HeroQuest: The Frozen Horror - Xanon Pass Playthrough | The Frustrating & Unfortunate Life of Ethel

Always Board Never Boring plays through Xanon Pass, the first solo quest from The Frozen Horror, the new Barbarian Quest Pack expansion for Hasbro's edition of HeroQuest. In this video, our brave hero, Ethel the Mighty, enters the frozen Northlands, heading to Xanon Pass. Is she equipped for this adventure? Will she survive? Is she going to run away the first chance she gets?
Please note, this is a playthrough of the first quest from the Frozen Horror expansion and as such contains spoilers. If you are intending to play through this adventure as a hero, you may not want to watch this video. You have been warned.
#heroquest #frozenhorror #hasbro
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[@legalam]

I can’t believe how captivating and entertaining this video of someone playing a board game by themselves is!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you so much. I'm really glad you enjoyed the video.

[@legalam]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I’m very new to heroquest and trying to learn the rules, you’re video is very helpful, I’m looking forward to binging your other videos. SPOON!!

[@coolgreek79]

That laugh at the end.... It was almost hearing Zargon laughing 🤣

[@rcook917]

Great game, I'd love to see some more games of Frozen Horror and a painting guide would be awesome.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I have a few painting projects I need to get through first, but I am itching to paint my new HeroQuest stuff.

[@glenndavis1245]

Would love to see you continue playing through the Frozen Horror! The next two solo quest are really tough! I've been playing through with my 27 year old daughter. We've had a blast. It is our favorite game to play together. Thanks for all your content! I know we don't know each other but too me your like an old friend that I enjoy hanging out with! Thanks for all the hard work!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks, that's a really nice thing to say. I'm glad you are enjoying the Frozen Horror. After the struggle I had with mission one, things can only get... worse, actually. Much, much worse. They definitely weren't messing about with this expansion!

[@alexfitz1065]

Used to have this game as kid but watching this video is gonna make me buy it again

[@robertlykins728]

Oh thank you this is totally awesome!

[@robertlykins728]

Awesome what else have I missed? Damn it mate!

[@robertlykins728]

Great video thank you! Wish I still had my copy of this game

[@Launets]

SPOON! Loved the game :D Keep playing the other adventures, can't wait to see them!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@hignettron]

​@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoringgreat reference to The Tick 👍🏻

[@zombiedad]

Nurgle has blessed you.

[@zombiedad]

I would like to watch more of these

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Good old Nurgle, being too generous, as always.

[@triple5tar]

That was awesome! I love watching this whole thing.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.

[@shishiperalta]

Yes! Thanks a lot, gonna watch asap.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks.

[@dungeondan7119]

Really enjoyed the video 👍 thanks for the hard work you put into your videos and I’m really looking forward to the next frozen horror mission!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. There has been a lot of support for this video, so I am sure there will be a second solo adventure on the channel soon.

[@ga3680]

This was an awesome video - I would love to see more of this! Thanks for the great content! 👍

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you. It's nice to hear people are enjoying these as much as I enjoy making them.

[@matwilson4643]

Love watching your playthroughs please continue

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you.

[@Blaklyon0]

I enjoy these videos. Look forward to seeing more!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. The third solo playthrough will probably be up on the channel some time next week.

[@javierrosario8058]

Awesome vid!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[@TheFoxx82]

Great job mate

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you.

[@JeffWitty]

I love this sooooo much! I’m going to see the next installment now. Please consider doing more quest play-throughs!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. Third installment should happen soon!

[@elvyler]

Great video! Looking forward to more HeroQuest playthroughs.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. If there's enough interest I will definitely look at doing the second solo quest. As if Ethel hasn't suffered enough already...

[@ghostinquisitor7743]

Nice, finally some interesting gameplay!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. I’m glad you found it interesting. Part two is already up on the channel and the final solo quest should be up in the next couple of weeks.

[@fortysixand2]

I enjoyed the playthrough, thanks for taking the time to produce it. I'd definitely watch more if you post any.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you. I think I'm convinced people want to see what Ethel gets up to next.

[@doughudson5649]

Your play through is the best

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thank you so much. I'm really pleased you like them.

[@superspecky4eyes]

That double black shield roll from the Gremlin. 🤭 When do you ever see double black shields? Not when I'm in charge anyway.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Could be the first time I've ever seen double black shields. In response to a triple skull attack as well!

[@Fnordathoth]

Something like 'SPOON!' thanks for the Tick reference, this video was awesome. Also, definitely want to see a continuation of this.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You are the first person to clock the Tick reference (or at least, the first person to mention it). There is no finer battle cry.

[@aaronchiusano8732]

Definitely would like to see the adventure continue. Thank you for HQ content.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the feedback. Glad you liked it.

[@nicolasforte4316]

of course we want to see the adventure continue, love having this on while i paint miniatures

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching, and for the feedback.

[@RunWilburRun]

Please play the next two scenarios! I love these plays. Always welcome more Dungeonquest plays!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm really pleased you enjoy the playthroughs.

[@Emperor_Atlantis]

I just did this mission with my stepson (7) 2weeks ago. I found that this mission was quite hard. He lost health consistently and only managed to kill the polarbear because he found Heroic Brew earlyer. The last Ice Gremlin in the hall was litterly a 1health standoff with death.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Probably just as well I didn't bump into the war bear.

[@spacedock873]

Yes, more please!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@jeffdave8884]

Hugely fun playthrough. I will happily add my voice to those hoping this adventure continues

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

There seems to be quite a lot of people who want to see more, and I doubt you would have to twist my arm too hard.

[@ishmobile]

That was awesome! Thank you for the play-through. I have never played the Frozen Horror expansions, so watching this is extra interesting. I find myself wondering what loot, and what baddies, you left behind in the unexplored rooms. I await the next installment.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. I am sure there was some good loot left behind. These first missions are supposed to be a chance for the barbarian to get kitted out with stuff, so I expect I left behind some decent weapons. I know there is a war bear in this first level somewhere, and I was really worried about bumping into it as I was sure I wouldn't have survived.

[@trobe23z]

Keep the Heroquest coming. Love this game!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's always a lot of fun doing these playthroughs.

[@danwilliams4908]

Heroquest and Tick references! We must have more.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Hopefully I can get the second adventure on the channel soon, but I am easily distracted by shiny objects.

[@jonathan2950]

A great watch, thank you. I’ve really enjoyed your playthrough videos for HeroQuest (original and 2021), Dungeonquest and Space Crusade, so hopefully you have more planned. I’d also like to see you do a playthrough of Advanced Heroquest at some point. I’ve never seen it played before, so interested to see what it’s like.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. There is definitely another Frozen Horror video on the way. Advanced HeroQuest is a long term project and I wasn't going to do much coverage on it until I had it all painted and a lot more miniatures, but I've had a few requests so I might have to think about doing something sooner than I originally planned.

[@daviddupont517]

I like your playthrough. Very dynamics. For the hidden stat of the gremlins maybe be because it was the first time you meet them. It could had some secret for some players

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. It's a good thought, but I'm pretty sure the gremlin in the app is an error where they forgot to input the values. You get the card for that enemy in the game, and the stats are printed in the rules as well. Enemy stats have never been hidden from the players. Also, it doesn't happen with any other enemy, and I don't think it would make sense to hide just two of the gremlin's stats when the app displays the rest of them like its movement, attack, and defence.

[@rocknrowles9236]

Please do more HQ play throughs - really enjoyed this.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. I'm convinced enough people are interested in seeing the second solo barbarian adventure so that should happen relatively soon. In the meantime, if you haven't checked them out, there are a couple more HeroQuest playthroughs on the channel already.

[@AndrewRockYoutube]

One of my videos was getting suggested from this video. So I went to check it out. Absolutely fascinating. I grew up with the original Hero Quest board game nearly 20 years ago or so. Such a nostalgic video.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for coming to check out the video. I cover the original HeroQuest on the channel too. I restored a beat up copy not so long ago.

[@AndrewRockYoutube]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Definitely will take a look when I have more time. Our copy of Hero Quest was super beat up growing up cause we used the figurines for anything imaginable. I was surprised how expensive a new copy is when I looked it up last night.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@AndrewRockKZbin In the UK Hasbro's edition of HeroQuest can be picked up for around £85 (Magic Madhouse has it at that price at the moment) and that's a good price considering the quantity of miniatures, and the fact all the furniture got upgraded to plastic miniatures as well. It's a huge box of stuff. The expansions are excellent value, with Kellar's Keep and Revenge of the Witch Lord coming in at less than £25 a pop, and Frozen Horror available for around £35.

[@HivisoftheScale]

uh oh... the dreaded Xanon Pass? I wish you the best of luck...! 😱

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ethel doesn't need luck. She needs a shield.

[@jasonferris4589]

When you play the next one, I suggest using the wolf that Avolon Hill released as a promo at GenCon this year to accompany a hero on solo quests. Move 10, attack 3 can be diagonal, defense 2, body 5, and mind 1

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The wolf runs off at the end of the Into the Northlands downloadable mission and is not part of the Frozen Horror expac, so Ethel will be facing her quest alone.

[@wesleyfilms]

This adventure ground me down slowly. Rip my barbarian.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a brutal mission.

[@loken67]

Huge fun, some missed treasure opportunities, high bodypoint loss and a last minute escape. Please do some more....

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

There was certainly some loot behind those doors that I missed, but I was in such a bad way I just needed to get out with what I had, especially as I knew there was a polar war bear hiding in this dungeon somewhere and I really didn't fancy my chances of surviving an encounter with it! The second adventure should be up on the channel soon.

[@danielkochis5133]

I enjoy the HeroQuest/space crusade playthroughs. Still eager to see advanced for both titles.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not sure how I am going to handle the Advanced games yet. Really I would like to show the games with miniatures painted, but I might just have to bite the bullet and shoot some more content with the games in their current state. I really wish I had more time to devote to the channel!

[@johnmiddleton4291]

Cool playtrhough. The next two solo missions are pretty rough, as I recall. I'm sick like a dog right now too with some sort of crud. Hope you are feeling better by now.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ha. Yeah. I think Ethel is in for a tough time, especially considering her performance so far. Sorry to hear you're feeling rough; I'm pretty much back to normal now. Just a bit headachy.

[@severindrax]

you can never have enough Heroquest

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

True enough.

[@catholicphoenix7969]

YOOO! There's an extra die in the intro! This channel is evolving!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ha. That extra dice was introduced quite some time ago. I think you’ve been away from the channel too long!

[@catholicphoenix7969]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring yeah sadly. I don't catch up enough. I need to keep up more.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@catholicphoenix7969 Looks like I will be doing more Frozen Horror vids so hopefully you will catch some of those. Thanks for watching when you do get the chance, I appreciate it.

[@morcar8991]

I'm absolutely interested in seeing your hopeless attempts to beat my puppet

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The second playthrough is up on the channel, and I'm hoping to get the third solo mission done soon.

[@TheFatalT]

Really enjoyed watching this. And be warned - it gets harder. The last few quests start to feel like meat grinders there are so many enemies!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Oh, I am well aware of Frozen Horror's reputation, and looking forward to HeroQuest finally chewing up and spitting out some heroes.

[@cook1tj]

I own a lot of Shadows of Brimstone, and use that for my solo dungeon crawler, but I'll admit it can be a bit fiddly, and there's something really enticing about getting to go through a pre-made dungeon. I really expected hero quest to be very linear, but clearly there's enough room in the dungeon to make it feel like really exploring as opposed to just "walking down the dungeon and facing whatever comes" like SoB.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Not enough games use pre-generated dungeons these days. Shadows Over Hammerhal did it really well. Advanced Heroquest does a really good job because it blends random dungeons with pre-generated dungeons for important locations. It's a really nice balance and one of the things I love so much about it. Blackstone Fortress did it well by having dungeon exploration handled by a deck, and then when you encounter enemies the fight plays out over a predefined battlefield.

[@HivisoftheScale]

I vote yay! Continue with the epic of Ethel the Barbarian! 😁

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Epic, or slow agonising death picked apart in the darkness? Who can tell?

[@HivisoftheScale]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring bah, you just need a Bard to sing of her tale... And no I dont mean the stretch goal one. 😉

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The deep lore is the stretch goal bard used to work for the Frozen Horror, and his favourite ditty is "I Dismember You" a warbling ballad about Ethel the Mighty, and her final hours of adventuring.

[@chrismansell2441]

Great video mate, love it! Makes me want to buy all the new heroquest 🤣🙈🙈

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think Hasbro have done a great job with new HeroQuest. I'm certainly intending to buy each new expansion at the moment.

[@chrismansell2441]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Having a look, the expansions are all still available to purchase as well, unlike a certain 'quest' adventure

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ha. Yeah. There are a few limited runs and exclusives that aren't in production now (the Guardian Knight character pack and all the exclusives from the original crowdfunding campaign) but everything else is readily available so it's very easy to expand the game. All the expansions even have miniatures in them.

[@chrismansell2441]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring the app seems pretty decent, from your video, as well! Makes solo play a massive bonus as well

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm not a big fan of using apps in games in general, but it does make shooting these videos so much easier. It's not a bad app, either. They have kept it very simple and it doesn't intrude too much on gameplay. You still spend most of your time looking at the board!

[@Archaeonomy]

This was really interesting seeing Frozen Horror, I have never seen it in action before. Those sharp cornered dice really don't roll very well compared to the original ones. I would love to see more of these quests.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I actually think the dice are much better than the old ones. They have more weight, and better engraving. They are sharp-edged, so they don't travel so far, which can actually be beneficial as any minor imperfections have less distance over which to become prominent so you get (theoretically, at least) more consistent rolling. Also, there are invisible edits before and after every roll I make in these videos to keep everything pacy. Even though the final cut happens when the dice stop traveling there is a chance that the edit makes the dice rolling seem more abrupt than it actually is. I know people in other videos I have made have complained because they don't think I shake or roll the dice as the edit can make it appear like I just drop them into frame.

[@Archaeonomy]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I am working to make my own Hero Quest set, so along with the board, furniture and minis, I made my own dice, bigger versions of the wooden ones, scaled up and done in nice heavy resin. I finished Kellars Keep last week, and am working on Witch Lord now, I have the second half of the throne room overlay printing now, and then just need to do two more tombs. Next up will be Wizards of Morcar. Seeing you playing through Frozen Horror makes me think I may want to do it and Mage of the Mirror once I finish making Ogre Horde.

[@jeffharding83]

I really enjoyed seeing how you played the quest using companion app! Very instructive, may I ask if you will do some other quests in the near future? I would really like to see Against the Ogre Horde😊 thanks

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. There are a bunch of HeroQuest playthroughs on the channel, but no plans for Against the Ogre Horde at the moment (it isn't on the app yet, either).

[@nickgraney2119]

Nice play through, love the back ground music as always, as well as the pace of the run through. Obviously (like everyone else has said), more coverage and missions woukd be most welcome 😀 My 9 year old is getting the new base game for Christmas, hoping he likes it as much as I do, I can see us both having some fun in the Herroquest world. Out of all the expansions which would be your recommendation of our first expansion? Great production as usual 👏 👌

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for the kind words. I am sure you will have a lot of fun with HeroQuest. It's a great Christmas gift. When it comes to expansions, it's a bit hard for me to say as I haven't played a lot of The Frozen Horror yet. I think Kellar's Keep and Return of the Witch Lord are both excellent - they both have better adventures than you get in the core game, with some interesting set pieces and more of a sense of a continuing narrative through both. However, the downside to those two is you are facing more of the same enemies. There are no new enemies (apart from special named boss encounters), and not even any new miniatures. Frozen Horror brings the most new stuff to the table, with awesome new enemies, mercenaries, and plenty of overlays that make the dungeons feel quite different, but you are ramping up the difficulty a lot. If you are going to be Zargon, it's easy enough to ease off the pressure for the kids though! I would think, if you aren't sure you are going to play the game lots all the time, then jumping to Frozen Horror for variety isn't a bad shout, although note you only get seven new group quests in that expansion as three quests are for the barbarian alone. If you love the game and just want more and more of it, then playing through the expansions in order would be a better idea. If that makes sense. Of course, we also have Mage of the Mirror coming in February next year, plus the recently teased Dread Moon expansion. So, you won't be short of options!

[@nickgraney2119]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks for your thoughts, that's really helpful. I think I'm more excited than he will be 😀

[@iampetewyse]

If I had my way, I'd watch you play through every quest on the app! :)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. If only I had the time to do it, I probably would!

[@iampetewyse]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring time... TIME... not sure whereabouts you are in the UK but, were we local I'd happily throw dice with you :)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's the time involved in the shooting and editing that's the problem. A video like this is two solid days of work, really, which is why I can't do anywhere near as many of them as I would like to.

[@iampetewyse]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring makes sense! that hard work does ooze onto the screen, just so you know

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. That's really good to hear.

[@phildevey6302]

As someone who has never owned this expansion, I would definitely like to see more of it. Nice to see the new enemies, the ice tiles, and any other new twists. I also thought you were a bit harsh on the scenario when you were actively avoiding rooms that would contain monsters / traps / treasures, then saying it was a lot of nothing. You were avoiding the exciting bits! Really liked seeing it overall.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It was supposed to be amusing commentary about the empty corridors, not harsh criticism. I thought it was obvious in the video I was having a blast.

[@phildevey6302]

Maybe I took it the wrong way. sorry.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's fun to taunt the board game gods. Every time I joked about an empty corridor I was almost immediately set upon by wandering skeletons. Having said that, while I enjoyed the adventure, I don't think it's the best design for a map, at least compared to many others I've played. It's a bit unusual that there is a path through most of the dungeon where little happens. I don't think you should really feel like you have to explore side doors just to see something exciting. There should just be different types of excitement depending on which way you go. On the plus side, there is supposed to be a polar war bear kicking around this dungeon somewhere, so I reckon not opening at least one of the doors I found saved Ethel's life!

[@phildevey6302]

I really enjoyed it, and I hope it is popular enough for you to do some more.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I hope so too.

[@Draw2quit]

It would be cool if you could spare the crossbowman and he accompanies you in exchange for his life. He would become a playable character but due to the wounds inflicted by the barbarian, he has a limited amount of rounds before he collapses and dies. The Barbarian, out of respect, leaves the crossbow behind. If you decide to kill him, you get the crossbow for the remainder of the game. Either have a temporary strong buff or a permanent weaker one.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah. That’s the sort of thing a good Zargon player can do, especially in their own quests, to ramp up the role playing side of the game. It’s a decent idea.

[@coolgreek79]

Awesome expansion!!! Unfortunately the app is not available for my region.... I guess I'll have to get around the restrictions with VPN 🤷

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

They really need to sort it out so the app is available for everyone.

[@mobiusprimal]

Wanna drastically speed the game up? Roll all the attack and defense dice of an attack all together.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I do when I play normally. I have different coloured dice for that. But I find that’s less satisfying for a video and it’s better to have that little bit of tension and anticipation.

[@justinstuart8382]

Thank you for this very elegant play through. I couldn't see the rule in the rulebook that came with the game about movement. I noted when their where no Monsters on the board you moved a fixed 8 spaces each turn without rolling the dice. Is this an add on rule? If so do all Heros move 8 spaces or are the number of spaces Hero specific? Thanks

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's an official alternative movement rule called Unthreatened Movement created by Avalon Hill and published in the rules for the Into the Northlands quest which is available online and serves as a first quest for the Frozen Horror. When no monsters are on the board each hero gets a move of 4 for each dice they would normally roll when moving, so for most heroes that would be 8.

[@justinstuart8382]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks for clearing that up

[@jeanfoutre3620]

Rules Question 1: I feel like it's ok RAW to just stand in front of a closed door, and then roll until you have 12 movement points to decide to open that door. Is that ok by the rules? Can you roll your movement dice and, based on result rolled, then decide to either open a door or give up your turn until you roll really well (say 12 movement)? Or do you announce "i open the door" and then roll the movement dice?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

There is no timer in the game, so you can waste as many turns as you want, and you don't have to do anything before rolling your movement dice. If you roll the dice, you don't have to move - the rules state you don't have to move the distance you rolled. It sounds like you might be better off using the "unthreatened movement" rule from the designers, which states that whenever there are no monsters on the board you get a fixed movement of 4 for each dice you would normally roll (therefore you would get 8 movement points).

[@absolutepower9893]

Awesome part about this game is that you can use whatever "house rules" you want. I've been playing where on Zargon's 5th turn he gets to place whatever the wandering monster is in any room that has already been cleared just to add a little more difficulty. I also give each character a fixed move and then then just roll 1 die to finish the move off.. kind of keeps a dwarf from being able to outrun an elf for an extended period.

[@absolutepower9893]

Now since you had line of sight to see the gremlin through the wall could you have shot it with your crossbow cause it is any monster you can "see"?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I don’t know the situation you are referring to. The rule is you have to be able to draw line of sight (I use centre square to centre square as stated in the rules) and you cannot be adjacent.

[@chriscreativecontent]

I know this expansion is far tougher than the base game, so I would like to see if you can survive the other two missions 😊

[@daviddupont517]

Spoiler: I didn't

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's not looking promising so far,

[@chriscreativecontent]

Best of luck. Might be a quick game 😂

[@josephcharlett6229]

Spoon!

[@murgel2006]

That is fun. I just would like to know if you are allowed to play another character instead of the Barbarian? For example the Elf?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The intention with the solo missions is you play as the character from that expansion - barbarian for The Frozen Horror and elf for Mage of the Mirror. Once you have completed the three solo missions you move into group missions that you can play with any heroes, but it's a good idea to keep the hero the quest is based around because the missions will include lots of special items exclusively for them.

[@murgel2006]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thanks for the Information. I really should start to play the game, I mean, I bought it and it looks fun, especially as, with the app one can play alone. It would however be really great if AvHi would modify the app a bit...

[@HivisoftheScale]

if you need names for the female Barbarian, look up "The Toys That Made Us: He-Man" they had some funny "what if" names for She-Ra, like Stabagail!

[@bradp6452]

So do you have to tell the app every square you step on. Strange that the app rolls the attack dice for you but has you roll the attack dice.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You slide your finger along the path you want to take, the app moves the piece and pauses if you hit something that interrupts your planned movement. At first I thought it was odd the app rolls to attack but not to defend, but it actually speeds things up a bit as you don't have to keep picking up the app on a hero's turn. You just have to tap an enemy and mark it as dead if you kill it. It keeps the game running smoothly by minimising how intrusive the app is.

[@bradp6452]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yeah, I think the apps are options for managing hidden information issue in coop style dungeon crawls but it gets to a point where if I have to track the position of everything on the map should I just not be playing a video game. For the dungeon and star saga core games, I created hyper linked pdfs to contain the hidden info and map stuff but left dealing with the monsters to the players still. The saga series with their front arc and free strike rules would require to much micromanagement of the board state I feel.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think they got a good balance with the HeroQuest app. I don't like using apps anyway, and I only use the app when I am shooting videos for the channel, but I think they managed to keep app interruptions to a minimum. The interesting thing is, you can also switch off the Zargon player turn in the app. If you do that the app literally tracks traps, and what you can see when you go into new locations. Then you control the monsters yourself however you please. It really keeps fiddling with the app to a minimum.

[@goodjessehobbies]

Question: I caught that you are playing with fixed movement unless 'in combat' in which case you roll. Is this your own rule or a modern official rule? I'm asking because it's very similar to my house rules from years ago, however mine were as follows: No monsters, all characters have 12 movement. Monsters, characters move their 'agility' Elf 12, Barb 10, Wiz 8, Dwar 6. (If memory serves me) Also, the spot where you question the app seeing around the corner from one additional space away; I was thinking to myself, this seems really familiar, I think it's because if there were a monster standing that close you could probably see it filling the space enough. Then I remembered, once again if memory serves me, I believe that the Ye Ole Inn GameMaster system app thingy had that same mechanic, I presume they lifted it from there.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Unthreatened movement is an official variant from Hasbro that I have discussed on the channel previously (although I do have a forthcoming video about HeroQuest rules where I talk a bit more about it). It was included with the Into the Northlands download on their website. I've never used any other system for HeroQuest, but LOS is supposed to be centre to centre, so the app is a bit wonky as far as I'm concerned. But then, there's a mistake in the diagram for LOS in the rules as well. It's almost like they put centre to centre, but they meant centre of your space to any part of the target space (in which case you would be able to see the gremlin from the space Ethel was on). Personally, I think centre to centre is cleaner, as you only start putting stuff in corridors when a hero reaches the corner and peers around. It means Zargon interrupts the heroes less often and keeps everything consistent.

[@goodjessehobbies]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Anecdotally, I presumed you had experienced the Gamesmaster app back in the day. Personally, in this one circumstance, I would house rule that if an enemy was waiting around a corner the hero could see them one space early.

[@robertlykins728]

She needs painted I’d like to see that please!

[@Taterniac]

wait !....if you kill the crossbowman, you get his crossbow anyway. ???

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

There is no way to kill the crossbowman. No matter what the result of the attack is he surrenders and gives you the crossbow.

[@HeroQuestFans]

these aren't so forgiving as the EU packs I'm sure you're discovering... without the modified rules it's basically pure luck. once you get past the solos, be prepared for 2x-4x the length of the GS quests in the rest of the adventures. enjoy!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

All the EU stuff was generally easier than the American stuff anyway due to the significant differences in the rules, so even playing Hasbro's core set involved a noticeable difference for me. But yes, I am well aware of Frozen Horror's reputation, but I am sure I will enjoy working my way through it all.

[@DJChipsandGarlic]

i purchased this is my first expansion today, i think it was the models that drew me in! is it recommended i carry on with my core character sheets and collected weapons?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Definitely. You are supposed to keep the same characters. Frozen Horror is tough as nails. New heroes will have a very bad time.

[@DJChipsandGarlic]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring hopefully my characters will be tough enough, i was going to go in order but this set looks so good, im sure i will get kellars keep soon

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Send your barbarian through the solo quests first. They are incredibly tough for a new barbarian, but should be much more balanced for an existing barbarian and will be a good way to grab some extra useful loot. Just don't take anything on a solo quest that you would regret losing if you died (Borin's Armour, for example). If a solo hero dies, all the stuff they had is lost in the dungeon forever!

[@DJChipsandGarlic]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring i played the standalone quest called into the northlands before starting xanon pass, it made this easier :)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@DJChipsandGarlic It does give you access to a few more things which can really help out. Shame you don't get to keep the wolf though.