HeroQuest is Milton Bradley's approach to a Dungeons & Dragons-style adventure game. One player acts as game master, revealing the maze-like dungeon piecemeal as the players wander. Up to four other players take on a character (wizard, elf, dwarf, or barbarian) and venture forth into dungeons on fantasy quests. This game was made in cooperation with Games Workshop Ltd. who designed the miniatures and helped in many of the production details including background world and art in the rule book and scenario book. The HeroQuest series consists of the main game and a number of expansions.
The game is played on a grid representing the interior of a dungeon or castle, with walls segmenting the grid into rooms and corridors. One player assumes the role of the evil wizard character (Zargon/Morcar), and uses a map taken from the game's quest book to determine how the quest is to be played. The map details the placement of monsters, artifacts, and doors, as well as the overall quest the other players are embarking upon. During a Hero's turn, the player can move before or after performing one of the following actions: attack, cast a spell, search for traps and secret doors, search for treasure.
The game ends when every player has either returned to the spiral staircase, exited by a door, or been killed by the evil wizard. If the objective of the quest has not been accomplished then the evil wizard character wins. Items collected during the quest may be kept for future quests. The quests usually form part of a longer story, especially the quests which are part of the expansion packs.
Additional material, which is generally missed since it is not technically an expansion, was published in the HeroQuest: Adventure Design Kit which did feature one more Heroquest adventure: A Plague of Zombies.
Impromptu Theme Song
- New dragon miniature in the First Light edition
- Double-sided board with new quests
- Updated dice and miniatures
- Improved rulebook organization with color-coded sections
- Dragon as a new monster adds variety
- Box is smaller and shallower; storage can be fiddly
- Additional cost if you already own older editions
- Not every owner will find the upgrade essential
- team-based adventuring against monsters with treasure, traps, and magic
- Fantasy dungeon crawl in a medieval fantasy world, with a dungeon quest flow and arena-style battles
- episodic quest-based narrative with modular scenarios and the possibility of arena encounters
- Hero Quest
- Hero Quest First Light Edition
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat: Dice — Combat resolved using dice, with outcomes influenced by equipment and spells
- Cooperative Game — Players work together to complete quests and defeat monsters under dungeon-crawl rules
- cooperative play — Players work together to complete quests and defeat monsters under dungeon-crawl rules
- Deck-based treasure and item system — Treasure, artifact and spell cards circulate with varying effects on heroes and monsters
- Dice-based combat — Combat resolved using dice, with outcomes influenced by equipment and spells
- Modular board — Two-sided boards with foldable sections and a large arena area, allowing varied quest layouts
- Modular board / branching quests — Two-sided boards with foldable sections and a large arena area, allowing varied quest layouts
- Monster and hero reference cards — Rule and stat references provided on hand or sheet cards to streamline play
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the rules are the same so no big surprises in this copy compared to the others
- for some of you you might say yes and for some of you you might say no
- the new dragon miniature that's included in this version of First Light
- this is what I got and this is what I got to compare with for you to know if maybe this version is for you or not
- I actually kind of like this box art here
- the box is smaller than this other box here and also it's not as deep as
References (from this video)
- Array
- Array
- martial arts-inspired dungeon exploration with elemental monk styles and a tournament-themed quest narrative
- Array
- Dungeon-crawl fantasy world of HeroQuest; discusses both base game and the Path of the Wandering Monk expansion
- Array
- Array
- Array
- positive
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the toy factor is kind of off the charts
- I was very pleasantly surprised when this showed up
- this whole packaging is off the charts
References (from this video)
- Iconic, recognizable dungeon board with clear configuration options
- Board folds for easy storage and fits on a wide range of table sizes
- Versatile board usable with other dungeon-crawl games
- Requires space to lay out the dungeon, which can be challenging on very small tables
- On limited table space, players may need to move or remove pieces during setup
- Exploration, cooperative dungeon delving, hero party vs. dungeon environment
- Fantasy dungeon crawl in a medieval-fantasy world, played on a configurable dungeon board.
- Story-driven, episodic dungeon crawl with modular scenarios
- Against Darkness
- Caves and Catacombs
- Advanced HeroQuest
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative Game — A group of players works together to navigate the dungeon and overcome monsters and traps.
- cooperative play — A group of players works together to navigate the dungeon and overcome monsters and traps.
- Modular board — Board is built from tiles and walls; players configure the layout with doors and blockers.
- Modular dungeon board — Board is built from tiles and walls; players configure the layout with doors and blockers.
- Preset board with configurable layout — A ready-made board that can be further customized to create varied labyrinths.
- Tile-based dungeon exploration — Gameplay unfolds on a grid of rooms and corridors, enabling spatial strategy.
- Variable Set-up: Board — A ready-made board that can be further customized to create varied labyrinths.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I love the size, I love the color, I love how useful it is; I love that it folds up and it's easy to store.
- I know exactly what I'm getting when I set up the game and I don't have to worry about moving things around on my table.
- This board is useful outside of the rules of HeroQuest; you can use it for Against Darkness or Caves and Catacombs.
References (from this video)
- Toy factor and production quality of components
- Rule simplicity as foundation for fan-made house rules
- Modular play and expansion possibilities via accessories
- Monsters largely lack variety and special abilities in base game
- Loot is not exciting; Wizard purchases are limited
- Out-of-the-box play can be underwhelming for solo or 1v1 style
- Heroic fantasy dungeon crawl with a villain Zargon
- Underground dungeon exploration in a fantasy world
- Story-driven quests with modular adventures
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Talisman
- Space Hulk
- Space Crusade
- Warhammer Quest
- Dungeon Saga
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- boss battler — The villain controls monsters and sets traps to oppose heroes.
- Cooperative Game — Heroes work together to defeat monsters and complete quests against a host (Zargon).
- cooperative_play — Heroes work together to defeat monsters and complete quests against a host (Zargon).
- enemy_control_by_zargon — The villain controls monsters and sets traps to oppose heroes.
- inventory_loot_management — Loot cards and treasure deck determine equipment between quests, with limited excitement.
- quest_book / modular_quests — 14 original quests; ability to create fan-made quests.
- roll-and-move — Players roll dice to move their heroes around a grid-based dungeon.
- Roll/Spin to Move — Players roll dice to move their heroes around a grid-based dungeon.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the best thing about hero Quest is all of the house rules and fan made supplements
- the toy factor is off the charts
- the production quality of this new Hasbro/Avalon Hill edition is fantastic
References (from this video)
- Iconic dungeon crawl with enduring community support
- Extensive homebrew and expansions available
- Rules as written can feel dated; modern games may offer more depth
- Imagination-driven adventure with a legacy community and expansive fan content.
- Classic dungeon crawl fantasy world with dungeon exploration and monsters.
- Array
- Runebound Second Edition
- Talisman Second Edition
- Shadows of Brimstone
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- expansions and quest cards — New quests, monsters, and rules via official and fan-made expansions.
- Modular board — Tiles and miniatures define dungeon layout and encounters.
- modular dungeon boards — Tiles and miniatures define dungeon layout and encounters.
- monster/hero combat framework — Simplified combat system suited to a broad audience.
- solo rules and fan expansions — Dedicated solo play options and a large body of fan-made content.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- "I am a huge proponent of house ruling"
- "if there's a game you somewhat like and there's just one little thing that you could change to make it better"
- "HeroQuest is my number one game to play with house rules"
- "these decks of cards make the sandbox style gameplay more varied and more exciting"
References (from this video)
- Array
- Fantasy
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- board games are a hobby very dedicated people to it and my god it is wondrous
- it's a hobby
- I could do this myself and I realized that there's a lot of other games besides just this
- we're really glad we gone to YouTube as soon as we could
- there's a bigger audience so there's more to watch
- there's so many of them
- it's a start of something crazy there's more to come for board games
- I would not have gotten into board games if it wasn't for YouTube
- the board games space because now board games are newer the more aesthetically pleasing they're more balanced
- I remember that there were three different clubs at UC San Diego consistently playing board games
References (from this video)
- Miniatures are absolutely amazing; detailed and sturdy.
- High-quality components and updated minis with good molds.
- Map templates and modular layout enable infinite dungeon setups.
- Zargon screen is practical and intimidating; clean base rules.
- Extremely easy to start and learn; quickly approachable.
- Beautiful visuals and nostalgic charm; quick setup.
- Randomness of 2d6 movement can lead to unbalanced turns and lack of agency in combat.
- Combat is slow and grindy with limited rerolls and action economy.
- Wandering monsters can disrupt pacing during treasure hunts.
- Rulebook and balance feel clunky; expansions complicate rules; combining base and expansions is messy.
- App version has numerous UX flaws: no undo, no log history, no restart, limited solo/play; requires screen use while playing.
- No scenario restart in-app; misplays require starting new quest; no easy reset.
- Potions/items space constraints and deck management is janky.
- Lack of strong narrative hooks; limited storytelling; scenario flavor is minimal.
- Over-reliance on nostalgia; the game feels outdated in rules as written; balance questionable when DM modifies layouts.
- Heroic questing, teamwork, dungeon exploration.
- High fantasy dungeon crawl where adventurers explore a dungeon to defeat Zargon.
- Game-master driven with scenario book and Mentor narrator; Zargon as DM.
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Mansions of Madness
- Frosthaven
- Descent: Second Edition
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Adventure equipment and upgrades — Equipment deck (armory) and artifacts provide game-changing abilities (special weapons, armor, boots, etc.).
- App Assisted — There is a companion app for co-op play; but it has UX issues (no undo, no log history, finger-based input, restart limitations).
- App integration (digital app) — There is a companion app for co-op play; but it has UX issues (no undo, no log history, finger-based input, restart limitations).
- Asymmetrical play — Zargon acts as GM to shape dungeon layout and scenario outcomes; can alter layout or spawn more enemies; one-versus-all feel.
- card crafting — Equipment deck (armory) and artifacts provide game-changing abilities (special weapons, armor, boots, etc.).
- combat resolution — Skull results denote hits; defense depends on shields (white shield for heroes, black shield for Zargon minions); characters die if health reaches zero; allies can loot gear.
- Itemization and loot — Treasure deck with permanent upgrades and artifacts; potions and equipment affect the heroes; some treasures require deck management.
- Modular board — Base map is a template with rooms and doors; expansions add new rooms, furniture, and dungeon flavor; allows infinite replay.
- Modular dungeon generation — Base map is a template with rooms and doors; expansions add new rooms, furniture, and dungeon flavor; allows infinite replay.
- movement and actions — Each hero rolls 2d6 for movement and takes one action per turn (attack, search, cast spells, item use, etc.).
- Scenarios and quest books — Secret Quest book drives encounters; Zargon reads from it to spawn enemies or treasure.
- Spell system — Each Quest uses up to 12 spells; spells provide debuffs, buffs, or traversal tricks (e.g., sleep, walk through walls).
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Miniatures are absolutely amazing.
- Hero Quest is an extremely easy game to start and learn.
- The setup for everything is also extremely fast for high fantasy.
- this Hasbro Pulse Hero Quest right here is gonna get a 4 out of 10
- nostalgia is just preventing me from giving it a 4 out of 10
- the app is not going to let you play Hero Quest solo or even two players very well
- wandering monster is a big discouragement to not search for Treasure
- no undo button
- the best experience was still at the local park running my fellow middle school friends through the first scenario
References (from this video)
- Classic accessible dungeon-crawl experience
- Iconic fantasy adventure tone
- Array
- Dungeon crawl fantasy adventure
- Dungeon-crawl with treasure hunting and a villain antagonist
- Dead of Winter
- Twilight Imperium Fourth Edition
- Star Wars Rebellion
- Eldritch Horror
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Dungeon Crawl — Exploration of a dungeon to retrieve treasure while facing monsters and a nemesis
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- ameritrash games are just better than euro games they just are
- minis the minis
- this is ameritrash
- you might as well just all play your little crossword puzzle or just play actual solitaire
- dead of winter this is this frigid iceland there's so many things to fight other humans zombies mutated monsters
- twilight imperium the fourth edition
- i can control imperial star destroyers atats and there's even a death star
- you travel across the globe from london to rome to africa to solve these mysteries to defeat the legendary Shub
References (from this video)
- Nostalgic classic dungeon crawl
- Strong social play among friends
- Older systems may feel dated compared to modern designs
- Array
- fantasy dungeon exploration
- Cooperative dungeon crawl with modular missions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Cooperative Game — Players work together to complete dungeon objectives.
- cooperative play — Players work together to complete dungeon objectives.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- board games are cooler than you think
- BSG is the best game ever
- it's all part of the process
References (from this video)
- Nostalgic classic with strong thematic cues
- Old design may feel dated to some players
- adventure/heroic fantasy
- Fantasy dungeon crawl
- storybook/adventure
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- adventure/dungeon crawl — Players explore a dungeon with modules and encounter cards
- Dungeon Crawl — Players explore a dungeon with modules and encounter cards
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- the aesthetic appeal of a product plays a big part in its commercial success
- placeholder art is more than adequate to give publishers a feel for what the game could look like
- publishers are no longer afraid of looking childish
- as a game inventor the visuals are unlikely to be at the forefront of your mind when you're ideating prototyping and testing your game
- let me know in the comments which games have gone above and beyond with their aesthetics
- standout component is very desirable in a prototype
References (from this video)
- Nostalgic, engaging mechanics for casual groups
- Solid special‑edition collection for classic hobbyists
- Age of the product and availability may limit new players
- heroic exploration against a necromancer and monsters
- Dungeon crawl fantasy adventure
- cooperative storytelling with modular scenarios
- Dungeons & Dragons board games
- Gloomhaven (modern equivalent in spirit)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative dungeon crawl — Players work together to clear rooms, fight monsters, and complete quests.
- Modular scenarios — Different dungeon layouts and goal conditions yield varied play.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Rank and flank if only good if the rules are streamlined like uh Kings of War
- the main book is 200 220 maybe 250 I forget the exact number
- One page rules for free otherwise if you want to get the less simple you know kind of document it costs five bucks or you can join their patreon for five bucks a month and then get access to all of them
- Goblin brain video made me think about my hobby spending towards Beyond games and models tools and paints are a big fomo trigger for me I watched the video and the proceed to buy the Space Marines Herobine blocks
- as soon as they made it so you didn't have to worry about the swag bag that's just what I purchased because back in the day people who were the first like thousand people got the swag bag and everybody else didn't
- looking forward to the tanks of the Apocalypse event at adepticon
References (from this video)
- nostalgia
- easy to approach for new players
- older design mechanics feel dated
- classic dungeon adventure
- fantasy dungeon crawl
- cooperative dungeon exploration
- Descent: Journeys in the Dark
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative_play — Players work together against the game.
- modular_dungeon_tiles — Variable dungeon layouts.
- simplified_combat — Basic dice-based combat.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- three minute board games is committed to winning this race to the bottom
- i absolutely totally do not understand this game desperately needed testing and editing
References (from this video)
- Cinematic dungeon crawl feel, approachable
- Early design examples can be gimmicky if misbalanced
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Combat: Dice — Combat resolves via dice, impacting story outcomes.
- Dice-based combat — Combat resolves via dice, impacting story outcomes.
- Dungeon Crawl — Cooperative exploration with combat and treasure collection.
- Dungeon crawl/adventure — Cooperative exploration with combat and treasure collection.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Dice are not the answer in a first-time design.
- They are toxic. They destroy your first designs.
- Meaningful interesting decisions… the decisions have to mean something.
- Even if you have all sorts of other unique stuff going on in your game that roll for combat just overwhelms it.
- Monopoly has a bit of both, chaotic, entertaining momentarily but ultimately frustrating.
- Event decks can be devastating to your design if they wipe out progress or resources.
References (from this video)
- Elegant simplicity of mechanism
- Excitement of successful rolls outrunning enemies
- Increased player choice with partial movement option
- Shows strength of roll and move in dungeon crawling
- Can be frustrating to lose long game purely from bad dice rolls
- Heavy reliance on chance despite good mechanics
- Adventure, monster hunting
- Fantasy dungeon
- D&D inspired
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric gameplay — Heroes move via dice rolls, one player controls monsters with fixed movement allowances
- Partial Movement — Players can choose to move any number of spaces up to die result, not forced to move entire distance
- roll and move — Grid-based movement with hero players rolling dice to move
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Where once randomness ruled modern games prioritized player agency designers strived to incorporate meaningful decisions into their games and role and move became a dirty word among the modern tabletop community
- I myself put out a video called dicer not the answer back in 2017 one of my most watched lamenting role and move
- In 2022 i feel like maybe just maybe we've tipped too far in the other direction thrown the baby out with the bath water
- This video is a quest for redemption
- When done well roller move is one of the most intuitive exciting mechanisms out there
- In a pure roll and move game the player rolls a die or spins a spinner and moves their playing piece according to the result
- In talisman you roll the die and then you choose to move clockwise or anticlockwise around the board that one deviation from the purest role of move games the decision to go left or right immediately put talisman head and shoulders above most board games on the market at the time
- Hero quest showcases the strength of the roller move mechanism its elegant simplicity and the excitement of a successful role outrunning an ogre
- It can be really frustrating to lose a long game which you were totally invested in purely because you rolled badly
- Spooky stairs is a great example of a game where the roll and move mechanism itself isn't tampered with but the basic race mechanism is turned on its head by incorporating a chaotic memory mechanism
- This game beautifully highlights the intuitive nature of roll and move as a mechanism
- More than any other on this list this game demonstrates how such a simple mechanism can create agonizing decisions and a hugely interactive variable board game experience I can't recommend this one enough
- Roll and move games don't have to be devoid of meaningful choices
- Formula d has a great roll and move mechanism which i haven't seen replicated in any other game
- Push your luck and roll and move complement each other nicely
- Among hobby gamers roll a move is widely considered something of an untouchable mechanism in 2022 and that's a shame
- Roll and move isn't a cursed mechanism
- Like every mechanism roller move has strengths and weaknesses
- It can be used effectively to create an exciting intuitive system or it can be used ineffectively to create a wildly random experience which feels primitive and unfair
References (from this video)
- nostalgia, simplicity, straightforward rules
- tactical dungeon exploration
- 80s dungeon crawl
- classic retro
- Warhammer Quest
- Super Dungeon Explore
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- mission-based dungeon crawl — simple, nostalgic approach to dungeon exploration
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I love the thirsty meatballs gaming library is wonderful to be able to go there and play all sorts of different games
- UK Games Expo I always think about the newcomer to the hobby what are they going to find when they go there
- the Kickstarter's up there people are pledging and now he starts to test and starts to design that game
- Evolution has really become my favorite game at this point
- Roll for the Galaxy is a fantastic euro game
- it's a speed game if you think of Jungle Speed
References (from this video)
- Adventure
- Fantasy dungeon
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a Hero Quest day
- let's roll the dice
References (from this video)
- Fantasy Adventure
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I was an expert at taking well-designed games and making them just a little bit worse but I didn't care I loved every minute of it
- Creating this little deck of 21 cards and this tiny sheet of 22 tokens has rejuvenated the game
References (from this video)
- Nostalgic classic
- Accessible to new players
- Outdated components and rules by modern standards
- Cooperative dungeon exploration
- Dungeon-crawl fantasy
- Narrative-driven tabletop quest
- Dungeons & Dragons board games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative dungeon crawl — Players explore a dungeon and complete quests
- Dungeon Crawl — Players explore a dungeon and complete quests
- Hero progression — Characters gain abilities through quests
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you are now the owner of Christmas mornings Christmas afternoons and birthday parties do you want to mess that up
- it's a constant balance of trying to find that workload
- there's a very limited window where publishers want to work with me before they move on to the next thing
- the legacy is partially legacy games and that kind of in a lot of ways change a little landscape of tabletop gaming
- we're aware of Hero Quest; we want to modernize it while keeping the feel