"Zargon, open the door!"
Ha, good times.
Hell we still play it among my group!
same friend scored the new Space Hulk release as well.
That game was discontinued nearly 20 years ago!
SO JEALOUS.
If I could find an intact version of that game for a reasonable price, I would snatch it up yesterday.
Got it off of eBay IIRC.
Good times indeed. And it even helped us in our first atempts at making our D&D encounters 3D, and we still use some parts in our more elaborate settings now.
TO EBAY!
Just don't try to get Mutant Chronicles........ thats extremely expensive.
Just don't try to get Mutant Chronicles........ thats extremely expensive.
Really? Maybe I should sell my copy. Got it new for $5 from a shop that was going out of business.
And for those seeking a modern Heroquest-style experience, may I introduce you to Descent.
No lie.
One of the best board games ever.
I feel like a WOTC fanboy over here, but it's true. All of the companies they absorbed make great games. ;)
I still have the board, minis, and 3d furniture. I don't play the game anymore, but much like Descent I use the board and minis (of which Descent also has some great minis) for D&D. I started playing HC soon after Dragon Strike, which is the game that got me into D&D, and later got my daughter into D&D, and is the only one of the old fantasy boardgames of yore that I still play. Ah, this thread brings back some fond memories.
I have both the Hero Quest game and the Dragon Strike game! And no they are not for sale, trade, robbery, or any thing else you can think of. My older brother used these games to teach me to play AD&D. Then I used them to teach my younger sister to play. I still play them when I get really bored...
Check out www.heroscapers.com
On topic, Heroquest was an still is great, I need to pull it out again.
That game is easy to learn & play, easy to adjust & houserule, has awesome artwork, props & miniatures - in other words, its everything 4e is NOT! Being a hardcore fan is even better, because getting any new game like it (Dragon Strike, Dark World, any dumb-down version of D&D, or even some overpriced wannabe game like Descent), is just a way to expand the HQ core set somehow. I have done quite a bit to expand the game. So much stuff have been added to my game, that it looks like a whole other game! I have houseruled my game to the point of being an RPG-lite! Is like being a slave to the game, but HQ is so awesome, it so worth it!
This is how a typical QH game look at my table (note their are rules so heroes and monsters can interact with furniture):
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
Furnishing provided by Crooked Staff Productions:
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
To deal with snapping weapons, and to mix up the monster's armory, I make all their weapons interchangeable:
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
I hope you guys like my set? I put a lot into it. LOL
I hope you guys like my set? I put a lot into it. LOL
...
I think I'm in love.
Only $75? Hell, that's a reasonable price for such an important part of my childhood development.
TO EBAY!
Wow, I feel lucky I picked up a nearly complete ('only missing a rat/skull or two, and the manuals/quest book...both which are downloadable PDFs) copy at a thrift store for $4.
…any dumb-down version of D&D, or even some overpriced wannabe game like Descent…
Why do people have to run down others? You don't need to tear one thing down to build another up.
That is the best boardgame EVER!!!!
That game is easy to learn & play, easy to adjust & houserule, has awesome artwork, props & miniatures - in other words, its everything 4e is NOT! Being a hardcore fan is even better, because getting any new game like it (Dragon Strike, Dark World, any dumb-down version of D&D, or even some overpriced wannabe game like Descent), is just a way to expand the HQ core set somehow. I have done quite a bit to expand the game. So much stuff have been added to my game, that it looks like a whole other game! I have houseruled my game to the point of being an RPG-lite! Is like being a slave to the game, but HQ is so awesome, it so worth it!
This is how a typical QH game look at my table (note their are rules so heroes and monsters can interact with furniture):
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
Furnishing provided by Crooked Staff Productions:
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
To deal with snapping weapons, and to mix up the monster's armory, I make all their weapons interchangeable:
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh73/Malcado...
I hope you guys like my set? I put a lot into it. LOL
You are my hero. Those interchangeable weapons are great. I can't believe I never thought of it. I've just been using an exacto knife and superglue, which tends to make the changes relatively permanent.
HeroQuest is a narrative role-playing game written by Robin D. Laws and published by Moon Design Publications under license from Issaries, Inc. (July 2009).
Are still confussedd.HeroQuest is a narrative role-playing game written by Robin D. Laws and published by Moon Design Publications under license from Issaries, Inc. (July 2009).
Wrong Wiki! This is the right place, and this place also a ton of pics and into. If you look hard enough, you can find replacement cards, standard & houseruled rulebooks, classic & homebrewed Quest Books, fold-up paper minis, floor tiles, and 3D furniture online. If you have the dice from HeroScape (counting the HS shields as HQ White Shields, and blanks as HQ Black Shields), and you print out the replacement books & cards, then you can make your own HQ set from scratch!
You will find that it doesn't have the complexity of a game like GURPS, but that is why HeroQuest is the King of Beer & Pretzel Gaming - roll combat dice, count skulls, and kick ass!
Wow, board games used to come with fairly attractive pieces that where not made out of poorly molded plastic and crappy cardboard cutouts! Color me envious.
Dame strait!
If they republished that game, fans would be knocking skulls to get it! I myself, would be clubbing people with people to get at it!
Beyond all the cool props and and easy rules, what truly impressed upon me most about the games is the game art. There is something dark and gritty about the art. The board and props look like they where painted on black paper, and all the dirt, cracks, blood, bones, and dead rat details make it feel immersive. Gary Chalk (a former Games Workshop artist, who also worked on the Lone Wolf gamebooks) did a fantastic job with the card art. Les Edwards' box covers explodes with a raw Sword & Sorcery feel! I have seen other game try to be like HQ, but the art never seems right - too clean-cut, too colorful, too bright, too cartoony, too photoshop, and so on. I guess what really holds the feel of QH for me is how stark and scary it all is - like a dark and forbidden place, that eats up adventurers, and decorate itself with their blood and skulls!
community.wizards.com/heroquestgame
I'm still getting the Wiki up and running. Folks would be able to contribute to the wiki with their own custom rules and stats. All fans are welcome! =D
Forgive this "resurecction but there is a reason.
Hasbro gave a written permission to a Spanish miniature company "Gamezone" to publish a remake, Hero Quest 25th Aniversary Edition. This company started a Kickstarter, and it was a total succes until some day ago. Other company, Moon Design, owner of the copyright "Heroquest rpg" (Runequest, world of Goraltha) asked it was stopped.
GAMEZONE Communiqué, Saturday 30
We would like to inform you all about the present situation, after the pause of our Kickstarter project by Moon Design P. during the thanksgiving holiday, which is an administrative petition within Kickstarter.
Yesterday, Friday, at the start of the day, U.S. east coast time, we sent a letter to Kickstarter, LINK invoking our legitimate trademark rights so they would deactivate the pause and let us progress in the fund raising campaign. We are waiting for Kickstarter’s reply on this matter.
Simultaneously we, Gamezone and Moon Design P., had a reunion to discuss this issue face to face as and not email exchange as was what was happening up till now.
Moon Design P. solicited the pause in Kickstarter because of fear that Hasbro could act against Gamezone in our crowed funding because we are using an American company on American soil. Their argument was that Hasbro could act against them as well for not impeding us in this project. Even thought they are not in any way included in this project or affiliated with it.
If Kickstarter does not reactivate the pause taking into account our letter ( indicated above in the link), then it can only be reactivated if Moon Design P. asks them to. For Moon Design P. to do so they are asking for two things: An official letter from Hasbro in which it states that they, Hasbro, will neither act against our HQ25th nor Moon Design P. They, Moon Design P., have also demanded a considerable sum and percentages from the Kickstarter project.
If we wait for Hasbro to make a declaration, which we can solicit, weeks or even months could pass. With that our production and creation calendar would be severely affected, as not having the funding to continue the campaign.
If the Campaign does not restart soon, the HQ25th will not be ready for Christmas 2014. It will not be ready to celebrate its anniversary.
There exist 3 possible solutions to this conundrum.
1. Kickstarter reactivates the project attending to our petition
2. Wait for Hasbro to declare that they are not against this crowed funding campaign of HQ25th en Kickstarter (an American Company).
3. Immediately move the crowed funning to a platform within Europe, where no risks of legal repercussions exist.
Option one; we can only wait, we cannot be sure that Kickstarter will lift the pause. We cannot influence their decision any more than we have already.
Option two; Hasbro is not obligated to do anything at all.
Option three; here there is no risk, except of course we will raise less funds, no other platform out there at this moment has the same public pull as Kickstarter.
---
I would like a friendship agreement between the three parts, Hasbro, Gamezone and Moon Design, the gamers who love this board game would thank it very much. If this matter was in the hands of the lawyers, it would be a bad advertising for everybody.
Hasbro doesn´t need this IP (= Intelectual Property) because it can create a new game with other name, for example Endless Quest, what it would use a mixture of rules from D&D board games and the next D&D collectable miniature game. My suggestion (or wish) for this hipotetical "Endless Quest" board game would be the PCs could get gold and XPs to buy better item and leveling up, with the right change of challenge. The dungeons ought to have a right adjustment if PCs level doesn´t increase but they are more powerful by item. The board game should be compatible with D&D skirmish miniature games. Let´s imagine the same miniatures and power cards used for the next dungeon comand or Castle Ravenloft board game.
I bought the D&D boardgame and I didn´t like enough because I couldn´t get money and buy item, if I found a weapon I had got to reject other. I love level progresion, to collect healing potions and saving money to buy the best weapon and armour. Have you seen "Mordheim", the skirmisth wargame with bands by Games Workshop?
The answer by Moon Desing.
Moon Design in BGG:
Hello all,
We want to give some background on the dispute surrounding Gamezone’s Kickstarter campaign to launch a remake of the hybrid board game/roleplaying game originally published by Milton Bradley called “Heroquest”.
Last week, Moon Design petitioned Kickstarter to remove the crowdfunding campaign for Gamezone’s “Heroquest” game. “Heroquest” is the registered US trademark of Moon Design and is the name of our “Heroquest” roleplaying game and assorted products. To allow a game using the same name to be promoted in the United States through Kickstarter without a license would be an unacceptable dilution of our brand and create market confusion to our detriment.
The trademark “Heroquest” is registered by Francis Greg Stafford with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Registration Number 4082281) for use in game book manuals. Moon Design Publications LLC has the exclusive license for use of that trademark. For some time now we have been working on creating a board game called “Heroquest” pertaining to the mythology of Glorantha and an updated version of our Heroquest roleplaying game.
The project by Gamezone, a Spanish game company, proposes to remake a role-playing/board game originally produced by Milton Bradley and Games Workshop in 1989. The project calls their game “Heroquest” which is identical to our registered mark and easily confused with it.
Gamezone initially asked us for use of the Heroquest trademark on July 31, 2013. The next day we asked them if they could provide us with a copy of any written agreement with Hasbro to produce a 25th Anniversary Edition of Hasbro’s board game. Gamezone did not provide us with any written confirmation (and as of this date still has not done so). On August 26, 2013, we informed Gamezone by email that we must decline their request.
Despite being explicitly refused permission to use our trademark, Gamezone went ahead and launched this Kickstarter. As a New York State corporation, Kickstarter is subject to US trademark laws and the use of our trademark in the campaign was a violation of those laws.We told Gamezone that they needed to immediately get a licensing agreement from us (which, among other things, would require that they pay us for the rights to the name since it would mean foregoing our opportunity to release our game using our trademark and to compensate us for that lost revenue).
Gamezone did not get back to us within the period we set, and rather than have this end up in litigation (which could also bring in other parties with IP at stake), we asked Kickstarter to suspend the campaign. We then spoke to Gamezone informing them that we had certain non-negotiable demands for any license agreement, among them a statement that Gamezone has explicit permission from Hasbro to make this game based on their IP. Gamezone has assured us that they can get such permission, but until we see confirmation, we cannot responsibly license our trademark to be used in this Kickstarter campaign.
We sympathize with the fans of the Milton Bradley game who enthusiastically supported this project. We strongly support Kickstarter and the revitalization of old games with a loyal following. However, such activities must be done with the consent of the trademark holder and of any other legal owners of the property.
Regards,
Rick Meints
Moon Design Publications
----
I have just seen about copyright and board games. The retroclones are allowed if it doesn´t use the same graphic/images and text.
Do you imagine a retroclone of HeroQuest, a version with Kre-O figures, like the Hasbro version of LEGO Heroica?
And with a little CD with software to play a videogame mode, like the facebook-tilte "Heroes of Newerwinter".
What is my point of view? I am not impartial because Gamezone is a Spanish company but I will try be honest.
Gamezone is a little fish in the fish. They got the written autoritathion by Hasbro Spain to use the name "Hero Quest", with "Imperio Cobra" (by Cefa) the most famous board game in Spain years ago. The IP was dead, and a little Spanish miniature company were too crazy, or had got enough courage, to risk and try do a tribute for a title so loved by lots of gamers.
Moon Desing, the owner of the copyright "Hero Quest" for rpg, for books or manuals (but not for games & toys) in USA (but nof in Spain) has stopped the kickstater. Hasbro could take part, but... what is the best one for the gamers? The board game was "dead" since two decades ago. Who lose money? I would rather a friendship agreement ("a poor agreement is better than a good court case"), if we don´t kill the goose that laid goldens eggs the board games could return for the 25 aniversayr and the buyer gamers would be happier.
OH MY GOD!! This is a "soap opera".
New answer by Moon Design.
"Just so we said it first, here is our last email to Gamezone clarifying our position:
Dionisio and Daniel -
Since it appears likely you are going to announce that you plan to do a crowdsourcing campaign on a platform other than Kickstarter, let me make a few things perfectly clear:
1. Indiegogo is a US company (a California corporation) and subject to all the same issues as Kickstarter;
2. We are unlikely to object to a truly Spanish crowdsource campaign (i.e., a Spanish corporation is the crowdsource platform) - as we do not have a registered trademark in Spain (although since the Heroquest RPG has been in the stream commerce in Spain for over a decade we likely have some background rights to the name as we are currently using it), but we will strongly object to you using a "disguised" US corporation (such as doing a Kickstarter campaign denominated in pounds or Canadian dollars).
3. As you are aware, we weren't trying to get a "we won't get sued letter" from Hasbro (and although it was not discussed, we would be reluctant to rely on an indemnification clause from you) - what we wanted to see was a copy of a license from Hasbro allowing you to remake their game. We were - and still are - unwilling to give someone a license to our registered trademark to market an unlicensed remake of somebody's else's game.
4. Let us remind you that Hasbro (and potentially Games Workshop) likely have the legal right to challenge any unlicensed remake of their game. Making a remake called the "25th Anniversary Heroquest edition" in any country seems to us to be an extremely risky strategy and I'd strongly recommend that you hire legal counsel in the event that either Hasbro or Games Workshop objects to your use of their intellectual property.
Assuming that you are going to use a crowdsource platform that is a not a US corporation, we hope the best for you.
Regards -
----
If I am not bad informed, the Spanish company Gamezone has got the trademark "Heroquest" for Spain. I have readen now it is trying get the trademark for "game & toys" in USA (Moon Design has got the trademark for roleplaying books, it is like a movie and song has got the same tittle, I supose).... and Hasbro (Spain only or USA too) knows about this situation.
We are talking about the remake of a "classic" board game that can be the icon for this generation. I have seen the pictures and I feel there is a true love for this game by Gamezone.. Gamers wish a return of this game, or a retroclone with the same feeling but different name. Hasbro can´t lose money because with basic d20 system rules can create a new own Hero Quest, if it wanted it really. (Endless quest, with leveling up and getting money to buy better item, but with the right balance of monsters).
A new episode.
Verkami, the Spanish crowdfunding company has said no.
Verkami team
Dear backers,
We want to comunicate our decision of stoping the campaign were you had pledged: ‘Heroquest 25th Anniversary’
The urge to publish the project by the authors today sunday 8 at 1 am has precipitated it’s publication without being able, the team of verkami, to spend the right time to review the project.
After carefully studying the campaign, we believe that the contentof the project could be misleading to our users.
Your pledges will be cancelled so no charges will be made in your card or PayPal account.
We thank you for your trust, and we want to apologize for any inconvenience our handling of the project might have caused.
Verkami team
----
What the hell? why Hasbro hasn´t anything yet? Now it has to know it, but it hasn´t said anything at all.
Gamezone wish create a retroclone, is it illegal or inmoral? If the name "Hero Quest" can´t be used, other will be. The copyright doesn´t avoid copy the game rules. Lots of gamers are been waiting a new hero quest retroclone with the same feeling, magic, spirits, since years now, and now a little Spanish company with enough courage, or too crazy, wish try it. A mockbuster board game? Maybe, but the Spanish company has give true love for this project. HQ has been dead for years, and gamers wish its returs, with that or other name. What Hasbro should do?
But Gamezone doesn´t surrender:
This early morning Verkami has reached us to inform us that they were cancelling our project. We had been in touch with Verkami since last weekend, after voluntarily asking Kickstarter to cancel the previous project, to be able to launch this new campaign on their website. We had really positive conversations with them, so we expected a nice and sweet crowdfunding campaign.
During the previous days to the crowdfunding launching they were informed about the controversy raised all across the internet about the project, which didn't seem to affect them… until yesterday. Two hours after they gave us green light to open the fund raising and they released it on their site, they phoned us to say that they would rather close it. They have done this out of fear that the polemic surrounding this project could negatively affect Verkami's public image, very oriented to the cultural world.
Our disappointment should be evident. It would have been much better that they just said they wouldn't accept our project from the beginning, before making it public.
And obviously this harms us. But the project goes on. We are already working today to host it in another platform with enough guarantees to see it done.
We will soon inform you where exactly.
A sincere thank you to all of you who keep supporting us.
The griefing Gamezone team
---
The initial kickstarter crowdfunding was a total success unitl Moon Design asked it was stopped. The market, the consumer, the client, the gamer was crying: WE WANT A NEW HERO QUEST!
There are board games about to explore dungeons, but I want a game where PC really explore, search traps and look for gold to buy item. I want a dungeon game with leveling-up and magic item can be bought with gold coin found for the quests.
Could Hasbro "hire" Gamezone´s project like a subcontract or freelance work?
For me the essence of Hero Quest isn´t only the look, but three points of gameplay:
- Exploration, it isn´t lineal, but like a labyrith, it isn´t only to open the door, to kill all the monster and go to the next room, but to choose go to door A, the door B or the just discovered secret door C. In the past some quest had got a way like a G or espiral form.
- Searching traps. The traps weren´t random was fixed in the quest book, only the "Dungeon Master" knew where they were until were discovered.
- Get money to buy item. Gamers love leveling up.
The Spanish miniature company, Gamezone, hasn´t surrendered and it has looked for a new plataform for crowdfunding...
There is a great controversy about the copyright...is it lafwful... and right?
And there is a new question: why nobody has reported to Gamezone for plagiare (but Moon Design)? My teory is Hasbro Spain wishs a agreement with Gamezone, because this franchise could be a bestseller, a blockbuster of the board games. A "coproduction"?
New try.
Message by Gamezone:
Months ago, a partner of mine shared a link which led to a change.org petition. It was, at least, a wholehearted petition, but hiding an urge that, surprisingly enough, many of us shared without knowing: a conmemorative edition was demanded for to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
When I talked about it with a friend, he made me understand that the petition was really open, not focused to a single company. It was a petition made mainly to two big fishes, but open to any third party. It was practically as if someone had put up a challenge. And what we did at GameZone was to accept it.
After that came weeks of studying the legal aspects of the matter and getting in touch with people who could allow us to face this project. We quickly knew that no big fish was going to undertake this endeavour. It was complicated, costly and there was not enough time. Big companies have to plan their strategies with plenty of time, and none of them had announced anything nor planned to. The time left to get it done was simply too little. But not for a small fish.
We could react in time and focus all our efforts in the development of this commemorative edition. It was now or never. Or we got to the task right away, or no one would. And there would be no HeroQuest 25th Anniversary Edition.
The time lapse we have to achieve our goal is small, but enough for us. With the fundings raised thanks to this crowdfunding initiative we will be able to end the creative stage and prototypes, so we can start producing the actual components by early 2014. We have the knowledge and the tools, not the funds.
Why Heroquest?
It was unfair that HeroQuest was included under the label of an "abandongame” , as this has never been true. There are huge communities of players all over the world that keep this game very active. It would be more appropriate to talk about an "adoptedgame".
Fans usually think of games ,which they like, as their own, and in this very one case with even more reasons. For both giants in our business this game is in no man's land: one of them has no interest in bringing it back to life, and the other simply can't.
Don't think of us as strangers that want to take something from you, we are also players that want to give this game a second chance. Our intention is to develop and support it to get a viable comercial product, with plenty of expansions and additional features.
I wish I could buy it in the shop the next Christmas. Hasbro, please, I plead you, if you think this is plagiarism or copyright violation, do try a friendship agreement instead to stop this project, players would thank you very much.
I have a complete copy of the game if anyone wants it for $100
Memories...
The thing for me is that HeroQuest made for an excellent RPG tutorial.
(1) It's very visual, which is nice for young or new gamers.
(2) It's not complex, which is nice for young or new gamers.
(3) It helps players learn cooperative role playing. My group always took the position that if ANY of the characters survived and accomplished the mission, then the ENTIRE team won the game. My group looked at the resources of each character more as "party resources" instead of individual.
The thing for me is that HeroQuest made for an excellent RPG tutorial.
(1) It's very visual, which is nice for young or new gamers.
(2) It's not complex, which is nice for young or new gamers.
(3) It helps players learn cooperative role playing. My group always took the position that if ANY of the characters survived and accomplished the mission, then the ENTIRE team won the game. My group looked at the resources of each character more as "party resources" instead of individual.
It is a great intro to D&D.