Carrying and changing equipment during a quest

[Showdown35]

My re-equipping house rule is once per turn, a Hero may spend an Action to change his currently equipped items unless he chooses not to move, in which case, it does not cost an Action. It has worked out well with my group.

Pretty much the only time they switch weapons is when a Hero with a Crossbow shoots into a room, then gets rushed by a monster and wants to switch to a melee weapon. The way I see it, the Hero has the chance to holster his Crossbow (sling it over his back) and draw his melee weapon as the monster approaches, provided he doesn't move. If he wants to move, he has to spend the action to change weapons on the fly.

As for carrying limits, here's my set-up:

Equipped
Headgear,
Body Armour,
Dominant Hand,
Off Hand,

Carried
Back Sling (2 medium OR 1 heavy item)
Sheathed (2 light OR 1 medium item)
Belted (up to 4 minimal items [such as potions])
Bandolier (up to 4 minimal items [daggers])

Bracers, Footwear, Rings, Necklaces, etc, use common sense (can't have 2 footwear items equipped)

NOTE: I gave all items a weight characteristic

[wallydubbs]

Yes, this is a must tactic before a Hero has acquired a non rustable weapon. Out of interest, do players have the EW player decide the item rusted or the Hero. I say the EW as he is casting the spell i.e "I cast Rust on your Longsword".

Since the Evil Wizard is casting the spell, yes he should choose. I usually pick the most expensive item, usually chain mail or a battle ax.

[Kurgan]

I've allowed a player to "unequip" his shield to use a battle ax (he hasn't abused it yet). But as for carrying say, Plate Mail, but not wearing it... I say in that case it still weighs you down, if we are going by the overall weight, rather than saying it somehow restricts your leg movement while it's on. I do allow my Paladin to get +1 (or +2, as he upgrades) movement while wearing it, figuring he's comfortable and used to the armor and so moves more gracefully in it. He would still have to use the restricted movement if he wear just "carrying" it for later.

There is another case where I would allow an Elf character, who discovered some Elven Chain Mail, but was already wearing Borin's Armor to carry both and wear one (they are identical in terms of stats, though have different effects when falling into pits of darkness!), rather than be forced to drop one valuable artifact to keep the other (and make it a random treasure in the next quest?).

If it gets excessive, I'll put some limits on. But carrying an extra helmet you found for a friend (or to sell) later? Sure, why not. I don't use the "broken weapons" mechanic, but that could be another way to try to cut down on excess gear (or encourage people to carry extra gear for that matter!). For now, carrying a backup weapon is only a temporary thing, unless you're anticipating some "Rust" attacks. Otherwise a hero generally will have two weapons each (or a bunch of daggers for throwing, if he lacks a proper ranged weapon). I haven't placed a hard limit on it yet.

I think in the case of the Wizard, I will eventually require him to get a special coat or backpack to carry all of his stuff, as I will be introducing many new magical items.

[Maurice76]

There is another case where I would allow an Elf character, who discovered some Elven Chain Mail, but was already wearing Borin's Armor to carry both and wear one (they are identical in terms of stats, though have different effects when falling into pits of darkness!), rather than be forced to drop one valuable artifact to keep the other (and make it a random treasure in the next quest?).

You don't allow Heroes to trade Artifacts? If you do, the Elf player would be forced to make a choice between the two Armors, giving the one he didn't choose to another Hero.

[Kurgan]

I DO let them exchange artifacts (unless it says you can't). The Elf would only "have" to carry it for one Solo quest before he'd have an opportunity to pass it off to another Hero who badly needs it.

I'm talking about carrying an extra set of armor and not wearing it. I guess the only thing I'd do there would be if someone said they were "carrying" Plate armor but not wearing it (to try to avoid the movement penalty) I would still give them the movement penalty. The rationale? The armor is heavy. Then again, this might not be true. It might just be that the armor restricts movement for those not used to wearing and moving in it (here imagining it as a full of suit armor minus helmet, not just a chest plate with matching armlets as in the armory picture).

I've never been strict about carrying capacity ("sorry, you have to drop one of the potions to pick that up"). At a certain point it could start to get ridiculous though, I agree. That's when you introduce the "Porter" that you have to pay to carry your extra stuff (or the rental storage unit between quests!). Or the magical "bag of holding"...

[Daedalus]

Armor already has an effective limit, as it is worn. Push the limit to the Plate Mail maximum and a movement penalty is accrued. Hero Quest doesn't
put a limit on weapons carried, though a reasonable mod could be to assign a similar penalty for the related maximum combination.

The maximum useful weapon combo is a Crossbow, Battle Axe, and a Longsword (and Shield.) That totals up to four hands worth of equipped weapons, which seems like a fair, analogous carry limit for "having it all." Like Plate Mail, this should force a red-die movement penalty on the Hero. If Plate Mail is also worn, I suggest leveling an additional -1 Defend Die penalty due to all that encumbering bulk.

Since the one-red-die movement penalty is notoriously unpoular with players, I'd suggest it only apply when monsters are present/visible to the Hero during his movement. That way the penalty applies to movement in combat where it counts (initiative) but frees up exploration.

[cynthialee]

If they have spare gear I would allow it

but I would require it to be their action to stow the one thing and equip the new thing

besides chances are there is a spell caster somewhere in the dungeon if I am running the show and you can bet one of his spells is going to be a warp wood or rust spell which either is a great way to ruin a crossbow

[Bareheaded Warrior]

Before considering changes to the "swapping weapons" rules it might first be worth working out what the "swapping weapons" rules in HeroQuest already are.

nowhere is told in the rules how the heroes switches their weapons, that's the point... Imagine the hero with battle axe does not attack on his turn, but a monster moves during its turn and attacks the hero. You mean then the hero could use the Shield for defending because he did not used the Battle Axe on his turn? I see quite complicated to manage the card rules if that's the case.

Whilst HispaZargon is correct in that there is nothing explicitly stated in the rulebook about switching weapons, in HeroQuest we so often find ourselves in a situation of having no rule in the rulebook, but the hint of a rule implicit in quest design, quest notes, card text and so on, from which you have to work out the implied but not stated rule.

The Battle axe card (I think in all editions) states something along the lines of "You may not use a shield when using the Battle axe." This could be taken as a restriction around purchasing equipment, if you already have one of these cards then you can't buy the other, but the word "use" rather than "own", "buy" or "carry" doesn't seem to support this interpretation so I have always taken this to imply some sort of rule / restriction exists around switching weapons.

One source of confusion here is the fact that you only use a weapon to attack on your turn, and you only use the shield to defend when it isn't your turn* so technically the situation of using them both at the same time never arises, so odd that it is expressly prohibited.

*Technically you could search, reveal a wandering monster and then have to defend on your turn, but in that instance you wouldn't have attacked on your turn, that is used the battle axe, as your action would have been the search.

My assumption is that the restriction means that if you use the battle axe to attack as the action on your turn then you cannot use the shield to defend during that same round*

*HeroQuest uses the word "turn" to refer to a character's turn (hero or monster), a player's turn (hero player or evil wizard player) and a complete round comprising of all players' turns (and therefore all characters' turns) in their entirety. This latter meaning, referred to in many games as a "round" is what I'm referring to here for clarity.

If that assumption is correct then that means that we have a rule already around swapping weapons along the lines of...(appreciate the wording is awkward and needs work)

You select your weapon as an integral part of your attack action, that is you attack a specific character with a specific weapon which includes equipping yourself with that weapon. You cannot change weapons outside of that.

This would mean the following statements are correct:

1. If the Dwarf attack an adjacent Orc as an action with the Battle axe, then he CANNOT use the Shield to defend until a subsequent attack action when he selects a different single handed weapon to attack with (that is anything other than the Battle axe)

2. The Dwarf can attack an adjacent Orc as an action with a Shortsword and CAN then use the shield to defend AND on his next turn can select the Battle axe to attack the same Orc.

3. The Dwarf can attack an adjacent Orc as an action with the Battle axe and CANNOT then use the shield to defend AND on his next turn can select the Crossbow, ignore the attacking adjacent Orc and shoot the Goblin on a diagonal square who keeps poking him with its Spear and CAN then use a Shield in defence

4. The Dwarf can attack an adjacent Orc as an action with the Battle axe (and kill it) and then on his next turn search for treasure as an action, if this results in a Wandering Monster attacking him then he CANNOT defend with his shield.

Does that seem a valid interpretation?

[HispaZargon]

My assumption is that the restriction means that if you use the battle axe to attack as the action on your turn then you cannot use the shield to defend during that same round*

Exactly, that's also my interpretation and how I play in my games since it is the way it fits with all the official rules about Equipment.

3. The Dwarf can attack an adjacent Orc as an action with the Battle axe and CANNOT then use the shield to defend AND on his next turn can select the Crossbow, ignore the attacking adjacent Orc and shoot the Goblin on a diagonal square who keeps poking him with its Spear and CAN then use a Shield in defence.

This point I think is fully true according to official rules, however you know that I think the use of Crossbow should not be allowed in combination of a Shield in the same round, in order to give more value to the Longsword which gold cost is the same, if we accept that the Crossbow can be used against enemies in the closer diagonal squares, but of course that's another story...

Does that seem a valid interpretation?

Yes, in my humble opinion.

[Kurgan]

From talking to you HZ, I like the simplicity in simply saying whatever weapon you used on your turn is the one you have in hand on your next turn. If you decide to pick another one then boom you have that configuration until your next turn. So no worrying about swapping weapons right before it's about to get stolen or rusted and no worries about cheating or people having to spend an action to switch items in their "loadout." Maybe you switch before your take your action (to attack for example) and that's that.