Borin's Armor clarification

[The Admiral]

back in the 90s we restricted equipment by the equipment cards. Not for balancing reasons, but simply because there were 2 helmet and shield cards, and we thought that was the intention.

That is actually a good way of balancing though. I am pretty sure we did the same for the same reasons as you. Over 30 years now so I can't really remember.

[BlackJax]

We also always played that you must have the card to have the equipment because we thought that was the rules, and years later I still do but I now appreciate the balancing aspect of this rule also.

It is interesting returning to the game after 20 years and having played many other games in the meantime, how I appreciate even more the simplicity and elegance of the earlier rulesets (although they weren't perfect of course) and feel that with time the game started to lose its way a little, as the "adventure board game" concept became diluted by RPG elements. Not that I don't like RPGs, I do, but I think that HeroQuest shines as an Adventure Board Game.

We also played that the Wizard couldn't use Borin's Armour, because it was (special) Plate armour and the Wizard can't use Plate armour, nothing on the Borin's Armour card text suggested to me that there was an exception for this Quest Treasure that allowed the Wizard to use it.