Makker Pits

The Makker Pits is where The Dark One uses the dark powers of the Other Side to generate his armies of Golems and Goblins. It is a terrifying regoing that supplies The Dark One with a seemingly endless supply of warriors to do his bidding. The Pits and their magic dark energy sources continue on so long as The Dark One exists. According to legend, there is a special relic heavily guarded deep into the territory. Supposedly, this is one of four relics that can destroy portal mounds.

Characters, items, and features of note: (from left to right)

Portal Destroyer (Sapphire) – This relic is powerful enough to destroy a portal mound where the Scepters are mounted.

Dark Druid – Strength 6

Werewolf – Strength 5

Dark Magic Energy Source – This is the regions trap. These must be destroyed. When a hero comes adjacent to a Dark Magic Energy Source, he must attempt to destroy it. The rolls are as follows:

1/sword/skull – The hero destroys the Dark Magic Energy Source, but suffers damage. The hero loses two health and is stunned for two rounds.

2/skull – The hero fails to destroy the Dark Magic Energy Source, and loses four health and is stunned for four rounds.

3/sword – The hero destroys the Dark Magic Energy Source.

Shield – The hero destroys the Dark Magic Energy Source and gains up to four health.

Pit – This is the pits from which the Dark Magic Energy Source energizes to create Goblins. After the Dark Magic Energy Source is destroyed, the hero must immediately fight the Goblin Warrior or Golem Guardian inside the pit. Since these enemies are not yet fully developed, their Strength is reduced by two. (Goblin Warrior – Strength 2; Golem Guardian – Strength 3)

Ruby Scepter of Summoning – This is one of the portal scepters between Heroica and the Other Side. It must be captured. Nothing can be summoned by the heroes when on the Other Side. Cost/Worth – Not For Sale.

The Traplands

The Traplands is a desert guarded by Golems. Worse though is that there are a series of traps that must be navigated. According to legend, these traps bring down spikes on the heads of those that which to cross the desert. The AncientWizard’s writings warn that only the swiftest and most cunning can survive them. There is no other known route to travel deeper into the Other Side than through The Traplands.

Characters and features of note: (from left to right)

Golem Guardian – Strength 5

Golem Lord – Strength 6

Spike Trap – This is the region’s trap. When coming adjacent to a trap, the hero must stop and roll to see what happens. The rolls for navigating the trap are as follows:

1/sword/skull – The hero may move to the next space though is injured by the trap. Loses two health.

2/skull – The hero is hit by the trap and loses four health.

3/sword – The trap does not trigger, the hero remains in the space next to the trap.

Shield – The trap does not trigger, and the hero may advance up to four spaces.

Saplar Portal

Saplar Portal is the entry point to the Other Side from Heroica’s Danrolf portal. It is a heavily guarded portal, with strange beasts roaming everywhere in the region. It is a very dangerous place. The ancient people of Heroica tell stories of the first time the portal was discovered and opened, that a few brave men from Ennon crossed over the Rift and only one made it back, barely alive to tell the tale of the horrific beasts that awaits them on the Other Side. Few since have dared to cross over, and very few have ever returned. The Other Side is largely a mystery, but the Ancient Wizard from Ennon and his heroes supposedly made it all the way through to the lair of The Dark One, and charted most of the territory. Their tale is in the Heroica Book of Lore. This ancient book records the history and legends of Heroica, and the Ancient Wizard’s tale chronicles his journey to the Other Side with his band of heroes to defeat The Dark One. It includes maps and other details, but few believed the tale these days until the portal opened once again with the invading armies coming back to once again try to occupy Heroica.

Characters, items, and features of note: (from left to right)

Portal Mighty-taur – Strength 7

Portal Minotaur – Strength 7

Sapphire Scepter of Summoning – This is one of the portal scepters between Heroica and the Other Side. It must be captured. Nothing can be summoned by the heroes when on the Other Side. Cost/Worth – Not For Sale.

Okay, so this is loads of fun.

http://heroica.lego.com/en-us/WebGame/Default.aspx

The Official Lego Heroica site has added a new game recently. It is Castle Fortaan. It is basically them giving the Heroica board game away for free on the computer.

The game is basically Heroica Castle Fortaan, so I don’t know what else to say about that since I am obviously a fan of the line, as this blog is evidence of that. In any case, they did a great job on it.

There are three maps, that function as levels, which are like the three configurations provided with the instructions in the game. The final level of course being the one with the Goblin King and his throne room. The game can be played with one to four players, just like the board game, and there are options to have the computer play other characters if there is one, two, or three players wishing to play, but the desire to have all the characters on the board.

When I played it, I chose to be the Barbarian, and chose to be the only player without the computer playing the others.

There are three difficulty levels, which are easy, medium, and expert.For me, the difference is negligible, except the amount of money one begins with at the start of the game, and lower die rolls, which changes how I play the web game.

What I like about it is that Lego gives you the exact same game play, while also giving their interpretation of the rules in those grey areas.

Granted, it is not near as fun as the real thing, in which you get to build the game, expand it how you want, and so forth, but it is good for killing time without setting anything up and wanting to get some Heroica action going.

I  also noticed myself doing things I probably wouldn’t do in the real game, such as ending my turn and waiting around for good roles to use weapons and skills and never once incur damage, but it helps with formulating strategies to use in the real game. Of course, there are also things possible in the the web game that usually doesn’t happen in the board game, such as getting all the items, amassing enough gold to buy almost everything in the store, and so forth.

Anyway,  I like this game, as it is closer to what one can expect from buying the board game so far as game play is concerned, than the other Heroica web game they have had online for some time now.Though, I must admit, I am a fan of that game as well for what it is in its own right.

It is nice to see the official Heroica site getting some attention as well.

Well done Lego.

If you are reading this and are bored, have a go at it.

The Other Side

The portal at Danrolf opens The Rift to the Other Side. The Other Side is what the people of Heroica call the barren place from which The Dark One rules and forms his armies to seize Heroica. It is a waste land, with precious little natural resources, strange and exotic locations, and rivers of blood flowing throughout. Though the forces of Darkness haven’t opened The Rift in centuries, the portal became active again when the first wave of enemy forces, under the command of the Goblin King, entered Heroica to conquer., as the legand of the past became a reality in the present. Few dared to cross over to the Other Side since the portal opened, and none have for centuries since the Ancient Wizard and his band of heroes ventured deep within the Other Side, back when The Dark One’s forces had invaded Heroica, those many centuries ago, and the heroes of Ennon pushed them back to where they had come. But once again, Heroes are needed to cross over, find the special relics that will destroy the portal, capture the Scepters that open it, and defeat The Dark One once and for all.

The Other Side, like every other world that can be traveled to from Heroica, does not have the mishap curse of Nowhere like Heroica. Unfortunately, things like The Gathering and the Magical Shop can not be summoned though.

Danrolf Portal

Danrolf Portal is the location of one of Heroica’s Portal To The Worlds. It is through this portal that the forces of the Dark One came through. It is believed that the Dark Druid had been behind the plot to reopen the portal so the Goblin Army could once again, after centuries of peace, ravage Heroica and conquer Ennon. It is believed that the Druid was assisted by traitors from Ligead, who had been promised with power and land if they gave their allegiance to the Dark One. These traitors have used their new powers to cast spells on the portal guardians to help them protect Danrolf from anyone seeking to use the portal.

Characters, items, and features of note:

Traitors – Strength 6

Portal Guardians (red) – Strength 5

Trans-green Crystal – Crystal of Refreshment. This Crystal can be consumed as food and is good for four regions.

Trans-red Crystal – Crystal of Refreshment. This Crystal can be consumed as food and is good for four regions.

About the Portal: The Portal itself is opened by four Scepters of Summoning (the Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald), and in order to prevent the portal from being opened again, someone will have to go through the rift and seize the four scepters from the other side of it, and use special relics to destroy the portal mounds. Once the Dark One no longer has those same jeweled scepters, and the portal mounds are destroyed, he will no longer be able to open the portal to Heroica. Will the heroes make it to the portal, and make it through the portal to defend Heroica once and for all?

Rastoon Village

Rastoon village was a peaceful place where villagers would reside and live in harmony with one another. They would gather in the Cathedral for religious activities and prayer for Heroica. That all ended with the invasion of the evil forces of the Dark One. Believing themselves to be punished, the villagers fled the village and never looked back, forsaking their homes, and leaving behind a Scepter of Summoning. Now, one of the Graverobber twins (See here) has led a band of thieves, and they have taken over the village and are fending off anyone who dares to return.

Characters of note:

Graverobber – Strength 5

Theif – Strength 4

Ladecia Waters

The waters of Ladecia is a strange wonder of the Southwestern Territories. It is a small, fresh water lake near the ocean, with unique waterfalls seemingly springing up on their own. Rumor has it that there are many secrets in the Chamber of the Waters. However, a Trident Warrior is guarding the chamber, not letting any trespassers come and explore its secrets. He is also rumored to be guarding a Scepter of Summoning in an old dungeon. Few have dared to enter the region because of the Trident Warrior’s army of golden scorpion minions who assist him in protecting the relics.

Characters, and features of note: (from the map, and picture left to right)

Trident Warrior – Srtrength 8

Pearl Gold Scorpion – Strength 4

Drawbidge – The Drawbridge is the region’s trap. It is very dangerous. When a herocomes to the space adjacent to the level, the hero must stop and operate the lever. To lower the drawbridge, the rolls are as follows:

1/sword – The hero lowers the bridge, but has a mishap and loses two health points.

2/skull – The hero has a mishap, becomes trapped under the bridge for two rounds, and loses three health points. After the two rounds, the hero is free and is placed in front of the lever again, or as near as possible if other heroes are in the way.

3/sword – The hero lowers the drawbridge.

Shield – The hero lowers the drawbridge.

Xangene River

The Xangene River is the swiftest route to both the Danrolf Portals, and the Rastoon Village. While normally heavily traveled for commerce, the river is now a place for bandits hiding out and hunting for relics on the waters. Since the invasion, the are has been left alone in the Southwestern Territories. There are also many treasures since the raids of the Goblins in their trek towards Ennon left many commercial boats sank and goods spilled through the river and its banks. At the end of the river is a fountain known to have healing properties for those who drink from it from special chalices.

Characters, items, and features of note:

Canoes – These can be found near rivers, or confiscated from defeated enemies on canoes. They are used for getting across rivers or even the sea. They can be stored in Hero Packs. Movement on canoes is similar normal movement, except that it takes one movement space from the total number rolled on the die to make a 90 degree turn. Ex. On a roll of three, a canoe can turn to the right and move two spaces. When a hero is adjacent to a River Bandit in a canoe one space away in any direction, he must stop and engage in combat. Normal combat rules apply. The enemy canoe can be seized and placed in a hero pack and sold for 7 Gold.

River Bandit – Strength 4

Bandit Boss – Strength 5

Trans-light blue Crystal – Crystal of Refreshment. This Crystal can be consumed as food and is good for four regions.

Rapids – This is the region’s trap. If the heroes come adjacent to a space with a trap, the heroes must successfully deal with the trap.

Here are the rolls for dealing with rapids:

1/sword/skull – The rapid subsides, but there is a mishap and the hero loses 2 health points.

2/skull – There is a mishap and the canoe has to back off two spaces, and the hero loses 3 health, points.

3 (sword) The rapids subside and the trap is removed from the board.

 Shield – The rapids subside and the boat may move up to two spaces past it unless there is an enemy blocking the path.

Lego Games Heroica Ilrion Review

NOTE: The pictures shown here have more enemies that what come in the box. I bought two sets, so I added some from the second box to make it more challenging.

The next expansion to Lego Games’ Heroica line is finally out in the United Stated. For many of us, it has been a long wait, and many were not expecting it to be released until August. Thankfully, given the neglect the U.S. has been given by LEGO when it comes to the 2012 games released elsewhere in the world, this is a nice toss our way.

Obviously, I am a huge Heroica fan. I have always thoroughly enjoyed the games as they are, even though I have done significant expansions not only in the area of customization of my own boards, but also in the rules. So, how does the addition of Ilrion stack up to the other releases?

Quite well actually for the most part, though some of the rules are a bit fuzzier than usual.

There are quite a few nice pieces in this collection. Especially the microfigs. Per usual, the design on these things are very nice. The King, Prince, and the Sage are all very well done. The Vampire Lord is also quite nice in style and detail. The Zombies are nice as well, but they come off a bit too much like lighter shade goblins.

Many of the parts, such as the trans-clear antenna and the modified 2×2 plates are nice to have on hand for other uses, so buying a few boxes of this set is probably a good idea. The “throne room” for the Vampire Lord contains some nice pieces as well, such as the arch piece. There are two chrome looking microfigure pieces that operate as part of the build that are very nice indeed, and much better than the statue microfigure that is used in Waldurk.

The configuration of the game board that is used for attaching it to the rest of the expansion sets (see picture) is the best layout. Compared to Nathuz and Waldurk, the feel of the board is more sprawling and not quite as redundant in the way it is set up. What this means is that, unless killing everything in the game is the goal, this board actually encourages for all of it to be explored during gameplay. I think this map is superior to Nathuz and Waldurk.

The addition of the Giant Vampire Bat is great, but the rules don’t give much by way of incorporating it and how it can attack the heroes. The rules for combat against it are very well done though. It has its own “monster bar” with four strength, like the heroes “Hero Pack”, and attacking it lasts until all the strength are removed. Winning a round of combat removes a strength from the monster bar, and the hero keeps fighting, but losing a round inflicts damage to the heroes health equal to the number of strength it has at the time it wins a round. If a hero loses the first round, that single combat round can wipe a hero out since its damage would be four.

The Coffins operate as the “trap” for the game. When a hero comes upon a coffin, the hero must roll to see what happens. Certain rolls remove the coffin, or find Gold, but a roll of 2/Skull results in a Vampire Bat in the coffin that must be fought. The official rule makes little sense because normally, when you come upon a trap, you stop and deal with it, here, you must end a move landing on top of it. On the 2/skull roll, you are supposed to place the bat on top of the coffin to fight it, but on the same 2/Skull roll that brings out the bat also has in the rules where the hero is to move back one space. This seemed inconsistent and not well thought out. So the bring out the bat to fight bit is good, but the land on the coffin and then move back one space to fight a bat if it, comes to that, needs to be ignored. The hero should have to end the move in the space before the trap like all the other games, rather than ending the move on it. .

There is a new potion in the game that allows the hero to not receive any damage in a combat round. This is a good potion, and probably most useful against the Vampire Lord or the Giant Vampire Bat. The new relic in the game is the Fang of Fury, but it is not that interesting. It restores 1 health and defeats the monster in combat, but this is weaker than the Staff weapon.

The game as it is officially is a bit easier than Waldurk and Nathuz simply because there are less enemies to fight, mainly because the Vampire Bats can be avoided with the right rolls, and the Giant Vampire Bat has no clear way in the rules to actually be involved in the game, other than simply placing it on the board wherever one wants.

There are two new proper heroes in the game. This is one of the highlights, because whereas Nathuz and Waldurk only introduced one new hero in each of the sets while offering two redundant ones, there is only the Wizard in this set that is redundant from the other games. The new heroes are the Prince and the Sage, with new skills that can be used on Shield rolls. The Prince’s skill is a bit of a reverse from the Knight’s skill. The Knight’s skill is where the Knight could advance two spaces and defeat a monster, whereas the Prince can defeat a monster and then move two spaces. This isn’t all that original or new in the proper sense, so it is a bit of a let down. This is made up for by the Sage’s skill, which is a ranged skill unrelated to combat. His skill is the ability to pick up objects up to four spaces away. This is a nice change. Sadly though, still no female heroes.

There is also the King introduced in this game. One of the points of this game is to free the King (and the internet is a buzz wondering if this means LEGO is done releasing Heroica games…my guess is NO, so settle down and be patient…lol). This is a nice touch, but there are no skills listed for the King, which is unfortunate, and there are no rules for what to do with him or how to move him about once he is rescued. Granted, LEGO tries to be minimalist about rules and encourages inventing your own, but still, some help might be warranted here.

The new enemies such as the Vampire Lord, Zombies, and the Giant Vampire Bat are great additions to the game, but the Vampire Bats for the coffins has that “seen it” feel from Nathuz, and since they are not necessarily involved in the game unless one makes an unfortunate roll, a couple more Zombies would have been nice, or some of those LEGO rats would have been great as well. This is similar to how some variation between the Goblins at Draida and the ones at Fortaan would have been better had they been a bit different. When Lego released the concept art for Heroica a while back, it is not as if they are short on design ideas. But the redundancy of the bats is still a more than a fair trade-off for all the new and varied microfigs introduced in this set. So, one can’t complain too much here, even though it sounds as if I have.

In any case, there seems to have been a lot of criticism here, but overall, this games adds quite a bit that is good to the Heroica Line, and is necessary for the person like me who wants everything Heroica related for the sake of completion. I am very pleased with the game and think it stacks up to the others quite nicely.

Pros:

New microfigs!

The game board!

The design and concept of this expansion!

Great pieces!

The Giant Vampire Bat, monster bar and more interesting combat!

Cons:

The fuzzy rules…

The King’s lack of involvement (and skill) besides being rescued…

The Fang of Fury is a bit underwhelming…

Still no female heroes…