HEROQUEST — How to Play
The Trial of the Iron Gate. Command your heroes, break the Warlock Lord, and escape the dungeon alive.
1. Your Goal
Two things must happen, in order, to win:
- Slay the Warlock Lord — the red L token deep in the dungeon.
- Escape — move any surviving hero onto the stair tile (marked with a green ▲).
If every hero falls, the quest is lost.
2. The Heroes
Pick one to four heroes on the setup screen. Each has four stats: Body (hit points), Mind (resolve, used by spellcasters), Attack (combat dice rolled when attacking), and Defend (combat dice rolled when defending).
| Hero | Body | Mind | Attack | Defend | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Best raw fighter. |
| Dwarf | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Can disarm known traps for free. |
| Elf | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | Solid fighter with one school of spells. |
| Wizard | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | Fragile, but wields all three spell schools. |
3. The Board & Its Pieces
The dungeon is revealed as you explore — opening onto a room lights up the whole chamber (this is the fog of war). Here is the cast of tokens you will meet:
Heroes are lettered B/D/E/W. Monsters range from weak goblins to the Warlock Lord (L). A small bar under each token shows remaining Body.
4. Taking Your Turn
On the heroes' phase, activate each hero in turn. A hero may move and take one action:
- Move: when you select a hero, they roll
2d6for movement. Reachable tiles are highlighted blue — click one to travel there. You can move before or after acting. - Attack: click a monster on a tile next to your hero.
- Search Treasure: while standing in a room, reveal its treasure (once per room).
- Search Traps: reveal hidden traps in your room or nearby.
- Cast a Spell: click a spell on the Elf's or Wizard's card, then a target.
Click End Turn to pass initiative. Then every monster moves toward the nearest hero and attacks if it can.
5. Combat
Combat uses special six-sided dice. The attacker rolls Attack dice; each ☠ skull is a potential wound. The defender rolls Defend dice; a hero blocks on ◆ white shields, while monsters block on ◆ black shields.
Damage = skulls rolled − shields blocked (never below zero). Each point of damage removes one Body from the target. Reduce a monster to zero Body to slay it; protect your own heroes from the same fate.
6. Treasure, Potions & Traps
- Gold adds to your party total (bragging rights and future quests).
- Healing Potion: restores up to 4 Body. Use it from the hero card.
- Potion of Strength: adds +2 Attack dice to your next attack — save it for the boss.
- Traps: stepping on an undiscovered trap costs Body. Use Search Traps to reveal them first; the Dwarf disarms known traps automatically when he steps on them.
7. Spells
The Wizard knows spells from all three schools; the Elf knows one. Each spell can be cast once per quest. Examples include a bolt of fire (direct damage), a healing touch (restore Body), a courage chant (bonus attack dice), a slumber spell (a monster loses its next turn), and a gust that grants extra movement. Choose a spell on the hero card, then click a valid target.
8. Winning & Saving
- Defeat the Warlock Lord, then get a hero onto the stair (▲) to escape and win.
- Use Save at any time; return later via Continue Saved Game on the setup screen.
Strategy Tips
- Keep the Wizard behind your fighters — with only 4 Body he dies fast.
- Gang up: attacking a monster with two heroes clears it before it strikes back.
- Hold the Potion of Strength and offensive spells for the Warlock Lord.
- Search a room's traps before you march the party across it.
- Once the boss falls, don't dawdle — wounded heroes need to reach the gate.
HEROQUEST is a trademark of its respective owner (Hasbro, Inc. / Avalon Hill). This is an independent, non-commercial fan tribute by Tronsoft Games and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the trademark owner. See LICENSE.txt.