Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Milton Bradley used to make games that were about as much fun to set up and look at as they were to play. Remember Broadsides and Boarding Parties? These were often middle-to-low-complexity strategy games that allowed adults to indulge their inner child and allow themselves one last game of toy soldiers. Alas, very few of these games are still available and many strategy gaming afficionados have moved on to the lush wooden pieces of German games.
Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, Milton Bradley has released Heroscape, a game that uses MB's past a springboard to its future (I hope).
What you get: Well, for one you get a VERY heavy box filled with assorted plastic terrain tiles which can be manipulated in a myriad of ways - snapped together side-by-side or stacked. You also get over 30 nicely painted and detailed miniature figures. In many ways it's worth the relatively low cost of the game just to get the tiles and the figures as both are wonderfully made. You also get army cards (which explain what each character is capable of and how much damage each can inflict and absorb) along with dice for combat rolls and a few other necessary but standard markers. Here's the bad news: the box all of this wonderful stuff comes in is woefully inadequate. It's cheap and flimsy, so don't expect to get everything back in the box once you open it. I've managed to get everything except the figures back in the box, but that's only after considerable effort.
Heroscape features two sets of rules: a Basic Game set and an Advanced Game set. I see no reason to ever play the Basic Game unless you're introducing the game to a younger child. The Basic Game is just that - BASIC. There's little incentive for strategy. That's where the Advanced Game comes in. The Advanced version includes much more detail, including character and terrain height rules and the use of glyphs - strategic areas of the gameboard that allow rule bending and breaking.
The creators of the game have kindly included several scenarios to help get you set up and going with the Advanced game, but even with these you should plan on taking a little while to get set up. Once you get the gameboard configured for one of the scenarios you should probably plan on playing either one very extended game or several shorter ones using the same map as it will take quite a bit of time to take the board apart and reconfigure it for another scenario.
Is Heroscape worth the time and trouble? Absolutely!!! This is a fun and engaging game right out of the box. At this point there's nothing to collect (hopefully things will stay this way) so every player is on equal footing. It's clear to see that Milton Bradley has big plans for Heroscape, so look to see numerous expansion packs hit the shelves in the near future. Numerous fan sites are already popping up as well, promising a near-limitless variety of fan-created scenarios.
The problems with packaging notwithstanding, Heroscape is a real gem of a game. Buy it and encourage Milton Bradley to keep producing these plastic monstrosities for the kid inside all of us.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Hasbro Heroscape Master Set
HeroScape Master Set is a customized 3-D interlocking battle field, and stages the final battle of all time with heroes and warriors of legend and fantasy. It comes complete with miniature playing pieces and 10 battle scenarios that players construct terrain with. Cards govern the progress of the game as you strategize to beat your enemy. Rolling the attack and armor dice lets you move about the board. Friends can bring their own armies for endless variations. Expansion sets, featuring new characters, terrain tiles and more, are sold separately.
Click here for more information about Hasbro Heroscape Master Set
