Heroica: Building at House on the Hill (Part 4)

This post is part of a series about LEGO Heroica. Part 4 looks at the pros and cons of expanding on the LEGO-given customizability, in maps, scenarios, and characters, of Heroica in the custom rules. At the bottom of this post are links to the other parts.

One of my favorite board games of all time is called Betrayal at House on the Hill.  There are three major features of this game that I find absolutely wonderful, and significantly add to its replay value:  a completely randomly generated board every game, a different end goal chosen based on the goings on of the players, and a different "bad guy," picked based on players stats, collectables, or position around the table in combination with the end scenario.

All together, these features create a highly variable game that players slowly explore and uncover with different results every time.  Given that we are working here with LEGO bricks, it should be no problem for us to replicate these features.  However, before we jump in head first, lets talk some pros and cons about each.

Heroica: Hack-n-Brick (Part 3)

This post is part of a series about LEGO Heroica. After quite the hiatus, Part 3 looks at the pros and cons of expanding on the hack-n-slash nature of Heroica in the custom rules. At the bottom of this post are links to the other parts.

If you haven't had the opportunity to play an proper hack-n-slash type video game yet, I'll wait while you go play one.  Really, go play one.  Though always violent, and quite frequently gory, these games provide a great deal of stress relief because they are based on one simple idea:  hacking, slashing, beating, pummeling, and generally laying the beat-down on wave after wave of baddies.

There are three key features for all hack-n-slash games:  a variety of easily (and the occasional not so easily) dispatched enemies, a large pool of weapons and spells, and sprawling dungeons to fight in.  All three provide opportunities for our custom Heroica.  I'll go through these points one at a time.

In a board game such as Heroica, we can't necessarily capture the same sense of immediacy and action as a digital hack-n-slash game, but we can look to the key elements of the hack-n-slash genre to help inform the gameplay.

Heroica: Dungeons, Dragons, and Microfigs (Part 2)

This post is part of a series about LEGO Heroica. Part 2 looks at the pros and cons of expanding on the RPG nature of Heroica in the custom rules. At the bottom of this post are links to the other parts.

A LEGO RPG - what could be cooler!?  When Heroica was first released, that's what many people thought it was.  Unfortunately, Heroica was (at best) an RPG-lite, but this being LEGO, and LEGO being all about customizability, that didn't stop anyone.

In the community today, there are a number of approaches to making Heroica more RPG-esque.   I'm going to describe some of my favorite (or at least the ones I find most interesting), and I'll also discuss some pros and cons of each, if I feel it is warranted.  Lastly, I'll discuss some pros and cons about an RPG Heroica in general.

Heroica: Build-a-Board Game (Part 1)

This post is part of a series about LEGO Heroica. Part 1 explores the existing state of Heroica Customization, and lays out a couple philosophies for custom rules series. At the bottom of this post are links to the other parts.

One of the coolest things to come of the LEGO Group in a long time is the Heroica series of customizable board games.  For those not in the know, Heroica is basically a turn-based dungeon crawler that pits 2-4 friends against each other to be the first to defeat the Goblin King and save the day.  Right now, there are four "maps" available, and they can be combined (or customized) to create a personalized adventure.

But lets be honest:  the game play of Heroica just plain sucks.  For a parent playing with a small child, they work very well because of their simplicity and highly deterministic nature, but for an AFOL, or even just a normal college-aged individual who wants to play with his friends, the rules are quickly mastered, and leave you wanting more.  This is where I (and this blog post) come in!