I think The Trial probably works best , as its name suggests, an actual trial. Some sort of illusionary dungeon conjured by Mentor that tests their mettle, so that any hero "death" isn't real. The only real things are the treasure they acquire from succeeding. If they succeed, they get some solid praise from Mentor, if they fail, Mentor assures them the trial was meant less as a measure of success and more as a test of their courage and determination, and they still get to keep every piece of loot they got until their defeat.
I like this idea. After playing through the trial solo (using the 4 characters) and the app, I narrowly escaped with all party members alive… in fact, I effectively added a health potion to my dwarf character as he received 7 hits in two turns from a dread knight. I think having the gargoyle in the mission ruins it a little, as it should be a looming threat. I remember always fearing the miniature when I was younger, so just throwing it in the first mission to get pounded feels cheap and leads to the question of, “is that it? What’s the tougher mob I am going to be fighting in quest 14!” If you instead had the gargoyle pound on the group, drop them easily and then teleport away (it might even be a weaker illusion of what is to come), I think that it would set up suspense for its return and show players how much stronger they have become once they have defeated it.
Indeed I did! You'll have to forgive me for pronouncing it like "Roger's Hall" instead of "Row-garr's Hall", as I was less knowledgeable about the game in 2020 and hadn't realized that Rogar is the name of a great barbarian: th-cam.com/video/CBplmjY4mxE/w-d-xo.html
The only challenging part about rescuing Sir Ragnar is the alarm that triggers afterwards, but as long as the heroes aren't wasting time searching for treasure they should be able to escape with him alive
I don't know if "The Maze" really works with the American rules. The UK edition of Heroquest had a more adversarial type of game play over the more collaborative approach of the American version. The Maze is literally "first one out gets all the gold". New Beginnings is a very good starter adventure... but I'd still do The Trial as the next quest.
Interesting insight! I mentioned it purely because other community members have brought it up. I think part of the reason why The Maze is Top of Mind for some people is likely due to them being most used to playing the EU version (prior to the re-release's only North American ruleset). The other reason might be that prior to New Beginnings, The Maze was the only "official" replacement for an introductory quest.
It is good to hear from the community that this quest accomplished its purpose! I'd assume that the 2 page format isn't that difficult to deal with, because it's not like the quest details suddenly expanded to be the length of a whole D&D adventure
I think The Trial probably works best , as its name suggests, an actual trial. Some sort of illusionary dungeon conjured by Mentor that tests their mettle, so that any hero "death" isn't real. The only real things are the treasure they acquire from succeeding. If they succeed, they get some solid praise from Mentor, if they fail, Mentor assures them the trial was meant less as a measure of success and more as a test of their courage and determination, and they still get to keep every piece of loot they got until their defeat.
I like this idea. After playing through the trial solo (using the 4 characters) and the app, I narrowly escaped with all party members alive… in fact, I effectively added a health potion to my dwarf character as he received 7 hits in two turns from a dread knight.
I think having the gargoyle in the mission ruins it a little, as it should be a looming threat. I remember always fearing the miniature when I was younger, so just throwing it in the first mission to get pounded feels cheap and leads to the question of, “is that it? What’s the tougher mob I am going to be fighting in quest 14!”
If you instead had the gargoyle pound on the group, drop them easily and then teleport away (it might even be a weaker illusion of what is to come), I think that it would set up suspense for its return and show players how much stronger they have become once they have defeated it.
Avalon Hill also released "Rogar's Hall" --- did you see that one too?
Indeed I did! You'll have to forgive me for pronouncing it like "Roger's Hall" instead of "Row-garr's Hall", as I was less knowledgeable about the game in 2020 and hadn't realized that Rogar is the name of a great barbarian: th-cam.com/video/CBplmjY4mxE/w-d-xo.html
Glad the first quest got changed. I’d usually run the following quest since it’s a lot more forgiving.
The only challenging part about rescuing Sir Ragnar is the alarm that triggers afterwards, but as long as the heroes aren't wasting time searching for treasure they should be able to escape with him alive
Bonjour qu’elle est ce jeux qu’il y a en arrière plan qui ressemble à HeroQuest ?
The game that I'm playing in the background is called Heroes of Hammerwatch, and it's on sale on Steam for $5.39 CDN right now
I don't know if "The Maze" really works with the American rules. The UK edition of Heroquest had a more adversarial type of game play over the more collaborative approach of the American version. The Maze is literally "first one out gets all the gold".
New Beginnings is a very good starter adventure... but I'd still do The Trial as the next quest.
Interesting insight! I mentioned it purely because other community members have brought it up. I think part of the reason why The Maze is Top of Mind for some people is likely due to them being most used to playing the EU version (prior to the re-release's only North American ruleset). The other reason might be that prior to New Beginnings, The Maze was the only "official" replacement for an introductory quest.
I really prefer this quest to the Trial. Much better at introducing game mechanics to new players.
It is good to hear from the community that this quest accomplished its purpose! I'd assume that the 2 page format isn't that difficult to deal with, because it's not like the quest details suddenly expanded to be the length of a whole D&D adventure
It’s not hard at all to deal with. It’s also very well implemented on the app as well.