Review Detail
Beware... Addictive Game Lurks Near
Rating
5.0
After a 10 year hiatus from any form of gaming, I fell off the wagon after I purchased the original master set from a local department store. Heroscape has become one of my favourite games and has been the cause of much fervour amongst thousands of gamers around the world.
What you need to know: (Good or bad? You decide...)
- The ruleset and gameplay is relatively simple and dice driven.
- There is a background story to the game, but the story is not supported well by the game.
- There really is no set playing time but my guide would be 30 mins to 3 hours excluding set up time. It depends entirely on the size of your army.
- The armies and heroes are drawn from a patchwork quilt of genres both historical and fantastical.
- The strength and weaknesses of the armies vary greatly but the game is nevertheless quite well balanced.
- The plastic miniatures are of excellent quality and come prepainted.
- The landscape is Lego-like in concept allowing for customised battlefields limited only by your imagination (and size of your collection).
- The plastic landscape is durable and there is a great variety to choose from.
- The 3D battlefields look drop-dead gorgeous when set up and are guaranteed to draw people's attention.
- Setup time can vary depending on the complexity of your battlefield, but is largely considered to be a labour of love by fans of the game.
- There is a large number of expansions for the game and with the expansions, the game truly shines.
- Most of the earlier expansions are now out of print (rumours of reprints abound).
- Distribution outside of the U.S. is poor and it can be a costly exercise building up your collection.
- There is an excellent and dedicated online community supporting the game.
- There is a growing tournament scene in the U.S.
Is this a kid's game?
The game was marketed at kids but has proved unexpectedly popular with a large number of older gamers and for a multitude of reasons. The rights to the game were recently acquired by WOTC and I think the marketed demographic may change as a result. I wouldn't describe it as a kid's game. I would describe it as a relaxed and fun game. Serious, fun-loving murderers need not apply.
What you need to know: (Good or bad? You decide...)
- The ruleset and gameplay is relatively simple and dice driven.
- There is a background story to the game, but the story is not supported well by the game.
- There really is no set playing time but my guide would be 30 mins to 3 hours excluding set up time. It depends entirely on the size of your army.
- The armies and heroes are drawn from a patchwork quilt of genres both historical and fantastical.
- The strength and weaknesses of the armies vary greatly but the game is nevertheless quite well balanced.
- The plastic miniatures are of excellent quality and come prepainted.
- The landscape is Lego-like in concept allowing for customised battlefields limited only by your imagination (and size of your collection).
- The plastic landscape is durable and there is a great variety to choose from.
- The 3D battlefields look drop-dead gorgeous when set up and are guaranteed to draw people's attention.
- Setup time can vary depending on the complexity of your battlefield, but is largely considered to be a labour of love by fans of the game.
- There is a large number of expansions for the game and with the expansions, the game truly shines.
- Most of the earlier expansions are now out of print (rumours of reprints abound).
- Distribution outside of the U.S. is poor and it can be a costly exercise building up your collection.
- There is an excellent and dedicated online community supporting the game.
- There is a growing tournament scene in the U.S.
Is this a kid's game?
The game was marketed at kids but has proved unexpectedly popular with a large number of older gamers and for a multitude of reasons. The rights to the game were recently acquired by WOTC and I think the marketed demographic may change as a result. I wouldn't describe it as a kid's game. I would describe it as a relaxed and fun game. Serious, fun-loving murderers need not apply.
D
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