Rogue Heir of Elethorn Unboxing & Review | Checking Out the Latest HeroQuest Character Pack

[@Bite.Size.Gaming]

I’m really surprised people are having trouble getting this, I received my rouge at start of October from Thirstymaple. I’ve also received my copy of Mage of the Mirror before Christmas & loving it. Hope u get yours soon as a fellow Brit we never had it back in 90’s or knew it existed (No internet, we are old😂) so look forward to your take on it… keep up the good work..

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think they just didn't print enough in the first run so it was a fastest finger first situation. It's on backorder everywhere right now, but I think restocks are imminent.

[@danroberts007]

Nice review! I’m a little behind with my Heroquest expansions, it’s good to know what I’ve been missing out on. I’ll have to see about getting this character before they’re completely gone! What you say about the Rogue being powerful but squishy sounds promising. Forcing difficult choices on the players is usually a sign of good game design, imho.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

They are an interesting balancing act, as they have the ability to get into dangerous situations where other heroes can't follow. If they get too cocky or things take a bad turn, they could end up under serious pressure.

[@M-E_123]

Interesting that the introductory letter from this could be given to any Elf, not just the Rogue if you wanted to set up / introduce the Mage of the Mirror quest pack to your group but they all used classic characters. There's nothing in the Elf background to suggest they are royalty, but if you plan ahead as Morcar that's easily rectified when players choose their characters (just don't lock yourself in to the Rogue being the "Rogue Heir" incase no one wants to pick him). It's a really nice component I wasn't expecting.

[@Darkreaper1982]

Good walk through explaining what you get and how the characters play. You can't always pick up the information from looking at the box on-line. I've had real problems getting this expansion as well. The on-line stores i look at either don't stock it or it's out of stock. It's shame they haven't bundled the hero's from the crowdfunding campaign into a box for others to buy. Hopefully they'll do this in the future?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Lots of places are claiming a restock will happen, so hopefully you will be able to get it soon. The bonus heroes from the crowdfunding campaign are a bit iffy. They were never advertised as being exclusive to the campaign, but Hasbro have stated since that they would not make items from the campaign available at retail because they were made for that campaign. That being said, there is nothing stopping them from doing something like creating new sculpts and art and repackaging them as a variant of the original "exclusive." That maintains any kind of explicit or implied exclusivity while also letting everyone have access to the game content. Personally, I didn't think much of any of the three bonus characters. I didn't like the sculpts and I wasn't keen on the concepts. However, if they did do some kind of retail pack for them I would almost certainly acquire them just to add them to the collection and to give those extra options to my players who might like the ideas more than I do.

[@chaosincarna]

I painted them as Drow, female in white and pink, male in black and red. They are easily identifiable and hard to notice their similar stances.

[@hunter350js]

Very nice gift! I really like all the new HeroQuest sets. Hope they keep it up. Thanks for the review!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a real joy to have a steady stream of HeroQuest content arriving in stores.

[@TheFatalT]

I really like how Avalon Hill makes the extra effort for these character sets. Definitely sets them apart from most other mini expansion sets you find. Hope you’ll get Mage of the Mirror soon, it’s really quite good. The new furniture is a nice change from the set in the core box

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I actually don't care much for the elf-themed terrain set as it's all the same stuff we already have. I mean, new dungeon terrain is always cool and useful, and it will get a lot of use, but I think there were much better ways they could have used the plastic. That expansion has stuff like NPCs, werewolves, and mirrors, all of which could have used a plastic upgrade.

[@TheFatalT]

Can’t argue there. Sometimes Avalon Hill is a bit too faithful to the original!

[@yumanoid5753]

Having played about 13 quest (mostly karak varn and return), i can say that this fellow is a brutal murder machine if supported well. You might want to get artefacts like orcterror, magical throwing dagger and the phantom dagger alternate artefact. Potions and spells that buff attack dice and/or allow rerolls are key, especially one of the fire spells is great.. I depends a bit on a supporting wizard or luck in getting the right scrolls, but if your friendly local wizard happens to have a magic ring allowing a spell to be cast twice.. So, yes, the rogue is very, very powerfull if played well in a group that excells at teamwork. Even without artefacts. He ist kinda squishy with an unbuffed max of 4ish defend dice. But he can oneshot stuff like Bellthor.

[@idristhomas8856]

Well, it sat on my shelf for a few weeks, but I have just done the first few quests of the core game solo as the Rogue... he's trying to catch up with the rest of the heroes in my gaming group who are deeper down in the dungeon. It was a lot of fun, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting some bracers. It mainly involved me opening a door and running away down corridors throwing knives over my shoulder, and swearing at the red dice ha ha. I'm looking forward to playing with the others to make full use of the skill set.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

They definitely benefit from having other heroes in play.

[@idristhomas8856]

... might be pushing it... but thinking Elven Bracers ha ha. Thank you MotM

[@patkelley8293]

I don't have any of these...yet. I really like these.

[@nickisaacs8073]

Great review, looking forward to seeing the Rouge in action

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Those one dice attacks - they're what the fumble emoji was made for!

[@HeroQuestFans]

I know what you mean about changing the schedule last second. thanks for sharing your thoughts

[@ThatAnimeSnob]

The rogue is great for flanking solo enemies, not for mobs. If you power him up with artifacts he can replace the dwarf. And it's weird to not let him use Elf only gear although he is one.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Being able to get on the other side of an enemy in a narrow corridor and then making a boosted attack on them is very powerful. But having two low-powered attacks that can be used for clearing out goblins or something is useful too. The concern is when they are facing a couple of war bears or something of that nature. Elf goes pop.

[@jeremycarnes1656]

The thing here is that modern players sometimes view HQ as though it were modern D&D. You need to look at it through an older lens if you're going to have a D&D perspective, from when there was no race/class distinction. HeroQuest might have a shiney new box and artwork containing an anime influence now, but it's an old school game with an old school approach.

[@stevepickford3004]

Orcs bane is useful on him

[@idristhomas8856]

Really great unboxing, it inspired me to get it and it's just arrived. Can I get an idea/clarity on something, and what others are doing? With ambidextrous, is it always the second attack that can't be defended? Therefore is it always the dagger that gets the free hit, not the potential for the short sword? Also, if the first hit is a miss, so doesn't need to be defended, presumably the monster can then defend the second attack? Also, it looks like you can use opportunistic and ambidextrous together and load the additional attack die on your second attack to buff the undefendable attack?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for watching. The rules for multi attacks (first introduced in the Frozen Horror expansion) is that you only get one defend roll, no matter how many attacks you face. If you don't roll against the first attack, you can roll against the second. Note that when the polar war bears attack twice using the app, they roll both their attacks at the same time and then you pick which one to defend. I don't do that. I roll the attacks one at a time and the defender has to choose to defend or wait after each attack. The rogue's abilities can stack, and you can do some really nifty combos. Just remember ambidextrous only works with daggers and shortswords (give the Rogue Heir Orc's Bane when you get the chance).

[@idristhomas8856]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring yeah seems a really nice set of skills. Now I need to decide on what rules to run for weapon swap. I know some people use swapping a weapon as a turn but I've not done that. Handy for the heir to have a stronger attack weapon he can reach for if isolated in a room on his own. Do you run any weapon swap rules?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

If you ever watch any of my solo playthroughs you will see my weapon swap rules in action. Effectively, I let a hero select any weapon they want on their turn without any "cost," but once that decision is made it is "locked in" until their next turn. For example, if I decide I want to do a big attack with a battle axe, then I am considered to be armed with the battle axe until the next time I activate, and that means I wouldn't be able to use a shield to defend myself when anyone else attacks me. HeroQuest is supposed to be a fast-paced and quite loose game. I find that if you start imposing rules that cost people their turn, the game can start to bog down and feel too stilted. That said I have found the best thing to do with the rogue is stick with dagger and Orc's Bane. I feel two or three attacks, against an enemy that only gets to block once, is generally better than a single bigger attack. You need to be careful with the Rogue though as they can't use helmets, chainmail, plate armour, or shields. You really don't want to ever have them isolated if you can help it.

[@idristhomas8856]

Ha ha, I've watched nearly all the videos, but not the walk throughs... don't want the spoilers ha ha. Really great channel. Yes that ties in with how I do swap rules too, keep it moving! Thanks again and keep up the great work!

[@idristhomas8856]

Just got rise of the dread moon... Raven's Talon Dagger is the perfect buff for the Rogue! Obviously don't throw it away, but coupled with Orcs Bane the Rogue can essentially have up to 4 attacks on a go ... with up to 8 attack dice if combined with his skills. Now we just need a magical leather helmet artifact.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I haven't had my morning coffee yet so my brain isn't running on max, but how are you getting four attacks with eight dice? Orcs Bane would be one attack, with two dice. If you are fighting orcs, you then get a second Orcs Bane attack with two dice. Then ambidextrous kicks in, and you would be able to use Raven's Talon which is another two dice attack with a reroll if you roll a black shield. One of those attacks could be boosted to three dice by opportunistic striker if you are in position.

[@idristhomas8856]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring yeah ha ha I'm also pre-coffee so may not have thought this through... I'm thinking a couple of orcs next to another hero... RC 2D RC 1D (optional extra) OB plus opportunistic 3D OB 2D

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

But how are you getting four attacks? Orc Bane gives you one bonus attack per turn against orcs, and ambidextrous gives you one bonus attack per turn, for which you could use Raven's Talon which has a built-in reroll. Three total.

[@idristhomas8856]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring yeah I'm just considering the re-roll as a cheeky "extra attack" of RC fails on the first roll. But yes, just 3 primary attacks.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ah, I see where you're coming from. I don't see rerolling one dice if you get a black shield as an extra attack. It's part of the attack you originally rolled so couldn't be used against a different target or anything like that.

[@arisntavaris4089]

Hello i would like to ask you something, so the Rogue can use Ambidextrous and Opportunistic striker together at the same time each turn ? I mean one additional attack with a dagger or a shortsword, but also together with that, one additional compat die when attacking to a monster next to a fellow hero ? 2 consecutive attacks + 2 combat dices for each attack, every turn ? also one last thing what about Warlock's Dark Wings skill card , you may use that card once per quest or once per turn ? because it doesn't mention something regarding that anywhere on that card or in the rule book of the expansion, but the heroquest App / AI zargon asks you every turn when you get attacked by an enemy monster if you like to use dark wings to escape, so from the look of it i believe that you can play that skill card every turn ?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Firstly, the Rogue can combine skills, yes. But be aware of the limitations, because it sounds like you may be using them incorrectly: Ambidextrous lets you make one free attack with a dagger once per turn, but only if your first attack was with a dagger or shortsword. Opportunistic Striker lets you add one dice to one attack once per turn, if the target is adjacent to another hero. So, with the skills combined, you are looking at one attack with a sword or dagger, followed by one attack with a dagger. You can add one dice to ONE of those attacks if the target is adjacent to another hero. You can get an extra attack by equipping the Rogue with Orc's Bane. Spells in HeroQuest are single use unless specified otherwise, so Dark Wings is discarded after use. If the app is asking you every time you are attacked, it may be because you aren't selecting to use the spell, or it isn't marking the spell as used in the app. If you could use Dark Wings every turn you would effectively be immortal, because as soon as you took damage you would zero it, and then move to a spot on the map where no other monster could reach you that turn. EDIT: I have just tested it in the app, and it does continually ask if you want to use the spell. This is possibly a glitch, or possibly because the app isn't clever enough to know if you have items that let you use a spell more than once. Regardless, spells in HeroQuest follow the standard spell rules and are single use unless you have a special way of recovering them (like Demonform).

[@SeanSidious]

Have you painted any of the new heroquest yet? Any plans to do a video series?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Haven't painted any of my new HeroQuest stuff yet. It will all get painted eventually, but I have a lot of painting projects.

[@5hogg23]

This guy is really strong in the early/mid game but I think he's going to have trouble with the harder quests because of his low defense. I think the only item he can use are the bracers, so his max Def is 3. I have him with the standard Short Sword/Dagger combo, but using Orc's Bane so its possible for him to get three attacks in specific circumstances. I also have him carrying a Battle Axe, and occasionally getting to roll 5 Attack dice using Opportunistic Striker, but he forgoes an Ambidextrous attack on those turns. He also has a Crossbow for stronger single ranged attacks.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yes, his defence is a big issue, as Avalon Hill reissued the helmet card in Rise of the Dread Moon to clarify it is metal and therefore not useable by the rogue. The rogue really needs a team around him. I was doing pretty well with him until the mission in the core game where heroes get teleported to random rooms. As soon as he was alone, he got absolutely battered and I ended up fleeing the dungeon early for fear of being totally destroyed.

[@godofzombi]

I got mine from my LGS a month and a half ago. The production value for the packaging is trough the roof. It's a bit overkill for 2 figures and a handfull of cards but I can appreciate it;

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I think that's exactly why the packaging is so lavish. It does make a very small expansion feel like something valuable or essential to your collection. It's a very clever move.

[@Learnjapanesefromsomeguy]

I really love your videos and learning about new(ish) HeroQuest content, but something that I am surprised by is how often people in the board game community use the plural "dice" when they should say "die."

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm from the UK. Dice is both the singular and the plural here.

[@Learnjapanesefromsomeguy]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Is that right? Wow, that's interesting. I actually wish we in the States would make that change. Everyone just says "dice" for singular and plural here most of the time anyway. Maybe we can do away with "whom" while we're at it. Thanks for info. Cheers!

[@bgears2000]

Ah! My rogue arrived today. Although I can’t see myself using them for a while - I want to work through campaign and expansions with the original 4 first.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I have a very soft spot for the original four.

[@PincheHugo_130]

I just got my rogue copy and the frozen horror both this week. I get mine though GameStop, a video game store that now sales boardgames too, lol I had no idea, and they take preorders so you always azure one for yoir self....Also, their prices are as low as possible and they have sales every now and then too, on "ALL" products. I rescued D&D Monopoly for $20 in the Black Friday sale this year....I'm glad I waited on buying it from Ebay at around $70.....but again I had no idea these guys sold all types of games and stuff, so glad I stumbled on this bit of info 😀 CHEERS!!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Well my two preorders of the Rogue Heir didn't assure me of anything! Glad you are keeping up with the expansions and have found somewhere in your territory that is reliable.

[@PincheHugo_130]

On a side note, I also picked up The Witcher Adventure Boardgame, and it's different from any other game I've ever played. I've had so much fun with it, it comes with minatures and figured it would be a dungeon crawler, but NOPE!! LOL it's more like a fetch quest and race to the finish line while evading bad luck and monsters jeje I just want to say I highly recommend it 👍

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm assuming that's the old Witcher game from 2014 you are talking about, which reminded me a bit of the old World of Warcraft Adventure Game? It got quite a poor reception at the time. Surprisingly it's by Ignacy Trzewiczek (I had to look up the spelling for that one!); not the sort of game he usually does.

[@PincheHugo_130]

I'm sure the poor reception was due to the game being just different and new to everyone, and maybe just wasn't given a chance all to begin with.....I gave it it 3 chances lol and as soon as I understood how to play the game, I was amazed 😀

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It didn't really seem much different to games like Prophecy, Return of the Heroes, and the World of Warcraft Adventure Game to me, but it's great that you have found a game you love. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about a game you like as long as you like it. Heck, I love Dark Souls, which many people are very vocally negative about.

[@KennethWhiteakaruckusbringa]

Cool man thx for the impromptu unboxing. I have this and the wondering monk. I dont have the gaurdian knight however

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks for checking it out.

[@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetwork]

I wish these guys were compatible with the Elf stuff. I'd love to finally give them a play in Mage of the Mirror, but obviously it needs to be an Elf there.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yes the Rogue Heir doesn’t count as an “elf” in that sense, but you could still swap out a hero from the group missions to use the rogue heir.

[@whiterabbit2029]

I'm receiving the rogue and frozen horror on Sunday! Kinda hyped about it.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Frozen Horror is a great expansion. The campaign is very tough, but the expansion has some excellent new stuff in it.

[@mackbolan1733]

Thanks for the video and break down. I'm happy with my set, although I still haven't actually used them in a game yet.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. I'm not sure when I will use the rogue either, as I am a bit of a traditionalist and love the dynamic of the original team.

[@misomiso8228]

10:56 how does the dwarf power up? Are there any additional rules since the original? Ty

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Heroes in HeroQuest only really power up by getting new equipment. Dwarfs don't have any weapon restrictions so they will end up with a higher attack and defend value than the rogue, while also being more consistent with traps. However, having played a campaign where the rogue subbed for the dwarf I have decided I do think the rogue heir is probably best replacing the dwarf rather than the elf, although he has a very different fighting style. This is especially true as the barbarian and the elf both get some race-specific items in Frozen Horror and Mage of the Mirror respectively.

[@Priamus07]

Id love to see them tackle the bretonnian questing knight expansion. Its the only original hero quest model I have still in its prime. And compare them

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

The questing knight was from Warhammer Quest. HeroQuest never had a Bretonnian character. As Hasbro have already done the guardian knight I'm not sure they would come up with a different knight character now.

[@Priamus07]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring oh my bad im a complete nonse thanks tho

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

It's a shame the guardian knight wasn't more readily available as it did do all that knightly stuff that you would probably like - wasn't penalised for wearing heavy armour, and had chivalrous skills that allowed him to defend weaker allies. The hope is that they will bring the character back (or a similar character) in a slightly different format that isn't limited. Perhaps the forthcoming Dread Moon will have some kind of solution in it.

[@nickgraney2119]

Having just purchased this stunningly packaged minature, along with the Mage in the Mirror expqnsion, i wanted to ask you if you had painted the Rogue along with the Mage exoansion minature contents?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Alas, I haven't painted a single thing from Avalon Hill's new edition of HeroQuest. I just have too many other projects to get through first.

[@nickgraney2119]

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Im on the fence on whether to paint the expansion minis with them being in different plastics. Time will tell after a few games (finished painting the base game last week, proud amateur painter moment for me). Have I dreamt this or have I I seen Shadows of Brimstone in a photo you shared at some point joining your collection?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I did indeed recently get a copy of Shadows of Brimstone. Haven’t played it much but I really enjoy it. I play as the US Marshal. He’s tanky, and has good leadership skills. He also has a shotgun.

[@nickgraney2119]

@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring shotguns kinda help haha! Love the description 😀 Starting to get into SOB myself, just had Gates of Valhalla delivered and waiting on an Anchients starter coming also. I really like the look of SOB, it seems WHQ95 'esk' in quite a few ways, and completely nuts in the rest. Hope to see some coverage on your channel at some point 👍

[@needfoolthings]

These are two of most static dynamic stances I've ever seen in miniatures.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I don't recall saying they were particularly dynamic. They have enough movement to get a sense of the characters - the flow in the coats, for example - but the range of motion is limited enough that they don't spill out of their spaces on the board too much, which is a risk when things get too dynamic. So I think they are quite well balanced in that regard, between having interesting poses and being functional in a game. The throwing daggers are ridiculously oversized, though.

[@needfoolthings]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I didn't say you said they were dynamic. But the sculptor wanted to convey that. He failed, in my opinion. I think the miniatures are - with a great wide distance - the weakest aspect of the new version of HQ.

[@hillardoesquier2970]

Really sad that it is only avaible in english. My game and expansions are in german, so I really hoped they would also translate the character pack. I don't really want to mix languages in my game, but was really excided for a new character.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

That is a shame.

[@danielkochis5133]

I think you have to buy the bandolier. Where do you see that the rogue begins with that item?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Back of the character card. The extra characters always come with all of the cards that are included with them.

[@davidbielsa5188]

It doesnt make sense that the rogue begins with the bandolier. What is the price of 300 gold then for?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@davidbielsa5188 In case you lose it and have to buy it again.

[@HivisoftheScale]

Ah! I really like the packaging. Very regal and pretty..! Not sure how the game element will do... My crowd-funded Druid and Warlock nearly broke the game I started at my local gaming store...

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I didn't back the crowdfunding campaign and although I know the rules for the bonus characters and could easily proxy them in, I've never bothered. Would be interested to know why you think they broke your campaign. I think the Rogue Heir might have a different problem, as it feels like they have a natural cap to their ability. They can't equip much armour, and their abilities only work with a shortsword and dagger, so it seems like they might reach a point where they don't really have anywhere left to go, and that might happen a lot sooner than it would for a character like the barbarian.

[@HivisoftheScale]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Alas the Warlock was both mildly OP by having a regular 3 attack dice at range from the beginning, as long as she keeps a good distance from the party. However she also had a built in flaw of only being able to equip like the Wizard, and as we already had a wizard in our party, poor little miss Warlock remained stagnant the entire campaign. Not really improving, nor getting worse. I could tell the player running her was getting bored and frustrated. As for the Druid, she can not wear chain mail or plate, but she can use a Battle Axe. As long as she is in Bear Form that gives her 5 attack dice and 5 defense dice (Helmet, Bracers)! with two healing spells to ensure that if she ever drops below max health, she can just jump back up! I can appreciate what they were trying to do, but I think in hindsight they may have made those two a little too strong...

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

So you replaced a barbarian with a bearbearian? I'll get my coat...

[@HivisoftheScale]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Ha! Nice!

[@1000jjwalker]

These are my favorite minis in the game thus far.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

They are nice, but I'm not keen on those oversized daggers. I still prefer the polar war bears and the Frozen Horror.

[@1000jjwalker]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring your not wrong on that. but its relatively a small part of a dynamic mini. its far more compelling than some of those past minis

[@coryledgerwood2640]

Great video. Thanks for the advise on the other video as well.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Thanks. You're welcome. I hope you manage to find a character your friend will like.

[@coryledgerwood2640]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring well so far the rouge is pretty enticing .

[@davidbielsa5188]

Would not the wizard get access to all 12 spells if the elf is not in the party?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

No, the wizard only ever gets 9 spells. This is the case even if you have the original elf but they are using the specific elf spells from the Mage of the Mirror expansion.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

If I had new HeroQuest, I'd be The Rogue Heir and the Barbarian. The Rogue Heir of Elethorn is the Daemon Targareyn of HeroQuest.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I play as the Rogue Heir myself. It's a very cool character. However, that's only until the knight arrives.

[@CasualPooper]

Waitinf for the monk set

[@marvart]

You had me at tentacles! Ordered from an Amazonian for $12

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

That's a great price... but I don't remember any tentacles...?

[@davidbielsa5188]

Can you attack an adjacent monster with a shortsword and then throw a dagger to another monster who is adjacent to an ally for a total of 4 combat dice?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

You can combine your special abilities any way you like as long as you are adhering to the specific rules on the cards. For example, if you have an ally fighting a monster through a doorway, you could use Combat Mobility to move through the monster into the room, then attack it with a shortsword with two combat dice, then use Ambidextrous in conjunction with Opportunistic Striker to attack that monster again with a dagger for a two-dice attack it cannot defend against.

[@davidbielsa5188]

Thanks for your comment. To be sure, the answer to my question is "yes"?

[@pst5345]

the miniatures' quality improved from product to product. I don't like the combat rules, though. Monsters are glass cannons as is no need to give them only 1 parade.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yes, they have changed their production methods since the core game, and it shows. I think the "glass cannon" thing is true for some monsters, once the heroes are tooled up, but stuff like mummies and dread warriors normally take a concerted effort to take down, and once you get to war bears, yetis, and ogres the challenge of the monsters ramps up significantly.

[@Malcadon]

Substitute the Rouge for the Elf. Besides what is stated above, Dwarf is batter at disarming traps -- a 5-in-6 chance to disarm instead of a 3-in-6. As for turn order... That is a whole other can of worms, as going last has its own set of advantages, and turn order in HeroQuest should not be fixed at it is.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

In my video on HeroQuest house rules I talked about the issues with fixed turn order and suggested some alternatives. This video is assuming people are using the fixed turn order from the rules.

[@ronkhoo]

6:19 Doesn't the rogue start with a dagger and not a bandolier? says so on the card...

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

He starts with the bandolier, it's an essential part of his kit and gameplay. The front only lists the starting weapon, the back of the card lists additional information.

[@ronkhoo]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thanks for your reply, appreciate the clarification!

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@ronkhoo You're welcome.

[@donovanharvey4828]

So if you start with the character and haven't enough gold for the bandolier, considering your starting weapon is a dagger (i guess you have to buy a shortsword), that means you can't throw it or you lose it? Not sure if I'm reading it right.

[@donovanharvey4828]

Not to worry, just noticed on the back of the card that it states "equipped with your trusty bandolier" didn't notice that at first glance.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@donovanharvey4828 Yeah, it’s not particularly clear but you start the game with all of the cards that come with the character.

[@donovanharvey4828]

@Always Board Never Boring looking forward to using him/her. Recieved my mage of the mirror earlier this week. Did you snag a copy? If so will you be doing an unboxing?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@donovanharvey4828 I did preorder Mage of the Mirror, but my copy hasn't arrived yet. When it does it will get the same treatment as I gave The Frozen Horror. There will be a third solo playthrough of The Frozen Horror going up on the channel before I move on to Mage of the Mirror anyway.

[@donovanharvey4828]

Look forward to it. In the meantime I'll have to check out your frozen horror content. Think I've watched the first but not the second mission playthrough.

[@coolgreek79]

Finally!!!! You got it

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Can't believe how much trouble I had getting this. Especially as I had to rely on the kindness of strangers!

[@TalkingAboutGames]

I am quite impressed with this character, but it's definitely difficult to find; just the other day, I saw it in Amazon, and while I was taking a look at it, it sold out! 😂 It looks slightly overpowered, but I guess that it's inability to equip metal armor and weapon restrictions, still keeps the Dwarf as a good secondary tank, not to mention that the Dwarf still has an easier time disarming traps. And the new multiple attack rules, make weapons such as the Orc's Bane not so useless anymore 👌 I am still undecided if it should activate first or second 🤔, since it would definitely be a good idea to have 2 or 3 caracters as back up, in case the Rogue misses; it's also quite thematic, with the Rogue moving ahead a bit, as the scout of the group: "What's behind door number one? Orcs! What, I missed?! Barbarian, get in here!"

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I would definitely move the rogue late in the turn. Their opportunistic striker ability requires another hero to be adjacent to the target, and they are the only hero that can move through enemies, so really they are designed for landing the killing blow on tougher enemies that the other heroes have already softened up, or to clean up stragglers at range. If you move them first, and use them to scout ahead, I feel like you will rarely get to use opportunistic striker. Also, as they can disarm traps it would generally make sense for other heroes to move before them to do the trap search.

[@TalkingAboutGames]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring True, that makes sense 👍

[@L.O.S.T.YOUnited]

🗡️ 🤗 🔝 🥰 🆒 😉 🗡️

[@ForrestFox]

Without having tested it yet, I believe Rogue is perfect for a fifth player. Just bump up the monsters in the app to balance it out a bit :)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm still not sure about adding a fifth hero. I think HeroQuest gets quite crowded as it is and having five heroes tripping over each other would be a bit much. Also, the cramped conditions often mean that even if you bump the number of monsters it doesn't make much difference because they still can't get into a position to fight effectively. However, the Rogue Heir is a perfect choice for the new Rise of the Dread Moon expansion. They are custom built for the new disguise mechanism.

[@ForrestFox]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Hm, think you got a point there about getting crowded for the monsters. At least if you use the APP (monsters can easily be outplayed in the app. But the fifth hero would probably be fun if there is a player who plays as Zargon.) My team that I play with often end up spreading out, so a fifth hero would only mean one group has three heroes while the other group only two. If a sixth player is playing as Zargon, then those monsters can really shine by spreading and not getting locked in doorways etc.

[@imalive4u169]

The Rogue isn't a hero for a beginner. I've compared the Rogue against the four heroes and it falls between the Elf and Wizard. Of course the Wizard isn't really a hero for a beginner as well. The Rogue skills make him/her valuable but the lack of defense and Body Points is a problem with this hero. The ambidextrous skill permits two attacks a turn which in my opinion is the Rogue's strangest asset. The sneak attack which adds an additional combat dice with an attack when adjacent with another hero only works with one of the attacks. And the skill to pass through monsters is a permanent Veil of Mist spell which can be handy at times. Also like the Elf having 4 Mind Points isn't bad at all. Now time for the cons the Rogue has a weak defense besides the 2 natural defense that all the heroes get there is very little room for improvement he/she will have a defense equal to the Wizard. Basically the Rogue cannot wear Chain Mail or Plate Mail armor but they can wear Bracers and wear a helmet. And the Rogue cannot equip a Shield. As for their Body Points it's in between the Elf and Wizard at 5 Body Points. If you were to ask me I would say that the Elf is a better hero for a beginner. The Elf can wear any type of armors and equip a shield. And the Elf can cast some spells on top of this which makes him/her a better choice for a beginner. The thing about daggers they are relatively weak weapons only worth one combat dice. Having an unlimited supply with the bandolier is nice but what is disappointing is the Rogue's disarm traps in which the Dwarf is much more proficient at doing. Basically if you play like me I don't use the red dice for movement. Instead the base hero movement is 6 spaces unless a hero is wearing the heavy Plate Mail in which their movement is 5 spaces. I would match the Rogue's movement with the Scout from The Frozen Horror at 9 spaces to balance this hero out.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Sounds like we are saying pretty much the same things about this character, so I guess we feel similarly about it.

[@killratty1670]

Are you going to look in to heroquest rise of the blood moon?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm collecting each retail expansion as it comes out. Still waiting on Mage of the Mirror and will order Rise of the Dread Moon when that gets released a little later in the year.

[@killratty1670]

I stand corrected it's rise of the dread moon

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Not to worry. I knew what you meant.

[@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetwork]

What's Rise of the Dread Moon?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@TokuAndAnimationNewsNetwork Rise of the Dread Moon is the forthcoming expansion bringing back the guardian knight.

[@Mailed-Knight]

What a cool guy, great vid.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Vincent is indeed super cool. Thanks for watching.

[@ikigaijuegosdemesa]

Fantástico 😃👍!!

[@timd4524]

They put it under Avalon Hill...weird.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

All of HeroQuest is under Avalon Hill. Avalon Hill are dealing with a whole bunch of hobby games like this for Hasbro.

[@TortleTalk]

For original heroquest, I made an xp system and each hero got 3 'Heroic Ability' cards that they unlocked and could upgrade with xp. Ironically the wizard got a card called 'ambidextrous' (cast a spell and attack with 1 die on the same turn), And a once per quest hidden throwing dagger card. I'm laughing at how close my ideas where to the rogue :p For the record, the wizard's last heroic ability was 'Mind guard' which let him use his mind score to determine his defend dice once per quest.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

That's funny. I think that mind shield idea would be good if they did some kind of psychic or illusionist down the line.

[@TortleTalk]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring The idea behind it was to potentially help the wizard from getting 1 shot by one big attack, meaning that player is out of the game due to a bad roll lol. That said, even with 6 dice from his mind score, he still rolls only 2 white shields on average. It also gave mind points slightly more of a roll, since in the base heroquest they are largely unused. I'm currently writing up a campaign for the new version of HQ which will use similar rules. I always found the best thing about heroquest (tm) was the ability to easily build upon the framework it sets.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah, the original UK version of the game even has a note in the rules that Mind points are not used in the core game and will become relevant in expansions. The US version of the rules that allows a hero to drink a potion after taking a dirt nap is very beneficial for the wizard!

[@danielwilliamson6180]

5:24 Looks more like a sword.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Yeah, the throwing knives are way too big. Maybe they couldn't get the miniatures to read correctly with smaller blades, so they ended up over-exaggerating them.

[@johnmiddleton4291]

The outfits on the cards don't seem very roguey, or roguelike, if you will. Maybe they were going for the old Warcraft meme where all blood elves are female, even the male one.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm wondering if there was some kind of miscommunication. The character is supposed to be royal, but has fled their responsibilities - they have "gone rogue" - hence they are the "rogue heir." Then someone had to come up with some rules, and went, "Oh, a rogue. I know how to do that."

[@johnmiddleton4291]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Shouldn't the male have red hair then?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@johnmiddleton4291 The rouge hair?

[@EnDungeoned]

The multiple attacks rule is really broken

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

I'm generally fine with it, as the defender gets to pick which attack to defend, so if the attacker fluffs the first roll the defender doesn't have to waste their roll. It sucks when the war bears get two good rolls though.

[@EnDungeoned]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring For me it's that you get to defend against each separate attack from from individual opponents, but can't defend multiple attacks from a single creature, it doesn't make sense. I've house ruled that every attack roll gets an opposing defend roll - keeps things consistent :)

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

@@EnDungeoned I think you really need to think of the attacks happening at the same time rather than one after the other (or in incredibly rapid succession from an opponent skilled in using multiple weapons at once). If you are defending a sword swing, you are less likely to be able to deflect the secret dagger strike from the attacker's off-hand. That sort of thing. I like that there are occasional opportunities to bypass really high armour values and it adds something a little extra to think about in the combats.

[@EnDungeoned]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Yea, but wouldn't that apply (more so even) to multiple opponents attacking from multiple directions. It's just not consistent 😕

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Or you can think of it as two consecutive swings that come so quickly they can break through the defences, or a much more skilled fighter better equipped to get through the defences than a horde of lackeys, or a surprise, unexpected follow-up attack which comes so fast the defender can't anticipate it. It's even easier to imagine when the attacks from different enemies are coming after they have moved, as you can imagine them getting into position rather than all swinging at the same time, giving the defender vital seconds to react. But the end of the day it's a special rule designed to give certain characters an advantage in some situations. I personally think if you take the unblockable attack away the Rogue gets a serious nerf, as they only get to do multiple attacks with a shortsword and dagger or two daggers, which can be pretty weak if they can't also make use of opportunistic striker.

[@justinstuart8382]

I don't understand the point in the ambidextrous attribute. Obviously this is a given throughout the game and doesn't change as you start with the card anyway. It seems pointless as they may as well have just put attack dice up to 2 on the Hero stats card. Who would throw 1 D6 when attacking when you can always throw 2.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Ambidextrous lets you make a second attack using a dagger, after attacking with a dagger or shortsword. So you could hit something twice (bearing in mind the second attack would bypass the target's defence roll) or else you could attack two different enemies - throw a dagger at two separate goblins, for example. It's a really useful skill.

[@justinstuart8382]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I see so they can't defend against the 2nd attack?

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

In HeroQuest, if you take multiple attacks from a single source at one time, you can only defend one of those attacks. It's like when a polar war bear attacks a hero twice in a single turn in Frozen Horror - the hero can only defend one of the attacks. The Rogue Heir can pull off some really nifty combos, like sneaking through a monster who is already engaged in combat, attacking that monster with a shortsword with two dice, and then using opportunistic strike in conjunction with ambidextrous to make a two dice dagger attack that bypasses defence on the same monster.

[@justinstuart8382]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring thank you for clearing that up. I had Heroquest as a child and recently purchased the new version not something I've been into for 30 years but trying to get my youngest Son interested whom has Autism. I need to read up on my gaming lore I think 😁

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

HeroQuest is a great game to play with the family. I hope you are your son have a blast with it.

[@RedBird77]

Let the gender virtue signaling begin . Sigh.

[@allenstark9260]

That was awesome of him, I had similer issues and ended up buying mine on ebay after the last delay with zavvi, really liked it

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Considering there has been no real issue with any of the main expansions, it's weird that these character packs have been much harder to get. I think a lot of it might have been scalpers jumping on them after the issues fans had getting the Guardian Knight expansion, which really was a limited item.

[@allenstark9260]

@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring i ended up paying £1 more than the price I had preordered at. Which was awesome, my only downside right now with heroquest in general is that mage in the mirror just arrived and I haven't finished painting the frozen horror yet... Or finished painting altar quest yet either which I managed to get for a reasonable price recently.

[@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring]

Well, on the plus side, that's a nice problem to have as my Mage of the Mirror hasn't even been dispatched yet. I find ordering HeroQuest products is like choosing a line at the grocery store. No matter which line I jump onto, it ends up being the one that moves the slowest.