cavalier973
Hero
If one were considering purchasing a rpg-ish board game, which would be the preferred choice: the new Heroquest or Castle Ravenloft (or similar, like Wrath of Ashardalon)?
Heroquest or Castle Ravenloft?
- Thread starter cavalier973
- Start date
Ravenloft/Wrath/etc
-no DM
-fast setup
-I (personally, my group) will not play this more than 2 people as (the way we play) feels like too long /unengaging between turns. but i admit that could very well me a 'my group' problem.
Heroquest
-requires DM
-(while i have not played it, looking at the rules) has more involved setup and breakdown time
-have not played so can't speak on game play
-more visually developed (ie more pieces etc rather than simply colored tiles and minis)
While I've only played one of them and read the rules of the other, IF i wanted a dungeon crawler and was good with needing a DM and more inovolved setup, then I'd go Heroquest. But if I wanted a simpler throw on the table in a couple minutes and play then Ravenloft/Wrath/etc.
My group prefers DM-less and fast so that is the choice for me/my group (hence the reason I bought it and not the other one). So it's a personal preference thing. YMMV
-no DM
-fast setup
-I (personally, my group) will not play this more than 2 people as (the way we play) feels like too long /unengaging between turns. but i admit that could very well me a 'my group' problem.
Heroquest
-requires DM
-(while i have not played it, looking at the rules) has more involved setup and breakdown time
-have not played so can't speak on game play
-more visually developed (ie more pieces etc rather than simply colored tiles and minis)
While I've only played one of them and read the rules of the other, IF i wanted a dungeon crawler and was good with needing a DM and more inovolved setup, then I'd go Heroquest. But if I wanted a simpler throw on the table in a couple minutes and play then Ravenloft/Wrath/etc.
My group prefers DM-less and fast so that is the choice for me/my group (hence the reason I bought it and not the other one). So it's a personal preference thing. YMMV
Last edited:
darjr
I crit!
I have almost all the WotC D&D board games, and I hardly play them.
But honestly I’d probably hardly play HeroQuest.
The D&D board games have been a good source of minis though.
I do really want to try HeroQuest.
Note I’ve either been given or purchased in deep discount the D&D board games.
But honestly I’d probably hardly play HeroQuest.
The D&D board games have been a good source of minis though.
I do really want to try HeroQuest.
Note I’ve either been given or purchased in deep discount the D&D board games.
Hero Quest is hands down my favorite dungeon crawler boardgame of all time, beating out the D&D games, Descent, Star Wars Imperial Assault, Shadows of Brimstone, Massive Darkness, Zombicide, and even Gloomhaven. I've yet to introduce it to a player (D&D fan or casual boardgame player) who doesn't want to play it every time I bring it to a game day. For introducing new players to the feel of D&D, it might be better than D&D itself, provided the DM (Zargon) injects a little description and allows some creative ideas from the players ("oh, you want to try to jump over that table? Roll a die and don't get a skull...")
Combat and exploration are quick and simply resolved. Setup is quick. Missions can take an hour (or could be longer if you want). It's hackable and you can easily design your own dungeons. It's confined to a game board so you know how much space you need (instead of the puzzle piece tile method of many other games).
Can't praise it enough. But it was also my introduction to D&D while most others of my generation were playing the Red Box.
Combat and exploration are quick and simply resolved. Setup is quick. Missions can take an hour (or could be longer if you want). It's hackable and you can easily design your own dungeons. It's confined to a game board so you know how much space you need (instead of the puzzle piece tile method of many other games).
Can't praise it enough. But it was also my introduction to D&D while most others of my generation were playing the Red Box.
It comes down to - do you want cooperative play or do you want to have a game with a GM?
Heroquest is IMO the superior game system so long as you want that traditional GM running the monsters/players running the heroes setup. The rules are simple and the scenarios are fun and fast paced and it's a good dungeon exploration skirmish game - but it requires a GM to manage things like "whoops you set off a trap" and run the monsters. It can also go beyond being a boardgame and expand to a true light-weight RPG experience if folks want to make it work that way - it's mostly set up for combat but there's exploration and there can be social interaction if the GM wants to play the NPCs that way (or play some of the monsters that way for that matter).
The Adventure System games like Castle Ravenloft have a completely different feel. It's everyone against the game, so it's a completely coop experience. The monsters all run on a pre-programmed set of triggers and while it does capture some parts of a dungeon crawl experience IMO it's much heavier on the "dungeon skirmish" side of things to be a full dungeon crawl boardgame - exploration is more limited, traps are random, events happen but they're also random - it kind of has to be because there's no GM running things but it definitely leans more on the combat side of the game than the rest of areas of an RPG.
I like both games, but neither is a substitute for the other. They both scratch different itches.
Heroquest is IMO the superior game system so long as you want that traditional GM running the monsters/players running the heroes setup. The rules are simple and the scenarios are fun and fast paced and it's a good dungeon exploration skirmish game - but it requires a GM to manage things like "whoops you set off a trap" and run the monsters. It can also go beyond being a boardgame and expand to a true light-weight RPG experience if folks want to make it work that way - it's mostly set up for combat but there's exploration and there can be social interaction if the GM wants to play the NPCs that way (or play some of the monsters that way for that matter).
The Adventure System games like Castle Ravenloft have a completely different feel. It's everyone against the game, so it's a completely coop experience. The monsters all run on a pre-programmed set of triggers and while it does capture some parts of a dungeon crawl experience IMO it's much heavier on the "dungeon skirmish" side of things to be a full dungeon crawl boardgame - exploration is more limited, traps are random, events happen but they're also random - it kind of has to be because there's no GM running things but it definitely leans more on the combat side of the game than the rest of areas of an RPG.
I like both games, but neither is a substitute for the other. They both scratch different itches.
cavalier973
Hero
Which would be better if one intended to discard the rules and just use the tiles/board and miniatures to run straight D&D?
I am thinking that getting Ravenloft and Ashardalon together, which would be comparable in price to getting Heroquest, because then I would have ten hero miniatures as opposed to Heroquest’s four, plus a plethora of the classic D&D monster miniatures.
On the other hand, Heroquest has tiny furniture, and also a pre-printed dungeon on a game board, which makes set up easier.
I am thinking that getting Ravenloft and Ashardalon together, which would be comparable in price to getting Heroquest, because then I would have ten hero miniatures as opposed to Heroquest’s four, plus a plethora of the classic D&D monster miniatures.
On the other hand, Heroquest has tiny furniture, and also a pre-printed dungeon on a game board, which makes set up easier.
cavalier973
Hero
The other consideration is availability. I am unsure where to procure a copy of Heroquest in a reasonable amount of time, while I know of a FLGS nearby that says they have a copy of Ravenloft.
Has WoTC produced Ravenloft-style board games beyond the initial three?
Has WoTC produced Ravenloft-style board games beyond the initial three?
That's a different question
My answer is "neither and both".Both have great sets of minis to use. Neither IMO makes for good generic dungeon tile sets. The Adventure System tiles are too regular and boring IMO, Heroquest is a single board that is only configurable to a certain degree. The HeroQuest furniture is fun tho.
I do use both sets of minis with other dungeon tiles/maps quite often tho. The Adventure System tiles might do in a pinch but you have to be ready to accept that you can't make arbitrary sized rooms with them - they just aren't built for that really.
And yes - there are 3 more after the initial 3 - Temple of Elemental Evil, Tomb of Annihilation, and Dungeon of the Mad Mage. They were actually produced under license by WizKids IIRC but they're variants of the same system as the original games.
There's Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, Temple of Elemental Evil, Legend of Drizzt and Tomb of Annihilation (which has cool juggernaut mini).
As an alternative to either, I'd suggest Monolith's Conan boardgame (Conan). There's a hardback book with extra adventure setups and rules for playing without an Overlord too. And someone on Boardgamegeek has a file with less-cringeworthy female character artwork too.
Similar Threads
- Poll
