Getting to Know the HeroQuest Game System

What Is HeroQuest?

HeroQuest was first published in 1989 and became a gateway into fantasy adventure gaming for many players. One player controls the dungeon as Zargon, and up to four other players control the Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf, and Wizard. A companion app can take Zargon's place when everyone wants to play as a Hero.

The original game left retail shelves in the 1990s, but an active fan community kept creating quests, rules, miniatures, and replacement components. Avalon Hill and Hasbro brought the game back through a crowdfunding campaign and released the redesigned Game System in 2021.

The rules are intentionally approachable. Heroes move through a hidden dungeon, fight monsters, search rooms, collect treasure, improve their equipment, and try to complete the objective described at the beginning of each quest.

Start With the Official Rules

This page is an introduction to HeroQuest, not a replacement for the rulebook. Keep the official rules nearby during your first few quests, since they contain the complete wording for movement, combat, searching, traps, spells, equipment, death, and special situations.

Finding the Game System

The Game System is the starting point for the modern HeroQuest line. It contains the board, core rules, original four Heroes, standard monsters, furniture, cards, dice, tiles, and the first Quest Book.

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What Comes in the Box?

The modern Game System includes everything needed to play the original campaign. Component counts can vary between printings or localized editions, so use the list below as a guide and compare it with the contents list supplied in your copy.

Setting Up Your First Quest

1. Choose Zargon. One person runs the quest using the Quest Book and screen. The companion app can fill this role for a fully cooperative game with no human Zargon player.
2. Choose the Heroes. Each Hero player takes a character card, miniature, and character sheet. If you have a smaller group, it is recommended that players control more than 1 hero. Using less than 4 heroes may be challenging.
3. Prepare the decks and pieces. Separate the Treasure, Equipment, Artifact, and Spell cards. Place the dice, doors, furniture, monsters, and tiles where Zargon can reach them.
4. Read the quest introduction. Zargon reads the parchment text and explains the objective without showing the secret map.
5. Place only the starting area. The Heroes begin where the quest instructs. Rooms, monsters, furniture, and traps remain hidden until the Heroes discover them.

How the Heroes Play

Your goal changes from quest to quest. You may need to find a missing person, defeat a powerful enemy, recover an artifact, escape the dungeon, or simply survive. The Heroes should communicate and work together, since each character has unique strengths.

Taking a Hero Turn

On your turn, you may move and then perform one action, or perform one action and then move. You cannot split movement around the action.

Roll both red dice and add the results to determine your maximum movement for that turn. Heroes move horizontally or vertically through open spaces. Diagonal movement is not allowed. You may stop before using the full roll.

Hero Actions

• Attack an orthogonally adjacent monster.
• Cast a spell or use a Hero ability when its rules permit.
• Search for treasure when no monster is visible to that Hero.
• Search for traps when no monster is visible to that Hero.
• Search for secret doors when no monster is visible to that Hero.
• Disarm a discovered trap when the Hero is able to do so.

Opening a door is not an action and can happen during movement. Drinking a potion does not normally use the Hero's action, but the wording on the potion or quest rule controls when it can be used.

Attacking

Roll the combat dice allowed by the Hero's weapon, equipment, spells, artifacts, and other effects. Every skull is one hit. Zargon rolls the target monster's Defend dice and cancels one hit for each black shield.

Defending

When a monster attacks, roll the Hero's current Defend dice. Every white shield cancels one hit. Any uncancelled hits reduce the Hero's Body Points.

Reaching Zero Body Points

A Hero reduced to zero Body Points is normally dead. A healing potion may save the Hero when its wording allows immediate use. A healing spell can help only when its timing requirements can be met. Check the death rules before removing the Hero from play.

How Zargon Runs the Dungeon

This section contains information meant for the player running the quest. Hero players can leave it hidden and discover the dungeon from the other side of the screen.

Playing Through the Quest Book

The Game System Quest Book contains 14 quests. They introduce the rules in stages, then build toward a complete campaign. It is best to begin with the opening quests rather than jumping ahead, since the early adventures teach the standard hero actions, searching, traps, combat, spells, equipment, and prepare the heroes for the adventures coming ahead.

When the group finishes a quest, let the Heroes visit the Armory and spend their gold. The Wizard cannot use most weapons or armour, so spell choice and careful positioning remain central to that character. The Barbarian begins as the strongest attacker, the Dwarf is the natural trap specialist, and the Elf combines combat with a smaller spell selection.

A defeated party does not have to end the campaign. Many groups replay the quest, introduce replacement Heroes, or let Zargon create a story-friendly recovery. HeroQuest works best when the table treats the rules as a framework for an ongoing adventure.

The modern HeroQuest line adds new campaigns, monsters, Heroes, tiles, artifacts, spells, and special rules. The guide status on each card refers to its page on this site. Releases marked as coming soon remain listed so this page can serve as the complete guide index.

Small Quest Packs

Campaign boxes that build on the Game System with new quests, cards, tiles, and story material.

Guide Available Kellar's Keep Continue the story beneath Kellar’s Keep after completing the Game System campaign. Guide Available Return of the Witch Lord Face the Witch Lord and his undead forces in a campaign following the Game System.

Guide Coming Soon Prophecy of Telor A campaign first released through the HeroQuest Mythic Tier collection.

Guide Coming Soon Spirit Queen's Torment A spectral campaign first released through the HeroQuest Mythic Tier collection.

Guide Coming Soon The Crypt of Perpetual Darkness Search for a lost crypt, recover a powerful artifact, and confront the dragon Venim.

Hero Collections

Smaller releases that add optional Heroes, equipment, abilities, and miniature variants.

Out of Print Commander of the Guardian Knights Introduces the Guardian Knight Hero with defensive skills and equipment.

Guide Coming Soon The Rogue Heir of Elethorn Adds the Rogue Hero with mobility-focused abilities and specialized equipment.

Guide Coming Soon Path of the Wandering Monk Adds the Monk Hero and a set of elemental combat techniques.

Large Quest Packs

Larger boxed adventures with substantial campaigns, new miniatures, tiles, and expanded rules.

Guide Coming Soon The Frozen Horror A frozen northern campaign that begins with solo trials for the Barbarian.

Guide Coming Soon The Mage of the Mirror An elven adventure that begins with solo trials for the Elf.

Guide Coming Soon Rise of the Dread Moon Return to Elethorn for a campaign involving hidden allies and the Dread Moon cult.

Guide Coming Soon Against the Ogre Horde Battle powerful Ogres through a campaign with new rules and encounter types.

Guide Coming Soon Jungles of Delthrak Explore a dangerous jungle campaign with new Heroes, monsters, and branching paths.

Guide Coming Soon Wizards of Morcar Challenge Morcar’s allied Dread sorcerers with new spells, enemies, mercenaries, and Wizard options.

Questions or Corrections?

This guide is meant to help new and returning players get to the table faster. The official rulebook and Quest Book remain the final source for the Game System. House rules and regional editions can differ.

Send any corrections, missing details, or suggestions through the contact page.