Exploring HeroQuest: First Light
In my previous post I unboxed the contents of the new Target exclusive edition of the HeroQuest Game System, First Light. This is not an expansion of the game, but a stand alone, somewhat independent introductory version at a much lower price (less than half the cost of the standard set). If you're familiar with HeroQuest, you know that the rules themselves are not the game- it requires a collection of adventures, called quests, which combine into a full mini-campaign, typically with an overarching story behind it all. First Light thus also includes its own First Light Quest Book, an entirely new collection of adventures different from the ones included with the standard HeroQuest set or the expansions.
Unfortunately, it's not really possible to review any quest collection in great detail without risking revealing the secrets and surprises of the quest— and I will not do so here. But I can offer some general impressions, note quirks different from the main game set, and report on how the quest feels as a player.
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| A peak inside the covers— rulebook on the left, First Light Quest Book on the right. And, spoiler, you will be fighting the Dragon. But you probably guessed that, so not much of a spoiler. |
A few minor rule notes:
The Dwarf's Weapon Dilemma: Only one rule change is mentioned in the rulebook itself. Unfortunately, it happens to be incomplete. The original game gives the Dwarf hero a "Shortsword" as his starting weapon, which allows the Dwarf to roll two dice in combat. First Light changes this starting weapon to a "Hand Axe," which better fits the miniature included (in either set). The Hand Axe also grants two attack dice, but it can also be thrown at a distant target as a two dice attack. However, once thrown the Hand Axe is lost... and that's where the incompleteness comes in. Nowhere do the rules explain what happens to a hero who no longer has a weapon for combat. The book is utterly silent on this manner. Which leaves the possibility that either the Dwarf can no longer attack, or he can still attack at 2 dice because his card says he can, or something else is going on.
Now, if you have the standard HeroQuest set, you will learn in that game's quest book that a hero who has no weapon always rolls one die for an attack (this becomes important about halfway through that quest book).
But First Light has no such rule mentioned in its quest book, and no quest where the matter becomes obviously significant. So the purchasers and players of First Light will be left to derive the answer to the situation themselves, without aid from either rulebook or quest book.
Pass It Around: In the main set, the rule book is a little unclear about whether objects may be shared among the Heroes, or how or when it may be done. Only “artifacts” and “potions” are specifically mentioned as being shareable, but where the Heroes have to be located to share such things isn’t covered. Fortunately, the creators of HeroQuest appear to have realized this oversight, and clarified both in the First Light rulebook and the quest book that any item may be shared— even equipment— but only when two heroes are adjacent to each other, and neither may also be adjacent to a monster. While this not noted as a change in the rules, it is at least a much needed clarification!
A Break in the Search Rules: In the standard game, and in the First Light rulebook, the location of a Hero when searching a chamber for treasure, traps, or secret doors has no bearing on what they find or don't find. The Hero is assumed to have explored the room in detail, and the Zargon player must reveal the treasure, trap or secret door mentioned in the quest book, if any.
However, in the First Light Quest Book, this pattern is broken. In the very first quest, the players are told they need to search certain objects they will find for specific clues. But the quest book does not alert the players that their Hero will have to be adjacent to the object on the board to search it. A latter quest does the same thing, for entirely different objects— indeed, for objects commonly considered searched even if the Hero is located on the opposite side of the room. This to me is bad design— the players must know if the rules have changed, and there is nothing about either quest to indicate that they have. It’s possible for the Zargon player to realize this and inform the players of the change, or simply assume that any search is “adjacent” to an object, whether the Hero’s figure is or not.
Fire Feels Good: Finally, a new concept is added to the game— the “Healing Hearth.” Essentially, in any room with a fireplace, a Hero who searches in the room for treasure may opt to either draw a Treasure card (assuming no special treasures are present), OR heal 1 lost Body Point. Each Hero may do this once in the same room. Of course, if all heroes choose to heal, then all Heroes have given up their chance to search the room for Treasure cards. Granted, this is a clever thing to do with the fireplace, and a nice if minor boon for the Heroes mid-adventure, but the questbook also offered the Healing Hearth effect every time a fireplace appears, which begins to feel a little less mysterious and special.
Cabinets Hold More Stuff: The First Light Quest Book also introduces a "Sly Storage" rule— when searching a room with a cabinet, the first searching player may draw two Treasure cards and resolve both of them (assuming no special treasures are listed for the room). Of course, one or both cards could be Wandering Monsters or Hazards, which makes this a somewhat dubious “bonus.”
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Li’l ‘Zilla loves being Zargon. And yes, this is an early quest, using the flipside “cavern” map, complete with “Portals.” Be careful where you step through! (And that’s the only visual clue you get in this review)
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So, Other Than That, How Was the Play?
Good Quests, Buggy App: I used the HeroQuest Companion App for playing and reviewing this questbook. (If you’re new to HeroQuest, the App is not required to play; it just gives everyone a chance to play as Heroes with the App taking over the role of Zargon.) Unfortunately, there were a few bugs involved, as some unusual rules kicked in for certain quests, which the Companion App handled poorly. In one case, the app stacked more than one figure in a single square, which neither the rules or the physical nature of the game allow. This was clearly a programming error— hopefully Avalon Hill will address it soon. There was also a special situation where Dread magic was supposed to make certain monsters less vulnerable and more dangerous— but instead, the Companion App wound up freezing these monsters in place— they didn’t attack, but they wound up blocking passage until a lucky die roll allowed them to be permanently eliminated. (I finally got frustrated enough to just declare a die success for each incident of this, as otherwise the effect did nothing but slow the game down.) But these were problems with the app, not the quests.
Happy (and Challenging) Adventuring: App frustrations aside, this is a fairly ingenious campaign. The story is interesting, and there are some curious bits which occur that aren’t fully resolved by the quest, but are linked to other elements in the standard set’s quest book— essentially, this campaign takes place roughly along-side the events in the standard set quest book, and is assumed to involve a different group of heroes (despite having the same makeup of Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf and Wizard). The challenges are solid, and experienced players won’t be disappointed in the variety of what happens.
Nothing Comes Easy: What this quest isn’t, however, is an easy beginning for novice young players. Unlike the standard games’ quests, there is no “introductory” adventure (as difficult as that one— “The Trial”— actually is). This one starts off from the getgo with traps, trickery and tough battles, as well as quest goals that must be fully completed, and might not be if players don’t make the right choices in certain situations. Inexperienced players may therefore find this set a rough start— but then, learning how easy it is for Heroes to fail (and outright die) isn’t a bad thing. The best game should be a challenge, and this one was for me. My advice for either the experienced or budding novice Zargon is to know the rules well, and give the players a break on the above-mentioned searching oddities— or at least remind them that the Heroes should be searching for crucial information, possibly in unique conditions.
So, to sum up, First Light offers a well-done quest series, but with some challenging oddities that might be harder for beginners than is ideal in a starter set. Unfortunately, the Companion App doesn’t rise to the challenge of these oddities, either. But that latter shouldn’t stop you from picking up and enjoying the First Light game with friends and family.
L’il ‘Zilla says Five Atomic Breaths.
— Parzival
