Inspiration
By The Warden
Since my previous post on the classic board game HeroQuest and the inspiration it gave me as a role-player, I’ve been very gratified to see the same goes for so many others. Whether they have fond memories or continue to break out the board today, it’s a shining example of what a game is designed for: pure, unlimited enjoyment.
Perhaps no greater measurement of a game’s success exists than expansions; be they produced by the original publisher, picked up by another company, or hacked together by a die-hard fan for viral circulation. As promised, I’m going to take a look at the old HeroQuest game and how others have taken it to the next level.
Advanced HeroQuest
(Games Workshop)
While Milton Bradley may have had their logo stamped on the front of the North American version, the majority of the game came from Games Workshop in the UK and they were more than happy to take over this little phenomenon and raise the bar. Advanced HeroQuest was released in 1989 as a direct sequel to the original board game and truly took it to the next level – the RPG level.
The proof is in the dice. All heroes – or warriors – used d12s with a matching series of stats to define each PC and threatening monster. Weapon Skill, Bow Skill, Strength, Toughness, Wounds, Speed, Intelligence, and Bravery provided all the particulars in the number of dice rolled along with the target number for each character. For example, to make a melee attack, you had to roll a number of d12s based on your Strength score against the creature’s Toughness score; for every successful roll, a Wound was suffered.
Rules for random dungeon creation were also provided, though I cannot say how successful they were as the only box I’ve ever seen remains sealed in a friend’s game room. Based on the condition underneath that seal, I’m not sure if the risk is worth the reward of finding out firsthand.
Warhammer Quest (Games Workshop)
Released as a third and final time, HeroQuest gave rise to Warhammer Quest, a fitting title given that all the boards heavily featured the Warhammer world (the creatures in Advanced HeroQuest were even called “skaven”).
The game was released with a large Roleplay book, which added a tremendous amount of detail. It enabled players to expand their games by introducing a host of roleplaying details & game mechanics. When used, the Roleplay Book offered the players the chance to travel between Settlements, Train to the next level, visit numerous shops and traders, as well as visit Special Locations. The Wizard, Elf, and Dwarf had a Special Location that was exclusive to each of them and, if their luck was good and if they had enough gold, they could buy specialty items to help them in their adventures.
Additionally, the Roleplay Book introduced the element of Psychology, which included new rules for Fear, Terror, Hatred, Breaking (fleeing), and being Prone. There were also rules and descriptions for using two new Characteristics: Luck and Willpower.
The Roleplay book also contained a bestiary of Monsters that the warriors might encounter and employed a number of ‘D66’ tables so Warriors could face more new and terrible foes. The Roleplay book also offered a Hazards Table (for use when traveling to a village, town or city), a Settlement Events Table (for use when spending time in a settlement), extra Treasure and Objective Room Treasure tables as well as ‘Battle-level Monster Tables’ for use as the Warrior’s career progressed.
Through the use of such tables it was possible for a Warrior to be accused of murder, witchcraft or else do an honest day’s work, be accosted by a rampaging bull, gain a pet dog, spend several days in an infirmary or even decide they were going to give up adventuring and settle down to have a family. The Roleplay Book helped flesh out the Warriors lives in between dungeons.
– From Wikipedia
HeroQuest II (J.D. Frazer)
And then there is every designer’s fantasy and nightmare compared: the hack. This was the very first hack I had ever discovered – for any game, let alone HeroQuest – and demonstrates one of the great attributes of gaming. This free, homespun expansion to the existing rules created new Heroes with a Point Value system for players to build with some level of consistency and balance and included many new Heroes such as the Cavalier, Rogue, Monk, and Necromancer.
The Role of Inspiration
There are many unique aspects of role-playing compared to the remainder of the games and entertainment industry and nearly all of them conflict with a large corporate mentality of property, distribution, and copyright concerns. RPGs are designed to inspire something beyond their pages, to cause readers and players to expand the material beyond what rests in their hands. Combined with the Internet and home computing, it was only a matter of time before those creations – or homebrews – went public.
The beginning of the 21st Century revitalized the industry through open licenses, giving hopeful freelancers and aspiring designers everywhere the chance to be in “on the ground floor” and have a direct line to writing for their favorite game without being limited to the demands of the publisher. Hell, I was one of them. Today, you can find numerous alterations, settings, and extension for systems like d20, Fate, Savage Worlds (although Savage Worlds is not an open license) and more. Needless to say, it didn’t come without a sacrifice as many fans found the glut of products came with more hacks than they could shake a stick at and a concern for the lack of quality.
As the rise of geek culture took notice with major corporations, many publishers were purchased and added to a large entity outside the genre. These licenses have become restricted for some and applauded by the independents who value exposure equal to profit.
It also gives fans an opportunity to experiment in ways professional companies cannot with unavailable licensed material. If you just finished watching Krull and felt the kick to use it in your next game, there’s a hack for that. Introducing your kids to RPGs work best with something they know, like Harry Potter, there’s a hack for that. Looking to get back into the 1st edition of your favorite game? There’s an entire movement, spearheaded by OSRIC, Swords & Wizardry, and Labyrinth Lord, dedicated to create new material for early versions of D&D.
Inspiration gives cause to share and as all RPGs are group efforts, it allows the size of that group to become limitless. These games invoke creativity and are enjoyed by many talents, aspiring writers and artists alike (something I feel today’s generation would latch onto in a heartbeat if it could ever catch on). It’s also one of the few products where you’re expected to make photocopies or printouts. How else are we going to use that character sheet?
All this is a hard pill for businesses to swallow and has lead to many conflicts (such as the post made on EN World regarding Wizards of the Coast’s tiresome juggling act with Hasbro). With issues like SOPA on the table, it’s clearly a hard sell to make to executives that you’re going to sell a product that other people will be able to sell and collect their own profits. I’m having a hard time buying that as I write it.
What makes a game like HeroQuest stand out is the emotional bond shared by a secret community after 20 years out-of-print. From there, another publisher sought to carry the torch a little further with Advanced HeroQuest and incite others to take it down their own path, such as HeroQuest II. It’s what drives the industry and keeps it alive – and healthy. It’s what keeps role-playing an underground activity, chosen by a select few who can truly appreciate the thrill it was intended to provoke.