Thoughts on the HeroQuest Companion App | Is It a Worthy Opponent (& Worthy Addition) to the Game?
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Always Board Never Boring isn't personally a huge fan of apps in board games, and usually chooses not to use them when possible. However, he has found the HeroQuest companion app to be very useful, and a fantastic addition to the game. In this video he shares some of his thoughts (likes and dislikes) about the app. It's sort of a review, but more just a conversational ramble touching on some key points along the way. He has by no means addressed all the good and bad of the system here, so feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments below.
Please be aware, the visuals for this video are pulled from footage of ABNB trying to break the app during The Rescue of Sir Ragnar, so you will see some spoilers for that adventure. You will also see some very weird things, like the same spell being cast repeatedly, and heroes moving like they put on three pairs of Elven Boots.
#heroquest #avalonhill #hasbro
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Biggest benefit of the app for me is that I play the game with my best mate and since there is only 2 of us we can team up and let the app play Zargon's part. Wouldn't be possible to play 2 player co-op without it 👌
We use it, when i play with a friend. It has given me the chance to play as a hero instead of my usual job as zargon. Its been a blast so far, and worked quite well.
As we just enjoy adventuring, without needing a tough zargon, the weaknesses are a bit less anoying but the flexibility is a great thing, it lets us use a couple of house rules quite easily. By rolling everything ourselfs except monster attacks and mostly using it just to move and explore, we can even use some custom dice/heroes and othe homebrewed stuff.
So i would rate it more or less the same as in the video. A nice toy, which cant replace a human zargon. A thougher zargon would be cool tho.
It's a really nice addition. I suspect they will keep improving it over time; but I hope they don't ever remove that flexibility from the system, as whether it's intentional or not, it's that flexibility that lets it work so well.
Personally, I love the App. I know it's not perfect, but very few Zargon players are as well. I treat it as a mediocre Zargon quest runner, complete with its own "house rules". Without it - I'd play faaar fewer quests. Happy to have it for solo human play.
I exclusively play with the app, and it's incredibly unlikely that I'll ever play this game with other people. Which... honestly is fine, other people are awful and I prefer solo. Without the app, I'd still be waiting to play since Hasbro shipped my copy to me.
There have indeed been a number of strange issues I've come across with the app since launch, but having never used anything else means I also see when bugs get fixed and small patches are deployed. It really has come a long way, and it certainly looks like it will have ongoing support.
I enjoy the app a great deal, precisely because of the "hands off" aspects you mentioned. It is true that the monster AI is a bit easy-mode, but I'm not sure there's a good way to do things like have a goblin stay out of LoS, when the app doesn't know what equipment you have, and can't know without taking on a more nanny/rules-enforcing role. Which would definitly take away the incentive to use the physical game.
Also I don't really need it to be harder. My lifelong dice-curse does that all by itself!
Yeah, I definitely don't want it to be more restrictive. I would like the option to be able to take over control of the monsters though. I do a lot of solo gaming for games that aren't designed for it, controlling both sides to the best of my ability, and there are often times where I would like to control the monsters because I can see what strategy they should use to give me more of a challenge. It would also allow the monsters to play more narratively.
My top 5 things I feel the the app is lacking right now:
1. Undo button. (Mistakes happen easily on a small screen, or even a larger screen as an Ipad. Would be good if you could undo mistakes).
2. Monster spawn button. (For those times when you forget to select a monster encounter when searching for treasure, or if you by mistake kill off a monster etc).
3. Variations to how monsters will move/attack. (App is rather easy to predict, so would be nice if the AI for the monsters could be improved and surprise the players)
4. Map variations. (I've so far played the first map 6 times with different friends. Even if I can keep my mouth shut and let them explore and find out the map, it wouldnt hurt if the app could randomize or use different pre-made maps for each quest).
5. Create an account and save my hero parties online so I can access them on other devices. I tend to use either my phone or my ipad, and as far as I know I cant transfer a party from one device to the other.
I quite fancy using a Hero Quest board to play a game of Space Crusade !! :D :D :D
Mission 1) - To Steal a Genestealer - The Chaos Marines have setup a Genestealer breeding laboratory in the central room and are putting them into cryogenic stasis ready for transport off world. Select one room for the teleport to beam in reinforcements.
Dreadnoughts are too large to move effectively through the hallways or doors so there are none, however the Androids have been beefed up can move 7 and can re-roll one dice when firing. If only one team of marines are taking on this mission they may have a 7 man team and may use one extra equipment & order card and use one extra heavy weapon of the players choice except the tarntula. The marines enter the dungeon via the staircase as per a normal game of Hero Quest. As the dungeon is only made of stone all the blips are laid out as per normal rules throughout the entire dungeon. The Alien player may use all the reinforcement tokens but can only beam in four miniatures per turn but only if he has control of the teleport room, which he does at the beginning of the game. Note that the Genestealer Alien event cards are removed from the deck and all the genestealer miniatures are placed in the lab when the marines enter the room.
Primary mission is to take control of the laboratory and take control of the computer hidden in the fireplace by rolling doubles on 2 D6 so the Marines can unlock the miniature and move them to the teleport room. If the marines have digital weapons in their equipment cards they can add 1 to either dice improving their chances.
Secondary mission is to take control of the teleport room by standing next to the computer hidden in the wizards desk and rolling 7 or more on 2 D6. +1 for if you have the digital weapons equipment card. Designate four squares in the corner of that room as the teleport pad, miniatures standing on the pad can be teleported at will so long as at least one marine stands next to the computer and misses a either firing turn or a movement turn.
Each miniature may make one attempt per turn to hijack the computers as long as the can stand next to the console.
The Alien player may re-take control of either computer control panel via the same rules the marines used but with a plus 1 to the throw if they use an android to do it. Whoever is in control of the teleport may use it to move up to four figures from one location either to or from per turn but the figures being teleported must be within 5 squares of each other or on the designated telepad.
Moving them requires that stand next to the miniature and you either drag or push them but at -2 normal movement. However once you've started moving them there is a risk of them waking up and attacking the marines. The alien makes this throw, using 2 D6 the Genestealers wake up on double 6's for the first turn the marines take control, the second turn they wake up on double 6's or 5's, third turn double 6's, 5's & 4's and so on until the sixth turn and after where they wake up on any double, like a countdown.
You can use them as a shield by adding their armour to the marines until they are destroyed in which case they are removed from the board like normal. Every time the Genestealer gets shot without being destroyed whilst in cryostasis risks waking them and an extra 2 D6 roll will be thrown and on any double they will awaken but are considered stunned and will require a turn to recover before they can move and attack as per normal.
The marines may escape via the teleport as long as one stays behind to operate the console, the remaining marine can then run the gauntlet and escape via the stairs which the team entered the dungeon. If a lone marine succeeds in doing this he gets an extra 10 campaign points as a Brucey Bonus. If the Aliens attack him successfully he's captured and he gets used as a host for Genestealer eggs, at which time he has one last chance to use a bolt pistol upon himself for quick ending and to circumnavigate the misery that awaits.
Each Genestealer the marines can teleport off world onto their ship gives that team 15 campaign points
Primary and secondary missions points are awarded as normal.
Mission 2) - Operation Rescue
Each marine eliminated in mission 1 is considered to be captured and are to be used as hosts for breeding more Genestealers.
The captured marines are held in a locked room designated by the Alien player the location of which is only revealed once the main computer in the laboratory has been hijacked by the rescue team of marines where they can then unlock the door from the computer if they choose. However the captured marines are unarmed and can only do hand to hand combat, but their weapons are being held in an adjacent room guarded by two androids. The genestealers cards are now back in the alien event cards.
Primary mission.
Rescue the captured marines and get at least one out of the dungeon.
Secondary mission.
Set the main computer to self destruct and escape with as many marines as you can. Using the countdown sequence as per the 2 D6 for waking up Genestealers from cryostasis in mission 1, except this time instead of genestealers waking up the whole base explodes like a death star.
15 campaign for each marine rescued and escaped out of the dungeon
Primary and secondary mission points as per normal.
I really want to play this mission now that I've made it up on the fly !!
Might have to make myself a Hero Quest board !! :D
I think in these games managing the hidden info is the most important job of any assistant. After I cleaned up the Dungeon Saga solo/coop rules mainly for clarity, I created pdfs for both the core games of Dungeon Saga and Star Saga which presented the maps room by room keeping as much hidden from the players as possible.
I'm quite happy to control the monsters. I just need Zargon to reveal the dungeon and tell me where the traps and treasure are.
Yes, add Mage of the Mirror please! I was all set to start a new campaign, and wanted my Elf to use Elf Spells from the get go but... alas... I have to wait. I would also LOVE it if they added the Mythic Quests. I completely understand why they haven't, seeing as only one has needed components (and another uses the Bard mini, but that could be proxied), but still... it would be nice to solo those beautiful long Quest packs!! Oh and, a small thing, but the ability to name individual Heroes would be a nice touch. As for the Monster tactics and whatnot, I kill every monster the moment it turns up, but continue to control them on the board. This essentially turns the app into a procedurally generated map that tells you about traps :)
When we played last, our elf selected spells from the elf spell deck, even though the app doesn't recognise them yet. It was flexible enough we could work around it pretty easily, although not ideal. Killing all the monsters as soon as they turn up in the app and then controlling them yourself is a clever workaround that I hadn't thought of, although I would worry about killing characters that have "special" behaviours, like running away and casting spells. It would be nice to have a switch in the menu to switch Zargon controlled monsters on or off.
Hey Pete just letting you know you can name your heroes in the app. Once you start a quest, select a hero and click on their card in the bottom left. From there you can select then icon next to the name and call them whatever you like 👍
@@dansmart3874 Thanks Dan!
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring That is true! Hmm fog brain Pete. Yeah the special villains might want to stick around, for spell choices and whatnot.
@@dansmart3874 you just made me smile like a goober! thank you
Hit the nail on the head!! I am a fan of the app, but agree with what you said about it. Needs improvment!
I think you nailed it early on this one, the more compliated the app gets the worse its going to perform and the more exacting it will have to be on the rules. Also if they have to invest too much they will start charging for it. I certainly dont like being tethered to an app. What if they update it and it sucks? what if they go bankrupt or sell the IP? what if you cant access it for any reason? I feel some kind of card system could be implimented to replace Zargon, and then as you said, just make the obvious plays with the monsters.
Agree with all your points about the app. A great example of less being more. About controling the monsters, what I do is to remove them from the App when they appear and just move them using my own pseudo-AI-system. Doing that I can even give them some special abilities, add homebrew monsters, etc...while still using the app for reveal the map, traps, etc ...
Someone else in the comments suggested the same thing - auto-killing the monsters and then controlling them yourself. It's a clever idea, but the downside to that is you don't always know if the monster has special rules or "scripted" events that are supposed to trigger under certain conditions, and you need to dig out the quest book to check what spells and stats some monsters should have. I feel adding a little "zargon-controlled monsters" switch to the options would be pretty easy to do and would work well.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring That's true. You need to do some investigation before starting each quest. :) But yes, would be great if they add an option like the one you are mentioning!
I LOVE the App. I wish all my miniatures games had similar apps, so I could play them at my pace at 3 AM in my underwear.
It's a great addition to the game. There's still plenty of room for improvement, but Avalon Hill seem to be keeping up with corrections and updates.
Well, the Finns have a word for drinking alone in your underwear: kalsarikännit. Maybe we could get them to come up with a new one for you :)
oh I was so curious about this, I was not sure, but I have it downloaded it now, THX for this, very helpful ;)
this app helped me learn how to play the game......regardless of it being like easy mode, I agree on making it a bit more smarter, harder.......
I agree completely! One more thing ... have you ever tried to use Pass Through Rock on the app? It's a scary experience. Eg roll a movement of 8; walk though a wall into a hitherto unexplored room which happens to be solid Rock. If you stop temporarily the app tells you that the character is forever trapped in rock! It won't let you complete your movement. I like having the app, but the stupid monsters and issues with Pass Through Rock make me give this app a 6/10. Thanks for the cool video. 😎
I've only ever seen someone use pass through rock to get into a previously revealed and known location, it's so risky otherwise. But that does sound like a really nasty error in the code. That one needs a fix!
It pissed me off when I mis-clicked with pass through rock and this happened. Fortunately it was at the end of a quest already so we considered it done and moved on to the next.
They just need an 'undo' or 'ignore death' function on it's use. But yeah as it is I would recommend only using pass through rock very sparingly with the app.
@@TortleTalk I figured the app considers you have to fully commit to your full move before knowing the partial consequences of that move (like stuff being revealed). It's somewhat linked to normal movement: when you are next to a door, ready to open it, and you roll your movement dice until you get double sixes (12 movement available) before finally deciding to open the door.... (often to keep the option to kite the eventual monster in the new room if ever it turns out to be too scary, like a polar bear): Zargon/Morcar players will ask you if you'll open the door before you roll the dice, because otherwise, nothing stops you from rolling those dice until you get a 12 on movement... Zargon might as well give you 12 movement straight away everytime you are about to open a door (as long as there are no monsters already on the board)?
so in the later case, it's often ruled that you must first declare that you'll open the door if you can, and then roll the dice.... it's weird, but otherwise, you defacto give 12 movmeent to the player "listening at the door" with his crossbow, ready to kite polar bears all day.
It's a different situation with pass through rock. The problem there, if I understand correctly, is when you are sliding your finger through spaces to move a character, if you accidentally lose contact with the surface of your device the app will register that you stopped moving inside the wall and kill you, even if your intent was to keep moving onwards.
If you are playing with people who keep rolling dice before opening doors (which is a terrible way to play anything), just use the unthreatened move rule from Avalon Hill - when there are no monsters on the board, heroes have a fixed movement equal to 4 spaces per dice they normally roll (which would be eight for most heroes).
I sold my original Heroquest because of the inability to play solo effectively. Having the app has allowed me to get back into the game as a solo player, with the new version. I am not usually a fan of apps but I am fairly happy with this and the one for Oathsworn.
It's not a bad app at all. It's been very helpful for me for making playthroughs for the channel. It's very unlikely I will play a game where you have to use an app - I just don't want an app to be that integral to the boardgame experience - but an optional app that makes a game more accessible to more people is great.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring I agree. I bought Sea of Legends and then realised that it needed the app to play it.....which was still in development! I sold it, unplayed.
"we're doing it wrong." it's possible to play a quest using only the app, some dice and the treasure deck and pencil/paper (even though they intended you to synchronize the physical game with the app when playing without zargon, whether solo or with other players). in a way one of the players is still "kind of" zargon if you are doing house rule stuff.
I would hate to play that way. I really try to look at the app as little as possible. All the planning happens on the board, and it's beneficial to be able to see the whole board in front of you rather than just what the window on your device can show you.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring agreed it has many downsides, but there you go.
One annoying thing the app used to do was attack heroes in alphabetical order - going for the barbarian first, then dwarf, elf or wizard if it couldn’t reach the desired target. That’s been fixed as far as I can tell, as monsters will now go after whoever is closest.
Overall I really do like the app, and I’m looking forward to seeing the Mage in the Mirror. I should try and finish the Frozen Horror but in my last game my poor dwarf tumbled into a chasm and was lost forever…haven’t played since I was so upset 😅
Short legs and chasms... it's a bad combination. The Frozen Horror campaign really is a relentless bully.
As a former D&D DM, I always believed that luck should NEVER be the determining factor on the death of a player’s character. If the player makes a dumb choice and it results in death through a bad luck roll, that is fine. They deserved it. If they play smart, then never allow bad luck to result in death. I’d say, if your Dwarf tumbled into a chasm and it wasn’t due to a dumb choice, just end the quest and restart that particular quest dungeon over again. That is enough of a penalty.
I`m an old school dinosaur. I still (and probably aways will) continue to play the good old fashioned way, and simply play with game components out of the boxes and steer clear of phone apps and other forms of technology that takes away from the true experience of hands on gaming :-))
I won't buy games that require an app, and if there is an optional app I tend not to use it. The HeroQuest app is a useful exception though, as it means I can play solo and run playthroughs on the channel, which is much harder to do otherwise.
Oh absolutely, it sure seems to facilitate solo play well enough: sadly Heroquest doesnt always cated well for solo play. But I took my inspiration from the old WotC 3rd edition D&D Skirmish Miniatures Handbook.. and the monster reaction A.I. written into it, and I simply created my own simple A.I. for monsters in Heroquest for when I want to play solo against Zargon.. so I don`t have to decide what the critters will do, but can rely on a logical extrapolation of probability to represent what I`m up against. Allows me, as the player, to create better tactics for myself (as I can plan based on what I expect the enemy will do), and yet keeps thing dynamic and thematic. I don`t mind knowig what`s in a room in advance so long as the monsters act in a realistically reasonable way, that doesnt break my in play immersion :-)
@@stephengilbert8166 I play loads of games solo, even if they aren’t designed for it, including tabletop war games games. I simply play both sides to win. That’s how I play Advanced Heroquest too. But I really feel HeroQuest needs to be able to surprise heroes with traps and secret doors so that’s why I use the app when I play it alone.
Yep, that element of surprise (when solo) is a priceless added bonus of pure enjoyability. Like you I love solo.. whether wargaming, wargaming campaigns.. historical and fantasy/sci-fi, rpgs (including D&D) and boardgames. I`m a solo player to the core and have been all my life. Although I run a club, play with friends and family. Solo is my passion.
On the discord, the Avalon Hill contact talked about the app & apparently developers are working on the settings normal, Hard modes. Wether that’s just extra BP or zargon be more intelligent remains to be seen..
I would hate to see a "hard mode" that just adds body points when you are playing campaigns like The Frozen Horror. Heck, those enemies don't need any more body points. Hopefully they work on giving Zargon a bit more tactical sense.
Plotting moving with the app in landscape on my tablet is a real pain! It constantly wants to scroll and makes it really difficult. It only properly works in portrait mode.
I know this is a bit late. But Rise of the Dread Moon is now on the app. As well as one or two additional modifiers for Monsters from what I can see.
Also it looks like there will be a lot of quests coming soon per speaking to Gen Con Avalon Hill booth people. :)
Already covered the monster enhancements in another video and my video going live later today covers Dread Moon.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Awesome good to see it :)
needs difficulty levels... focus on the weaker targets and gang up, cut off the escape, maximize attacks, stay away from open pits! of course the app monsters don't know what ranged abilities the heroes have.
I think all the app monsters were trained for one-on-one corridor fighting.
We use the app a lot (otherwise I would only ever play Zargon for my family). The one thing I would love to have added is the ability to change the player party. The new Heroquest has a lot of characters and if one dies (or a player gets board and wants a change) you can’t change your adventuring group in the app. It’s more than a little frustrating and constructive.
I suppose you could just create a new party with the new lineup and jump into the campaign at whatever mission you had got up to. The app doesn't insist you play campaigns in order and you can tick them as completed. It's a bit messy, but as the app doesn't track hero equipment and money it would be a workaround.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring that was my conclusion too. In my mind it’s a messy workaround that would leave a number of campaigns hanging around.
You should be able to delete the previous party so it isn't hanging around. You create the new party, delete the old party, then when you select the campaign to play you mark all the missions you have done so far as complete and start at the next one. The app doesn't track anything between quests such as items found, so it shouldn't have any impact on your overall progress.
Interesting.
What do you think of a 9-10 year old playing HeroQuest solo or with a parent and having the companion app as Zargon?
I think it would be great for that. The parent would get to work with the child and help them, and they get to fight the baddies together.
>knight
I was looking into heroquest and now I want it. What expansion has it?
The guardian knight will be in the Rise of the Dread Moon expansion, which is out later this year.
IF you don't update your characters health, you can basically run with infinite hero health. My biggest gripe with the app and maybe this is more of size of my device screen, is if you move too far and activate a trap unintentionally, you can't undo it. The app also doesn't use the genie spell correctly since it only thinks all a genie can do is open doors. Beyond these issues, I have no problems with it.
The genie spell is fine. When you cast the spell it will either let you open a door if there is one you want to open, or it says refer to the spell card. As the genie is just a basic attack, you treat it the same as attacking with a hero - you physically roll your attack dice, roll the monster's defence dice and apply damage by tapping on the target monster in the app and adding wounds. The app doesn't need to do anything else.
Oh, and I don't track health in the app because I find it easier to do all that on the paper character sheets. Obviously I don't let the heroes have unlimited health and they would be removed from play if they died.
The app let's me play co-op with my wife which is a lot of fun. I hope they update the ai and add in all the quests, but for now I'm happy with it.
And I usually don't like apps with board games.
Yeah, I like this one because it isn't too obtrusive.
I think the app is okay for casual play but for a serious group you would need a competitive Zargon player to make things challenging. One issue I have with the app is it clears certain spell effects before they can take effect, for instance if I cast the earth spell for walking through walls on a character who has already acted this turn it should take effect on their next movement, however when you choose Zargons turn in the app the effect is cleared, it’s easy enough to remedy by recasting it out of order on the next turn, but it is frustrating.
The spell situation happened with us the other day. I can't remember what spell it was, but it cleared down before we had used it and we had to recast it (again, the flexibility of the app working in our favour there). I thought it was a one-off glitch but sounds like it might be a persistent problem they need to address.
Dwarf can’t disarm traps in the app. He’s supposed to have this ability. App only allows him to jump over it.
It works for me. When the dwarf moves onto a trap you have previously revealed by searching, the app should immediately ask if you want to jump, disarm, or trigger. Note that persistent traps such as pits cannot be disarmed if they have already been triggered (i.e. someone fell down it).
I have it. But I don't see when I'd ever use it. Playing with friends is best, and a phone app can't match the human element. That's honestly the failure of Descent if you ask me. GMs are better than a set of routines.
Yeah, like I said in the wrap-up, I don't think an app like this can ever replace a good Zargon player. It's never going to be the same. But I think it's a good implementation and great for people who don't have regular groups or just want everyone to have a chance to be a hero.
Everyone I hear using it says it is using dumb tactics in battle. And of course it doesn't let you use house rules. Are you interested in checking the first mission I cooked with the houserule to listen at doors, see through keyholes, and lock doors with locks?
It's possible to use a few house rules or alternative rules because the app isn't that strict. You can move the heroes in any order. You can search for traps and secret doors with the same hero on the same turn. You can give monsters extra hit points (just don't track them in the app). You can use whatever movement house rules you want because it doesn't force you to roll the movement dice. The more complex house rules are going to be beyond what it can handle, but I think they've made it as open as they can, really. Now they just need to make it smarter.
it depends upon the house rules you want to use, since a lot of things are on the honor system. but if I want to add monsters to the quest, my only choice would be to have one of the heroes do a fake search for treasure in a room and trigger the wandering monster. but when a monster rolls, you could roll extra dice for them to boost their attack. you could consider them to have more body points than they actually do (not removing them when they've taken the normal damage). you can do extra searches by drawing cards even when you shouldnt' be able to search something, etc. you can also insta-kill any monster or other character. not perfect, but it does let you do a few things...
So.... Could you use the app to play HeroQuest without the board..?
Pretty much. You would need treasure cards, dice, and your character sheets but other than that… yeah.
Barbarian: 🤗 "Broadsword!"
Splatters an orc.
Joker: 😬 "The orc... has died!"
About the app, totaly don't like it, the AI, if you can call it that, should know when you're done with your actions, otherwise why bother?
Because this is a boardgame, a minimum of rules should be standard. Maybe give you an option between game-rules & house-rules.
The same system for an RPG, like D&D, where you're supposed to do more stuff of your own free will, that might be a good thing.
I would hate for the app to be stricter. It’s there to track the secret info; I’m there to play the rules. Just because the app doesn’t enforce a rule doesn’t mean I don’t play by it.
Hey abnb, you can manually complete quests if i rememer correctly. There's a tick on the left hand of the quest select screen you can manually check on and off 👍
But you can’t be in a dungeon and mark it as complete so you get the end narration as if you had returned to the stairwell. Sorry if my point wasn't clear there in the video.
Ah right, yeah in that situation I'd just drag each character on the app to the stairwell. I tend to move them individually using the no monsters movement rule and play it out, but I can see why that's no fun unless you step on an unsprung trap or go a different route.
@@donovanharvey4828 Yeah, that’s the point I’m making. You currently have to individually pull each hero back to the stairwell. With four heroes and a large map that can take a long time and is no fun if you aren’t exploring other routes. An option to say “send heroes out of dungeon” would be convenient.
I needed a video from you!
Thanks. I try to keep 'em coming every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Thanks!
Thank you so much. I really appreciate the support.
hello, is the old board game playable with the new companion app? thx!
The new game is a remake of the American version of the game so all rules and quests are the same. However, anyone used to playing the European version of the game will find the rules and dungeons different. You can still use the app but it will be a different game experience and you will probably have to download the US rules to know what is going on.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring Thx a lot for your precise answer and fast answer :) kind regards
@@amygrindhouse4193 You're very welcome. Thanks for checking out the channel.
My main problem with the app is that the enemies always target the Barbarian 1st. Sometimes only. Despite all other heros present in the same room.
That doesn't usually happen anymore but it does seem to focus down one hero. For us, it likes to go for the elf.
An issue is the app doesn't know what equipment heroes have, so it probably has to work on a very basic branching tree that probably goes > closest target > biggest threat (probably calculated as barbarian, dwarf, elf, wizard). It may work out threat based on body points and if you don't update body points in the app (I don't) then it will always assume the barbarian is the healthiest. It can't really get much more sophisticated than that without asking you to track everything.
They need to update it for mage in the mirror I need to level up an elf!
Hopefully they will do it soon.
how HQ plays you kinda need to have the app if your playing true solo, unlike games like Descent 2nd edition etc
Yeah. You need someone or something to surprise you with the traps and secret doors.
Its to bad that the app is not available in my country(netherlands). But thank you for the video, i was really curieus about how the app works.
Hopefully they will continue rolling it out in other territories. It is a beneficial addition to the game.
I downloaded through apk, and I cannot make it work. The last version don't show text and is unplayable. I tried on my android phone, tablet and even an emulator. All versions are like this, I don't know if this is region blocked or something.
The app isn't available in a lot of territories so it's probably an issue related to region blocking. I'm hoping they are eventually going to make the app available to a wider audience.
Sadly, the app is only available in the countries Hasbro has the license for the game in.
I always just played as Zargon trying to defeat the pesky heroes when I played solo. That way my phone can be used for more productive things, like charging in the other room.
I Use the App because we are not enough players for Zargon. But the Walk control is terrible on Iphone and their dont update the newest Expansion mage of the mirror.
I haven't had a problem with walking on my iPhone, but I am desperately in need of that Mage of the Mirror upgrade!
Can this be used with the 1989 hero quest?
Avalon Hill's new edition of HeroQuest is pretty much a direct port of the original North American version of the game, so you can happily use it with that previous edition. However, that means there are some differences between this version and the original European version of HeroQuest - quest layouts, number of monsters, strength of monsters, enemies have access to spells, and so on.
I find the voice for zargon to be incredibly annoying. It was OK for the first couple of fights but I had to turn it off. The music and other sounds are perfect. There are still some glitches in the app regarding the pass through rock spell if you lift your finger from the screen too soon. Otherwise I really enjoy using the app to be a player instead of always as zargon. Thanks again for another great video.👍
Someone else mentioned the pass through rock situation. We've only ever used it to move through a single wall into a known location so I wasn't aware of it being a problem in the app before.
Agree the monsters movement/actions are plain dumb. Block a door but don't move so a new monster can attack - they just line up one by one to the death :( Manual override for monster actions would be awesome but then - why not run it yourself w/out the app.
Because you need the app to let you know about traps and treasures. Ideally I would like the app to let me know when I've stood on a trap, let me know what treasure I have found, and reveal rooms and monsters, leaving everything else to me.
Firestorm was not a "stupid" play by the app, since the app said that this spell affects only heroes and not monsters. The app, "rarely if ever makes the optimal moves for monsters", but nothing says monsters must always act perfectly. As you said, the app is flexible so you can easily adjust any other things the app does that you don't like.
Due to house rules, the app can easily change any spell effect, just like referees can change rules. Nothing in the app needs to be corrected here. If monsters were always "too good" then you'd be left with a number of dissatisfied players who manage better when monsters act in a more basic way, so for advanced players, just override the app's recommendation.
Casting a spell that attacks everything in the room when there are no heroes in the room wasn't stupid?
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring No, you misunderstand the spell. The altered firestorm in-app Zargon spell description was not that the spell "attacks everything", but that it inflicts damage on all heroes in the same room.
Therefore, if no heroes are present, then the monster would not have cast Firestorm. Thus, it is an application --- not a computer game --- designed to assist in running the tabletop (not computer) system, so you need to exercise discretion when interpreting app suggestions, in the context of what's on the board. If you want perfectly challenging monster opponents where you don't have to think or do anything , just play a computer game.
It's analogous to a tabletop role-playing game where certain rules, guidelines or suggestions conflict and players and referees must exercise judgement. You are expecting the app to behave like a computer game, which is not its intention..
@Google User I think you're misunderstanding the situation. I didn't misunderstand the spell - I explained there is a difference between the card and the app in the video. But the app cast a spell when there was no target for that spell - there were no heroes in the room at all. The app shouldn't have done that - it might as well have walked up to the furniture and attacked that. End of story. As a minimum, the app should know where the heroes are and what it can target them with. Doing something when there's no target, is more than sub-optimal.
We chose to ignore the casting of spell, but the app doesn't tell you what other spells the mage has, so we couldn't pick an alternative - and apparently some spells are different in the app to on the cards anyway (as is the case with Firestorm, which I don't believe is by design). As a result, he just stood there and did nothing (he couldn't get out to fight, and we didn't have his spell list). If you think that's acceptable, that's fine, but I don't. If they want me to make the choices for the monsters, I'm fine with that - I would like the option to override Zargon's control of the enemies - but then they need to give me the information in the app to make those choices and not even try to make the moves for me. As it stands, the app isn't making suggestions on what the monsters should do, it is controlling them - it is an AI to play against - and it made a complete hash with its spell selection.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring answers to what you wrote are contained in my last post. There are easy solutions that in no way devalue the utility and usefulness of the app, which always require human interpretation at the table.
If the app is too hard, just stick to the basics and don't use the app.
If you want a computer-gamey app where you don't have to think much, it's best that you create your own one.
Not available in the EU?!
It's not available in all territories, unfortunately. I don't have a comprehensive list. Hopefully they will continue rolling it out in more areas.
If you click in the top right hand corner you can turn the level to high on the monsters...I did it and got my arse kicked
You mean the feature that lets you give the monsters extra hit points, Attack, defence and new abilities? Yes. that was added after I made this video and I did cover those new features when they came out. They certainly make enemies more challenging but Zargon still doesn’t really get much smarter. There’s still a lot they could improve.
Try Heroquest Revisited...
Its region locked and its not avalible in other parts of EU
That is so. I am expecting them to keep rolling it out to other territories eventually.
The rogue's ability to go behind monsters is still non-functioning.
Has it been reported? They are still making updates to the app so if people report it they will hopefully get it sorted out.
@@AlwaysBoardNeverBoring A number of times, yes, lol. Hopefully soon.
im not as much of a fan of the app as some are. its just not doing it for me
As someone who isn't that interested in apps in games, I like this one about as well as I can, and more than I expected. It's not for everyone, though.
The app is garbage, use the HQGM from 2003, still the best in automated play. Has ALL the expansions and an editor for your own adventures.
It's nice that people have options. The app has it's issues, but it's certainly not garbage, and they are still working on new features and adding missions. I suspect this is the option most people would prefer to have these days.