HeroQuest lost Quest Packs: Wizard and Dwarf Quest Pack

[Markus Darwath]

I also think that, regarding the 2021 edition, it just made things easier to drop the fimirs rather than looking for a new deal with GW. The dark lore behind them might also have a role in this. Consider Hasbro now has a few different "fantasy" properties, so it's not hard for them to come up with new stuff "in house".

Easier and more profitable. Any re-licensing of intellectual property would have involved payments that increased costs. Those costs would either eat directly into the bottom line, or place the product at a higher price point which would most likely reduce sales and thus still impact profits.

I'm guessing AH probably has or had some Lovecraft horror themed project going and the Abomination figures were "Deep Ones" already 'sitting around' somewhere waiting to be used. If that's the case, especially if it's a project that got canceled with a bunch of development already done, I would not be surprised to see more Lovecraftian looking minis in future expansions of Hero Quest (and/or Betrayal at House on the Hill, for that matter).

[Summerheim]

If many fans imagined a "war" between MB and GW as the explanation for the end of HQ, I think it was because it seemed very strange to suddenly stop a very popular game.
Additionally, GW's unflattering reputation (to be polite) among many fans may have played into this as well.

HQ's special status as a board game sold as an "almost" traditional game could also play a role. The constraints on the maximum price may have prevented MB from increasing the latter, preventing more margins from being generated.
(This is a personal explanation. I do not claim to hold the ultimate truth).
And the version launched by GW (Advanced HQ) was, I believe, only available in specialized stores.

In the end, it's still crazy that a game marketed only 5 years ago had such a strong impact on so many people.

I have an idea about the dwarf pack. Wouldn't its non-finalization be linked to problems of developing new ideas? If so many people thought that Kellar's Keep was the Dwarf Pack, it's because the Dwarf theme was so developed there. Creating a new extension on this could only be tricky. Like including ogre leaders without basic ogre troops.

[lucapaschi]

No, non-finalization was definitely not because of a lack of ideas. Reusing the monster sprues was a way to save money, as the tooling for the miniatures is one of the longest and most expensive phase.
There are many good (or at least, interesting ideas) in the drafts, and more have been added with the editing revisions. We’re talking about experienced developers, some very well versed in fantasy, so that was not really an issue. Consider the developers were also given some ideas to start from (you can see those in the letters to developers I’ve shared already), so they were not considering KK a problem. I think it was just the “less ready” of the four, so some ideas didn’t fit the HQ dynamics very well, and needed more changes compared to the others pack. The Barbarian pack seems to have had a relatively unimaginative approach (the suggested random title was the title used by the developer), so it was probably the closest to the original rules, and was the most developed of the four, probably because there was just less work to put into it.

[Cornwaille]

I am really excited for this old/new quest pack. This afternoon I printed out a mini to serve as my Sabretooth. I'm waiting on a myminifactory sale to get stls for the minotaurs, skaven and spiders. Some of the tile elements may be nicer as minis too, will have to see. Was there a conclusion regarding the apprentice wizard? I have a nice stl that was a freebie from Artisan Guild if so.

[lucapaschi]

I can’t confirm nor deny the heroes found a poor, young wizard hidden behind a cupboard.

[Cornwaille]

Well, if she is hiding there, this is the free modular apprentice wizard stl:

Here is the link to the stl if anyone wants it: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5541770

Edit: Successfully printed it along with some free Skaven models by EmanG on Cults3d for the expansion, so the model seems good. I used ABS-like resin, as I always do for minis.

[Kurgan]

Don't use the old (brittle) resin with the above!

[Ismahimovic]

A donation done! Thanks for your effort Luca. Apreciate so much and wiling to see more of this "historical" and almost "archeological" pages.

[lucapaschi]

A donation done! Thanks for your effort Luca. Apreciate so much and wiling to see more of this "historical" and almost "archeological" pages.

Thanks! Saw it, I have to get back to you with some goodies, but it’s an awful week!

[PinkDwarf]

In the time since these quest packs were announced Giles McNiel has released 6 full quest books. What is taking so long?

At this rate Hasbro will release their Dwarf and Wizard quest packs first.