HeroQuest: What’s In The Box – Mythic Edition
HeroQuest is shipping from Hasbro and the best thing about it is clearly the Broadsword!
When Hasbro announced that they were bringing back HeroQuest I was excited. So excited, I actually DID back this one myself. Which means I had to sign-up for a Hasbro Pulse account and have been getting random emails from them ever since. Fun. But no matter! Because it’s finally paid off (or I guess I should say that they finally delivered the goods that I paid for). The HeroQuest Mythic Tier has arrived and I’m about to go adventuring.
BROADSWORD!
Look, I’m legit excited about this one. Some of my earliest boardgaming memories are from HeroQuest. I was indeed a wee lad when this game originally launched and I spent quite a few nights playing this game with my Dad and Brother. So I’ve got a bit of the old nostalgia factor shading my view on it. So if this review is a bit slanted towards the positive that’s a big factor for me.
Having said that, at this point, I’ve also unboxed hundreds of various miniatures products. Seriously…it’s a lot. So I know when I see a good one in terms of quality vs not-so-much. Board game components have come a long way in the years since this was initially released as well. So I’m going to try to be objective about that aspect, too. Plus, since I literally spent my own money on this one, I feel like I can be completely honest here! Not that I’m not honest when folks send us stuff to review — if it’s not in my wheelhouse, we just don’t review it. Plus, I stand my all my reviews that I’ve done over the years. At the time I wrote them, I meant it. So now that THAT’S out of the way, let’s talk about that Broadsword!
Mythic Tier, Please
First up, as mentioned, I ordered the Mythic tier. Why? Well, I figured if I was going to do this I wanted to be all in. I didn’t want to worry about picking stuff up after-the-fact or worry about a retail release or missing out on any extras. So…here we are. And I’m glad I did!
Included in the order were the “base” game, the two expansions, and all the extras from the Hasbro campaign. So that means I have a crap-load of miniatures for this game now (and I’m not complaining). From a total of 12 heroes — Both sets of genders for the old heroes, plus a new Warlock, Druid, and Bard hero, AND another Wizard that looks suspiciously like the one on the GM screen — and GOBS of baddies, I’m in HeroQuest mini-heaven right now.
And since we’re talking about the miniatures let’s talk about the quality. They’re fine. After my initial excitement wore off, I still think they are really cool — but the quality is just…fine. Compared to GW minis, they aren’t quite as crisp or sharp in the detail department. That said, it’s probably because they aren’t hard plastic minis. They are a little bendy and softer. And, again, that’s okay! It’s not the greatest quality (we’re not looking at Gunpla or GW minis here) but since I’m being honest I think they minis in sets like Steamforge Games’ Epic Encounters are above them in quality. Then again, I also really like Epic Encounters so maybe that’s a bad example.
I guess what I’m getting at is that these are perfect miniatures for a board game. If you looking for extra minis for RPGs (like D&D) or just want a bunch of extra baddies for whatever in your board games/RPG nights then these are that. They aren’t quite as good (in terms of quality) as say miniatures for Wargaming. But I wasn’t really expecting them to be that quality. They are perfectly adequate for the job.
Oh, did I mention they are also all single pieces of plastic that come ready to go out of the box? There’s also that aspect to consider and I think when you put that in context with the fact that these are for a board game, you’ll agree that these are indeed just fine minis. You can paint them if you want — they will take primer easily enough. You might want to rinse and scrub them first if you do as they seem to have some mould release on them.
The Rest Of The Components
Okay, moving on from the minis because otherwise I’ll just keep going, the rest components are fan-freaking-tastic. The cards, the dice, the board, the quest packs, and everything else has that same sense of nostalgic goodness with a veneer of “updatedness” that comes along with a product refresh. That is to say, component wise, everything feels like a modern take the “stuff in the box” while at the same time the artwork and style is essentially the exact same. While I haven’t gotten to compare the rules to the classic set, I’m pretty sure it’s the exact same set of rules. Same with the classic Quest Pack. And that has me super excited!
The New Stuff
I haven’t gotten into the new stuff yet – NO SPOILERS PLEASE. But between both expansions AND the extra three adventures included in the Mythic Tier, I’m going to be busy for a while. I really want to play the Joe Manganiello quest line in particular. I keep butchering his last name (I’m sorry – please don’t beat me up) but I’ve seen how big of a nerd he is and I know he’s got “the goods” when it comes to fantasy RPGs. #JocksMachina
I also am excited to give the new heroes a shake. Probably AFTER I play with the 4 OG heroes first. They look neat and might bring some new toys to the tabletop. It’s kind of strange to be excited about an old game’s OLD stuff and yet still want to play with the NEW toys, too. I know that I’m going to be busy for many an evening with this new HeroQuest and I can’t wait!
Now…Bring me my Broadsword and let’s get HeroQuestin’!
