RISE OF THE DREAD MOON discussion

[Kurgan]

So far we have no official word (or even a decent rumor) on the release date, though most are speculating we'll see Mage of the Mirror (Elf Quest Pack remake) first, in February.

[Kurgan]

As HispaZargon already posted here and as Ribby re-posted on twitter (someone also posted on Facebook):

110% confirmation the Guardian Knights are in some form inside the new pack coming out in... a few months (?)!! Earlier we were thinking late 2023 or early 2024, but with the other release dates being moved up, that makes a certain amount of sense. I had a slight fear that after the failure of HeroScape's relaunch that we might not see this pack anytime soon, glad I'm wrong about that!

I hope they get to wear helmets this time.

Thanks to the original tweeter (?) Car Combat Central

[HispaZargon]

Questions I still have about this expansion:

- Will be Rise of the Dread Moon released in all languages or just in English? Noy sure if it has been already confirmed, officially...

- Will be included two Guardian miniatures, male and female, or just one Hero miniature like in Frozen Horror or Mage of the Mirror expansions?

- Are we sure this/these new Guardian/s Knight/s will be Heroes or just allies like mercs? I guess they will be Heroes, but... will they have the same abilities and stats as the Commander of the regiment who we already met? I think their stats should be different even weaker, if they are not Commanders... isn' it?

[Kurgan]

A good way to do it would be to include two sets of cards... one if they are used as a hero (what we already have) and one if they are mercenaries (say, with fewer body points, fixed movement and fixed starting gear).

Then again, a very simple variant would be to have different combinations of skill cards (either 2-3 new ones, or a whole new set... or even letting the players pick three from a deck of options?). Maybe the options could be a new way to outfit a mercenary? Maybe combinations go to each rank. I could imagine skills in archery, fast moving in armor (already), pikeman (spear like a halberd), large shield, horse (like a tile or perhaps detaches from base to "sit" on horse model's back) for charging or movement bonus, healer, maybe even a hand cannon (takes a turn to reload?), charisma (hire other mercs cheaper or they fight better while he's nearby), swordsman (stronger melee/defense), treasure hunter (more likely to find good cards, but maybe he gets a percentage at the end? I guess be careful or the heroes might turn greedy and get him killed to not have to pay out!). Maybe some of the knights might be good at siege type stuff, like they could create tunnels under walls, or erect destructible barricades against monsters?

Then again the simplest idea is that we're just getting the Knight again, plain and simple, just with a design makeover. Maybe incorporated (barely) into the new quests as an alternate like the Bard was in Spirit Queen's Torment.

[QorDaq]

I of course have no way to defend the following, as I do not have any special knowledge on the topic.

However, I have a "Feeling" that this box could be something completely new and not based on a previous model of content (Like the Frozen Horror, or the Mage of the Mirror, for example), simply because coming out with a new Hero-centric Quest Pack based on the Knight, seems an odd choice in the vacuum left by no Dwarf or Wizard Quest Packs. It seems logical to flesh out all of the core box Heroes before moving on to other Heroes in that model (Quest Packs).

That said, The Knight, and also the Mythic Tier Heroes, could all use some love. Is it possible that this could be a "Catch up" box for heroes that were not previously available at retail? It might be cool to see a series of Solo Quests for these Heroes, for example. Having even more Knights would be unnecessary for those that managed to get the Character pack, but will be good for the game in the long run if it gives everyone a chance to get ahold of these minis and cards (Bard, Druid, Knight, and Warlock) at retail.

I am certainly as curious as any, about what will actually be in this new set, and I'd like to see something grandiose. The physical (plastic) component additions in MotM, as well as the cool dice in FH, are good indications that AH isn't afraid to spice things up, even while leaving the core quests more or less intact. So anything is possible really.

Guess we'll have to wait and see. I know I'm ready for more info.

I had the EQP back in the day (Still have the Quest book and tokens, though minis and cards are long gone), so while I am happy to be "Replacing" that set with the updated version, I'm also particularly eager to see what new ideas AH have in store for us.

[HispaZargon]

Yeah, I fully agree.

I am quite sure that the future of the HeroQuest brand especially depends on how good are the new creations, not just remaking the nostalgia classic ones. I think this new expansion Rise of the Dread Moon will be a very important test from commercial standpoint. I hope Hasbro is thinking very well what new material they will introduce inside that box, hopefully new Heroes (probably at least 1 Knight), new monsters, attractive game mechanics, good new stories, and the most important for me: a mostly good strategy to ensure all the released HeroQuest products fits well together, seeing all of them part of the same thing. That's for me the best way to ensure a long term existance of the game at shops, I think, especially if they also translate everything they release to the other languages as mine.

The new expansion will be a great selling hit, no doubt about it. The point is if the product quality will be enough good to keep the flame alive. I think Hasbro still needs to demonstrate to the players that they are capable of create good new stuff in a stable way, not just by means of exclusive products like Mythic Tier and so on.

[Kurgan]

Yeah, we continue to see signs of life... the local game shop where my parents live was selling copies of HQ game system (remake of course) for $115 (or $119 I forget, I remember thinking it was nice to see it below MSRP). The local game shop in my own town had a shrink wrapped HQ GS on the shelf for $134.99 (this store tends to have stuff on the pricier side, and this was still in the shrink wrap) which I believe is the price HasbroPulse is charging these days (before shipping?).

Just last year if you had asked, the shop owners would have looked at you like they didn't know the game was being remade...

[cornixt]

That said, The Knight, and also the Mythic Tier Heroes, could all use some love. Is it possible that this could be a "Catch up" box for heroes that were not previously available at retail? It might be cool to see a series of Solo Quests for these Heroes, for example. Having even more Knights would be unnecessary for those that managed to get the Character pack, but will be good for the game in the long run if it gives everyone a chance to get ahold of these minis and cards (Bard, Druid, Knight, and Warlock) at retail.

When you state it like that, it makes me consider the release of a complete game boxset that has a whole new set of stuff inside. They swap out the original heroes for the new ones, add a new gameboard, and a different set of monsters and furniture. So it is a full game, but also can be used as an expansion. This is purely speculation, but it has been done before with other games.

[Kurgan]

The size of the box is being portrayed as the same size as MOTM and FH remakes so probably no new board (though a bunch of new large room and corridor tiles seems perfectly reasonable as being included like before).

We don't really know of course... nobody predicted the alternate colored dice and extra character sheets or the newly re-modeled furniture or even the "mystery tiles" prior to pictures and descriptions being posted. There could be just about anything in that box as of right now and we wouldn't know it until they leak that info!

As for it being in other languages besides English, I'm sure they will judge that based on the viability of those markets. If they released it in other language regions with the previous packs I'm sure they'd try for the same with this. Then again nothing's for sure... after all Japan never got any localisations of the expansions (which to this day I think is a shame).

[greenknight]

However, I have a "Feeling" that this box could be something completely new and not based on a previous model of content (Like the Frozen Horror, or the Mage of the Mirror, for example), simply because coming out with a new Hero-centric Quest Pack based on the Knight, seems an odd choice in the vacuum left by no Dwarf or Wizard Quest Packs. It seems logical to flesh out all of the core box Heroes before moving on to other Heroes in that model (Quest Packs).

It seems like an odd choice to us, but imagine being an Avalon Hill creator. Spending years just working on Heroquest, with never working on new quests / lore (apart from the mythic set that is).

I am not surprised that they have chosen to do a completely new expansion. It also will be interesting to see how it is received, whether it sells enough to keep HQ going, or whether the nostalga factor is too large with this communtiy.