HeroQuest: The Card Game seemingly leaked for spring release
Rumour delving.
An Amazon listing for HeroQuest: The Card Game suggests a distilled, card-based version of the classic dungeon-crawler will launch sometime in the spring of 2021, though publisher Hasbro has yet to confirm any details.
The listing - and subsequent addition to BoardGameGeek - caught the attention of online communities and fans last week for its addition of what seems to be art mockups of the box and several components. The player-controlled heroes, dungeon denizens and even the tiles themselves are represented on small cards, while a collection of dice will likely handle random events as the heroes explore deeper into the dangerous unknown.
The store listing provides more details about HeroQuest: The Card Game’s flavour and rules - but like the rest of the information regarding the title - there’s no source to confirm its validity.
The ultimate goal is to defeat the dark wizard Zargon within his own subterranean lair by depleting all the cards from the dungeon deck, thereby leaving him vulnerable. Doing so probably means thoroughly exploring every room and meting out an adventurer’s brand of justice on whatever or whoever stands in the way. Except, any hero who accumulates more than four wounds from any source suffers a permanent fate for digging too greedily.
Rounds play out over two phases - explore and action - allowing the heroes to respond to threats (or treasure) revealed through exploration. HeroQuest: The Card Game boasts quick setup and speedy sessions for those who want only a quick taste of fantasy spelunking.
In 2020, the original HeroQuest board game was resurrected three decades after its initial release via a crowdfunding campaign from publisher Hasbro. It more than tripled the goal of $1,000,000 by the end and is planning to ship boxes of the revamped experience around the world this autumn - only this time stripped of any Warhammer influences. Hasbro re-acquired the HeroQuest trademark last year, causing the rebranding of the unrelated RPG of the same name to Questworlds by publisher Chaosium.
With all the recent money and weight thrown behind the name, a card game adaptation isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The original HeroQuest can trace a line of influence through modern dungeon-crawlers and the almost ubiquitous love of fantasy aesthetics on the table. But fans should approach this news with a grain of salt until confirmation can lend this listing more credence. Dicebreaker has contacted Hasbro for further information and will update this story as necessary.