I considered it something of a coup when I was able to arrange a review copy of Heroscape. This large, boxed game is from Milton Bradley, making it nigh-on inaccessible to a guy who runs down all his own review material. But I was able to get a copy through a contact, and I was thoroughly excited when it arrived.
The basic story behind Heroscape is that valkyrie generals discovered portals to wars throughout time and space, and gathered heroes from all over the universe to help them battle for those portals. Viking warriors face off against power-armored guards, dragons battle airborne troopers, and creepy aliens do battle against primal orcs. All of these armies are represented in Heroscape, which somehow manages to balance out the obvious benefit of a minigun against a sword-wielding samurai.
The Contents
Heroscape could basically be described as a miniatures game that comes with its own terrain. Players build swamps, mountains, tombs and jagged cliffs from the hexagonal tiles included with the set, then send highly specialized fighters to destroy opponents.
The terrain comes in four basic flavors - grass, rock, sand and water. The first three are virtually identical, except in color. They are tiles composed of anywhere from 1 to about 50 two-inch hexes, with ridges around the outside to allow them to lock together with the other tiles. All the water tiles are single blue hexes with the same ridges. The end result is a whole terrain map, often four or more feet across, that you could pick up and carry around. The tiles can be assembled into vast plains, swampy morasses, or cavernous mountain ridges.
In addition to the ground tiles, Heroscape comes with two plastic pieces that represent ruins. These walls can be used to inhibit movement and hide from enemy fire, and add a much-needed aesthetic appeal to the layout. Trees would have been cool, too, or small houses, but it is a jaded gamer who is not pleased with the possibilities of the Heroscape terrain.
Aside from a huge amount of terrain, Heroscape also comes with 30 miniatures. These range from a mighty dragon and dinosaur-mounted orc to black-garbed secret agents and Viking heroes. They are neat, but their paint leaves something to be desired. The paint and sculpt quality is roughly reminiscent of the Star Wars miniatures, but with possibly a little less care taken to their appearance. They are obviously not intended to pass muster against a lovingly painted troop of Warhammer marines, but they are cool nonetheless, and lots of fun to look at while you play.
The Heroscape box also contains cards to represent all the figures. These cards are cut in a roughly hexagonal shape, presumably to resemble the terrain tiles, but as far as I can tell, for no apparent reason. They are beautifully designed, with a photograph of the figure and a list of stats and special abilities. The front of the card is used for the basic game, and the back is used for the master game. The basic game contains only four stats, while the back contains stats, plus life points and special abilities.
Assorted other components come with the Heroscape box. There are a total of twenty 6-sided dice, decorated with either shields or skulls. There are several glyphs, which are markers that designate special effects on the battlefield. There are wound counters, turn order markers, and a grenade marker. All the pieces in the game are excellent quality, especially considering the fact that the target market for this game is considerably younger than for a typical minis game.
There are also three books that come with the game: the basic rules, the master rules, and the scenarios. These books are all gorgeous full color, which is much more than would be necessary for instruction booklets. They are easy to read, and examples are illustrated with photos of actual game play. These booklets just continue to add to the value of Heroscape.
Now for the only gripe I have with the entire game - there is too much in the box. I know that sounds like a reverse complaint, but after I took everything out of the box and played a game, I realized that there was no way I was going to be able to put all those pieces back in the box. I had to find another box to contain the terrain tiles that had been carefully stacked and assembled to fit in the first place. Call me old-fashioned, but when I buy a boxed game, I would like to be able to keep the game in the box. A much larger box would have been nice, but this box is obviously meant to be discarded after it is emptied once.
The Game
There are two sets of rules for Heroscape, one for the basic game and one for the slightly more advanced master game. The rules are nearly identical, except that the master game adds complications and rules that make the game more about strategy than luck.
Each figure or group of figures is represented by a card. Squads of figures, such as the samurai or Vikings, might be three or four to a card, where the avenging angel has her own card, as does the dragon. Each card contains at least four statistics - Move, Range, Attack, and Defense. In the basic game, these numbers make up the entirety of the information about the figures.
The basic game is quite simple. Each player takes turns moving one card's worth of figures. For most cards, this is only one figure, but the secret agents or airborne troopers might have more than one. Once they have each moved, they can each attack.
Attacks are resolved by determining range and line of sight, like in any other game. In Heroscape, however, line of sight has no rules. You simply stand behind your figure, and if you can see your opponent's figure, you have line of sight. Range is also easy - count the hexes from your target to yourself and ignore height differences. These two ridiculously easy rules negate entire chapters of difficult rules found in many other minis games.
Once a legal attack is declared, both players roll dice. The attacker rolls red dice, and the defender rolls blue. If the red dice show more skulls than the blue dice show shields, any extra skulls are applied as hits. In the basic game, any hit is lethal, so extra skulls are just gravy.
Play continues back and forth until victory conditions are met. These are typically the eradication of opposing forces, but might be succesfully grabbing critical points on the field or escaping intact from a superior army.
The master game adds elements that make the game considerably more strategic. Luck still plays a factor, of course, with a bad roll costing a player a key piece, but holding key locations and strategically using special abilities are far more important in the master game.
In the master game, players place turn order markers, numbered from one to three, on their cards. A single figure might move three times for a blitz attack, or all figures might advance slowly. Once markers are placed, each player rolls a d20 for initiative, and the players take turns moving and attacking. This makes turn order markers important, because if a figure with three turn order markers is killed before that player's turn, the player misses his turn entirely.
Life points are also added to the master game. Many figures can now take multiple hits, making them far more valuable than an individual squad member. Of course, a squad of four can take three killing blows and still be able to move, so it is important to use everything you have as well as you can.
Every figure has special abilities. These range from breaking movement rules (like flying or sneaking past foes) to special attacks (like dragon fire or grenade attacks) or special defenses (granting bonuses to allies or immunity from ranged attacks). These special abilities can create synergy when combined, and give a definite edge to a player able to create a good army.
Glyphs can also be used in the master game, granting bonuses to the player able to control these key points. In some games, the glyph might be the entire goal, representing maps or equipment needed to score a win.
Support
If ever a game begged for supplements, it was Heroscape. More figures are the most obvious choice for add-ons, but additional terrain would be great. I would love to put up a forest of plastic trees or place a ruined shack atop a craggy cliff. Happily, Milton Bradley has seen fit to grant half of my wishes. Four expansion packs supply a wide variety of additional figures, from orc grunts and roman legionnaires to alien snakes and flying heroes. Hopefully the future will see some additional terrain types.
If you want more scenarios and premade maps, the Heroscape website (www.heroscape.com) has several available as PDF downloads. The site also contains background information, strategy tips, and a game demo. One of the coolest things on the site is the Battlefield Builder, which helps new players construct the maps in the scenario booklet. I did not have trouble assembling these maps, but new players or kids could be slightly daunted, so this is a nice addition to the site.
Observations and Summary
All told, the rules in Heroscape work like a charm. The basic game does an excellent job of teaching the essential elements of the game, and can be played by younger children who are not as quick to grasp the subtleties of strategy games. The master rules expand on the basic game by adding considerable depth and strategic options, and can still be readily accessible to nearly anyone who wants to play. This game is still not as difficult as Battlemech or Warhammer, but it is an intensely fun game that is also a great toy.
The components of Heroscape are truly magnificent. The option to create my own board from scratch is awesome, and there are five excellent maps diagrammed in the scenario book, with even more available from the Heroscape website. The figures are exceptionally cool, and this game is really great fun. If only I could reuse the box, I believe I would have granted Heroscape a perfect 10.
Style: 4 - Everything about Heroscape is superbly attractive, from the customizable terrain map to the minis and their cards. But I can't fit it all back in the box!
Substance: 5 - Well-tested rules and a wealth of play options make Heroscape a delightfully fun game.
