Expanding HeroQuest

Since I received it for my birthday, HeroQuest has become a family favorite, with my 7yo son eager to play any time we can.

It's only obvious, then, that I'm considering expanding the game, even though we haven't played through the whole quest book yet: it's only a matter of time.

So what is around?

The free official PDF adventures

New Beginnings is a free scenario meant to replace the infamous first quest in the quest book. Did I mention it's free? Go grab!

The Forsaken Tunnels of Xor-Xel is another free pdf with a quest meant to introduce the Kellar's Keep expansion.

The Amall Expansion Packs

Hasbro has released two small expansions ("quest packs", as they are called): Kellar's Keep and Return of the Witch Lord.

The first focuses on orcs and goblins (and abominations), while the second is all about the undead. Both sets offer more units of the same miniatures found in the core game, plus two different special doors (which, unfortunately, are the same in both packs), plus a bunch of new equipment and artifact cards, a set of cardboard tiles, and a new quest book.

While these are fairly cheap, frankly I see no reason to buy them since I already have those minis. Two special doors and a bunch of new cards and quests won't cut it for me.

If you are a completionist, go grab them and enjoy the new quest books and doors!

If you are a completionist, you may also look for the new character boxes, like the Rogue Heir of Elethorn. These are definitely not my cup of tea: 15-20 bucks for 2 figures? Not worth it at all for me. I can homebrew a hundred new characters and find cheaper models anywhere (especially in my garage).

The Big One(s)

Heroquest Frozen Horror is a different story. While being slightly more expansive, it offers much more interesting content: 8 new monsters (including the titular Horror which is a big one!), 10 mercenaries (a new mechanic introducing helpers in the game), a new barbarian figure, a new new set of "frozen" dice, two new doors, and the usual bunch of new equipment and artifact cards, a set of cardboard tiles, and a new quest book.

This is, in my view, a much more interesting addition to the game!

Then there's The Mage of the Mirror due to be released in spring 2023. It promises to be another interesting addition with new monsters (ogres!), new furniture, a new set of spells for the elf, and a new elf figure, besides the usual new cards, tiles, and quests.

An Endless Playground

Truth is HeroQuest is such a simple game, anyone can expand it pretty easily. Communities of homebrewers can be found on Reddit (r/heroquest) and facebook (Ye Olde Inn) and offer an endless smorgasbord of ideas to expand the game, with regards to both rules and figures.

This is, actually, what I prefer to do, so my next HeroQuest post will surely be about homebrew expansions.

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Into HeroQuest? Check out my other HeroQuest Posts!