Rumor HQ + D&D mix forced by Hasbro? HeroQuest needs such?

[Pelkone]

The Orc Bard might've been a sign of things to come...

[Vorimir]

The orc bard is a bad joke. SQT expansion has all the flaws, is the least HQish expansion we have, doesnt feel "true" HQ to me. New HQ is already influenced by modern fantasy/DnD with orc knights... it seems more a Vox Machina kind of world than old HQ.

[therealshrek]

Heroquest was originally in the GW Warhammer fantasy world, it even used some of those maps on the back of quest books and such.
But that tie in has been broken with the new 2021 version. We lost the Fimir, gained the abominaion, and Chaos has been replaced with dread.
Personally I dont see why that last change happened, chaos is in all settings, but over all breaking away from GWs world is a good thing.

Having Heroquest be its own setting within D&D is not a bad thing, it allows it to still be its own, but gives people a background source.
It can still get its own Map, which I am hoping we will see soon. More importantly this means we could possibly see an official monster
compendium for Heroquest. Something many of us have done on our own, but a lot of people strictly play with what is released.

[ScooterinAB]

See, I distinctly recall hearing them say it's not just going to be D&D. It doesn't need to be, and Avalon Hill isn't Wizards of the Coast (even though they are both owned by Hasbro).

In the other hand we know the remake is for sure not further 'loosely based in Warhammer', so these questions came to my mind:

- Does it need to be based in other known franchise like D&D? Does HeroQuest needs something like that? Worth it?

- Why Hasbro does not try to better reinforce HeroQuest to make it a more powerful franchise, with his own fully independent story, creatures, lore, etc.?

Here I share some ideas how Hasbro might empower the franchise without merging it in D&D:

- Making an animation series based in HQ.

- Making videogames based in HQ.

- Making a HQ movie (animation or action live).

- Making new books/comics series.

- Making new expansions for the game based in the stories seen in the animation series / movie, even in the books/comics.

- Making official Advanced Rules for the game for those who wants 'more', but compatible with the basic rules. Those rules could improve the Amory, the Heroes Growth, the Magic rules, etc.

- Creating a new board, even an official system rules to play with modular boards for new expansions, even for solo play.

- Etc.

The problem with almost all of this is that these things cost money. Avalon Hill isn't a movie studio. It's not a mega corp. It's barely a toy company. They simply don't have the resources to make a video game, animated series, or movie. And even if they did, any money spent there means money not being spend on new questpacks and other board game content.

The only of these ideas I can see getting any traction is an alternative gameboard. It wouldn't take much to do that, and the questpack it would come with could centre around whatever theme that board has. "Advanced rules" are also possible, but unlikely. We have to remember that this is a simple board game meant to be a simple board game. I have yet to see many fan creations that don't completely overcomplicate the game. If the goal is to make HeroQuest stand on its own, NOT turning it into D&D would be the move to make. If I want that level of complications, I'll play a roleplaying game. The other thing to keep in mind is that the design and release philosophy of the game is that you only need the base game to use anything else. Adding hero advancement rules and that sort of thing impacts the quests in every other questpack, to the point where it could invalidate them as products. And to write in contingencies in future releases means requiring people to buy that "advanced rules" expansion. The result is going to be a Frankenstein monster of patched together content, and none of us want that.

[lestodante]

When (if) D$D is in I'm out. Heroquest is Heroquest. Ill keep playing but my way.

Exactly!

And about a HeroQuest movie, that would not be the same without our original heroes from the 80s.
For sure I am not going to see a movie with a female elf wearing a plate armour! That's really an awful character for me.

[Kurgan]

I actually don't see how breaking from the Warhammer world and entering into the D&D world is an improvement (unless you love D&D but hate Warhammer lore, I suppose). Yes, Hasbro has control of both (they don't have control of Warhammer lore, which is why they sat down with GamesWorkShop to hammer out the deal that got us the remake edition, they agreed to change certain terms but keep the game basically as it was otherwise and both parties walked away satisfied, is the way Encarmine tells it).

I think they should remain separate lores officially (barring some one off thing that doesn't have any bearing on the rest of the lore outside of that, like a crossover comic book).

As Encarmine was talking with the Monk, they wanted to make their character different and not just copy down what would be expected from a D&D character.
FANS of course are free to mix and match whatever they want. You can put HQ content into D&D and D&D content into HQ and Monopoly content into HeroScape and Battleship into Candyland into Pandemic into Lost Patrol, and the companies can't stop you at your own gaming table.

[Erica Diaz]

The rumored crossover between HeroQuest and Dungeons & Dragons, if true, would indeed represent a significant shift from HeroQuest's original charm as a standalone fantasy universe. While such a move could be seen as a strategic decision by Hasbro to boost the franchise's popularity and integrate it with the D&D brand, it might undermine HeroQuest's unique appeal and accessibility. Instead of merging with D&D, Hasbro could enhance HeroQuest by developing its own independent lore, expanding through various media such as animation, video games, or books, and creating new game expansions. This approach would preserve HeroQuest's distinct identity while broadening its reach and appeal on its own terms.

[Kurgan]

D&D is known for books and books worth of rules, lore, and such, while HQ is known for small packets of fun in a sandbox board game that most can easily just pick up and play. D&D has tried for ages to capture the same magic that HQ had in that "pick up and play" kind of "beer and pretzels" family game.

Many speculated that the "IP Crossover" would actually be with Talisman (mainly because of the fact that it's a GamesWorkShop IP... a chance to insert some old characters and terms). The latest, and I think they would not tease this so hard if it were just a joke or misdirection... is for HeroQuest and HeroSCAPE (two games that people often get confused anyway, why not toss them together?).

Like imagining a HeroQuest themed expansion/addon that could be used in HeroScape. Nothing is really changed for either game (HeroScape lends itself well to additions since its a time traveling battle of multiple dimensions that already mixes many fantasy themes and genres into one). You could then take the figures from the expansion and use them back in HeroQuest if you wanted since they're so similar. It's a great excuse to create new miniatures.

I wouldn't object to a "one off" in any of these things, but with D&D I would certainly be concerned that HQ not be lost inside the larger, older franchise. I think that's what people worry about, that it would be at the "expense" of HQ. AH is dedicated to bringing in new players, and probably First Light will do that much better than any of these other proposed crossovers (and certainly more than "HeroQuest+ Betrayal/Monopoly/Risk/Cluedo").

Although HeroQuest+Betrayal kind of seems like an easy one... again, simple game, easy to port in the miniatures, characters turning evil (at least temporarily, especially through magical means) is well established in HeroQuest.

So I guess for me, I hope that the HeroScape rumor is true, if there's going to be such an official crossover in our future.

[SirRick]

I could see a new version of the same game with a different theme. Not a crossover, but a D&D themed HeroQuest game, meant to be its own game, but still compatible with normal HeroQuest. I could see the same thing with other things, like the previously mentioned Heroscape.

I am still toying with making a Star Wars Imperial Assault Quest Pack using HeroQuest rules and combat, but changing things such as weapons and skills to fit the theme and characters better.

[Daedalus]

In regards to Kurgan mentioning an upcoming HeroQuest-Heroscape crossover, some of the groundwork has already been covered by the rules and unique character army cards in the Heroscape Battle for the Underdark master set.

That box has already been set up for a basic D&D exploratory experience that features D&D heroes and monsters. So if Avalon Hill/Renegade Studios puts out a HQ-HS product, it will already be adaptable with existing D&D lore used in that master set and the following D&D wave of releases. Of course, the D&D master set and accompanying wave is no longer produced and prohibitively costly for most HQ players.