Heroscape

[shiznitz]

I just learned about this and played the demo on the website. Seems like something my 5 year old son would love, but it says ages 8+. Those age guidelines are usually way off, but I wanted to see if anyone had an opinion. It is just dice combat with cool figuries.

[Mrbloodworth]

I just learned about this and played the demo on the website. Seems like something my 5 year old son would love, but it says ages 8+. Those age guidelines are usually way off, but I wanted to see if anyone had an opinion. It is just dice combat with cool figuries.

Anyone recall Hero quest? (name got changed to something else), i think this is some newer version of it (like, a 40k version).

EDIT: upon searching, i seem to have stumbled on a PC version, lol. No idea how/if/when/what its about... i may check it out.

[Merusk]

My nephew's dad got this for him recently.  It looked like a damn fun game, and I was sad that it had to stay at his dad's house where "the Fun Uncle" doesn't get to play it with him.

I pulled-out the rules book and took a quick look at it.  If your 5 year old is advanced enough you'll probably be able to play the simple ruleset with him, but it really does look like it requires someone around 7 or 8 to have fun with it.  It is a miniatures game made simple.

  The set comes with a bunch of  terrain pieces and a minature army and each miniature is pre-painted.  Each figure has its own card exaplaining its abilities, movement, attack, etc.  You have terrain blocks like "too high to attack" and I think I even saw some bonuses for 'teh high ground!'.  Fuck. Wikipedia explains it better, but you saw the website (which I haven't checked out) so you may know all that.   

I think the turn structure, and the need for critical thinking about figures for attack/ facing/ etc are the reasons it's labeled 8+.  If you think your kid can handle it, go for it.  Hell, even if he can't right now they only get older.  :-D  I plan on picking one up for a Christmas present. (For the kids... really..)

[shiznitz]

My son has a broken leg so this seems like a good weekend thing. He loves to build stuff (we do LEGO) and he can certainly roll dice and count easily enough. Yes, the strategic movement might be beyond him but cannot hurt to learn.

[Nebu]

I've seen 5 year olds play chess competently.  Never underestimate the sponge-powah of the young brain.  The only reason I've ever considered age ratings on games is because of context or violence.  Kids can learn some pretty complex stuff if given the right guidance and praise. 

[Merusk]

Which is why I said "If you think your kid can handle it."  :-D   Some can, some, like my 4 year old, don't want to sit still for all those "boring" rules and would rather just pew-pew with the game pieces with you.

[Strazos]

I play Heroscape. It can get pretty nuts if you're playing with expansions sets and all of the advanced rules. Of course, some of the most fun is building the maps.


Also, it's not technically a "collectible' game, as what you get is always set in stone when buying any of the products (as opposed to random units like, say, Heroclix). Makes it much easier to get what you want.

And I agree with Nebu; if your kid wants to understand the game, he will.

[Xilren's Twin]

We have had a set for about 2 years and both of my boys, now 7 and 11, like it. The basic game is fine for them and the advanced game can have more much depth when they are ready for it.  And of course, the kids can always just play with the terrain and figures as toys too.  We have managed to break several of the plastic figurines of their bases of course.

[Kitsune]

Heroquest begat Advanced Heroquest, Advanced Heroquest begat Warhammer Quest.  I've never laid hands on Advanced Heroquest, but both Heroquest and Warhammer Quest are top-notch dungeon-crawler boardgames.  Descent is the only board game currently in production that has the same sort of dungeon-crawling mechanics, to the best of my awareness.  There's a card game dungeon crawler called Dungeoneer, where people lay down cards to build the dungeon as they play, too.  Unfortunately for the next generation of board gamers, none of the future games have rules as simple as Heroquest had; I wouldn't try to get anyone under 10 to play any of them.

If you can find a working copy, Dark Tower is a fantastic strategic fantasy boardgame, and simple enough for kids to handle easily.  Unfortunately, the fuckwits at Milton Bradley stole the idea, got sued by the guys with the original idea, and Dark Tower got yanked from production, making it hard to find nowadays.

[Mrbloodworth]

Heroquest begat Advanced Heroquest, Advanced Heroquest begat Warhammer Quest.  I've never laid hands on Advanced Heroquest, but both Heroquest and Warhammer Quest are top-notch dungeon-crawler boardgames.  Descent is the only board game currently in production that has the same sort of dungeon-crawling mechanics, to the best of my awareness.  There's a card game dungeon crawler called Dungeoneer, where people lay down cards to build the dungeon as they play, too.  Unfortunately for the next generation of board gamers, none of the future games have rules as simple as Heroquest had; I wouldn't try to get anyone under 10 to play any of them.

If you can find a working copy, Dark Tower is a fantastic strategic fantasy boardgame, and simple enough for kids to handle easily.  Unfortunately, the fuckwits at Milton Bradley stole the idea, got sued by the guys with the original idea, and Dark Tower got yanked from production, making it hard to find nowadays.

God, i haven't seen most of those games in YEARS..decades even... I do have my herosquest still, and now i wish i had not opened it..lol.

[Strazos]

I had a Heroquest thing when I was a kid, but I don't think I actually had a master set, so I was never able to play.

I was like 6, come on. I just asked for it because it looked cool.

[Venkman]

Lots of times companies will rate a game that works for 5+ as 8+ simply because of the reading requirement. Heroscape is definitely something my nephews could play though, cognitively, and they're 5 and 7. It's a fun system.

[Jain Zar]

Heroquest begat Advanced Heroquest, Advanced Heroquest begat Warhammer Quest.  I've never laid hands on Advanced Heroquest, but both Heroquest and Warhammer Quest are top-notch dungeon-crawler boardgames.  Descent is the only board game currently in production that has the same sort of dungeon-crawling mechanics, to the best of my awareness.  There's a card game dungeon crawler called Dungeoneer, where people lay down cards to build the dungeon as they play, too.  Unfortunately for the next generation of board gamers, none of the future games have rules as simple as Heroquest had; I wouldn't try to get anyone under 10 to play any of them.

If you can find a working copy, Dark Tower is a fantastic strategic fantasy boardgame, and simple enough for kids to handle easily.  Unfortunately, the fuckwits at Milton Bradley stole the idea, got sued by the guys with the original idea, and Dark Tower got yanked from production, making it hard to find nowadays.

I like the game quite a bit, though I tend to use the terrain more for other games (see evidence of this in the Robotech thread).

Dont forget Heroquest also begat Space Crusade which never got a US release but it kicks total ass.  (PC version out there too!)  And if you don't mind GUNZ in your dungeon crawl games Doom the Boardgame is pretty much Heroquest with Doom monsters but a bit more complex.  (I never did finish painting mine.  So much prettier to have painted Imps and Demons..) 

Actually there are a TON of hobby games similar to Heroquest out there of varying quality.

Heroscape is more like a skirmish wargame than an RPG minis game though.  And it has a Marvel version so Dr Doom can fight it out with Spidey.