Quest Difficulties? (and an Introduction)

[ShaneC]

Howdy! I'm an Old Newbie (or New Oldie?) --- had HQ back when it was new and I was about 10 years old. Don't know whatever happened to it, but one day about a year ago, I remembered it and had the urge to play again. Finally tracked a copy down about a week ago and got things rolling. Here I am now, 20 some years later, trying to get the wife to play as well (and eventually the kid, once he's old enough).

We started out trying the solo quests using Dave Morris' A Growl of Thunder (Barbarian) and Ken Goodson's Werewolf's Reign (Elf).

Are these more difficult than the original core quests? Zargon basically beat each of us into a pulp fairly quickly, which kinda tainted the experience for her. From what I recall, the game was sometimes challenging, but not quite so deadly.

Then again, maybe Zargon went easier on me in my youth.

[chaoticprime]

Zargon, if played correctly (not like a Dungeon Master), should win rather often--that's why each Quest is short and full of abstractions, like an arcade game. The base quests are generally stupid-easy for Heroes unless Zargon actually plays the game rather than refereeing it. Knowing the rules well also helps.

I don't even consider there to be anything remotely resembling a campaign to the game--even naming the Heroes is essentially pointless . My players keep track of and compare their own rankings in terms of Heroes played, monsters slain, gold obtained, etc.

[el_flesh]

Give each monster class a personality - goblins panic and run half the time, and if they see ANYTHING die, they panic and run for sure. Orcs get pissed and attack whoever attacked them in earnest- without shifting their target. Zombies blindly blunder towards the first living thing; you might even make them attack Orcs & Goblins to eat what they laughingly call their brains. I make Zombies walk right thru any traps in their way; they take full dmg. Skels aggressively attack the nearest enemy; also blunder thru traps blindly. Mummies, Chaos warrior, warlock and Fimir all act intelligently surveying the situation. I toss aside the "wandering monster" cards. Heros have to roll a crit fail to get a wandering monster.

[Sjeng]

You should start with the base game quests, they have an easier challenge curve. I think the solo quests are for more experienced heroes with some good equipment.

[ShaneC]

You should start with the base game quests, they have an easier challenge curve. I think the solo quests are for more experienced heroes with some good equipment.

We haven't tried running the base game quests yet, so that could be. We tried running the solo quests starting with the core default characters and no extra equipment, so rooms with even just 3 Orcs were just brutal.

I think I'll try to get her to play again tonight using just the original starting quests and using El_Flesh's suggestions. I had humored a few of those ideas, though not really fleshed them out much.

I've also been thinking about some custom tweaks to the starting Elf, as that's the wife's preferred character. Giving him something like a 'weak' short bow. ie. 2 combat dice at short range (2-5 squares), 1 combat die at long range (6-10 squares), useless when adjacent to the enemy. Just not quite sure if/what I should nerf for the rest of the starting equipment to work that in and try to keep some balance.

What constitutes a critical fail for triggering the Wandering Monster?

[chaoticprime]

"Starting" equipment is somewhat misleading. It should read, "Things you want to replace as quickly as you can manage."

[el_flesh]

Also, you might need more than just the wife on a team. If you can't find other players, you should join her against the maze - there are rules for sp and for no Zarquon, so use those and be on your wife's team! Make sure you call it Team (wife name)! Say it several times during the game: GO TEAM (wife name).

...let us know if that gets you some special lovin' later... heh heh heh

[Sjeng]

What constitutes a critical fail for triggering the Wandering Monster?

When you search for treasure in a room, and draw a "wandering monster" card from the treasure deck instead of loot.

[chaoticprime]

Ignoring any terms you've come to know through playing D&D is a good thing for playing Heroquest. It has has taken some words, like "arcane" and "melee," and warped them stupidly. Like, there cannot actually be arcane magic. "Arcane" means "in an ark (furniture for storage that had a lid)," prescriptively. Descriptively, it means "secret." "Magic" prescribes wonders without any explainable origin. If wonders came from a higher-being, they are divine. If they came from Hell, they are infernal (inferno references Hell, not fire). If you don't know where they came from, they're magic. Basically no adjective can work with magic, only adverbs--sometimes. "Arcane Magic" and "Divine Magic" both abnegate. While I'm on this subject, the word "immolate" has nothing to do with fire; its fatal self-sacrifice. Fire is just, apparently, the easiest way to get it done.

[ShaneC]

Not sure I know what the point of the vocabulary lesson was, but good to know for future reference I suppose.

Ran her through Quest 1 of the NA core game with her using the Elf and Dwarf. Zargon may have fudged some rolls ever so slightly in her favor, but it worked.

A couple things came up:

1. Moving away from enemies while engaged in combat. -- I used a variation of a 'disengaging strike' rule from another game. Basically, an enemy rolls 1 combat die vs. 1 defend die. On a hit, you can't move. Otherwise, you can. No wounds dealt, just a way of saying 'yes, you can run away' or 'no, you can't escape'.

2. Leaving the dungeon -- she had gold, wanted to heal up and buy stuff. I opted to roll 2 red dice to determine a random number of enemies for when she came back, opted for goblins as the random enemy (and then rolled snake eyes).

I think the only other thing I opted for was a lone goblin would flee to a room with more goblins (if available, Orc if not). Seemed Gobliny.

Also, movement: If it's a location you've already been, provided there's no enemies, you can move freely within line of site without rolling.