A TTRPG Like a Classic Dungeon Crawling Boardgame?

[Retreater]

So I've again (for probably the 9th time this month) been reminiscing about HeroQuest. And yes, I'm sure it's not as great as I remember - even though it has the broadsword .
Every dungeon crawler I've tried or examined seems too complex (Descent, Shadows of Brimstone, Silver Tower, Gloomhaven, Rebel Assault) or just mechanically bad (D&D Adventure Boardgames). Even upcoming ones (Altar Quest) don't seem to fit the bill because of complexity.
What I'm looking for, if it exists, is the right blend of RPG and dungeon crawler. Something similar to my homebrewed HeroQuest (probably closer to Advanced HeroQuest). It would have some character customization and equipment choices, campaign play, most monsters would drop in one or two hits, some light tactical options, monster stats that can fit on a playing card, etc.
Has anyone ever seen a game like that?

 

[Campbell]

My recommendation is to look at Five Torches Deep. It is a very sleek game that combines modern rules (it is built off of a substantively modified 5e base) and OSR dungeon delving techniques. It's quite simple. Each class takes a single page.

 

[timbannock]

So I've again (for probably the 9th time this month) been reminiscing about HeroQuest. And yes, I'm sure it's not as great as I remember - even though it has the broadsword .
Every dungeon crawler I've tried or examined seems too complex (Descent, Shadows of Brimstone, Silver Tower, Gloomhaven, Rebel Assault) or just mechanically bad (D&D Adventure Boardgames). Even upcoming ones (Altar Quest) don't seem to fit the bill because of complexity.
What I'm looking for, if it exists, is the right blend of RPG and dungeon crawler. Something similar to my homebrewed HeroQuest (probably closer to Advanced HeroQuest). It would have some character customization and equipment choices, campaign play, most monsters would drop in one or two hits, some light tactical options, monster stats that can fit on a playing card, etc.
Has anyone ever seen a game like that?

Haven't found it. D&D4e spiritually went there, but massively over complicated it. Strike! is a sort of successor to 4e but way stripped down, but I've not played enough to see if it hits the right notes.

Gloomhaven's on the right track, but a step too far into board game territory for my tastes: setup/break down is too time consuming. Descent and the D&D board games strip out too much of the roleplay, leaving a great combat system but nothing else to it.

I foresee a "tactical" twist to either 5E or Five Torches Deep doing exactly what I'm (we're?) looking for, but I think there's some disconnect in turning character options into cards and monsters into AI-run automatons that's preventing designers from building something along those lines.

 

[Retreater]

I foresee a "tactical" twist to either 5E or Five Torches Deep doing exactly what I'm (we're?) looking for, but I think there's some disconnect in turning character options into cards and monsters into AI-run automatons that's preventing designers from building something along those lines.

Even HeroQuest had a GM role, so monsters don't have to be automated.

 

[timbannock]

Even HeroQuest had a GM role, so monsters don't have to be automated.

Oh true! I meant more of a way of making it clear what they're tactics are, something you get in The Monsters Know but that doesn't really come through in the Monster Manual, for example. Not full automation, but clearer routines and such.

There's also the whole "monster reaction/attitude" that you could easily game-ify better (for lack of a better term), but that's probably a different but related discussion.

 

[pemerton]

There's also the whole "monster reaction/attitude" that you could easily game-ify better (for lack of a better term), but that's probably a different but related discussion.

Classic Traveller does this in its animal rules.

 

[rotorm]

My recommendation is to look at Five Torches Deep. It is a very sleek game that combines modern rules (it is built off of a substantively modified 5e base) and OSR dungeon delving techniques. It's quite simple. Each class takes a single page.

Now I play this game very tightly

 

[Retreater]

Now I play this game very tightly

I have read through 5TD pretty extensively and bought it in PDF and hard copy. I was considering using it to run a game, but I dropped it after hearing a negative review online. I am especially concerned about the lack of treasure and monsters, as well as character creation. Specifically, I created a batch of 1st level PCs and found in every case humans were head and shoulders better. The demihuman races were repeatedly below average (even in the attributes they are supposed to be good at.)
Have you run into any issues?

 

[shesheyan]

Ancient Odyssey Treasure Awaits might fit the bill. Haven't played it.

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A review:

 

[shesheyan]

Barebones Fantasy, despite the lack lustre name, is a very complete RPG. It has an adventure generation system with random tables and a default Kingdom to explore. It can be easily played solo. I own it and was pleased with what I read.

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