I am finding that a lot of things I thought I knew about the European editions (I grew up with the US version) were a confusion I had with various house rules or harmonizations I'd seen posted online, rather than reading the text carefully.
I'm not saying you can't play the game the way you want to, obviously I believe that you should, and I'm not saying there aren't "errata" in official releases because obviously there are (see HispaZargon's threads on these are very interesting to read and helpful for Zargons!).
I also admit I don't 100% agree always that the way Avalon Hill interprets the rules of HeroQuest today is necessarily what was intended "back then" (while Stephen Baker is a freelance designer who frequently contributes to the new HeroQuest, keep in mind that three and a half decades ago he was not involved with the NA/US editions, except that he met and discussed with Mike Gray, the leader of that team, at the start).
My purpose here isn't to "resolve" any differences or create a hybrid version that I think is best, only to lay out the differences in black and white so to speak.
Then there's the Japanese edition which does its own thing.
And the computer game(s) while interesting, aren't the end-all be all either, as they may have been based upon the EU rules but do some weird stuff on their own that isn't in keeping with any physical version of the game.
Adding a comparison also with the Remake (Avalon Hill) edition will take up even more space so for now I'm going to focus on the 1989-1993 editions.
So setting aside aesthetic differences, box contents (ex: EU includes 4 combat dice while NA includes 6), name changes of characters (Wardoz is called Karlen in the EU edition, and Sir Ragnar is known as Sir Manfred in the Italian version), or bits of story lore that have been snipped out (Mentor's warning about Morcar's eventual destruction at the hands of the Great Powers of Chaos he has aligned with, or the fate of Sir Ragnar in ROTWL) let me list some of the differences in official published Rule Mechanics (whether found in the instructions booklet, quest booklet, or cards), as they occur to someone like me, lately learning about them. For reference I have had a copy of the 1st edition for a few years now (though it's not always handy to reference) but for the 2nd I have to rely on what is available online...
I welcome contributions and corrections!
For the core set or "Game System":
Quest Book
(there are too many small differences in item placement in the quests to list them all here, but sometimes the monster distributions are different for example and there are differences in "boss" encounters)
1st Edition:
Quests are not numbered, but the first one of the fourteen is "The Maze." The Rules of Play actually mention playing "the Arena" in two last-man-standing deathmatch style encounters in the center room first... one where the heroes square off against each other and five goblins but without magic and the second time with magic, as practice before "The Maze" begins. Heroes become Champions after completing three "tasks" (three quests) and receive a bonus of 500 gold coins (if any choose to steal some or all of Prince Magnus's gold in the third quest, they become an "outlaw" and may never become a champion).
2nd Edition:
"The Maze" is replaced with "The Trial" (and the mentions of the arena are gone, but once again heroes aka "player characters" are allowed to attack and cast hindering spells against each other if they so choose. In this first version of the Trial there are no traps or secret doors, but also ONLY the monster cards are used. The way treasure is found is a bit different, simply talking about "opening" chests to look inside. This means no magic and no treasure deck are used as well. Heroes still become champions in the same way (and forfeit it in the same way) but do not get the gold bonus.
NA Edition:
"The Trial" still says no Traps or Secret Doors are in this quest but there are no other restrictions on gameplay, and all cards and other regular game mechanics are used from this edition. Like second edition there is no gold bonus but heroes are only said to become champions if they complete quest 14 (to defeat the Witch Lord).
Treasure Deck:
(has its own distributions of treasures, hazards are called "trap!," wandering monsters, and other items including holy water and potion of speed, that are different from the NA deck)
1st Edition:
Shuffle once at the beginning of each quest.
All cards, including gold, go back into the deck!
Potions (and Holy Water) are held onto until used, but must be returned at the end of the quest even if unused.
2nd Edition:
Cards are shuffled before each search for treasure.
Only "bad" (and "nothing"?) cards are returned to the deck, while gold and "used" items are returned to the pile after you write it down on your sheet.
Do Potions & Holy Water "expire"?
NA Edition:
Cards shuffled before each search for treasure.
Bad cards go to the bottom of the deck.
Items are added to your sheet and can be kept until used though the cards are not held onto.
The deck loses Holy Water, Potion of Speed, "Nothing," Random Gold, 10 Gold, and the Treasure Horde (in favor of repeats of some medium sized gold/jewels/gem). "Trap!" is renamed "Hazard" and the number increased to four (two of each type). The Wandering Monsters are increased to 6. The are now three Potions of Healing (that each restore the outcome of a roll of 1 red die) instead of two that restore 4 lost body points.
Monster deck
1st Edition:
Fimir, Mummy, Chaos Warrior, Gargoyle each have one body point.
Zombie has 4 squares of movement. Chaos Warrior has 6 squares of movement and 3 attack dice. Gargoyle has 4 defend dice.
2nd Edition:
Same.
NA Edition:
Fimir and Mummy have two body points. Chaos Warrior and Gargoyle have three body points.
Zombie has 5 squares of movement. Chaos Warrior has 7 squares of movement and 4 attack dice.
Gargoyle has 5 defend dice.
Equipment Deck:
1st Edition:
14 cards including two copies each of the Helmet and Shield. Early printings have a shortsword that lacks diagonal attack ability.
The Toolkit gives you a 50% chance of disarming a trap but if you fail (and roll a skull), it still disarms the trap but you lose 1 Body Point (Furniture Traps are disarmed automatically, according to the Rules of Play).
Staff attacks with two dice. Cards limit supply of these items which are held onto by the one who buys them.
Battle Axe costs 400 gold, Chainmail 450 gold, Helmet 120 gold, Shield 100 gold,
Plate Mail is called "Plate Armour," originally.
A Hand Axe and a Spear (each costing 150 gold and not usable by wizard, both lost when thrown) are available.
2nd Edition:
14 cards, where the duplicates are replaced with Bracers (200 gold) and Cloak of Protection (350 gold)... both exclusive to the Wizard. Shortsword may attack diagonally.
NA Edition:
Equipment card deck is replaced with the "Armory Board" (or with illustrations listed in the back of the Instructions Booklet in the Brazilian edition), which loses the Bracers, Cloak of Protection, Hand Axe, and Spear. Dagger (25 gold) and Longsword (350 gold) are added. Prices are adjusted for several items (more expensive). Staff attacks with one die. Shortsword cannot attack diagonally.
If the owner of a Toolkit fails their roll when attempting to disarm a trap of any type, then the full effect of the trap goes off (Pits and Fallen Blocks become permanent obstacles).
Battle Axe cost increased to 450 gold, Chainmail to 500 gold, Helmet to 125 gold, Shield to 150 gold, and Plate Armour is renamed to Plate Mail. There are no cards for these items and so the supply is theoretically unlimited when you go shopping.
Debate exists about the utility of the Longsword when compared to the equally priced Crossbow, when it is considered that many interpret (including Avalon Hill today) the latter as being able to shoot the four close diagonal squares (NE, SE, NW, SW if we were using the hero figure as a compass) since the game elsewhere distinguishes between "adjacent" and "diagonally."
Official updates:
The Adventure Design Kit (1991, Europe) offers a new character sheet and suggests players simply write down what they bought on this sheet and not worry about the supply.
Elf Quest Pack: Mage of the Mirror and Barbarian Quest Pack: The Frozen Horror (1992, US only) both say you can sell back equipment to the Armory between quests for half the gold price, with any fractions rounded down (for the dagger which gives you 12 gold back despite costing 25).
Character/Hero Boards:
1st Edition:
The four heroes each have a starting attack value (1 for the Wizard, 2 for the Dwarf and Elf, and 3 for the Barbarian). The character boards are larger than cards and so they can help serve as a visual reminder of turn order and could be turned over to represent the death of a character if desired. The Against the Ogre Horde expansion actually uses the board itself to show how many turns they are under the effects of Chaos Spells represented by the tokens placed on top of it.
2nd Edition:
Same as above.
NA Edition:
The four heroes have starting weapons (Dagger for Wizard, Shortsword for Dwarf and Elf, Broadsword or Barbarian). It's explained in Quest 6 (Legacy of the Orc Warlord) that a hero with no weapon rolls 1 combat dice to attack (just as a hero with no armor rolls 2 dice for defense). If a hero's main weapon is destroyed by Rust (which can only happen to the three types of swords, or else a helmet which is armor) this situation may arise again, though wielders of this Spell are not encountered until the expansions, see Kellar's Keep, Return of the Witch Lord, etc.
Not so much a rule change, but the backs of the character boards now give a list of what a hero can do on their turn.
Movement:
1st Edition:
No backtracking is allowed on player character (hero's) turn. Meaning you can't step on the same square twice but you can do that on your next turn. Also you must have permission from another hero to pass through the square they occupy.
2nd Edition:
No change except you are allowed to backtrack on the same turn if you wish.
NA Edition:
Backtracking is not prohibited, and you can always move through allies on your turn (I guess unless they are under a "Command" spell).
Choosing roles / player cooperation:
1st Edition:
Players roll off to see who gets to pick the Evil Wizard player or a hero. The last person must choose the Evil Wizard player (known as Morcar in these editions) if he hasn't been chosen already. Players compete against each other to win the reward in the first quest "The Maze." Afterward it is implied that victory will be much easier if the heroes work together!
2nd Edition:
Rolling off is not mentioned ??. "The Trial" is the first quest, and it is implied that working together should be their goal, though they are still allowed to fight amongst themselves.
NA Edition:
No rolling off to choose roles is mentioned but it is suggested that if you own the game and gathered your friends to play, you should be Zargon (the name of the Evil Wizard player in this edition as well as the Brazilian edition of 1993). The heroes are not allowed to attack each other (except under the effects of the evil "Command" spell) and are strongly encouraged to work together for victory. Large gold rewards are specifically stated or suggested to be divided among the heroes (and this is reinforced in every expansion).
Player death:
1st Edition:
A player character (hero) reduced to zero Body points or zero Mind points is considered dead and removed from the board for the rest of the quest (a new hero may replace them in the next quest with a new name). If a hero dies in a room or passage (corridor) without another hero present, then the next monster who enters the room steals their possessions (but may not use them) and those are lost forever.
2nd Edition:
Same as above.
EU expansions gave different rules when it comes to what happens to a hero who goes down to zero mind points. In KK they are dead, but in ROTWL and ATOH they are considered unconscious (but not dead) and removed from the board for the rest of that quest. The Dark Company (Advanced Quest/Master Edition) allows an Elixir of Life to be found that brings a dead hero back to life with 1 body point left.
NA Edition:
No specific general rule is provided for 0 Mind points heroes until the expansions (KK: dead, ROTWL: unconscious, Elf/Barbarian Quest packs "goes into shock" with 1 attack die, 2 defend die and 1 red movement die regardless of gear). A dead hero's gear is implied to be stolen by monsters but it is not explicitly stated that a monster must enter the room to claim the loot. In the Barbarian quest pack expansion (the Frozen Horror) an Ice Gremlin can steal certain items (not the weapon they are carrying or the shield out of their hand or the armor being worn, but anything else), and killing that monster thief recalls the item stolen (it can also be recalled in the Ice Gremlin treasure room, though it is not clarified until modern times whether that could mean several quests ago or just within the current quest).
A hero may "escape death" if at the time they are reduced to zero Body Points, they have an unused healing spell (and have not yet used an action on their turn... this was long debated though Avalon Hill in modern times have clarified that they intend this even if the hero dies on someone else's turn), or they have a healing potion to be used immediately to bring them above zero. The Elixir of Life is not explained in detail, only that it allows an already dead hero to be brought back to life with all body and mind points restored.
Quest Treasure / Artifact Deck:
1st Edition:
There are five "Quest Treasures:" (Borin's Armor, Spirit Blade, Orc's Bane, Talisman of Lore, Wand of Recall).
Borin's Armor, Spirit Blade, and Orc's Bane lack any text saying they can't be used by the Wizard. Talisman of Lore increases the wearer's Mind Points by two.
Wand of Recall refers to spells but doesn't say it's limited to only the Elf or Wizard. Orc's Bane mentions the bonus "when you are fighting Orcs" implying it could be used to attack twice against a single Orc OR one attack against two adjacent Orcs in the same turn.
2nd Edition:
Same as above.
NA Edition:
Quest Treasures are now called "Artifacts" (and the term "Quest Treasure" if used, refers to just any special treasure you find in the quest notes rather than on a card). The Wand of Recall is replaced with the Wand of Magic (and mentions the Elf or Wizard), and five new ones are added: Ring of Return (single use only), Elixir of Life (single use only), Spell Ring (Elf or Wizard), Wizard's Cloak, and Wizard's Staff (the latter two for the Wizard alone... being equivalent to the Cloak of Protection and the Staff from the EU 2nd edition but as Artifacts).
Orc's Bane's text is written in such a way as to suggest it's meant to be used against one Orc (and in modern times Avalon Hill clarified that is their interpretation as well).
Seeing/Line of Sight/Missile Fire/Casting:
1st Edition:
The drawing of imaginary lines from the center of one figure or square to another to establish "line of sight" or visibility is only required when targeting characters through doorways or in corridors. Otherwise a figure in the same room with you is always considered to be visible. For purposes of placing items, a hero can "see" the entire corridor or room they're in. ?? Opening a door does not reveal the room until you actually step inside (but you can practically see everything anyway just standing in the doorway). ??
2nd Edition:
Same as above.
NA Edition:
The aiming mechanic for corridors is now also used in rooms. You must have an unobstructed line of sight to be able to cast a spell or target another figure with missile fire. If you can see a monster in the room with you, this should prevent searches of any kind, but it's debated if this means you could form a screen around yourself to obstruct line of sight to a monster and therefore search (when it comes to treasure, a monster in the room prevents the search, period). Furniture is technically never stated to block line of sight, except when it comes to closed doors, while stone blocks are considered walls, so they definitely block line of sight. In modern times Avalon Hill has clarified they interpret it to mean that (in the words of Doug Hopkins) "Treasure cares about monsters in the room, while traps and secret doors care about visibility."
Searching:
1st Edition:
Secret Doors and Traps are searched for at the same time in a single action. Trap tiles for pits and fallen blocks are placed on the board when you search, and removed if you disarm them (furniture traps are disarmed automatically). A hero can't search for anything if he is adjacent to a monster, or a monster is "visible" in the same room or passage (corridor) with him. It doesn't explicitly say there is a limit to the number of searches per hero or per room, at least in the English version.
It never says that treasure chests must be walked up to in order to search them. Fallen Rock and Pit traps can be disarmed (and removed from the board) even after they are triggered (a failed disarm costs 1 Body point, but the trap tile is still removed). Passages (corridors) may be searched for treasure (to draw a card).
2nd Edition:
The new first quest "The Trial" does not explicitly state, but kind of implies that a hero needs to be adjacent to a Treasure Chest to find out what is inside (rather than simply searching for treasure anywhere in the room to reveal all, which is how it works everywhere else; remember that Treasure deck is not used in "The Trial" in this edition). Errata or not, this is interesting. Passages (corridors) may not be searched for treasure. Otherwise it's the same as 1st edition.
NA Edition:
"The Trial" is just like any other quest in terms of mechanics (except the heroes are told there are no secret doors or traps when they begin). Traps are invisible until they are triggered (in the case of Pits and Fallen Block traps) with Zargon merely pointing to them with a line of dialog to indicate each type ("the floor looks weak" for a pit trap, etc). Fallen Block and Pit traps are permanent once triggered.
As mentioned before, the searching and disarming are a bit different between the European and NA editions. The "rubble" tiles used for Fallen Rock traps are also used interchangeably for blocked squares (stone walls) while in the NA edition newly designed tiles are added for the non-trap wall pieces.
Heroes are advised they can each only search a room for Treasure once (quests with a special treasure specify that the "First hero who searches for treasure..." finds whatever it is, and all others draw a card from the Treasure deck).
Spell decks:
Many differences exist between editions with regard to individual spells.
Most of the cards don't mention line of sight when it comes to spell effects, but the general Rules of Play/Instructions talk about aiming so it could be assumed that this applies unless the card says otherwise.
1st Edition:
There are no Chaos Spells (these would first appear in expansions... as tokens in Against the Ogre Horde, and as character specific cards in Wizards of Morcar). However Balur the Fire Mage could use the Fire Spells (and the heroes were prevented from using them in that quest. Other characters sometimes had unique abilities but no card reference).
Rock Skin imparts two extra defense dice but only lasts for a single defense.
Courage imparts two extra attack dice but only lasts for a single attack.
Though the odds are the same, characters defend against Fire of Wrath and Ball of Flame by rolling (apparently any) shields on two combat dice.
Genie allows you to attack anyone on the board (no line of sight required).
Fire of Wrath works against anyone on the board (no line of sight required).
Fire of Wrath is defended against by rolling a shield on one combat die.
Ball of Flame's damage is reduced by each shield you roll on two combat dice.
Veil of Mist allows a hero to pass through other heroes (even without permission).
Sleep's victim immediately attempts to roll (apparently any) shield on one combat die or by rolling a 6 on a red movement die at the start of his next turn (or wakes up immediately when attacked but may not defend)... also undead creatures have no immediate defense (but could theoretically roll a 6 on a future turn to wake up).
Pass Through Rock lacks the warning on the card about being trapped forever inside solid rock.
Heroes may cast offensive spells against one another, not just monsters.
2nd Edition:
Rock Skin lasts until the hero it was cast upon takes any damage.
Courage lasts until the hero no longer has monsters within line of sight.
NA Edition:
A deck of 12 Chaos Spells was introduced (Ball of Flame, Tempest, Sleep, Fear, Firestorm, Summon Undead, Summon Orcs, Lightning Bolt, Command, Cloud of Chaos, Rust, and Escape). These cards are assigned in the quest notes to individual bad guys (bosses). However many of them are not used until the expansions. Despite sharing similar names or themes with some EU expansion chaos spells, they are different mechanically.
Monsters defend against Ball of Flame and Fire of Wrath by rolling 5's or 6's on (2 or 1 respectively) red movement dice.
Heroes may not cast offensive spells against one another (unless, in theory, a hero who is under the effects of Command, depending upon how you interpret it "move him as a monster to attack other heroes").
Courage says it takes effect the next time you attack and ends when you can no longer see a monster (Avalon Hill today intends it to last for only a single attack and can be wasted if monsters move out of line of sight) but this is a highly debated interpretation.
Rock Skin only grants one extra defend dice (but lasts until a body point is lost in the quest).
Fire of Wrath and Ball of Flame are defended against with red movement dice (every 5 or 6 rolled reduces the damage by one point) and require line of sight like other spells.
Genie requires line of sight to your target.
Though it requires some analysis (and this was later confirmed by Avalon Hill to be their interpretation as well) Undead creatures are immune to spells where you are told to defend using mind points. So they cannot be put to Sleep.
Sleep is defended against immediately (and/or?) or on future turns by the monster rolling 1 red movement die for each of his mind points, and if a 6 is rolled the spell is broken... but until then he can't move, attack, or defend himself.
Character Sheets:
1st Edition:
Much of the space on the character sheet is taken up by a large crest with banner that the player is encouraged to use to design their own "coat of arms," motto, etc. A space is provided to show "Tasks Completed" (quests). Otherwise the only other boxes are for the name and character type, body and mind points.
One could argue the simplicity of this design is because the players are encouraged to hold onto the non-Gold "good" Treasure cards until they are used, and they are to hold onto the Equipment cards they purchase between quests as well. The Character/Hero boards already specify the starting attack/defend values. Therefore the only things needing to be jotted down are the changes to body (and more rarely, mind) and the names of the quests (which are not numbered sequentially) for purposes of tracking their road to becoming champions. The back of the sheet is suggested as the place to keep track of money (gold coins).
2nd Edition:
Same as above.
In 1991 the Adventure Design Kit was released in Europe which provided a new character sheet that was not only much larger, but organized differently. The new sheet featured a place for Equipment (overriding the "cards limit supply" rule of the 1st and 2nd edition). There is also a section for treasure (implying, but not explicitly stating, that a similar approach could be used for "good" non-gold Treasure cards, letting them be carried from one quest to the next until used, though one could interpret this to simply be a space for "Quest Treasures" instead without any implied rule changes). The "coat of arms" has been shrunk way down. The ADK also includes a black and white sticker sheet (for creating your own adventures with the blank maps included), and there is a symbol that it seems is meant to be stuck to the sheet to indicate that the hero is a champion and it fits perfectly in this spot.
NA Edition:
The character sheet now numbers off the quests at the bottom (1-14) and asks you to circle the ones this character has completed. Also instead of just a generic blank space for body points there are boxes for starting values of body and mind AND a series of boxes you are meant to cross off and update with the new number whenever body points are changed from the starting values (expansions suggest that you use the "last row of boxes" for tracking mind points). There are now sections for Gold Coins, Weapons, Armor, as well as Potions and other items.
TRAPS:
1st Ed:
Trap tiles are placed when searched for. Furniture traps, as mentioned, are disarmed automatically when searched for and removed. Pit and Fallen Rock traps can be removed after they are triggered (but cost 1 BP if a skull is rolled). Bad cards in the Treasure deck are called "Trap!" but not treated the same as traps (you have an arrow and a spiked pit). A Falling Rock trap is shown on Morcar's quest map as an icon and then there is in the same area a little arrow. The arrow is the "trigger" which causes the rock to fall on the spot where the icon shows. ??
2nd Ed:
Same as above.
NA Edition:
Zargon merely points to the square and says a line ("The floor looks weak," "ceiling looks weak," "this square/furniture/chest looks suspicious/dangerous"). Tiles are only placed if the trap is sprung and Pits and Fallen Rocks are permanent obstacles. Sprung pits may be searched as a room unto themselves by the hero inside them (either for Treasure or for Secret doors, though the latter serves no purpose unless Zargon decides to improvise and come up with something). Fallen Rock traps simply fall onto the square which shows on the icon on Zargon's quest map, once a hero steps onto it (unless in the process of disarming, and of course if he fails, then it falls, and he has to roll 3 combat dice for damage and then move out of the way one square as it has become a permanent obstacle).
"Trap!" in the Treasure Deck are renamed "Hazard!" and consist of two arrows and two pits (no spikes). As before these are just instance of instant damage.
Questbook map & symbols:
1st Ed. Questbook presents the maps and symbols in a monochromatic style (actually dark brown ink on white paper). The Japanese edition uses true black and white.
Monster icons are not re-presented at the end of the booklet, however the Adventure Design Kit of 1991 does provide the icons and symbols in black and white in the form of sticker sheets meant to be affixed to the booklet of 5 blank quests. In the original the designer is free to use the symbols in the booklet as references to draw his or her own.
2nd Ed. Same as above.
NA Edition: Questbook uses green icons for the monsters, gold/orange to indicate trapped tiles (and light green/blue to represent undetectable traps). The ink is a dark reddish color. A list of symbols for the icons of the monsters, furniture, etc. are listed at the end with the blank map, however the distributions of items does not exactly match the box's contents, for example the number of Fimir is only shown as 2 and the numbers of Orcs and Goblins are swapped.
Misc:
1st. Ed.
4 white combat dice and 2 red movement dice are included (all made of wood with rounded corners). This does not imply a limit on the number of dice to roll, you just simply re-roll as needed.
2nd. Ed.
Same as above.
NA Edition:
Same as above but there are now 6 white combat dice included.
EXPANSIONS:
Expansions are not specifically marked to follow the 1st or 2nd Edition EU rules. Some fans believe they should automatically implement the 2nd edition rules while others would just continue to follow whatever rules you were using before until there is a difference in the booklet or cards you're playing. KK/ROTWL were actually released the same year as the first edition, so you could imagine they were probably created with those rules in mind, however.
Kellar's Keep / Return of the Witch Lord:
EU editions:
First released in 1989, the same year as the 1st Edition of HeroQuest.
NA Edition:
Released in 1991. Each booklet adds an "Alchemist Shop" that may be visited between quests, that sells four potions (no cards) that may used during the quests. No limit is placed upon these purchases (Potion of Battle, Potion of Restoration, Potion of Dexterity, and Venom Antidote) as long as you have enough gold.
10 Small cards are shown on the back cover of the quest booklet. You are expected to either cut these out with a scissors (destroying the back cover) or else photocopy them for use. They are mostly single use items, including "Spell Scrolls" (allowing any hero to use one of the Elemental Spells but it "crumbles to dust" after use, all except Swift Wind, Veil of Mist or Water of Healing), a Fire Ring (blocks damage from two fire spells), Magical Throwing Dagger (1 BP instant damage to any target you can see), Armband of healing (+2 BP healing, but restores itself on the next quest to be used again), and Rabbit Boots (much easier to jump traps). Return of the Witch Lord had a single instance of finding a vial of "Sacred Water" in the quest notes that functions just like Holy Water (which was removed from the Treasure Deck in the NA edition) but functions the same way.
Both questbooks feature at least one instance in which there is a "special room" inside a corridor that features a treasure chest.
EU released additional expansions:
Against the Ogre Horde (1990) - 7 new quests, "Ogre" monsters that have variable body points (and Ogre bosses with multiple body points). These monsters lack actual cards but their stats are provided in the booklet and on the back cover of the quest book. Chaos Spell tokens are added for three new bad guy powers (Dominate, Mind Blast, and Mind Lock) that utilize mind points (Mind Points automatically restore to full between quests), with the number of tokens representing either how many uses of a spell the bad guy has or else the duration of turns it will last. Many new tiles including an outdoor area, and some stone doors. Gives instructions on playing the quests "as a series" implying you don't get to shop between quests but get 5 healing potions each that restore all lost body points. New traps.
Wizards of Morcar (1991) - 5 new quests, "Evil Sorcerer" miniatures (4 of them) each with their own stash of 6 chaos spell cards (some of them will be familiar to NA players but they are all different in some way mechanically, for example Rust can destroy ANY piece of equipment, and Lightning bolt uses a tile. Many new tiles, but also new Treasure cards to be added to the deck, new spells (3 new spell groups that can be used by the Elf and/or Wizard instead of one of the elemental groups... Protection, Detection, and Darkness), as well as 12 mercenary figures that may be hired. These mercenaries have interchangeable weapons. Unlike the mercenaries in the NA Frozen Horror, they have only one body point each, the Halberdier cannot attack diagonally, and their are somewhat cheaper to hire, with slightly different stats. Each hero may hire up to 4 mercenaries and there is a rehire discount (only 10 gold!) plus there is a Potion of Charm you can find in the Treasure deck to get a discount. The Treasure Deck also gives you a Potion of Alchemy where you can transform a piece of Equipment into 100 gold coins (remember you can't sell things back to the Armory between quests as in the NA edition).
Adventure Design Kit (1991) - a mostly blank booklet with five grids and spaces to make your own quests with sticker sheets for the map icon symbols for this purpose, a mini-tutorial on making your own adventures, as well as a pad of extra large and re-designed Character Sheets that are better organized with more room to write things down (because it suggests you ignore the cards limiting supply of equipment and just write it down when you find it, possibly as well when it comes to non-gold items you find in the Treasure deck).
Not so much an expansion, but there was a 3rd edition of the game, of sorts... it was called "HeroQuest: Advanced Quest Edition" Or "HeroQuest: Master Edition" (in Germany) which was just the 2nd edition but also with the WOM mercenaries (only this time they were bad guys) and a fold out poster for a large, multi-part quest called "the Dark Company" where you hunt down traitor knights to the Empire (backtracking between boards restores dead monsters but doesn't replenish found treasures).
There were also other merchandise... a Sticker Album... a comic magazine ("Marvel Winter Special" that included a painting guide as well as a bonus quest and some bonus tiles you could cut out or photocopy)... three novels by fantasy writer Dave Morris (two of which included a bonus "solo" quest each, one focused on the Barbarian and one focused on the Wizard... in each of them you can find an ally who is the other type of hero who can assist you) all three of which included a prose narrative about the world of Heroquest from the heroes POV as well as a choose your own adventure style version of the adventure... jigsaw puzzles of the various Les Edwards art covers... a rare Orc t-shirt... and a super rare stitched back patch.
A PC game was released on DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Acorn 32-bit, ZX-Spectrum. Mobygames claims that there was a second version that included Return of the Witch Lord and was only available for DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. The version I have was released in 1995 and comes on a CD-ROM instead of floppy but is identical to the DOS version I played years ago (both show 1991 in the game itself, and there are no extra features on the disc just a PDF of text manual). A lesser known sequel "HeroQuest II: Legacy of Sorasil" was released in 1994 for the Amiga computer and Amiga CD-32 console with some D&D inspired monsters, and new hero classes (Cleric, Mystic, Ranger, and Paladin) and heroes are allowed to buy Spell Scrolls at shops and can put planks over trap tiles to fix them and seems more loosely inspired by HeroQuest, with some large outdoor areas, huge dungeons, and has no physical board game equivalent.
White Dwarf Magazine featured at least two issues that covered HeroQuest and added new quests (showcasing miniatures from the Citadel catalog for Warhammer Fantasy) including The Halls of Durrag-Dol, and the Eyes of Chaos.
NA Expansions:
Barbarian Quest Pack: The Frozen Horror, and Elf Quest Pack (later renamed "Quest Pack for the Elf"): Mage of the Mirror followed a similar template and were both released in 1992. Further plans for HeroQuest as a board game franchise were unfortunately scrapped after these releases.
Each featured 10, rather frustratingly difficult quests including 3 solo adventures for the title character as well as a two parter for the final in which body and mind points or spells did not replenish and the heroes were not allowed to shop. New artifacts were given (mostly only for the title character and either single use or could only be used within that quest pack) as well as a new Alchemist Shop in each one that featured 3 new potions only for the title hero and a single general potion. Each pack suggested you combine the assets from the other expansions to provide more items to shop for and to upgrade the gear for your heroes. The Solo quests were intended to "gear up" a single hero to get together with a group or else as an optional challenge for when there were only two players at the table. Both packs featured large monsters that took up two squares and could hit diagonally as well. Mage of the Mirror featured monsters that could attack at range as well as new spells for the Elf (choose 3 from a pool of 8). Both included new Treasure cards, rooms and other tiles, new traps. Frozen Horror featured mercenaries that could be hired in group quests (with more body points, and stronger overall stats than their EU counterparts, though at higher cost and no rehire discount) and there were far fewer of them though they could also appear as monsters in certain quests. Halberdiers could hit diagonally. Mage of the Mirror did not feature mercenaries but there were times when monsters came under the control of the heroes, at least temporarily. Both packs featured a female version of the title hero who was simply an alternate with no other differences from her male counterpart.
New general rules were added, saying heroes could exchange items so long as they were adjacent to one another and neither was adjacent to a monster, that heroes could sell unwanted equipment back to the Armory for half gold price rounded down between quests, and that mind points zero put a hero into "shock" (attacks with only 1 die and defends with only 2 dice, while moving with 1 red die). Multiple attacks from the Polar Warbear monster in the Frozen Horror could only be defended against once by each hero, so if two attacks went against the same hero, it was implied that one attack (probably the second one) was unblockable. The Frozen Horror also featured a Yeti hug attack (which automatically happened if the hero took any damage from the Yeti) could not be escaped in the solo quest (some heroes speculated that a hero could die and then revive with a potion to escape), making it an especially deadly surprise, which most agreed made these quests frustrating to play.
Not really an EXPANSION but the last official version of HeroQuest to be released as a boxed board game seems to have been the Brazilian Edition of 1993 in the Portugese language. While it is true a Japanese Edition was released in 1991 (with 14 exclusive quests and some cards removed while new ones were added and a new storyline) through Takara, in Brazil Estrella licensed the NA edition of the game but took many cost saving measures in the design of the board, miniatures (characters were all cardboard standees plugged into a smaller version of the gray plastic door base), two pieces of furniture were papercraft (Sorcerer's Table and Tomb), and the board was much thinner folded cardboard. The Instructions Booklet included all the information (including sketches of the Equipment) in order to get rid of the Armory board. Otherwise it followed the conventions of the NA edition with Zargon as the main antagonist, etc. It was followed by Kellar's Keep and Return of the Witch Lord also in 1993, following the same conventions.
= one hit
= one hit & pushback
= cancels one hit
