disposed of deck altogether and now roll using a treasure list.
e) Search each seperately. That's maybe the only thing we agree on with the manual... (as I remember it - I could be wrong; ask drathe?) We usually get a rush to search the furniture, and sometimes we're so greedy we don't search the furniture for traps first. Then treasure. And get CLICK! Then we search the rest of the room. Each piece of furniture = potential TRAP AND Treasure!
f) Stupidity. The US designers wanted to impress the importance of teamwork on their victims I mean customers. Also, being unable to beat the first quest tends to make you hooked on the game, while a candy-ass easy quest might make you abandon the game entirely. I find the Trial to be among the hardest of quests entirely. You could make it become a much later quest instead...

In short, there's so many resources and ideas about different ways to play HQ here - you've got a few weeks of reading to do before you settle on a game style that appeals to your group!
Luckily for me, while I was taking all that time to research my figs were also being painted! That takes long enough, too....

[Phoenix]

a) heroes can search for three things, right (treasure, traps, secret doors)?

That is correct! and each Hero can only search each room/corridor once.

b) heroes cannot search for treasure in corridors, right?

Also, correct. please note that in a few special instances, they actually create a "room" in a corridor, that becomes searchable, but these should be obvious.

c) how often can a room be searched? I found a manual which said that EACH hero may search a room once...but we used to play this way that each room can only be searched once...what's correct?

each room is searchable once, per Hero

d) if all treasure cards have been used, should you reshuffle the deck? Or is searching limited to the number of cards? If they are reshuffled it's a bit odd in my opinion. If the wandering monster is weak and each hero is allowed to search a room the heroes could search again and again and get tons of gold (as cards are not put away but reshuffled and used more than once in the quest)

"Treasure" is kept out of the deck until the end of the Quest. "Hazards" and "Wandering Monsters" are RETURNED to the deck. That is the interesting portion of treasure searching. There becomes a finite amount of treasure and an infinite number of danger.

e) if a room contains e.g. a table...can you search the table AND the room in general? Or can you just say "I'm searching for treasure" and you automatically search the table? The quest book sometimes say that a piece of furniture contains a treasure...are you allowed to search the furniture and the room in general or just the room (and automatically find the treasure in the table) or just the furniture?

When searching a room; all items in the room are included in the search. The location of the treasure is simply for story telling purposes.

f) the EU version's first quest is The Maze. It is not difficult. The US' first quest is The Trial. As far as I remember the wizard doesn't even have his spells...there's even a Gargoyle...why is this the FIRST quest? It is more difficult than quests 2 or 3...

The First release of HeroQuest (EU edition) contained the maze. The second release (EU edition contained the trial. When it was released in the US, it still contained the trial." It is a very difficult quest, as it does sport a gargoyle and two chaos warriors. It also uses every single piece of furniture that comes with the game. In my opinion, somewhat of a spoiler.

Not sure why the wizard wouldn't have his spells, he gets 9 of them and the elf gets 3.


Bottom line: Zargon/Morcar/GM is in charge of the game. Whatever rules he decides is the new rule. He is the one who makes the calls and sets up the board. He can place more or less monsters on the board, can substitute a Treasure Card Deck draw with a found treasure. He can do pretty much what he wants to (just be fair, you want players to come back again).

Second Bottom line: HAVE FUN!! try not to get bogged down in the rules so much. It's a game and should be enjoyed. Familiarize yourself with the rules and then "Go, play, have fun!!"

[el_flesh]

See I got e) wrong!

But we suuuure like it our way!

PS what do you know about
http://forum.yeoldeinn.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=361

[drathe]

Just like to clarify for anyone reading this topic in future:

1. Each Hero may search a room once for each of the three search-able components (Treasure, Secret Doors, Traps).
2. In the EU first edition, Heroes were permitted to search both rooms and passages for treasure. This was changed in later editions.
3. See note a.
4. Don't forget that when the treasure deck is used, the deck is to be shuffled before each and every treasure search.
5. Nothing to clarify
6. In the first EU edition manual, there are training exercises called "The Arena" where the Heroes may test their skills (and become accustomed to the rules). The Way of the Warrior - Page 8 and The Way of the Wizard - Page 10. It was during this second Arena test that the Elf and Wizard gained their spells. May account for the confusion.

[Leander]

Ok, thanks for your replies!

And if a hero searches for traps, does he find one trap or all traps if there are more than one in the room? If he only finds one, another hero will have to search for traps again to find others.

[drathe]

A trap search discovers all traps in a room, or corridor. Unless otherwise stated in the Quest Notes (ie. Kellar's Keep Quest 3 - The Spiral Passage).

[Leander]

Fine. What else is required to change my EU edition (Master Edition with those additional quests and figurines) to the US one? Body points...chaos spells...do I have to change the treasure cards, too? Or can I still keep the EU ones? I had a quick look at the US quests and my EU quests...some are different, e.g. the position of monsters is different or a monster is substituted by another one. Gotta compair my US_PDF with my original questbook.

EDIT Do you know Dungeon Twister? The room tiles are really nice. I created a thread with pictures and links to two videos here:

viewtopic.php?f=57

[drathe]

There are a few other changes as well.

• US uses the furniture more.
• US has a few extra monsters here and there.
• Some names were changed. Zargon/Morcar, The Stone Hunters/The Lost Wizard.
• In KK, the second exit from Quest 7, which skips Quest 8 was removed and plenty more traps were added to that corridor leading to the now false door.
• Extra Potion of Healing in treasure deck, extra Wandering Monster, extra hazard, some cards changed and the ratio of good/bad increased slightly.
• Don't forget the extra Artifacts/Quest Treasures!
• Additional Artifacts and an Alchemist's Shop were added to KK and WL (Spell Scrolls introduced).
• Slight rule changes. ie, the Dwarf no longer automatically disarms traps. Has a 5/6 chance of disarming.
• Equipment changes. ie no Bracers or Cloak of Protection (Cloak changed to artifact Wizard's Cloak).

Just to name a few.

[HeroQuestFrance]

In the case a heroes dies, other heroes can search his gear so a hero turn is :

One movement (entire or not) before or after one action.
Actions :
-Attack (hand to hand combat)
-Attack (ranged attack)
-Cast a spell on a visible figurine
-Make a search :
- treasure (room only)
- traps (everywhere)
- gear (everywhere)
- secret doors (everywhere)
- gear
One potion can be taken by turn, it doesn't count as a action.
You can open doors, it doesn't count as a action

Advance HQ :

-> When a hero search for a secret door and when there is one, the door is opened immediately; GM places the next room/passage contain.
-> If this hero has the tool kit on him, then he rolls a combat dice :
-> a skull the door is opened (read previous note)
-> a shield it's ok he found the door GM places the secret door but it's not opened.
-> dwarf rolls a combat dice and doesn't open the door excepted if he has a black shield result.

By the way you can copy D&D Hasbro 2003 about trap searchs rule's :
-> A hero can search for traps but only finds the closer one if there is one trap of course.
-> The Dwarf can see 2 closer traps. (if you have the search die of this boardgame this is a better way)