I'm brand new to these boards! I discovered it while amassing my complete HQ collection for posterity's sake and you've got some of (if not the) best resources around!
I searched the forums for a discussion on the 25th Anniversary project that Gamezone is working on but all I could find were topics from November of last year. So, since their crowdfunding was successful and it's currently in the works, I thought I'd revive the discussion!
First and foremost, I want to state that I absolutely cherish the original HeroQuest and all of its expansions more than any other game. HeroQuest is the reason I play games. It was my gateway game and it will always be very, very special to me. I dealt with a lot of illness throughout my childhood and adolescence and HeroQuest was my therapy, my escape. So I cannot stress enough how much this collection of plastic, paper and cardboard means to me.
Now with that said, from what I've read on these forums, the reception for the 25th Anniversary didn't seem to be very warm. I am on the completely opposite end of the spectrum; I haven't been more excited for anything in a very, very long time. I know that when the Kickstarter campaign was active, the drakk hit the fan. People were upset with the gaps between stretch goals and the question of legality, and the fact that English was not their first language led to miscommunication and well, typos that would otherwise place skepticism on professional competency. And then Moon Design entered the picture, but that's a whole other opportunistic (though perfectly within their rights) ball of wax.
One thing that bugged me about the negativity from some people is that they didn't want a "third party" to have anything to do with a re-release of any kind. However, it has been clear for a very long time that neither GW or MB have any desire to do right by those of us who carry the flame. Heck, people even signed a petition for it. That is why I was so happy it was an established company with over a decade of experience in the gaming community that took the reins. As the campaign went on, it became clear to me that Gamezone was incredibly sincere in their desire to recreate HeroQuest and that they were a group of fans like the rest of us who are so passionate about the game.
For those that don't know, the campaign moved to a Spanish crowd-funding site called Lanzanos where it was successfully funded. I should also mention that though they started the funding at $0.00 (obviously) they kept the previously unlocked stretch goals to thank those that continued to support it, and they narrowed the gap to $18k between goals (it was about $30k-$50k on Kickstarter). The stretch goals they came up with are pretty cool - they're divided into "Acts" which are like mini-expansions each with their own quest book and theme.
For those who stopped following the campaign once it fell off the radar post-Kickstarter campaign, these are some of the features and alterations they'll introduce (with links!):
- "Heroic Cards", feat type cards for Heroes to use to better their odds. Also, "Fateful cards" (can't find a link) If I recall correctly, they're more like one-shot events that happen in special circumstances.
- Obviously we all know it's resin everything, but If you haven't seen the bookcase/hutch check it out here. Also, there is some serious flexibility and interchangeability to these pieces.
- A big one regarding the plot: That Morcar and Zargon are actually agents of a greater Evil, a being known only as "She" Also, miniatures for all three villains; Morcar, Zargon, and She.
- Two characters to pay homage to those of us who grew up with HeroQuest.
- As you know, a double-sided board, one side the classic HeroQuest and the other an outdoor ruin and several double-sided boards. Also, they had modular boards available as an add-on.
Okay, this list is slowly devolving into a list of basic features you would assume to be included but one thing which is neat is that the quests will apparently be structured with different outcomes and paths to follow like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. Sorry if most of these things were stuff you were aware of; I can't remember what was added after Kickstarter!
I find it difficult to understand how someone can say "HeroQuest doesn't need to be revisited! It's great the way it is and doesn't need new rules and features!" but then they make all kinds of new content themselves and play with home-brewed rules and frequent sites like this one for all of it's (excellent) fan-generated content. I mean, at the very least we're getting a whole new set of awesome miniatures and environment pieces to play with, and even if someone doesn't like the rules, they can use whatever ones they like with said pieces. It's really no different than it is right now. Heck, the UK and North American versions themselves are nearly two different games considering the difference in rules! And if it were simply a re-release with exactly the same rules that people wanted, why not just use the classic rulebook anyway?
So I suppose the question I put to you folks is this: Is there a difference between someone like you and I - amateurs who love the game - creating new features and house rules in our spare time and sharing them with our fellow homebrew players vs. a professional project with similarly altered rules and new features with the intent to create a fresh take available to the general public and a new generation of players?
Who knows, the rules they produce might suck. The great thing however, is they're letting the community playtest them far before they're printed so if there's anything that is really, really, bad then chances are it will be rectified before release. I'll give Gamezone this: they seem to have the very utmost respect for the community and were constantly asking for their input and perspective throughout the campaign.
Now obviously, I have an overall positive view of this but that's not to say I don't have my arguments. First of all, while I like the art style, I would have rather had a more "realistic style" like the box art of the classic game - that's was a big disappointment for me. Also, as many people have suggested in forums like these, making the hallways one square wider would have been awesome.
Anyways, I'm very happy I found Ye Olde Inn and hopefully I can participate in keeping our beloved game alive!
Happy Questing!
-T
Have fun.
