Avalon Hill has released more information about their upcoming games and other projects, particularly their new HeroQuest content. HeroQuest is a classic tabletop RPG from the 80's that was recently revived in 2021 with updated art, gameplay, and, of course, quests.

Along with HeroQuest, Avalon Hill announced their plans to take control over Life in Reterra, a new strategy game that was just released by their parent company, Hasbro. As an extra surprise, Avalon Hill confirmed rumors and gave a release date for the 5th edition of Talisman.

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However, fans of HeroQuest were given the lion's share of updates, starting with the Jungles of Delthrak quest pack, which was announced back in May and is up for pre-order ahead of its release on August 1st, 2024.

This expansion offers players one of the most fun questlines that can be found in fantasy RPGs: resolving an evil blight. The quest takes place shortly before the events of the Crypt of Perpetual Darkness quest, although there's really no rule against playing whichever quest pack you like first, and in fact the Jungles of Delthrak has been tested with the newest characters and mechanics, so it's perfect for players new and old alike.

In fact, HeroQuest is still very much a sandbox type of TTRPG, and the Jungles of Delthrak quest pack offers dungeon masters new artifacts, new heroes, new monsters, new tiles, and a ton of other jungle-themed elements that can be seamlessly added to any official or homebrewed campaigns. Avalon Hill was even able to show off one of the new relics players will be able to collect, called the Sapphire Skull, which allows any hero to wield arcane power at range.

While Avalon Hill acknowledged that players want more powers and abilities for the barbarian and dwarf characters, rather than move directly to beefing them up, they added two new characters that greatly complement them. The berserker is another heavy-hitter who gains abilities as they take damage and get closer to death. The new explorer character is built for players who love to use their friends as meat-shields while they look for loot.

Powerful, specialist characters aren’t the only new additions to the game, as there have been a number of monsters added to increase the challenge rating in the face of more cohesive parties. Dinosaurs, spiders, giant apes, and all kinds of jungle creatures ready to fit into the theme of the quest. Even old enemies have received some updates, with zombies, skeletons, goblins, and cultists have gained some abilities, such as ranged attacks, that had previously only been available during specific quests.

Game Designer Doug Hopkins mentioned that their team had been working on making enemies overall more challenging and fun to play as the DM. Spiders come with wicked fast hatchlings for a fun mini-game during the adventure, and likewise raptors are designed to dart in and out. Overall, DMs have a lot of power to scale the challenges their players face based on their preferences and experience levels, making it fun to bring in new players without making them feel overwhelmed.

Supporting this homebrew-friendly design is a brand-new, choose-your-own-adventure element. Typically, HeroQuest games are fairly straightforward and offer an “on the rails” experience. However, with the Jungles of Delthrak pack, there are multiple points throughout the plot where players will need to make a decision regarding how they handle an enemy, solve a puzzle, or approach a new location. Even the ending isn’t a sure thing, as there are multiple options available to the players.

HeroQuest: Jungles of Delthrak

The HeroQuest: Jungles of Delthrak Quest Pack features 16 new quests, an innovative choose-your-own-adventure mechanic, and the introduction of two new characters: the Berserker and Explorer! Building off of the HeroQuest base game, players can venture into dangerous jungles, to find a powerful dwarven relic that has been stolen and cure the resulting nefarious infection which has spread across the land. This tabletop board game expansion comes with 29 detailed miniatures and 39 full-color cardboard pieces. Plus, the Quest Book and 36 game cards feature incredible artwork that immerses players in the daring adventure.
Additionally, this expansion pack features three distinct endings that are wholly based on your decisions and actions throughout the game. All of the elements can be used again for homebrewed campaigns too, and are compatible with all other HeroQuest games currently available.

Type of Game

RPG

Age Recommendation

14+

Brand

Avalon Hill

Number of Players

2-5

Designer

Doug Hopkins

$45 at Amazon

The HeroQuest Jungles of Delthrak Quest Pack is available for pre-order right now and will be released on August 1, 2024 through Amazon and your friendly neighborhood game store.

This new expansion was far from the last announcement Avalon Hill had in store for HeroQuest fans. Regardless of how much freedom game runners are given or how powerful a character is made, new players are, more often than not, going to be intimidated by a new TTRPG. Avalon Hill will not be deterred though, as they are currently on a quest to bring new players to the table and make their stay as pleasant as possible. To that end, HeroQuest: First Light offers an easy introduction, with a price to match.

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First Light is a new starter set that takes place at the same time as the standard starter set, but has been pared down quite a bit and made much more approachable for new players to enjoy. This version of HeroQuest makes it easy even for young teens and older kids to join in and comes with absolutely everything you need to get into HeroQuest at a fraction of the cost of the main beginner’s box.

The First Light set comes with new quests and Avalon Hill teased at the set offering players special components and extra abilities to help players have the full HeroQuest experience, including the threat of character death, without the commitment that keeps plenty of players away from TTRPGs. The game is balanced for four players and one DM, though the quests are much more narrative and roleplay driven, meaning that players can control more than one character without much issue, especially if they’re a veteran gamer. That roleplay-heavy design is two-fold, helping new players immerse themselves in the HeroQuest world and allowing them to simply jump into the game, rather than spend time doing prep work, like building a character, before the actual game starts.

The first chance to play it will be at GenCon 2024, where it’s expected that Avalon Hill will reveal more specific information, including a release date. If you’re heading to GenCon this year, you can register for gameplay sessions through the convention website. Avalon Hill has multiple sessions available not only for HeroQuest: Jungles of Delthrak and HeroQuest: First Light, but also for their other recent and upcoming titles, such as Life in Reterra and Talisman 5th edition.

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