==========================================================================
                         THE ALCHEMIST'S BENCH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
        NEW QUESTS, CHARACTERS, RULES AND OTHER SUPPORT MATERIAL
                     FOR MILTON BRADLEY'S HEROQUEST
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
          http://www.heroscribe.org/thealchemistsbench/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ISSUE 5                                                     JUNE 30, 1999
==========================================================================

                             IN THIS ISSUE
                             -------------

WELCOME

NEWS

QUEST and ATTACHMENTS -- NecromancerÕs Lair and Dark Spells

CRAFTS -- Making New Furniture and Scenery

NEW MONSTERS -- Necromancers, Liches, and Undead Champions

GAME PROFILE -- TSR's DragonStrike

QUEST DESIGN -- Creating the Maps


==========================================================================

                               WELCOME!
                               --------

The Alchemist's Bench is a completely free e-mail based newsletter that
exists to provide information, ideas and interesting new gaming material for
Milton Bradley's terrific yet out-of-print HeroQuest boardgame.

Also, feel free to visit our website for back issues of this newsletter and
assorted other goodies. It's small but growing fast, and, like this
newsletter, it's free!  The URL is
     http://www.heroscribe.org/thealchemistsbench/


A WORD FOR SUBSCRIBERS WHO RECEIVE OUR ATTACHMENTS

Different internet providers impose different restrictions on the size of
attachments that their users can receive.  If an attachment is ever too
large to come through your server, or if it ever gets 'garbled' in the
transmission, simply click on the links provided to download the files that
were in the attachment.  (These links are found throughout the newsletter,
as part of the articles that describe the downloads.  Several are in the
"QUEST and ATTACHMENT" section, below.)


==========================================================================

                                   NEWS
                                   ----

The Red DragonÕs Guild Homepage has been updated with a new look.  ThereÕs
also a new character there.
(http://members.fortunecity.com/ozgurhan/games.htm)

The HeroQuest Page at Uncle OwenÕs Moisture Farm has been updated with new
content as well. (http://www.heroscribe.org/owens/index.html)

HeroQuest Resources now has Barbarian Quest Pack icons and overlays
( http://www.oocities.com/igymnast/games/heroqest/create.htm ).  To view the
rest of the Resources site, click on the "HeroQuest" logo at the top of each
of the site's pages.

eBay has implemented a new function for its registered users.  You can save
up to three items that you frequently search on (such as heroquest, hero
quest, etc.) and they will automatically email you when a new item comes up
for auction in these categories.


==========================================================================

                          QUEST AND ATTACHMENTS
                          ---------------------

NecromancerÕs Lair Quest and Dark Spell Cards by Dewayne Agin

Those of you who receive versions of this newsletter that come with
attachments will find two things in this issueÕs ZIP file:  the documents
needed to run the "NecromancerÕs Lair" quest, and a BMP file containing four
evil-themed spell cards.


==========================================================================

                                  CRAFTS
                                  ------


TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING NEW FURNITURE AND PROPS FOR HEROQUEST
By Mitchel Hansinger

Below is a List of props I've created to enhance my HQ game.  The props are
grouped under the primary material with which it was created.  A brief
description of the primary material preceeds each section.


BALSA WOOD

Balsa is a very light weight though strong wood used primarily for model
planes that fly. It is relatively inexpensive and is easily cut with an
x-acto knife.

[Coffin]

The coffin I created from balsa wood is in the classic shape of a diamond
with the top and bottom truncated. I made it deep enough to hold any of the
HQ undead figures inside. It has a working lid with hinges purchased at a
doll house store.

[Chair]

The only chair that comes with the basic game is the throne. I wanted a less
ostentatious chair which could be used with the two tables that come with
the game. I used square toothpicks for the left and right sides of the
chair, basically in the shape of an inverted number four, with armrests
added. The seat and back of the chair are two small squares of flat balsa
wood. When the glue was dry I sanded the bottoms of the legs so that it did
not wobble.

[Chest]

I wanted a pirate-shaped chest, the kind with a bell-shaped top, with a
working lid into which I could put real treasure and weapons for the players
to discover. I tried many different techniques in an attempt to get the
balsa to curve into a bell shape for the lid. I finally went to an antiques
store to look at a real chest and see how an actual lid was constructed. The
lid was made of many long slats of wood attached across the top of two bell
shaped sides. Using this technique, I cut narrow strips of balsa and glued
them side-by-side across the top of the bell shaped sides of the lid. This
worked like a charm. The bottom was a simple box of balsa which I made to
fit inside a single square of the HQ board. Hinges obtained from a doll
house store completed my functional chest.

A great little secret I used during my balsa wood constructions was wax
paper. I was able to glue things like the sides of my chair together and
then just pull them up off the wax paper when they were dry.

Another great trick is the use of corrugated card board and straight pins.
Tape wax paper over the card board then use straight pins to hold the balsa
pieces in place as you glue them.


PLASTER OF PARIS

Plaster of paris is a white powder, usually gypsum, that when mixed with
water hardens into the shape of its container. When dry and hard it is
slightly less dense than chalk and is easily carved with an x-acto knife.

[Forge]

The Kellar's Keep Quest Pack comes with a blacksmith's forge as a cardboard
overlay for the HQ board. I carved a plaster base for the overlay so that
the overlay is raised up off the board. The base is a simple rectangular
block of plaster whose sides are angled out to broaden at the bottom. It was
easy to make and I sealed it when I was done. The overlays and quests that
come in the HeroQuest expansions are a great source of ideas for new props.
Check out The Return of the Witch Lord Quest Pack available on my HeroQuest
site for some great ideas of your own.

[Anvil]

I carved an anvil from a small block of plaster. It fits in one square on
the HQ board and is scaled to the right size for the figures. While carving,
I followed pictures of anvils that I obtained from library books. When I was
done I sealed it with sealing solution from the hobby store and painted it
black. It really looks great! I created the anvil and the forge for use in
my Moria quest. The Moria quest can be downloaded from my quests page.


MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS

[Ancient Parchment Handouts]

Using old-looking maps and messages is a great way to add a feel of realism
to your HQ game.  I used to age pieces of paper in the oven or toaster oven.
Unfortunately this technique leaves the paper VERY crumbly and tends to
leave "tan" lines on it from the oven rack.  One of the better techniques
I've found is soaking the paper in tea.  Crumbling the paper up either
before and after the soaking allows you to tailor the appearance to exactly
the way you want it.  It is best to put the image or text on the paper
before you soak it.  For an even more realistic aged look, use vellum paper
instead of regular cotton paper.  Using stylish old-english-like fonts also
adds to the effect.  For the ultimate effect, teach yourself calligraphy and
write on the parchment yourself!

[Coin Pile]

I made a great looking pile of coins by cross cutting round stemmed
toothpicks with a dremel. To get a clean cut without any rough splinters cut
the toothpicks on a block of hardwood. This allows you to cut cleanly and
completely through the toothpick while still preserving the cutting wheel.
Once you have a small pile of cross sections get out the wax paper and lay
it over the HQ game board. Tape the wax paper to the underside of the board
so that the play surface will not get damaged. Arrange the pile so that it
fits in a single square and has the shape you want. Dillute some Elmer's
glue with water and drip the mixture onto the pile with your finger or a
toothpick. This weakened glue will hold the pile in place for the next step.

When the glue has dried turn the pile over and place it upside down on some
crumpled up wax paper so that it will remain upside down. Now use a
toothpick to drip undiluted Elmer's into the pile from the bottom. If you
use undiluted Elmer's on top of the pile it tends to add a thick layer over
the coins and gives it a sealed-in-plastic appearance. Some people use
several applications of the diluted Elmer's on the top, but they have fallen
apart on me so I prefer the other technique. When the pile is dry, paint it
gold, and you have a great pile of coins.

I have heard of people using small colored plastic beads in their piles as
gems, but I have not found any small enough to look convincing.

[Bone Pile]

There are several ways to make a bone pile. Each has its advantages and
disadvantages.

The easiest way is to use the numerous skulls that come with the basic game
and with the Return of the Witch Lord Quest Pack and glue them into a pile
with plastic glue. The disadvantage of this method is that it looks like a
pile of skulls and not a bone pile.

The most difficult way is to use an x-acto knife and dremel to whittle the
plastic sprues that the undead figures were attached to. (You saved yours,
didn't you? Neither did I but I was able to get them from a friend when he
bought his copy of the game.) Whittling the sprues down to the right shape
and size is difficult and VERY time consuming. However, if you take the time
and put in the effort, the result is a custom tailored pile of bones that
looks exactly the way you want it to look.

The final method is a compromise between the two prior techniques. Use a
dremel with a cutting wheel to dismantle a skeleton figure into its
component bones then glue it into a pile. The result looks great, but you
sacrifice an undead figure to do it.

[Thaumaturgic Pentagram]

A five pointed star circumscribed in a circle is known by many names;
sorcerer's circle, devil's circle, magic cirle, pentagram of power...  I
constructed one which exactly circumscribes a 4X4 room on the HQ board. I
used heavy grey vellum paper so that it would look like stone. Vellum is
available in craft and hobby stores, though I bought mine at the local
photocopy center. Yes, you need to break out the drafting tools you haven't
touched since high school, so stop whining. Actually, all you need is a
compass, a protractor, and a straight edge. Each point of the pentagram is
72 degrees apart from either of its neighbors. Once you have drawn and cut
out one you are happy with, coat the back with rubber cement to keep it from
sliding around during play. I found that I needed to use two coats.


READY MADE PROPS

Many companies which make fantasy miniatures also make some great props.
From Ral Partha I purchased all kinds of 25mm weapons, shields, and armor.
They all fit nicely in the working chest I made. I created specific details
for each weapon I put in the chest. The players loved this! I also purchased
a little rectangle upon which rests inkwells and bottles. It fits in
perfectly on the Alchemist's Bench that comes with the main HQ game.

[Barrels]

In my local craft store they have small wooden widgets. I assume they are
for use in doll house construction, or in replacing the lost pieces of your
Bandu game. One of the bins contained small wooden barrels. They were the
perfect size for HQ! Keep your eyes open in your local hobby and craft
stores for ways to adapt widgets for your own HQ game.


This information and much more is available at my HeroQuest Resource site:
http://www.oocities.com/igymnast/games/heroqest/hq_main.htm


==========================================================================

                              NEW MONSTERS
                              ------------


NECROMANCERS, LICHES, AND UNDEAD CHAMPIONS
by Dewayne Agin

These three monsters are all related.  Necromancers are the practitioners of
the dark spellcasting art of Necromancy.  Necromancy concerns spellcasting
on the dead, or using the life force of the living to cast spells.
Necromancers use spells to create Undead, and are often found using their
powers to create Undead Chaos forces.  Necromancers often use the life force
of living victims to gain power to cast their spells, and when they are
through with draining the life force of their victim, often convert it to an
Undead creature.

Necromancers can use any of the Chaos Spells found in the basic game set.  I
have included a set of four new Necromancer spells.  Two of these were
adapted from Advanced HeroQuest spells I found on the Internet, and two are
my own.

Liches are powerful Undead creatures, brought to life by dark spells.
Usually they are Sorcerers or Necromancers who use their magic to preserve
their life in an Undead state.  Liches retain their intelligence, unlike
other Undead creatures.  They have the ability to think and cast spells like
regular Sorcerers.  Like regular Necromancers, Liches can use any Chaos
spells.  Liches are Fearsome Monsters (see Beefing Up Monsters - Part 1,
Alchemist's Bench #2).  Their loathsome presence causes fear and disgust in
all that see them.

Finally, Undead Champions are powerful, dead Chaos Warriors, brought back to
life by a Necromancer to serve him.  Undead Champions are not spellcasters
like Liches and cannot cast any spells.  They are extremely faithful to the
Sorcerer that raised them, and will serve them faithfully.  Like Liches,
Undead Champions are Fearsome Monsters.

None of these three monsters have any given statistics.  These are special
monsters, like the Chaos Warlock, and their stats will differ each time they
are used.


Miniatures:

The cheapest way to play a Necromancer is to use the Chaos Warlock figure
that came with the game.  The Lich can be played with the Chaos Warlock or a
Mummy figure.  The Undead Champion can be played with the Chaos Warrior
figure.  If you wish to use different figures, here are some that I found on
the web:

Games Workshop [ http://www.games-workshop.com/ ]

Necromancers & Liches
  Heinrich Kemmler, The Lichemaster  $10.49  part #020701301
  Necromancer 1                       $7.49  part #020701001
  Necromancer 2                       $7.49  part #020701002
  Necromancer 3                       $7.49  part #079901011
  Lich                                $7.49  part #mm51-4

Undead Champions:
  Armored Wight Champion              $3.33  part #020703701
  Wights 1-8                          $3.25  part #020700601 - 020700608
  Armored Skeleton Standard Bearer    $3.75  part #020703801
  Armored Skeletons 1-5               $3.25  part #020703601 - 020703605


RalPartha  [ http://ralpartha.com/cgi-bin/RalPartha/cat.html?7 ]

Necromancers & Liches:
  Evil Wizard          $2.15
             http://204.91.84.77/cgi-bin/RalPartha/01001.html?426
  3 Necromancers       $5.50
             http://204.91.84.77/cgi-bin/RalPartha/01066.html?426
  Necromancer          $2.15
             http://204.91.84.77/cgi-bin/RalPartha/01603.html?426
  Skeletal Heroes (3)  $8.50
             http://204.91.84.77/cgi-bin/RalPartha/02191.html?426
  Evil Wizard          $2.15
             http://204.91.84.77/cgi-bin/RalPartha/02354.html?426

Undead Champions:
  Armored Skeletons with Halberds (3)  $7.95
                       http://204.91.84.77/cgi-bin/RalPartha/01603.html?426

  Skeletal Heroes (3)                  $8.50
                       http://204.91.84.77/cgi-bin/RalPartha/02191.html?426


Reaper Miniatures  [ http://www.reapermini.com/SingleFrame.htm ]

Necromancers & Liches:
  Lugosa                       $2.00

  Skythe Lord of the Rift      $2.25

  Aserlis, Liche               $3.00

  The Undead Pack has 1 Lich   $4.00

Undead Champions:
  Arrius, Undead Warlord       $2.50

Skeleton With Great Axe        $2.00

Skeleton With Two-Handed Sword  $2.00

Armored Zombie                  $2.00

Skeleton Warrior Pack (4)       $4.00

==========================================================================

                             GAME PROFILE
                             ------------

DRAGONSTRIKE
by John Burnham (some material by Dewayne Agin)

In 1993, TSR, Inc. released DragonStrike, a fantasy board game whose
components and playing style strongly resemble HeroQuestÕs.  It has not been
supported by the publisher for many years, but it is still available from
used game dealers and via online auctions.

Despite surface similarities between it and HeroQuest, DragonStrikeÕs
playing mechanics are actually a simplified version of TSRÕs Dungeons and
Dragons roleplaying product.  Instead of asking the referee to name himself
after the game's evil wizard, DragonStrike calls him "the DragonMaster" (DM
for short).

DragonStrike features five hero characters:  Warrior, Wizard, Elf, Dwarf and
Thief.  The default thief -- the one depicted on much of the packaging and
in the included video -- is female.  Hero card and miniature support for a
male thief are also included.

In a departure from the HeroQuest Game System, the sixteen included quests
are a mix of solo quests, quests for two or three heroes and quests for four
or five heroes.  The quests are also ranked by "Levels" that range from
"easy" to "very difficult."  Additionally, because DragonStrike contains
four map boards, the quests can take place in four different settings.

As is clear from flyers and TSR catalogs that came in the box, DragonStrike
was intended as a "gateway" product that would guide young consumers to
TSRÕs roleplaying lines.  One flyer even encourages players to pay $20(US)
to join the "Dragon Knights" club and receive such treasures as a t-shirt,
I.D. card, 12-sided die, two posters, two comic book/magazines and a metal
miniature.


COMPONENTS

DragonStrike is a physically impressive package.  Its box is the same length
and width as HeroQuestÕs, but a little over a half inch or centimeter
deeper.

[video]

DragonStrike includes a VHS videocassette designed to serve as an
introduction and mood-setter for the game.  The tapeÕs content consists of a
dramatization of a dungeon crawl intermixed with brief scenes of a gaming
group working their way through the same storyline.

Despite some badly aged visuals and some corny writing, the DragonStrike
video does a good job of showing how players in a fantasy game work together
to create a story.  The Heroes in the video were directly based on the
gameÕs Hero characters, so as to make the point even clearer to novices.

The tapes themselves are not of the best quality.  Tracking problems make
them difficult to view on some VCRs.

[miniatures]

DragonStrike comes with 24 plastic miniatures: 6 Heroes (Wizard, Dwarf,
Barbarian, Elf, Male Thief, Female Thief), 4 BugBears, 3 Death Knights, 3
Orcs, 2 Gargoyles, 1 Fire Elemental, 1 Giant, 1 Evil Wizard, 1 Troll, 1
Manscorpion, and 1 Dragon.

The miniatures were produced by the Ral Partha company.  The humanoid
figures are sculpted along relatively realistic proportions, rather than
Games WorkshopÕs (and HeroQuestÕs) cartoonier "big head, big hands, big
feet" style.  For the most part, the DragonStrike figures appear less
detailed than HeroQuestÕs, almost as if they were molded of a plastic that
couldnÕt retain the sharpness of the original sculpt.

The sculptors put tiny numbered disks near the feet of of the monsters.
Upon close inspection, these make it possible to tell which of the otherwise
identical Orc figures is Orc #1, which is Orc #2, and so on.  In theory,
this innovation should make it easier for the DragonMaster to keep track of
the individual wound level of each monster.  In practice, the numbers are
impossible to read without picking the figures up and turning them until the
light falls on them correctly.

[game boards]

DragonStrike comes with two two-sided game boards, for a total of four
playing maps.  These consist of "Castle," "Cavern," "City" and "Valley" (a
field with a river).

DragonStrike did not come with 3-D furniture.  The map artist nearly made up
for this by including huge amounts of detail in the boards' artwork.  Unlike
HeroQuestÕs deliberately empty rooms, DragonStrike's rooms are depicted as
filled with furniture, carpets, weaponry, artifacts and treasure.  These
boards already look lived in.

If anything, they look too lived in.  The boards depict numerous monsters
that are not actually part of the quests.  Arguably, seeing decorative
monsters that the heroes canÕt fight makes it harder for the players to
suspend disbelief.

Although HeroQuestÕs board is not actually photorealistic, it is produced in
a satisfying naturalistic style.  DragonStrikeÕs boards look quite a bit
like magic marker art.

The size of the spaces (in the grid for positioning miniatures) varies from
board to board.  In some instances, it actually varies from room to room.
The largest regularly-sized spaces are 1" (2.5 cms) square.  DragonStrikeÕs
designers did include non-square spaces in a few instances, thereby allowing
for some interesting diagonal corridors and organic-looking paths.

In a few cases, space that could have been used for additional rooms is
instead used for mood-setting background art.  For example, the castle map
includes foreshortened views of the castleÕs exterior walls along two side
of it, along with a very large moat.  ThereÕs even a dragon flying out of
the moat.  This imagery all occupies space that could instead have been used
to provide an additional six or seven average-sized rooms.  Of course, some
people may prefer the atmosphere created by having the castle surrounded by
swampy green water on two sidesÉ your mileage may vary.


[The Time Track]

Along the edge of each board, there's a narrow strip called the "Time
Track."  This is divided into boxes, twenty of which are numbered, one of
which contains a dragon head.  During gameplay, the DragonMaster is supposed
to move an Hourglass marker (a small cardboard tile) along the Time Track,
counting down to the dragon's head.  If the marker reaches the dragon's
head, the Dragon (represented by one of the game's nicest minatures) appears
on the board.

This is presumably a clumsy attempt at adding excitement and keeping the
players from moving too slowly.  Since the dragon is dangerous, its arrival
often just serves to make a difficult scenario impossible.

[Markers]

The game includes 43 cardboard markers.  Some of these depict such things as
"special treasures" (i.e., artifacts), treasures, pits, and rocks.  Others
are used to identify when an individual character is charmed, in flight,
invisible or webbed.

[Doors]

DragonStrike's doors are not nearly as nice as the ones that come with
HeroQuest.  The art is executed in the same magic marker style as the boards
and overlays.  The doors stand with the help of tiny clip-on plastic bases.
It's very easy to knock them over accidentally.

[Hero cards]

DragonStrike's Hero Cards are of a similar size to the ones included with
HeroQuest, although they are printed on much thinner cardstock.  They come
with plastic bases so they can stand upright on the table, sort of like mini
DM screens.

As in HeroQuest, the player's side of each Hero Card lists die roll
statistics for the Hero, but the DragonStrike version also has a number
track along one edge so that each player can use a clip to mark off the
Hero's current Hit Points.  The reverse side of each card contains a large
video still of the Hero.  Background information about each hero is provided
on a separate baseball-style card.

[game cards]

DragonStrikeÕs spell, treasure, monster and trap cards are produced in the
exact same baseball card style that TSR used for their "AD&D CollectorÕs
Cards."  Instead of drawn or painted illustrations, DragonStrike's cards are
decorated with photographs and video stills.  These get the job done, but
they don't capture the fantasy mood quite as well as HeroQuest's card art
seems to.

[booklets and DM screen]

DragonStrike comes with three booklets, counting the Instructions.  Instead
of offering a single Quest Book like HeroQuest, DragonStrike provides
separate booklets entitled "Adventures" and "Map Book."  The Map Book takes
up 8 1/2 by 11 inches (21.4 cm x 27.3 cm) when it is folded back so that one
page is showing.  The Adventures booklet is half that size.

Fortunately, the booklets have a generously-sized DM screen to hide behind.
DragonStrike's screen is 24 1/4" wide by 10 3/4" tall (61.3 wide by 27.3 cm
tall).  The DragonMaster's side contains a monster table, a summary of the
rules and even advice on "Running an Adventure."  Even with the large DM
screen, juggling the two booklets is clumsier than managing a single
HeroQuest Quest Book.

Perhaps most interestingly, the edges of the GM's side of the screen are
lined with number tracks representing all of the monsters in the game.
Plastic clips are included for marking off the hit points of all the
monsters currently in play.  As the game proceeds, the DM can keep record of
the individual status of all of the monsters by sliding the clips along the
number tracks.

[quests]

DragonStrike's Adventures booklet contains some interesting twists on quest
design.  Admittedly, several of the usual "rescue the prisoner" or "find the
artifact" quests appear here.  However, DragonStrike offers two "defend the
carriage as it travels" quests.  There's a "run for your life" quest.
There's a quest in which the Heroes have to stage an ambush, so the players
are allowed to choose their starting positions anywhere on the Valley map.
And there's a quest in which the monsters are transformed villagers, so the
Heroes are forbidden from killing them.


[rules]

As noted above, DragonStrike's rules are a simplified version of the systems
used in TSR's fantasy roleplaying games.  They've been streamlined enough to
only require three polyhedral dice:  d8, d10 and d12.  In order to simplify
matters for novices, the dice are color coded and the colors are used for
identification throughout the game materials.

DragonStrike encourages players to interact with the game's environment in
ways not contemplated by HeroQuest.  To facilitate this, the game includes
rules for "Feats."  Each Hero has Strength and Dexterity stats.  These are
applied to actions such as leaping, swinging on ropes, sneaking, pushing or
lifting large objects, and kicking doors open.

The concept is a good one, but the implementation is vague.  According to
the rules, a roll of 6 or better on the assigned die always represents a
success.  By just adding one more paragraph, the designers could have told
novice DragonMasters how to assign difficulty numbers on a case-by-case
basis.

DragonStrike succeeds as a fast-paced tactical fantasy game that can be
played in a limited period of time.  It provides a similar experience to
HeroQuest, and it even introduces some clever new twists to the concept.
However, my group felt that that DragonStrike's dice system, despite the
ambitious addition of the "Feats" rules, just isn't as exciting as battling
with HeroQuest's Skull Dice.

[For a discussion of the suitability of DragonStrike's miniatures and other
components for use with HeroQuest, take a look at Dewayne's article at
  http://www.yeoldeinn.com/agins-archive/games/DS.html ]


==========================================================================

                             QUEST DESIGN
                             ------------

CREATING THE MAPS
by Dewayne Agin

This is the last in a series of articles on quest designing.  While I have
said that this is the last of the series, there will be articles in the
future covering more specific aspects of quest designing.  This last article
is going to cover the last step in creating a quest pack - the actual
creating of the quest maps.

I call anything that appears on a quest, whether monster, trap, furniture,
etc, an item.  These are the categories that I have broken items down into:

  * Rooms
  * Furniture
  * Monsters
  * Traps
* Treasure
* Magical Items

Smoothly meshing each of these types of items with the others is important
to writing a successful quest.  Along with this, you need to consider the
experience of the Heroes, the type of quest you are wishing to play, and so
on.

ROOMS:
The Rooms category is just what it says - the rooms that make up the quest.
The right room layout can go a long way to making a successful quest.  How
many rooms you have in a quest depends on several things.  One thing you
need to do before writing a quest is count the number of open doors you have
on hand.  The standard HeroQuest game sold in the U.S. came with 16 open
doors and 5 closed ones, but you may have more or less than this number.
There are 22 rooms on the HQ board so unless you have some extra doors, want
to use 6 secret doors, or do some switching back and forth between open and
closed doors, you are going to have to limit the number of rooms you use.
And that is not considering that you might want to have a room with two
doors - an entrance and an exit.

The second thing to consider when deciding how many rooms you want on your
quest is time.  Most of the Milton Bradley quests used between 8 and 12
rooms, and seem to take about 45 minutes to an hour to play.  Use these
quests as a guide - the more rooms you use the longer your quest will take
to play.

The last thing to consider is how the board is to be played.  A quest in a
maze will probably use more rooms, with some of them having multiple
entrances/exits.  A castle plan might be more of a hallway with rooms
radiating off of it.


FURNITURE:
Furniture can be used in several ways in HQ.  It adds atmosphere to the
game, can be used as a hindrance to the movement of the Heroes, and as a
hiding place for treasure/traps.  Be careful when placing furniture in a
room; always leave a path for the Heroes to walk through.  Be creative when
placing furniture.  You can build a library by using the bookcases, a dining
room with the table and throne, a kitchen with the cupboard and fireplace.
Use furniture to block the HeroesÕ access to certain monsters - place a
monster with a missile weapon behind a table, with Chaos Warriors blocking
his way.  Also don't forget that you can trap any piece of furniture, not
just the treasure chests.


MONSTERS:
This may be the most important thing to a successful quest design.  A quest
with too many monsters will be impossible for the Heroes to finish, and if
your quests always have too few your players will soon become bored.  In
ChaosOrc's HeroQuest Newsletter Issue #4 (to download the back issues of the
newsletter, click on
http://www.yeoldeinn.com/agins-archive/quests/hqnews.ZIP )
I went through several of the quest packs that Milton Bradley produced and
rated them in difficulty.  You might want to use that system, or another, to
decide how hard to make your quests.  A lot depends on how experienced your
Heroes are, how many artifacts they have, and how many monster figures you
have.


TRAPS:
Traps are the bane of the unwary.  Some quest writers like to place many
traps in the way of the Heroes, I prefer to use them sparingly to make them
more likely to catch the Heroes unawares.  Whichever way you prefer, be
warned that traps will slow down a game.  The Heroes must search for them,
which takes a turn.  Some traps can be avoided, but others must be disarmed
for the Heroes to proceed.  Disarming a trap takes another turn.  If time is
a factor in your games and you don't want them to run over long, you may
prefer to place fewer traps.


TREASURE:
This is a subject dear to every HeroÕs heart.  Treasure allows them to buy
more and better weapons and armor, plus the protection of potions.  Treasure
can be divided into four separate categories: Gold, Weapons/Armor, Magical
Treasure, and Artifacts.  Gold is gold coins or anything that is written
down as its gold value, such as gems or jewelry.  Weapons/Armor are items
from the Armory.  Magical Treasure is potions and spell scrolls, and
Artifacts are the wonderful, magical weapons and armor that every Hero loves
to get.

Gold is the basic treasure.  This is what the Heroes will find the most of.
Sometimes it is given as a reward at the beginning and/or end of adventures,
and other times it is found during the quest.  If your Heroes are having
trouble buying items, you may need to add more gold to your quests.  If, on
the other hand, they are able to buy many different items after every quest,
then you are probably adding too much gold to your quests.

Weapons and Armor should be dispersed in your quest more sparingly.  They
can be placed here and there as weapon/armor upgrades for your Heroes, or as
insurance against Rust/Twist Wood spells.  If playing with the rules that
the Heroes can pick up weapons and armor from monsters, giving these items
as treasure is less of a find.

Even though the quest books list scrolls as artifacts, I separate them out
into Magical Treasure along with potions.  These are even rarer than Weapons
and Armor.  If you want to give a group of Heroes an adventure that is
beyond their ability, a sprinkling of these items in the quests can help the
Heroes get through.  Don't over do it, though.  A potion of Healing should
be a rarity, as opposed to commonplace.

The last treasure category is Artifacts.  Artifacts should be a rare reward
for the Heroes, not a commonplace item.  If every chest contains a wondrous
sword or new piece of magical armor, what are you going to reward the Heroes
with at the end of a very hard quest?  You might also want to consider
limited usage Artifacts, such as those that allow a certain number of
castings of a spell, or ones that only work in certain conditions.  Armor
that only gives bonuses against a certain weapon, a wand with six charges of
a spell or a sword that is magical against Skeletons is an example of these.

MAGICAL ITEMS:
This last category is hard to define.  It is 'special' things in a room that
don't fit into any other category.  An alarm that rings, bringing a monster
into the room every certain number of turns is an example of this.  Another
is found in Castle of Mystery, Quest #10 in the quest book that comes with
HeroQuest.  In this quest the Heroes and monsters roll two red dice on
entering a door, and move to the room with that number.  These types of
special items are fun and add new twists to quests.  They can add complexity
and make a quest harder, so be careful when adding monsters to these quests.
For instance, fewer than normal monsters should be placed in the 'alarm'
quest mentioned above, as there will be more coming in as long as the alarm
is ringing.


All of the article above can be summarized in two rules.  The first is to
use moderation and thought to your quest creations.  Don't put too much of
anything or too little in your quests.  The second rule is that sometimes
you have to throw out rule number one.  Give the Heroes a super easy or a
super hard quest sometimes.  Give them a bunch of treasure or no treasure at
all.  These twists will enliven the game and make it more enjoyable.

To go along with this article, I have included the finished Necromancer's
Lair quest that I have been writing.  If you are reading these articles and
using them to write your own quest, look over the Necromancer's Lair.  See
how each of the parts fit into the whole quest pack.

[The quest has been included in this issueÕs attachment file, but it can
also be downloaded here:
    http://www.yeoldeinn.com/downloads/fanquests/dewayne/necromancers-lair.zip ]


==========================================================================
END OF ISSUE 5                                          SEE YOU NEXT TIME!
==========================================================================