Heroquest: Spirit Queen's Torment - Hasbro/Avalon Hill

 

I have been slowly purchasing and painting my way through all of Hasbro/Avalon Hills dungeon delving boardgame; Heroquest.  Faithful readers will know I have also been playing through a solo-campaign as well.  

Today, I will be looking at the small expansion Spirit Queen's Torment: 

Wow, take a look at that snazzy cover.  That is some impressive looking box art!  This is a Quest Pack similar in size to Kellar's Keep or Return of the Witchlord.  However, unlike those other packs I am pretty sure this is all new content!  It is not a reprint! 

This box comes with a few things.  The main draw is that it has a bunch of new miniatures, that are variant sculpts of some core monsters.  However, since they are all spirits they are cast in a transparent blue-green plastic.  There is also a few new cards, some ghostly looking combat dice, and a new Quest pack!  Of course, the big draw is a new Hero to add to your Hall of Heroes!   So, grab your broadsword, prepare Fires of Wrath, and let's delve into this Quest!  

Things I Liked

I was pretty excited for the variant sculpts in this package.  I like getting extra monsters and I liked that they look different from the original sets.  However, I was torn about how to paint them.  Should I just prime them and paint them up like regular versions of the OG models, or should I lean in and paint them all ghostly and spirit-like?  I am leaning towards just the regular look to boost my variety BUT I do like the idea of painting them all ghostly.  What do you think?  

You get variant sculpts of the skeleton, an Orc with a two-handed hammer, a female zombie, abominations, goblins, female mummies, a Dread Warrior, and a female Dread Sorcerer.  I like some of these variants more than others.  I really like the new Skeleton with sword and board and think those could make some excellent mini-boss minis for Return of the Witchlord.  The Orc with the two-handed Hammer is also super cool and full of character.  I am also a big fan of the Sword and Board Dread Warrior as he looks very dynamic.  The Female Dread Wizard is also super sweet!  The rest are fine, but do not stand-out beyond the OG enemies in the core box.      

I am always happy to add a new Hero to the mix.  I know some people give the Bard gak because he is an Orc and because he is a Bard, but I think the two combined really puts some people off.  Sure, I would have liked a more "traditional" Bard model too.  Those are available from Reaper and Wizkids if you want I guess.  

However, the bard makes a statement that not all Orcs fight for Zargon and are trying to sidestep that whole silly debate about inherently evil races in games.  A topic I have no interest in getting into either. 

If you look at the abilities of the Bard, he is an interesting cat.  First off, he has three spells that he can cast, a sleep spell, a boost spell, and a healing spell.  The main benefit of the Healing spell is that it impacts all the models within the room!  Statswise, he is no great shakes.  I would class him as an elf-alternate as he is not that tanky or that stabby.  It is his special abilities that set him apart from the other Hero concepts, and even those are a bit of existing spells slightly re-jigged for the Bard.  Many people overlook his Rapier though, which is two attack dice that can be used Diagonally.  This makes his a pretty powerful support unit.  I am glad to have a new Hero type.   

Things I Do Not Like

Let's talk a bit about the Quest.  Overall, I like the new Quest.  It takes the characters through a few different locations and has 12 new adventures.  Some of these take place in a sunken temple, which is a super cool idea!  However, the main challenge of fighting in water is quickly overcome; first by an enchantment and secondly by quickly finding magic items that remove the danger of underwater combat.  I am sad that they did not do more with this amazing concept.  

I also really like a concept in the final battle where you can either defeat the Spirit Queen in combat OR break the enchantment Zargon has over her.  Great idea.  However, in the end it doesn't really matter too much if you beat the Spirit Queen to death with a stick or help her break her brainwashing.  The result is the same game wise.  I think a greater reward for breaking the enchantment would be cooler, since that is a harder option and one that feels much more "heroic".  

This Quest also looks like it was written before the rules for Mind Points and Shock were formalized in other Quest Packs.  Therefore, there are some levels of the Quest with an emphasis on Mind Points being attacked and whittled away but it is never really clear what happens.  I think the assumption in this Quest is that 0 Mind points = Dead.  However, Shock rules from later Quest Packs just reduce a hero to 1 Attack, 2 Defense dice instead.  I think there maybe a level or two where only Mind Points are targeted so Zargon will have to decide if 0 Mind Points = Dead or just in Shock.  

Finally, there is a pair of "good" orc NPCs in the Quest.  One is a scout sent ahead and makes sense.  I mean not all Orcs are evil or work for Zargon.  This guy is just from an allied orc tribe or something.  However, the turncoat Orc guard is a tougher nut to crack.  At one point in a quest, you have to search  out this turncoat Orc to progress, but they are just another Orc. The Heroes might just kill them outright accidentally, and that leads the Quest into a bit of an odd place.  Plus, how many of the other Orcs you have slaughtered are actually decent folks just conscripted into Zargon's army?  Best not to dwell on it friend, because that way leads to insanity! 

Again, I am overall happy for the Quests and like what they have done with the story overall; but there are a few niggling details that keep getting in my way so I can not LOVE IT! 

I am pretty sure, this Quest Pack was designed to make use of the contents of the Core box and not add a lot of new stuff.  The new Magic cards are repeats of ones that are all ready available for the most part.  

Meh and Other Uncertainties    

The greenish- translucent dice are cool!  More dice are fun so each player can have their own set.  I think I have three sets now?  Core, First Light, and these?   I need two more sets.  I think the Prophecy of Telor has another set, but I do not recall more being in Frozen Horror or Jungles of Delthrak.  I am sure someone can correct me if I am wrong.  

I am not 100% sure where this fits in with the overall story line of Heroquest.  Should you play it after Kellar's Keep, Return of the Witchlord., and before Mage in the Mirror or Rise of the Dread Moon?  Where does Against the Ogres fit in?  I am not 100% sure but I am 100% sure that there are a lot of different opinions on the topic online.  I see a situation where after the Core set, the players have to choose between Kellar's Keep or Return of the Witchlord., then when they complete their choice get to choose between this and Prophecy of Telor, then go onto Mage, Ogre, or Frozen Horror.    

I am pretty confident, this quest was designed to make use of what was in the Core box and not expand too much from there.  In the Quest itself, it asks you to use Gargoyle or other Core models to represent things in the quest.  For example, the Spirit Queen is recommended to use a Gargoyle model.  However, this set has a really cool Female Dread Wizard that would be a great Model for the Spirit Queen!  In addition, there are not really any new magical items or board tiles.  For a small expansion that is fine, but definitely demonstrates why there are small and large expansions in this range.  

When I picked this up, I also got Rise of the Dread Moon so I am sure I will be reviewing that soon too.  Keep your eyes on this space for when that drops.  I will also probably have a post about painting the contents of this box up later next year too.  Once I decide how I want to paint them up that is.  

Until next time! 

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