Saving HeroQuest - RandoQuest?

[Davane]

Time to move on to some specifics, so let's start with a quick section - secret doors. In the UK edition, as noted in the last post, you could search for secret doors and traps AT THE SAME TIME, and thus the rules for searching for secret doors is provided in with the rules for traps in both UK versions of the Rules of Play. Let's separate out the rules for secret doors first:

Secret Doors and Traps
Secret door tiles are only placed on the board if a player character finds them by searching.

Once found, secret doors remain open for the rest of the game.

Secret doors may be found by a search on either side of the wall in which they are placed.

Yep, that's it - in the entire UK Edition of HQ, those are the only rules to be found on Secret Doors. It's wonder that the US Instruction Manual manage to make this into a section of its own...

H Action 4 - Search for Secret Doors
Secret doors are hidden portals that cannot be seen when you, as a Hero, "look" into a room or down a corridor. These doors are concealed in a variety of ways, including sliding panels and pivoting bricks. You will not discover a secret door unless you search for one.

How a Hero Searches for Secret Doors

• ... Zargon will then disclose any secret door located in the room or corridor that you are in by placing a secret door tile on the gameboard square where the secret door is located.
• The door is not considered OPEN until you move adjacent to it and declare you are opening it. Once the door is opened, Zargon will place on the gameboard the items that are beyond the secret doorway. Secret doors remain open for the rest of the game. Once opened, the door cannot be closed.

Note that the rules for secret doors in the US includes the general rules for searching we mentioned above. In the US Instruction Manual, the outcome for searching is often included in the same paragraph as the declaration of the search (second list point) and continues as a list.

It's worth noting another key difference between the UK and US editions of HeroQuest - in the UK version, searching for secret doors opens the secret door automatically. However, in the US version, the players must open the door themselves, like any other door, before revealing what it beyond it. Whilst this is more realistic, the HQ game only includes OPEN secret door tiles, and thus it can get confusing if the Heroes find and don't open a secret door. As such, we will stick with the UK rules for secret doors, and keep the US rule as a house rule. This helps preparing for RandoQuest, since the contents of a secret door would be revealed during the "exploration phase" and it's easier to remember to do this on the turn a hero finds the secret door.

Let's compile this material for the HQ CERB:

Secret Doors
Secret doors are hidden portals that cannot be seen when you, as a Hero, "look" into a room or down a corridor. These doors are concealed in a variety of ways, including sliding panels and pivoting bricks.

Secret door tiles are only placed on the board if a player character finds them by searching. You will not discover a secret door unless you search for one.

Secret doors may be found by a search on either side of the wall in which they are placed.

Once found, the evil wizard will place on the gameboard the items that are beyond the secret doorway. Secret doors remain open for the rest of the game.

US: The door is not considered OPEN until you move adjacent to it and declare you are opening it.

[Davane]

Next up, traps! So without further ado...

Trap tiles are only placed if found by a search or if triggered by a character moving into the trapped square.

Spear traps are always disarmed when found, so there are no spear trap tiles. Pit traps and falling block traps are placed onto the board when found. They may later be disarmed and removed by the Dwarf or any character with the Tool Kit equipment card.

Pit traps and falling block traps are placed onto the board when found. Spear traps are rendered harmless when found, so there are no tokens for spear trap. Trap tiles may later be removed by any character with the Tool Kit equipment card and is adjacent to the trap. The Dwarf may automatically remove any trap tile he is adjacent to. He may only remove one trap per turn.

Traps
Traps are triggered whenever a character moves onto a trapped square or opens a trapped chest without searching.

Traps
Traps are not put on the board until a character player either searches for traps or moves into a square containing a trap, as shown on the Quest map.

The evil wizard player must tell a player character when he has set off a trap. The character must stop immediately and can do nothing else until his next turn.

Monsters do not set off traps. They may move freely through squares that contain hidden traps. Once a trap has been placed onto the board, however, monsters must follow the same rules as characters.

The rules for traps given below are repeated on the inside of the screen for reference.

H Action 5 - Search For Traps
There are four kinds of traps - pit traps, falling block traps, spear traps, and chest/furniture traps. They can be found in both rooms and corridors. Only Zargon knows where these traps are hidden. If, as a Hero, you move onto a square that contains a pit, falling block or spear trap, you will automatically spring the trap, possibly suffering body damage.

A treasure chest or piece of furniture may also contain a trap. If you search for treasure without first searching for traps, you will spring the trap. Remember it often pays to take the time to search.

How a Hero Searches For Traps

• ... Zargon will then tell you which squares, if any, have traps. He will NOT, however, put any trap tiles out on the board. At this time, they are still concealed and unspring.
• Once a trap is discovered, you may be able to JUMP the trap, or on your next turn, DISARM it. (See Action 6 - Disarm a Trap on page 21.)

Warning: There are some traps in a room that have been placed directly on the other side of a door. Beware! The first Hero to enter the room through that door will encounter the trap and suffer damage! Note: As a Hero, you cannot search for these traps by looking through the door. You must be in the room to search for any traps in it.

Note: Monsters do not spring hidden traps.

The 4 Kinds of Traps
The locations of pit traps, falling block traps, spear traps, and chest/furniture traps are marked in gold on the Quest Maps in the Quest Book.

H Action 6 - Disarm A Trap
As a Hero, to disarm an unsprung trap, you must first know it's location, and you must possess a tool kit (or be the Dwarf). A tool kit may be purchased between Quests at the Armoury. (See cardboard platform.)

How A Hero* Disarms a Trap With A Tool Kit
(*Does not apply to the Dwarf)

• As a Hero, before you move, you must announce that you are moving onto the trap square to attempt to disarm and remove the trap.
• You must move onto the trap square and roll 1 combat die. If you roll a skull, you have sprung the trap, suffering body damage. If you roll either a black or white shield, the trap is disarmed. A disarmed trap is considered "gone" and is not put out on the gameboard.

How The Dwarf Disarms A Trap
As the Dwarf, you never need a tool kit to disarm a trap! Your odds of succeeding are great due to your innate skills. To disarm a trap, you must do the following:

• Before you move, you must announce that you are moving onto the trap square to attempt to disarm and remove the trap.
• Roll 1 combat die. If you roll a black shield, you have spring the trap, suffering body damage. If you roll anything except a black shield, the trap is disarmed.

There's a lot to digest here, as we can see that Traps and dealing with them have seen probably the biggest evolution between the various editions. The 1st UK Edition only contained this information, providing only the barest of rules for Traps in the Rules of Play. The 2nd Edition would not only expand this section, but would also include details of the four kinds of traps - Pit Traps, Falling Block Traps, Spear Traps, and Treasure Chest Traps (aka Chest/Furniture Traps) in seperate sections. There were also rules added on how to jump across a Pit Trap in the UK 2nd Edition Rules of Play, which would then be extended to all Traps in the US Instruction Manual. Finally, the US Instruction Manual also included extensive details of how to disarm a trap, as Disarm a Trap became the 6th and final action for Heroes in the rules.

We will cover the different traps (and jumping) later on, but for now we are focusing on the core rules for searching for and disarming traps, noting that we have already covered the universal rules for searching in a previous post. We have two competing ways of dealing with traps at this time:

• In the UK version, when traps are found, they are automatically revealed and placed (or disarmed, in the case of spear traps, as they HAVE no tiles to place). Heroes must move next to the placed trap tile to disarm it.
• In the US version, when traps are found, they are NOT revealed, but instead their locations are pointed out to the Heroes. Heroes must THEN either move into the trapped square to disarm the trap, or jump over the trap, with a risk of springing the trap, at which point trap tiles are placed.

Personally, whilst the US version is more involved, and thus more roleplay like, having to remember where traps are is a bit tedious for the player, and if used in RandoQuest, even the evil wizard may forget WHICH square contains a trap. Thus, it makes MORE sense to use the UK version of the rules, but include house rules for the US version, as desired. In particular, the evil wizard may wish to invest in creating some tiles to represent found traps for use with the US rules, which then can be replaced or removed if the trap is triggered or disarmed. We will include the rules for jumping over pit trap tiles, with a House Rule that this can apply to all trap tiles except sprung falling block trap tiles.

So, for the HQ CERB, we have:

Traps
There are four kinds of traps - pit traps, falling block traps, spear traps, and chest/furniture traps. They can be found in both rooms and corridors. Only the evil wizard knows where these traps are hidden.

A treasure chest or piece of furniture may also contain a trap. If you search for treasure without first searching for traps, you will spring the trap. Remember it often pays to take the time to search.

The locations of pit traps, falling block traps, spear traps, and chest/furniture traps are marked in gold on the Quest Maps in the Quest Book.

Traps are only revealed if found by a search, or if triggered by a character.

Warning: There are some traps in a room or corridor that have been placed directly on the other side of a door. Beware! The first Hero to enter through that door will encounter the trap and suffer damage! Note: As a Hero, you cannot search for these traps by looking through the door. You must be in the room to search for any traps in it.

Traps are triggered whenever a character moves onto a trapped square or opens a trapped chest without searching, as shown on the Quest map. The evil wizard player must tell a player character when he has set off a trap. The character must stop immediately and can do nothing else until his next turn.

Pit traps and falling block traps are placed onto the board when found or triggered. Spear traps are rendered harmless when found, or after they have been triggered, so there are no tokens for spear traps.

[US: The evil wizard will tell you which squares, if any, have traps. He will NOT, however, put any trap tiles out on the board. At this time, they are still concealed and unsprung. Spear traps are NOT automatically disarmed when found.]

Once a trap is discovered, you may be able to JUMP the trap, or on your next turn, DISARM it.

Trap tiles may later be disarmed by any character with the Tool Kit equipment card and is adjacent to the trap. A tool kit may be purchased between Quests.

You must move adjacent to the trap tile and roll 1 combat die. If you roll a skull, you have sprung the trap. If you roll either a black or white shield, the trap is disarmed.

[US: You only need to know the location of a trap to disarm it. Before you move, you must announce that you are moving onto the trap square to attempt to disarm and remove the trap. You must move onto the trap square.]

As the Dwarf, you never need a tool kit to disarm a trap! Your odds of succeeding are great due to your innate skills. The Dwarf may automatically disarm any trap tile he is adjacent to. He may only disarm one trap per turn.

[US: Before you move, you must announce that you are moving onto the trap square to attempt to disarm and remove the trap. Roll 1 combat die. If you roll a black shield, you have spring the trap, suffering body damage. If you roll anything except a black shield, the trap is disarmed.]

Monsters do not set off traps. They may move freely through squares that contain hidden traps. Once a trap has been placed onto the board, however, monsters must follow the same rules as characters.

A disarmed trap is considered "gone" and is removed from the gameboard.

[US: A disarmed trap is not placed on the gameboard.]

A bit messy, given how the US house rules are mixed in with the traps section, but nothing that can't be fixed up in layout and editing at this point.

[Davane]

Now it's time for the trap details. There are four kinds of traps in the HQ GS, and each has their own entry in the Rules from the UK 2nd Edition. The rules for pits include rules for jumping a pit, so we will tackle those first, and then tackle the rest...

Pit Trap
The pit remains on the board as an obstacle. Any character who stumbles into a pit trap will automatically lose one Body point. Characters in a pit may attack and defend, but roll one less die than normal. They may not search whilst in a pit. The character may move as normal on his next turn.

Pit Traps
A pit trap is a covered hole in the floor. If the trap is found during a search, Zargon will say that the floor looks weak and will point in the square where the trap is located. Zargon will NOT put a pit trap tile on the gameboard at this time. It has not yet been sprung. Once a pit trap is discovered, a Hero may be able to JUMP the trap, or on his next turn, DISARM it. (See Jumping A Trap on page 20, and Disarm a Trap on page 21.) If a Hero does not search for traps and moves onto a pit trap square, he automatically springs the trap.

Springing A Pit Trap

• As a Hero, if you move onto a pit trap square, Zargon will stop you by saying, "You have just stumbled into a pit!"
• Zargon will then put a pit trap tile on that square (under your Hero figure) and will tell you that you suffered 1 Body Point of damage in the fall. This ends your turn. You must then record your Body Point damage on your Character sheet.

What Happens to a Hero In a Pit?

• As a Hero, once in a pit, you may search the pit for treasure or secret doors as if it were a seperate room unto itself.
• When in a pit, you may also attack and defend, but you must roll one less combat die when doing so. (This applies to monsters as well).

Note: As a Hero, your minimum attack or defend strength is always 1 combat die, even if the pit penalty would reduce your dice to zero.

• Normally, you can move out of a pit on your next turn.

Note: Once a pit trap is sprung and pit tile is placed on the board, the trap cannot be disarmed and removed. As a Hero, you may, however, attempt to JUMP over it. (See Jumping A Trap on page 20.)

Note: A disarmed pit trap is considered to be a regular gameboard square.

Since we have already decided how traps work in general, it is now time to rework the pit trap to follow these guidelines. This will be interesting, as the US instructions are the most detailed, but are written for the US version of the trap rules.

So, for the HQ CERB, we have:

Pit Traps
A pit trap is a covered hole in the floor.

If the trap is found during a search, the evil wizard will say that the floor looks weak and will point in the square where the trap is located. The evil wizard will put a pit trap tile on the gameboard at this time. The pit remains on the board as an obstacle.

[US: The evil wizard will NOT put a pit trap tile on the gameboard at this time. It has not yet been sprung.]

Once a pit trap is discovered, a Hero may be able to JUMP the trap, or on his next turn, DISARM it.

Note: A disarmed pit trap is considered to be a regular gameboard square.

[US: Once a pit trap tile is placed on the board, the trap cannot be disarmed and removed. As a Hero, you may, however, attempt to JUMP over it.]

If a Hero does not search for traps and moves onto a pit trap square, he automatically springs the trap. As a Hero, if you move onto a pit trap square, Zargon will stop you by saying, "You have just stumbled into a pit!" Any character who stumbles into a pit trap will automatically lose one Body point in the fall. Zargon will then put a pit trap tile on that square (under your Hero figure). This ends your turn. You must then record your Body Point damage on your Character sheet.

Characters in a pit may attack and defend, but roll one less die than normal. (This applies to monsters as well).

Note: As a Hero, your minimum attack or defend strength is always 1 combat die, even if the pit penalty would reduce your dice to zero.

They may not search whilst in a pit.

[US: As a Hero, once in a pit, you may search the pit for treasure or secret doors as if it were a seperate room unto itself.]

The character may move as normal on his next turn.

Once again, a bit messy, but nothing that can't be cleaned up when we put everything together. It's interesting to see the differences in the rules for pit traps - essentially, that they CANNOT be disarmed once sprung in the US version, and can be searched as if seperate rooms. This makes the "pit in front of the door" trap even nastier, as they cannot be searched for, and therefore will always be sprung, and thus they can never be disarmed. In the UK version, whilst such traps will still always be sprung, they CAN be removed if the players don't want to risk jumping over the pit if they wish to leave the way they entered.

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Time to move on to Jumping a Pit, as we already covered disarming traps in the previous post under Traps. The US rules allows this option to apply to all traps, which we will include as a house rule. So, we have:

Jumping a Pit
Characters and monsters may attempt to jump across a pit trap. They must have enough movement to get across the pit, counting the pit square as one space. There must be an unoccupied space adjacent to the pit for the miniature to jump onto.
Any miniature who attempts to jump across must roll a combat die. If he rolls a skull, he falls into the pit and loses one body point and may do nothing else until his next turn. Otherwise, the miniature may continue its move.

Jumping A Trap
As a Hero, if your path is blocked by a trap, you may attempt to pass by jumping over it. To jump over a trap, you must do the following:

• You must have at least two squares of movement remaining, as if you moved onto the trap and then onto one unoccupied ADJACENT square beyond.
• You must roll anything but a skull on 1 combat die to jump the trap. If a skull is rolled, you spring the trap, suffering the body damage caused by that particular type of trap. If there is a corresponding trap tile, it will then be put on the gameboard by Zargon. You are then put on the trap square. This ends your turn.
• If you avoid rolling a skull, you can jump over the trap, expending two moves. If you have any moves remaining from your dice roll, you may then continue your move.

Note: Once a falling block trap has been sprung, it CANNOT be jumped. The path is permanently blocked by a wall of fallen stone. However, once a pit trap has been sprung, the hole in the ground, though dangerous, CAN be jumped.

More About Jumping Pit Traps
There may be as many as 3 possible squares to jump to on the other sides of a single pit. However, a pit in the corner of a corridor has only 1 space open to jump across to.

In the above illustration, if the X square is occupied by a monster, and you are a Hero without any special armoury weapons, you must voluntarily fall into the pit (suffering damage) and do combat with the monster (at a disadvantage) from in the pit!

Monsters, with enough Movement Squares (and a vacant space beyond), will always successfully jump over a pit. If they voluntarily enter a pit, they will suffer no damage.

The first thing that I notice is that the example given in the US rulebook of jumping a corner pit is flawed, in that this example isn't unique to being in corners. A pit in a corridor (not a junction) will also have this same issue, plus it also applies to the dreaded "pit behind a door" combination if you want to leave the room. Thus, we need to fix these rules to a more generalised scenario. Thusly, we get:

Jumping a Pit

Characters and monsters may attempt to jump across a pit trap.

They must have at least two squares of movement to get across the pit, counting the pit square as one space.

There must be an unoccupied space adjacent to the pit for the miniature to jump onto.

There may be as many as 3 possible squares to jump to on the other sides of a single pit. However, sometimes a pit has only 1 space open to jump across to, such is in a corridor or corner junction, or in front of a door.

If all adjacent squares are occupied by monsters, and you are a Hero without any special armoury weapons, you must voluntarily fall into the pit (suffering damage) and do combat with the monsters (at a disadvantage) from in the pit!

Any miniature who attempts to jump across must roll a combat die.

If he rolls a skull, he falls into the pit and loses one body point and may do nothing else until his next turn.

If you avoid rolling a skull, you can jump over the trap, expending two moves. If they have any moves remaining, the miniature may continue its move.

Monsters, with enough Movement Squares (and a vacant space beyond), will always successfully jump over a pit. If they voluntarily enter a pit, they will suffer no damage.

[US: Characters and monster may jump over unsprung traps.

Note: Once a falling block trap has been sprung, it CANNOT be jumped. The path is permanently blocked by a wall of fallen stone.]

Looking good. Note that we have included the US rule of jumping unsprung traps as a house rule, and because of this, the extra rules for jumping Falling Block traps has been added here.

[Davane]

With pit traps done, it's time we looked at the other types of trap. These sections should be shorter, so we can do them all in this post, hopefully.

Falling Block
When a character player moves through a square containing a falling block trap, a block will fall. It will land into the adjacent square marked with the arrow on the Quest map, blocking the way. Any character or monster in the square into which the block falls must roll three combat dice. The victim must lose one Body point for each skull rolled, and then move to an adjacent unoccupied square. If the victim cannot move to an adjacent square, he is eliminated by the falling rock.

Falling Block Traps
Heroes beware! Falling block traps are very dangerous. Stepping on one may trigger the ceiling to collapse. If such a trap is found during a search, Zargon will say that the ceiling looks dangerous and will point to the square where the trap is located. Zargon will NOT put a falling block trap tile on the gameboard at this time. It has not yet been sprung. Once an unsprung falling block trap is discovered, a Hero may attempt to JUMP the trap, or may later try to DISARM it on his next turn. If a hero does not search for traps and moves onto a falling block trap square, he springs the trap.

Springing a Falling Block Trap

• As a Hero, if you move onto a falling block trap square, Zargon will stop you by saying, "You've just sprung a falling block trap! The ceiling is caving in! Look out!"
• Zargon will then put a falling block trap tile on the square, under your Hero figure.

Note: Once a falling block trap has been sprung it cannot be disarmed or jumped.

• Zargon will then give you three combat dice to roll. For each skull rolled, you suffer 1 Body Point of damage. You may NOT roll Defend Dice.
• You must now make a decision. You can either move ahead or move back to an empty space. Remember, the trap space is now a permanent block in the game. Your decision is a critical one. You could become trapped forever, or you could be cut off from the rest of the Heroes.
• Move to the space you have decided upon. This ends your turn.

It continues to amaze me just how well the US Instruction Manual manages to turn a single paragraph into half a page (a full column), whilst adding seemingly very little. Once again, the in depth US descriptions are written for the US rules for traps, so we may have to rewrite some of these for the version we are using in the HQ CERB, as follows:

Falling Block Traps
Heroes beware! Falling block traps are very dangerous. Stepping on one may trigger the ceiling to collapse. When a character player moves through a square containing a falling block trap, a block will fall.

If such a trap is found during a search, the evil wizard will say that the ceiling looks dangerous and will point to the square where the trap is located. The evil wizard will put a falling block trap tile on the gameboard at this time. It will land into the adjacent square marked with the arrow on the Quest map, blocking the way. Once a falling block trap is discovered, a Hero may attempt to DISARM it on his next turn.

[US: The evil wizard will NOT put a falling block trap tile on the gameboard at this time. It has not yet been sprung. Once an unsprung falling block trap is discovered, a Hero may attempt to JUMP the trap, or may later attempt to DISARM it on his next turn.]

If a hero does not search for traps and moves onto a falling block trap square, he springs the trap. As a Hero, if you move onto a falling block trap square, the evil wizard will stop you by saying, "You've just sprung a falling block trap! The ceiling is caving in! Look out!" The evil wizard will put a falling block trap tile on the gameboard at this time. It will land into the adjacent square marked with the arrow on the Quest map, blocking the way.

Any character or monster in the square into which the block falls must roll three combat dice. The victim must lose one Body point for each skull rolled. You may NOT roll Defend Dice.

You must now make a decision. You can either move ahead to an adjacent unoccupied square, or move back to an adjacent empty space. Remember, the trap space is now a permanent block in the game. Your decision is a critical one. You could become trapped forever, or you could be cut off from the rest of the Heroes. This ends your turn.

If the victim cannot move to an adjacent square, he is eliminated by the falling rock.

[US: Note: Once a falling block trap has been sprung it cannot be disarmed or jumped.]

It's interesting to see the fundamental differences between the Falling Block Traps in the UK and the US editions. In the UK edition, Falling Block Traps are always placed on the board, whether they are found or triggered, but they CAN be removed. This means that dead ends with Falling Block Traps aren't necessarily the end of the game for a Hero with a Tool Kit (or a Dwarf).

However, in the US version, Falling Block Traps are permanent blocks, which is why the Heroes are given a chance to disarm (or jump over) them BEFORE they go off. This alone is justification for having generic trap tile markers for discovered traps in the US edition. This also makes the dead ends with the falling block traps VERY DEADLY as Heroes CAN be trapped forever. Perhaps THIS is another reason why the UK version is seen as HQ Easy Mode?

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Next up, Spear Traps!

Spear Trap
Any player who triggers a spear trap will lose one Body point if he rolls a skull on a combat die. The spear trap will only affect the first person to enter the square. Subsequent characters who move through this square will be unaffected.

Spear Traps
A spear trap is carefully hidden. If found during a search, Zargon will say that the square looks suspicious and will point to the square where the trap is located. Once a spear trap is discovered, a Hero may attempt to JUMP the trap or DISARM it. As a Hero, when you step onto a spear trap, you automatically spring the trap. This causes a spear to thrust out of the wall, floor, or ceiling.

Springing A Spear Trap

• As a Hero, when moving onto a spear trap square, you must roll one combat die. If you roll a skull, you suffer 1 Body Point of damage. This ends your turn. If you roll either a black or white shield, you have dodged out of the way of the spear. You may then continue with your move. The spear trap is now gone forever and the square can be moved onto safely.

Note: There are no spear trap tiles.

Note that under the US rules, Spear Traps are NOT automatically disarmed when found. Once again, this is to be a US house rule.

So, for the HQ CERB, we have:

Spear Traps
A spear trap is carefully hidden.

If found during a search, the evil wizard will say that the square looks suspicious and will point to the square where the trap is located. Once a spear trap is discovered, it is automatically disarmed. The spear trap is now gone forever and the square can be moved onto safely.

[US: Once a spear trap is discovered, a Hero may attempt to JUMP the trap or DISARM it. Only once disarmed, is the spear trap is now gone forever and the square can be moved onto safely.]

As a Hero, when you step onto a spear trap, you automatically spring the trap. This causes a spear to thrust out of the wall, floor, or ceiling.

Any player who triggers a spear trap will lose one Body point if he rolls a skull on a combat die. This ends your turn.

If you roll either a black or white shield, you have dodged out of the way of the spear. You may then continue with your move.

The spear trap will only affect the first person to enter the square. The spear trap is now gone forever and the square can be moved onto safely. Subsequent characters who move through this square will be unaffected.

Note: There are no spear trap tiles.

Relatively painless...

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Finally, Treasure Chest Traps...

Treasure Chest Traps
Some of the treasure chests contain traps. The effects of these traps are shown in the Quest notes. If a player searches for traps in a room that contains a trapped treasure chest the trap is found and rendered harmless.

Chest/Furniture Traps
A chest/furniture trap can be a variety of things, including poisonous gas, poison needle, explosive latch, or a shooting dart.

If the room or corridor that the chest/furniture is located in is being searched for traps, Zargon will say that the chest/furniture looks dangerous and will point to the chest/furniture in question. Once a chest/furniture traps is discovered, a Hero may attempt to DISARM it on his next turn.

Spring a Chest/Furniture Trap

• As a Hero, if you search a room for treasure before searching the room for traps, any chest/furniture traps in the room will be sprung, ending your turn. You then suffer the consequences described to Zargon in the Quest Notes.
• If you successfully disarm the trap, the trap is removed and you may continue with your move. (See Disarm A Trap on page 21.) You may search the disarmed chest/furniture for treasure on your next turn.

Once again, we need to do some rewriting for the HQ CERB, as follows:

Treasure Chest and Furniture Traps

Some of the treasure chests and other pieces of furniture contain traps. A chest or furniture trap can be a variety of things, including poisonous gas, poison needle, explosive latch, or a shooting dart. These traps are shown in the Quest notes.

If a player searches for traps in a room or corridor that contains a trapped treasure chest or other piece of furniture, the evil wizard will say that the chest or furniture looks dangerous and will point to the chest or furniture in question. The trap is found and rendered harmless.

[US: Once a chest or furniture trap is discovered, a Hero may attempt to DISARM it on his next turn. If you successfully disarm the trap, the trap is removed and you may continue with your move. (See Disarm A Trap on page 21.) Only once the trap is disarmed, is it rendered harmless.]

As a Hero, if you search a room for treasure before searching the room for traps, any chest or furniture traps in the room will be sprung, ending your turn. You then suffer the consequences described to the evil wizard in the Quest Notes.

You may search the room for treasure on your next turn.

That's all done, and once again we can see the difference between the UK and the US version of dealing with traps. In the UK edition, searching for traps automatically disarms them, and disarming a trap only applies to Pit Traps and Falling Block Traps. In the US version, searching for traps reveals their location, and they must be disarmed separately, but neither Pit Traps nor Falling Block Traps can be disarmed AFTER they have been sprung. Falling Block Traps cannot be jumped either, making the dead end Falling Block Trap lethal, and the Falling Block Trap in front of the only door to the room a virtual death trap that cannot be detected, which should make the Heroes more cautious about entering rooms without obvious exits...

Anyway, that's traps done, apart from the traps in the Treasure Deck, of course... Which is what we'll be covering next!

[Davane]

Time to move on to the biggest rewards of the HQ game - Treasure.

Treasure
Some of the Quests provide details about specific treasures which can be found by searching.

If a character searches for treasure in the appropriate room or passage, the evil wizard player follows the instructions in the Quest book. If there is no treasure listed for the room or passage being searched, the character must take the top card from the face-down stack of treasure cards.

If a character searches for treasure in the appropriate room, the evil wizard player follows the instructions in the Quest book. If there is no treasure listed for the room being searched, the character must take the top card from the face-down stack of treasure cards.

Monsters may not move treasure.

Going to take a moment to point out how the rules for searching for treasure changed between 1st and 2nd edition of the UK rules - namely, that Heroes COULD search for treasure in passages under the first edition rules. This is interesting, because both the 2nd Edition of the UK Rules, and the US Rules (See below) remove the option to search for treasure in passages. However, Quests like Keller's Keep and Return of the Witch Lord were designed under 1st Edition UK Rules, and therefore featured passages that could be searched for treasure - they even included Treasure Chests. In the US version of these quests, it appears that these treasure passages had to be reclassified as "rooms" to continue to allow Heroes to search for the listed treasures within.

I can't say for sure WHY there was this switch away from searching corridors for treasure, but it's worth noting how the rules become more complicated because this unforeseen complication of changing the rules upon which quests were based upon. My initial impression is that this change was two-fold:

Firstly, I think that this might have been to reduce slow down in the game, both by reducing the locations to search for treasure, and the amount of record keeping involved, since all the passages look the same. But I think the second possible reason might have been more important - because of the flexibility of how the Quests could be designed, there was ambiguity over exactly how much passage was being searched. The UK 1st Edition rules don't state whether a Hero is searching EVERYTHING they can see, or a set number of passage squares. They don't state whether a single tile alcove of passage beyond a junction can be considered for a seperate search.

The problem, however, is that removing the ability to search for treasure in passages doesn't actually solve these problems, as you could still search for traps or secret doors in passages, and still face these same dilemmas. Thus, this seems like a pointlessly arbitrary limitation. The only real solution here is to accurately defined what's being searched when you search a passage, and if you can recall, way back near the beginning on this thread, we actively split the passage squares up into corridors and junctions. This means we can use the rule of thumb that searching a passageway consists of searching a corridor between (and including) any two junctions. This means that we can return to allowing Heroes to search for Treasure in passageways as was intended under the UK 1st Edition Rules. As per usual, we will have the US and 2nd Edition UK Rules as house rules for those wishing to preserve playing the way they know.

H Action 3 - Search For Treasure
Treasure is found only in rooms, not in corridors. A room may be searched by all 4 Heroes, but each individual Hero may only search the room once, and may only do so on his own turn.

Note: Some treasures are protected by a trap. See Search For Traps on page 17.

Z - How Zargon Reacts To A Hero's Search For Treasure
As Zargon, if there is a special treasure (as described in the Quest Notes), you must read aloud the treasure description once the treasure has been found. The special treasure is discovered only once by the first Hero who searches the room for treasure, even if other Heroes later search that same room.

If there is no special treasure in the searched room, direct the searching Hero to draw a Treasure Card as described. However, if the Hero draws a Wandering Monster or Hazard card, do the following:

Here we see a change between the UK and US editions of the rules - Each Hero can make a seperate search for treasure, so the same area (in the US version, It's a single room only, see above) can be searched multiple times, typically up to four times with a standard party. So, the game seems to be trying to increase the amount of treasure searches, whilst retaining the limit of not searching in passages. We can keep this as a House Rule alongside only searching in rooms.

So, for the HQ CERB, we get:

Treasure
Some of the Quests provide details about specific treasures which can be found by searching.

If a character searches for treasure in the appropriate room or passage, the evil wizard player follows the instructions in the Quest Notes. If there is a special treasure, you must read aloud the treasure description once the treasure has been found.

[UK 2nd/US: Treasure is found only in rooms, not in corridors.]

If there is no treasure listed for the room or passage being searched, the character must take the top card from the face-down stack of Treasure Cards.

[US: An area may be searched by all 4 Heroes, but each individual Hero may only search the area once, and may only do so on his own turn.

Any special treasure is discovered only once by the first Hero who searches the area for treasure, even if other Heroes later search that same area, unless the Quest Notes say otherwise.

Once the special treasure in the searched area has been found, direct any other Heroes searching later to draw a Treasure Card, as if there were no listed special treasure.]

Note: Some treasures are protected by traps.

Monsters may not move treasure.

Note that I have added in the direct inference that any Hero who searches for Treasure in an area after a special treasure has been found, draws a Treasure Card instead, as if there were no listed treasure. The rules for finding treasure are, surprisingly, quite simple - but you can see how complicated they become when you start allowing multiple searches per area.

---

Now on to Treasure Cards...

Treasure Cards
Some of the treasure cards are gold and jewels.

The character who finds one of these should record the value of his character sheet and return the card to the bottom of the treasure card stack.

The character who finds one of these should record the value of the treasure on his character sheet. The card is then discarded. It is not returned to the treasure card pile.

The other treasure cards show traps or wandering monsters. These cards should be read out and the instructions followed immediately.

Trap cards and wandering monster cards are returned to the treasure card pile. The treasure card pile is then shuffled before another treasure card is taken.

Okay, here we see another change between 1st and 2nd Edition of the UK Rules - the 1st Edition of HQ originally used the Treasure Deck as an actual deck of cards, returning ALL cards not being held back to the bottom of the deck. It wasn't until 2nd Edition when Treasure Cards containing actual treasure were removed from the deck, thus slowly depleting the amount of treasure in the quest.

I can understand the reasoning behind this, as slowly depleting the treasure in a Quest gives the Heroes an incentive to finish the quest, rather than search every inch of the board for treasure. However, given that we are looking to combine HQ with AHQ (which uses tables), and WHQ (which uses basic deck mechanics - and eventually tables), it makes sense for us to revert the CERB back to 1st Edition Rules where Treasure is returned to the Deck. We can have the deck depletion mechanic as a house rule.

It's interesting to note that the 2nd Edition UK Rules don't include ANY rules for potions anywhere in them. Whilst the details on the treasure cards themselves suffice, it's interesting to me that potions got overlooked in this manner within the 2nd Edition of the UK Rules.

Under 'How A Hero Searches For Treasure':

• If there is no special treasure called out to Zargon in the Quest Book, you, as a Hero, must draw a random card from the Treasure Card deck and read it aloud. The card could offer you a variety of things, including riches and magical potions. Record any gold coins or potions on your Character Sheet. These "valuable" Treasure Cards (gold coins and potions) are NOT returned to the treasure deck until the next Quest.

Note: If you wish, you may share the gold coin treasures with other Heroes. Later, between Quests, you may use the treasure to purchase additional weapons and armor from the Armory. (See A Trip To The Armory on page 14).

Be Careful! Almost Half of the Treasure Cards contain Wandering Monsters and Hazards! These "bad" Treasure Cards ARE returned to the treasure deck and may be re-drawn in the next treasure search. IMPORTANT! The Treasure Cards must be shuffled before a Hero draws one from the deck.

More About Treasures
Treasure can be a variety of things, including gold coins, magic spells, artefacts, and potions.

Potions
As a Hero, you may drink a potion at any time. The way a potion works and how long its effects last are listed on the potion Treasure Card and sometimes in the Quest Book. You may drink more than one potion at a time. Healing Potions are very valuable. If your Body Points are reduced to zero, you may drink a healing potion to save yourself before you die and save yourself by restoring 1 or more of your Body Points. You may give one of your potions to a fellow Hero, but you may do so only on your turn.

So the US rules use the UK 2nd Edition Rules for Treasure Cards. Not much of a surprise there, but it's worth noting that there is a section specifically on Potions, which provides slightly more detail than the UK Rules on potions. Not much else to say, so for the HQ CERB we get:

Treasure Cards
Treasure can be a variety of things, including gold coins, magic spells, artefacts, and potions.

If there is no special treasure called out to the evil wizard in the Quest Book, you, as a Hero, must draw a random card from the Treasure Card deck and read it aloud. The card could offer you a variety of things, including riches and magical potions.

Some of the treasure cards are gold and jewels. The character who finds one of these should record the value of the treasure on his character sheet and return the card to the bottom of the Treasure Card stack.

[UK 2nd/US: The card is discarded. It is not returned to the treasure card pile.]

Note: If you wish, you may share gold coin treasures with other Heroes. Later, between Quests, you may use the treasure to purchase additional weapons and armor.

Some treasure cards show potions. You can either use such a card immediately (returning the card to the bottom of the stack), or keep it and use it later at any time. Record the potion on your Character Sheet. Return the card to the bottom of the stack as soon as it is used.

[UK 2nd/US: The card is discarded. It is not returned to the treasure card pile.]

As a Hero, you may drink a potion at any time. The way a potion works and how long its effects last are listed on the potion Treasure Card and sometimes in the Quest Book. You may drink more than one potion at a time. Healing Potions are very valuable. If your Body Points are reduced to zero, you may drink a healing potion to save yourself before you die and save yourself by restoring 1 or more of your Body Points. You may give one of your potions to a fellow Hero, but you may do so only on your turn.

The other treasure cards show traps or wandering monsters. Be Careful! Almost Half of the Treasure Cards contain Wandering Monsters and Hazards! These cards should be read out and the instructions followed immediately.

[UK 2nd/US: Trap cards and wandering monster cards are returned to the treasure card pile and may be re-drawn in the next treasure search. IMPORTANT! The Treasure Card pile is then shuffled before another treasure card is taken.]

---

Finally, on to the last part of dealing with Treasure - Wandering Monsters...

Wandering Monsters
Some of the treasure cards do not show any treasure at all! Instead they show a ferocious monster. Each Quest in the Quest Book tells the evil wizard player what sort of monster model to use when one of these cards is found.

If all of the monsters of a particular type are on the board and the evil wizard player needs to place another one, he may use any other monster, providing that it is of the same colour as the one that should have been used.

If there is no vacant space adjacent to the character who drew the card, the evil wizard play may place the wandering monster in any vacant square in the same room or passage. In this case he may not, however, attack another character.

Z Wandering Monsters
These monsters pop out of holes and hidden places, and wander into rooms. (The monster that appears is listed in the Quest Notes.)

As Zargon, you must place the monster next to the treasure-searcher and immediately roll Attack Dice. (Refer to the Monster Chart on the Information Screen for the correct number of Attack Dice to use.) On this round, you can only attack the treasure-searcher. After the attack, the Wandering Monster remains on the gameboard and can be moved like other monsters.

Note: If the surrounding squares are occupied, and it is not possible to place a monster next to the searcher, put the monster in the room as close to the searcher as possible. Then, on your next turn, the monster can move and attack like other monsters.

H - How Heroes Respond To Wandering Monsters

• As a Hero, you roll combat dice to defend against a Wandering Monster's attack. You may then continue with your turn. (See How A Hero Defends on page 22.)

H - Hazards!
As a Hero, when you draw a Hazard Card from the Treasure Deck, read the card aloud and follow its directions.

Not much to no here regarding Wandering Monsters, except that the Wandering Monster MUST attack the Hero drawing the card, if possible, and then acts like a normal monster.

Hazards are briefly mentioned under Treasure Cards, but has it's own section in the US Manual, which basically says follow the card.

Putting this together for the HQ CERB, we get:

Wandering Monsters
Some of the treasure cards do not show any treasure at all! Instead they show a ferocious monster. These monsters pop out of holes and hidden places, and wander into rooms. Each Quest in the Quest Book tells the evil wizard player what sort of monster model to use when one of these cards is found.

As the evil wizard, you must place the monster next to the treasure-searcher and immediately attack. On this round, you can only attack the treasure-searcher. After the attack, the Wandering Monster remains on the gameboard. Then, on your next turn, the monster can move and attack like other monsters.

If there is no vacant space adjacent to the character who drew the card, the evil wizard play may place the wandering monster in any vacant square in the same room or passage. In this case he may not, however, attack another character.

If all of the monsters of a particular type are on the board and the evil wizard player needs to place another one, he may use any other monster, providing that it is of the same colour as the one that should have been used.

Hazards
As a Hero, when you draw a Hazard Card from the Treasure Deck, read the card aloud and follow its directions.

It should be noted that this last little Hazard stub will probably be incorporated into the more general rules for drawing Wandering Monsters and Hazards under the Treasure Cards section above.

[Kurgan]

What if we just said each passage can be searched for Treasure ONCE (period) while rooms get to be searched by each Hero once?

If you already covered that and I missed it, sorry. To keep track of searches one could use tokens or Zargon can use pencil mark on the quest map (or dry erase on a laminated/sleeved copy).

[Davane]

What if we just said each passage can be searched for Treasure ONCE (period) while rooms get to be searched by each Hero once?

If you already covered that and I missed it, sorry. To keep track of searches one could use tokens or Zargon can use pencil mark on the quest map (or dry erase on a laminated/sleeved copy).

That's certainly an idea for a House Rule, if you'd prefer.

I think it's easier, and preferable, to only have each area searched once, because I think that this helps promote the idea of a party working together, and encourages sharing that little bit more. In AHQ, each area can only be searched for hidden treasure once, and in WHQ, you normally get a single treasure card per event they deal with (gold works a lot like experience and is awarded per kill), which is shared on a rotational basis. Thus, in all three games, you are generally looking at each area being searched once, so integration might be a little better.

Right now though, the HeroQuest Combined English Edition Rule Book (CERB) is looking showing all the rules, with rules changes between editions being included as house rules, so people can pick and choose as they desire. It's interesting to see how the HQ rules have changed between the three editions (UK 1st, UK 2nd, and US) in terms of both rules and presentation.

It's worth noting that AHQ brings the idea of an Expedition Mapper, and their job is to record the map of the game is you explore it. Although it's slightly more important in AHQ, there's no reason why you can't have an Expedition Mapper in HQ, and thus they can record what is found, where. This would be particularly useful with Rando-Quest, as RQ would be played without a defined Quest Map, so a record of what you discover in the Maze would be very useful indeed...

[Davane]

Okay, we are nearly done with this bad boy, as after Treasure, all we have are what seems to be a few bits of miscellany to complete the CERB. I will probably do these as separate posts since these are odd bits of rules scattered at the end of the rule book that might be better suited to other sections as appropriate.

Quest Treasures
There are five special Quest treasure cards: the Wand of Recall, the magical sword Orcs Bane, the Talisman of Lore, Borin's Armour, and the Spirit Blade. Do not mix these card in with the ordinary treasure cards. They can only be found according to the notes in the Quest book.

Artifacts
Ten of the special treasures are called "artifacts." Each is described in detail on it's corresponding Artifact Card. These items include weapons, armor and items that provide additional powers. Finding an artifact may also be the objective of a particular Quest. Important! Certain artifacts may only be used by a specific Hero. For example, the Wizard's Cloak and the Wizard's Staff may only be used by the Wizard. If another Hero finds one of these items, he should give it to the Wizard.

Lost Artifacts
It is sometimes required that the Heroes have a specific artifact in their possession before they continue on the next Quest. Zargon, if a Hero dies while in possession of an artifact, and your monsters steal the artifact, you must include the artifact as a special treasure early in the next Quest.

Not much here, although more rules for artifacts in the US edition, as there are more artifacts. For the HQ CERB, we have:

Artifacts and Quest Treasures
There are special Quest treasures are called "artifacts." Each is described in detail on it's corresponding Artifact Card. These items include weapons, armor and items that provide additional powers.

Do not mix these card in with the ordinary treasure cards. They can only be found according to the notes in the Quest book. Finding an artifact may also be the objective of a particular Quest.

Important! Certain artifacts may only be used by a specific Hero. For example, the Wizard's Cloak and the Wizard's Staff may only be used by the Wizard. If another Hero finds one of these items, he should give it to the Wizard.

Lost Artifacts
It is sometimes required that the Heroes have a specific artifact in their possession before they continue on the next Quest. As the evil wizard, if a Hero dies while in possession of an artifact, and your monsters steal the artifact, you must include the artifact as a special treasure early in the next Quest.

[Davane]

Now for...

Completing a Quest
The player characters complete a Quest successfully if they achieve the objectives described in the passage in bold type which the evil wizard player reads aloud at the beginning of the game.

If they fail to do so, or if they are all killed, the evil wizard wins. Of course, surviving player characters (and/or new ones) can always attempt the same Quest again, but the evil wizard player always starts a Quest with a full complement of monsters.

Characters escape the dungeon by landing on the stairway tile.

Monsters may never land on the stairway tile.

It's interesting to note that the version of the UK 2nd Edition Rules of Play I have features an error, where the section above starting with "killed" and finishing with "surviving" has been accidentally missed out.

Ending the Quest
As a Hero, you successfully complete a Quest only when you have achieved the Quest goal AND have returned to the safety of the stairway. A quest may be ended early by the players voluntarily returning to the stairway before completing the Quest, or by all 4 Heroes dying in their attempt to complete the Quest.

There is usually a final treasure or a reward associated with successfully completing a Quest. Your valiant efforts are rewarded by splitting the reward amongst yourselves.

After successfully completing the Quest, circle to corresponding Quest number on your Character Sheet. Keep this sheet as a record of the Quests you have completed.

Unfinished Quests
Zargon, if a Quest ends with disastrous results (such as death for all 4 Heroes), or goes unfinished, you should modify the Quest before it is replayed. You can do this by creating a new adventure using the blank map and symbols at the end of the Quest Book.

Interesting to see two different spins on uncompleted quests - in the UK, it's start over with the evil wizard having all the monsters again, whilst in the US, the evil wizard is expected to modify the quest to take into account what has already happened... Anyway, for the HQ CERB, we have:

Completing a Quest
The player characters complete a Quest successfully if they achieve the objectives described in the passage in bold type which the evil wizard player reads aloud at the beginning of the game.

For some quests, you successfully complete a Quest only when you have achieved the Quest goal AND have returned to the safety of the stairway. If they fail to do so, or if they are all killed, the evil wizard wins.

There is usually a final treasure or a reward associated with successfully completing a Quest. Your valiant efforts are rewarded by splitting the reward amongst yourselves.

Ending the Quest
A quest may be ended early by the players voluntarily returning to the stairway before completing the Quest, or by all 4 Heroes dying in their attempt to complete the Quest. Characters escape the dungeon by landing on the stairway tile.

Monsters may never land on the stairway tile.

Unfinished Quests
Of course, surviving player characters (and/or new ones) can always attempt the same Quest again, but the evil wizard player always starts a Quest with a full complement of monsters.

[US: If a Quest ends with disastrous results (such as death for all 4 Heroes), or goes unfinished, you should modify the Quest before it is replayed.]

---

I am going to put this in the same post, since Between Quests works alongside Completing Quests, and neatly ties up everything to do with Quests...

Between Quests (and under Buying Equipment)
If your character survives, you may keep him and use him again in subsequent Quests. In this case, you may keep any Quest treasure cards you have found, and you may spend any treasure recorded on your character sheet to purchase better equipment (armour, weapons, and so on). You may not keep ordinary treasure cards.

The character players may restore their character's Body and Mind points to their starting value before beginning a new Quest.

What Happens Between Quests?
As a Hero, your starting Body and Mind points are automatically restored once you have successfully complete the Quest and have returned safely to the stairway. All spells are returned to the Wizard and the Elf.

Finally, you may now visit the Armour and purchase new weapons and armour with the gold you have accumulated. Be patient. It may take a few Quests before you have enough money to purchase anything.

Wizard: Since there are so few things that you can buy from the Armory, it would be wise for you to save your money. Other powerful magic items will be offered for sale in future adventures (in the Quest Packs). You may wish to spend your money on those items.

Important! You keep any treasure found and take them with you on your next Quest. Remember, Heroes, to subtract from your Character Sheet any gold coins spent. Save this sheet between Quests and use it again!

Okay, we have an interesting dilemma here, in that the UK rules don't allow you to keep ordinary treasure (i.e. potions) between quests, but the US edition does. I can understand why, since if you are using the Treasure Cards as a deck, not returning Healing Potions and and other such potions to the deck between adventures makes those adventures harder. However, seeing as HQ is full of non-card treasures, it's no hardship to note down what a treasure card potion does and return the cards. Thus, this is what we will be going with - you can keep the potions but you cannot keep the cards. However, I will include a UK house rules that all potions from the Treasure deck spoil and must be discarded between quests.

So for the HQ CERB, we get:

Between Quests
If your character survives, you may keep him and use him again in subsequent Quests.

In this case, you may automatically restore their character's Body and Mind points to their starting value before beginning a new Quest. All spells are returned to the Wizard and the Elf.

Important! You keep any treasure found and take them with you on your next Quest. You may keep any Artifact cards or Quest treasure you have found.

You may not keep ordinary Treasure cards. Make a note of any potions and other items you have found on ordinary Treasure cards, along with their effects, and return these Treasure cards to the deck.

[UK: All items on ordinary Treasure Cards spoil and must be discarded between quests.]

You may now visit the Armory and spend any treasure recorded on your character sheet to purchase better equipment (armour, weapons, and so on) with the gold you have accumulated. Be patient. It may take a few Quests before you have enough money to purchase anything.

Wizard: Since there are so few things that you can buy from the Armory, it would be wise for you to save your money. Other powerful magic items will be offered for sale in future adventures (in the Quest Packs). You may wish to spend your money on those items.

Remember, Heroes, to subtract from your Character Sheet any gold coins spent. Save this sheet between Quests and use it again!

[Davane]

Almost there - the home straight is with us...

Buying Equipment
There is a card for each item of equipment available for purchase. Any player wishing to buy equipment should take the card they want, reduce the money on their sheet by the value shown on the card, and make a note of the benefits of the equipment on their sheet. The spear and staff, for example, allow characters to attack diagonally.

A character may not buy equipment if he does not have enough money to do so, but money can be accumulated and kept from Quest to Quest.

Equipment Cards
These cards improve the characters' abilities. When using a weapon Equipment card the character player rolls the number of dice shown for that weapon, instead of the number of dice shown on his character board against Attack.

The armour Equipment cards are used in the same way. However, some cards like the shield and the helmet cards, allow you to roll an extra die. This is an extra die in addition to those you normally roll. If, for example, you had the chainmail card and the shield card you would roll a total of four combat dice in defence. You may not wear more than one type of body armour at one time.

H - A Trip to the Armory
As a Hero, you may collect valuable treasures, such as gold coins, during a Quest. Between Quests, you may use gold coins to purchase powerful weapons and protective armor from the Armory. (See cardboard platform.)

These weapons allow you to increase your attack and defend strength, and may also give you unique combat advantages.

For instance, daggers and crossbows are special weapons due to their ability to hit a monster from a distance.

Some long weapons, like the staff and the longsword, allow you to attack diagonally. The attack is made and defended normally.

Using diagonal weapons allows more than one Hero to attack a monster blocking a doorway.

Note: For complete information on all of the weapons and armor, please refer to the Armory on the cardboard platform.

No real conflicting rules here, as most details are on the Equipment Cards and Armory, so for the HQ CERB, we get:

Equipment Cards
There is a card for each item of equipment available for purchase. These cards improve the characters' abilities, allowing you to increase your Attack and Defend dice, and may also give you unique combat advantages.

Some long weapons, like the longsword, the spear and the staff, for example, allow characters to attack diagonally. The attack is made and defended normally.

Using diagonal weapons allows more than one Hero to attack a monster blocking a doorway.

Daggers and crossbows are special weapons due to their ability to hit a monster from a distance.

When using a weapon Equipment card the character player rolls the number of dice shown for that weapon, instead of the number of dice shown on his character board against Attack.

The armour Equipment cards are used in the same way, and the character player rolls the number of dice shown for that armour, instead of the number of dice shown on his character board against Defend.

However, some cards like the shield and the helmet cards, allow you to roll an extra die. This is an extra die in addition to those you normally roll.

If, for example, you had the chainmail card and the shield card you would roll a total of four combat dice in defence.

You may not wear more than one type of body armour at one time.

Buying Equipment

As a Hero, you may collect valuable treasures, such as gold coins, during a Quest. Between Quests, you may use gold coins to purchase powerful weapons and protective armor from the Armory.

Any player wishing to buy equipment should take the card they want, reduce the money on their sheet by the value shown on the card, and make a note of the benefits of the equipment on their sheet.

A character may not buy equipment if he does not have enough money to do so, but money can be accumulated and kept from Quest to Quest.