Lego Heroica - and further?

[Olli]

I don´t know, who knows Lego Heroica, a game i would call "Hero quest Ultra light". After my 7 year old son got this game from Santa, he talks about nothing else (beside Lego Indiana Jones PC, but thats another story). All in all it looks like a gamer in the making...

But, after 3 days of very intense gaming (including first attempts at houseruling on his side) he bugs me for something more "grown up" (his words, not mine).

So, after Heroquest and Warhammerquest will cost me a fortune, if i can evn lay hands on it here in Germany, where do we go from here?

He just started school this year, so it should be light on the reading side, and it must have visual props!!!!

hope there is somebody out there who can help us.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Have you considered the D&D cooperative board games (Castle Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, etc.)? They seem like they might be good fits. Perhaps a little more text than ideal, but...

 

[nedjer]

Maybe a crunch-light version of D&D and a big box of e-Bay Lego, so you can cobble together every monster in the book - at once off cost

 

[Celebrim]

If the true constraint is monetary, then I think the next choice is to make your own game starting from Lego Heroica and using your knowledge of Heroquest, RPGs, and modern board gaming. Not that this would be cheaper, but are you familiar with skirmish games like Necromunda or Mordenheim?

Deepen the existing game. Add a tile laying mechanic, creating random expansive dungeons out of legos. Increase the numeric variety using a system inspired by GW d6's mechanics. Allow for persistant heroes with stat increases; again GW's skirmish level games like Necromunda, Mordenheim, or even Bloodbowl provide a good model that is simple enough for a 7 year old. Buy a stack of blank 3x5 note cards and create random event decks along the lines of a monster deck, treasure deck, and trap deck.

All of this stuff can be built with legos when you need visual props, which, unless you are fortunate enough to already have a large collection will be expensive in the long run but lets you divide things up incrementally. Plus, when you are done, you'll have more than one use for what you bought.

I'm actually reaching a need for that in my own gaming with my girls. I have my own simple RPG system (SIPS: Simple Imaginative Play System) that I built for them. The first 4-5 sessions went fairly well as they largely focused on role-play and imagining acting out tasks, but I've found they aren't able to keep up with spatial/exploration gaming without visual props. So, the next session is going to require a box of legos and some base plates, and probably some stuff borrowed from the box of Playmobile toys.

If this sounds more challenging than buying a game, let me say that in the long run its often more satisfying. I was smithing rules from and early age simply because I grew up to poor to afford much of anything. If I wanted to have something, I had to make it. I'd steal rules ideas from books, and go home and make my own game from it. Today, I can hardly encounter a game I don't want to house rule extensively. I think that the truth of the matter is that many gamers can in a pinch do as well as the pros do, and the only reason to pay for the work of the pros is to save yourself time. If the restriction though is on your money, rather than your time, I think investing the time is the way to go. And heck, what are legos for if not inspiring young imaginations to create new things?

 

[erf_beto]

If you don't bother all the cutting, folding and gluing chores of Print-n-Play, take a look at Dungeon Plungin:
Dungeon Plungin' | Board Game | BoardGameGeek

 

[Bedrockgames]

Games like Runebound are pretty good.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

But, after 3 days of very intense gaming (including first attempts at houseruling on his side) he bugs me for something more "grown up" (his words, not mine).

Can he extrapolate on what he means by "grown up"? Does he want a more complex game? Does he want more options for characters? Does he want roleplaying included along side of the mechanics?

I've never played Lego Heroica but you may be able to add some elements like roleplaying amidst the combats to broaden his gaming experience without buying a new game.

 

[Olli]

Can he extrapolate on what he means by "grown up"? Does he want a more complex game? Does he want more options for characters? Does he want roleplaying included along side of the mechanics?

I've never played Lego Heroica but you may be able to add some elements like roleplaying amidst the combats to broaden his gaming experience without buying a new game.

I think with more "grown up" he is hinting at the large "Tomes of forbidden Knowledge", also known as my quite extensive RPG Collection, which have mesmerized him from the first time he saw one lying ariund and proping it open (of course the MM for 3.0).

Oh, and thanksfor the pointing to Mordheim and Necromunda, I will have to go into the deepest dungeons my home has to offer, and see, if i can unearth the big Mordheim and Necromundaboxes collecting dust in some forgotten corner

Also, building from Lego is an option, but I think he lusts after Minis like my Warmachine army, which he sees growing and is forbidden to play with^^

thank you all for your advice, its much appreciated

Olli

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Oh, one other approach would just be to run an actual RPG for him. My son (age 5) has tons of fun playing D&D 4e, using power cards with pictures so he doesn't need to deal with lots of text (he can't really read yet). Minis are key to him really feeling involved in the game. So you might try just running D&D/etc. games for your son, and using minis etc. to give him something tactile to play with.

 

[Olli]

Oh, one other approach would just be to run an actual RPG for him. My son (age 5) has tons of fun playing D&D 4e, using power cards with pictures so he doesn't need to deal with lots of text (he can't really read yet). Minis are key to him really feeling involved in the game. So you might try just running D&D/etc. games for your son, and using minis etc. to give him something tactile to play with.

Well, i haven´t any 4e books or things, so this approach is not feasable. The powercars sound nice, but I think before i go down the 4e lane, i will try one of the boardgames^^ (not meant to derail 4e, its just not mine)

Olli