One small but important feature that made HQ great

[Blackthorn]

The fact you have to name your character. No other fantasy adventure board game that I am aware has/had this element. They are either referred to by their archetype (i.e. wizard, elf) or already have names assigned to them as in Descent or the D&D board games.

While seemingly minor, this feature creates a sort of bond between the player and his or her character as would exist in a true RPG. As your hero completes a few adventures and gets more loot, he becomes your alter-ego and you care what happens to him. You feel a slight sense of superiority when newer, less experienced heroes join the party, and when a veteran of many adventures succumbs to the forces of Chaos, there's a real sense of loss as the other players honor their fallen comrade, retelling tales of his heroic deeds. I've seen these types of things happen in my HQ games, and I'm not certain they would have without that seemingly minor element of having to come up with a name to write at the top of the character sheet.

Any one else find this to be true?

[Big Bene]

Agreed.

[Goblin-King]

Agree. Same goes to a lesser degree to the shield and banner for your heraldry and slogan.
It all help you make a connection to your character.

My players all enjoy creating and keeping characters.

[Sjeng]

Absolutely. My wife is slightly different in that regard, as she doesn't much care for naming her character, but simply choosing a miniature she likes. And you can use whatever minis you like

[tasoe]

I'll have to politely disagree (again).
It is only a minor feature that doesn't make much difference to the game at all. It's not an rpg after all.
I've always named my characters in any game, something like Player 1, or left it blank if it was possible. Or something innappropriately funny, like when I played Championship Manager, I would name myself Tasos Killer.

My opinion is that HQ became a legend for the following reasons (in order of importance): figures, furnitures, gameplay, atmosphere, simplicity.
Other reasons such as being innovative, different for its genre might be more important but I can't really tell 'cause I wasn't around in the boardgame scene at that time.

In conclusion, I believe that if the 4 heroes were named as standard Borgar, Gremir, Sorekis, and Phantos, it would have pretty much the same impact in the gaming community.

[The Road Warrior]

...HQ became a legend for the following reasons (in order of importance): figures, furnitures, gameplay, atmosphere, simplicity.

You forgot the advert. I wanted the game as soon as I saw it

[tasoe]

You're right I guess. I wasn't around at that time (5 years old when it came to Greece) so I don't remember anything about that.
But still, the ad made you want to buy the game, it could be a whole other game though, the ad didn't add (see what I did there?) to its greatness.

[Goblin-King]

Obviously it was several factors, and I agree, the minis were undeniably the #1 factor.
But all the little things were what made it great.

[Blackthorn]

I guess it depends on the individual, and I have had players who didn't care about this aspect and left the name section of the character sheet blank or just wrote their name at the top. I know that when we've played Talisman or DragonStrike, where the characters are unnamed archetypes, we don't feel the same connection to them. In Castle Ravenloft, where the characters already have names, I sort of feel like I am playing someone else's character since the creative decisions were already made.

[whitebeard]

We've never named the characters. The team pools thier resources and characters are chosen on game night. "The Barbarian", "The Dwarf", "The Elf", and "The Wizard" are names enough, with the charater artwork and miniature there is plenty of character to them without adding names. When they die do you toss the minis and artwork as well? Of course not.

So I have to say the number one thing about the game is the "element of exploration". This is the key element which Decsent and simillar board games lack. The element of exploration makes it an "adventure", a story which you are writing on your way through the Dungeon. The board, furnature, and minis compliment the story telling, and are just imersive enough to fully capture your attention. They really hit the perfect 3D immersive effect versus price point with the doors/furtniture elements.

I did not give the game a second look speciffically because of the commercial. It's really too bad too. I would have purchased all of the original expansions and like the rest of my stuff from back then it would all be in mint condition!!!