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Return of the Witch Lord released around the same time as Kellar’s Keep in 1991. This expansion for the popular dungeon-crawling board game HeroQuest continues the story started in the epilogue of the Game System quest book.
The events of Return of the Witch Lord could be considered to be concurrent Kellar’s Keep, which is also introduced in the Game System quest epilogue. Commonly though, fans play Kellar’s Keep first, then move onto Return of the Witch Lord.
The expansion was redesigned by Avalon Hill under Hasbro, and re-released in 2021 following a successful crowdfunding campaign.
| Publisher: | Hasbro, Avalon Hill (Redesign 2021) Milton Bradley, Games Workshop (1991) |
| Publication Date: | Redesign in 2021 Original 1991 |
| MSRP: | $33.99 |
| Players: | 1 – 5 (1 Game Master or Companion App + Up to 4 Heroes) |
| Ages: | 14+ (Debatable – I introduced my kids to it at 5) |
| Requires: | HeroQuest Game System |
Quick Links
Where to Purchase HeroQuest Return of the Witch Lord
Also check at your Friendly Local Game Store for Availability.
Next Quest: Prophecy of Telor
The cruel Witch Lord survived the great battle and sought refuge in his subterranean fortress. Soon he will have recovered enough strength to lead his mutant army in a vengeful attack against the Realm. You must journey across the barren lands and confront the Witch Lord. Beware! His fortress is filled with legions of vile monsters and deadly traps.
HeroQuest Return of the Witch Lord Quest Pack Box
Game Component List
- 1 Quest Book
- 16 Miniatures (8 Skeletons, 4 Mummies, 4 Zombies)
- 2 Dungeon Doors (1 Iron Entrance Door, 1 Wooden Exit Door)
- 14 Game Cards (10 Artifact, 4 Equipment)
- Cardboard Tiles (Throne Room, 4 Coffins, 6 Blocked-square tiles, 2 Pit Traps, 4 Secret Doors, Revolving Room, Death Mist)
Check the full added rules in the Return of the Witch Lord quest book, directly from Hasbro: https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/F4193_en-us_avalon-hill-heroquest-return-of-the-witch-lord-quest-pack-for-ages-14-and-up.pdf
New Game Mechanics in This Quest Pack
Starting and Ending a Quest – Return of the Witch Lord is uses Entrance and Exit doors for starting and ending a quest. Instead of heroes starting on the Stairway tile, the players line up outside the Entrance door that is placed along the edge of the board. The objective of quests, usually involves finding the Exit door along with completing other tasks.
New Tiles – Various new tiles are introduced in Return of the Witch Lord, some are just to add decoration, such as the Coffins and the Bone Pile, other involve new mechanics, such as these:
- Death Mist – This is a deadly breath of Dread which can harm the heroes. Read detailed instructions about Death Mist is used in specific quests.
- Coffins – These can be used as tombs. Depending on the quest notes, these may contain monsters or be enchanted with deadly traps.
- Revolving Room – This room spins causing the heroes to become disoriented. Depending on which way the room is facing, the heroes may exit the room through a different door.
Gold Distribution – The quest book states that large gold coin amounts found in chests should be distributed among the heroes. I see this as more of a suggestion, the heroes will usually transfer gold around as needed to acquire needed equipment anyways. Play the game as you like, but I wouldn’t worry about this ruling too much.
New Artifacts – Several new artifacts are introduced in Return of the Witch Lord. Several of these are Spell Scrolls. When a hero finds a Spell Scroll, the player records it on their character sheet and the card goes back with the rest to be found again.
Let me know in the comments if this page was helpful to you, or if you see any errors or information that you think should be added. Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon!
Next Quest: Prophecy of Telor
