Return of the Heroes

Excellent condition and was just what I was looking for in an adventure game!

Me and my husband wanted to play an adventure game together.This one looked like we might like it.First of all instructions are sooooo bad!!!! It took my husband 2 evenings to figure out what is going on in this game and finally he decided that if we start playing the game maybe he will understand better. So we played for an hour and realize that this is one player game. Two players completely don't interact with each other, they each have a quest that they have to accomplish. We really wanted to play together not separately!!!!So my husband decided to change the rules so we will interact. That was 2 weeks ago and he didn't touch the game ever since . I bet we will sell it on ebay but after this review probably not... Waste of money.

I've been looking for a fantasy boardgame that has more to it then others (such as Talisman). I recently picked up Return of the Heroes and have been extremely pleased with the purchase.Stuff in the BoxLots of goodies here, including 16 map pieces, 5 character cards (a flip of which changes the gender of any character), bad guy cards, glass counters, a wide of variety of wooden markers, wooden dice, wooden houses, character playing pieces, gobs of cardboard counters, and a handful of rules booklets and sheets. Overall the quality of the game contents is quite high. All cards and counters and boards are made from thick card and seem durable. The artwork is nice and goes a long way to helping the player immerse themselves in the fantasy world.The RulesThe rules are both wonderful and terrible at the same time. The rule book is a narrative that explains the rules in a ridiculously convoluted way. The rules themselves aren't that hard to learn, but the odd manner in which they are explained makes it awkward to go back during play and look a rule up. On the positive side, the actual game mechanics are fantastic. They let the game have many interesting facets and nuances, yet be extremely easy to play. I stopped looking to the rulebook after my second game. Most fantasy boardgames are simple hack-fests with little meat to them. RotH is more interested in capturing the feel of fantasy stories. Yes, there is plenty of combat against the forces of darkness, but there are also elements such as exploration, heroic deeds, mastering fighting and magical arts from instructors, and the completion of tasks.Playing the GameThe game has solid solo rules, but is primarily intended for 2-4 players. Turns are fast, so players do not have to wait long before they get a chance to do something. The game is designed to feel like a story, so the game begins with players seeking to reclaim their families' honor, and a plot unfolds that revolves around a nameless horror that has long plotted against the Kingdom. Solo games are quick (about 30min for me so far) and games with four players can be up to two hours.The game begins with the heroes trying to fulfill their heroic deeds; once one player has partially completed his or her deed, the bad guy (the Nameless) becomes aware of the heroes. From there it is a matter of time before the Nameless sends out his legions to stop the heroes, and the heroes rush to complete their deeds so they may face the Nameless in combat. There are six possible Nameless to fight, so you never know which one it will be. Each has different statistics and abilities which keeps the endgame fresh and exciting. Well-developed heroes will slay their enemy with ease, while those who are ill-equipped will die horribly.I won't write much about combat, suffice to say that it's easy to attempt. The unique bit in RotH are the tasks. Heroes can perform tasks to gain experience points instead of fighting monsters. There are different levels of task complexity with varying levels of reward. A simple task might be to escort a lost child back to her village. A more complex task might be to find a lost treasure hidden in the wilderness, then return it to its previous owner in exchange for a priceless artifact. Tasks are a vital part of the game and go a long way towards giving the game a story-like feeling. And of course there are the heroic deeds which are like tasks only more complex. For instance, one deed requests a hero save Daphne. She is imprisoned in the swamps, but first the hero must seek out the evil ghoul hidden in a glade in the woods. If the ghoul is slain, the hero can get the key to release Daphne from her cell, but first he has to find her in the swamps. Once found, Daphne must be escorted back to her convent, where the hero will be rewarded. If this aspect of the game sounds exciting to you, you will find the game well worth your while. If this part sounds boring, then you would probably want to steer clear of it.ConclusionThis is one of my favorite games. It is a light boardgame with (very) light strategic elements to it; its purpose being to immerse players in a mysterious fantasy environment. It is a great game for anyone who enjoys adventure or quest-style boardgames, and makes a good, fast substitute for role-playing games.

The game does a great job of creating a fantasy world for a group of friends to travel around in. The art is great, the gameplay is fun, and the components feel durable. The rulebook was written in an odd fashion and it complicated initial learning.