Lego Heroica: Duresh Farm

I envisioned this as another “introductory” two-Hero set similar to the official Draida, with lighter rules for beginners (but still playable with the “full” rules) and a lower price point and piece count…

 

DURESH FARM

Description:

Something is destroying the crops at Duresh Farm, and the heroes have been called in to solve the mystery.

With spiders in the farmhouse, rats in the corn fields and a werewolf prowling the river, can the farm be saved in time?

 

Heroes:

• Ranger
• Druid

Monsters:

• x3 Spiders (Strength 1)
• x3 Rats (Strength 1)
• x1 Werewolf (Strength 2)

Items:

• x1 Life Potion
• x1 Strength Potion
• x1 Skill Potion (see here)

Quests:

Map #1

Goal: Defeat the Werewolf!

 

Map #2

Goal: Defeat the Werewolf!

 

Designer Notes:

Because this is designed to mimic the “introductory” set concept like Draida, the Hero Packs included here are the “simple” ones as found in that set rather than the full-size ones used in other sets. Also, there are no weapons, Gold Pieces or Shop (as with Draida). Of course, this set can easily be played using the full rules by just adding gold pieces to the map, using full-size Hero Packs and allowing normal use of the Shop.

The Spiders and Werewolf monsters can be found in the official Waldurk set.

For Rats, use the standing upright “Scabbers” rat included in some fantasy and Harry Potter sets.

The farmhouse tiles could be incorporated easily into Fortaan as extra castle rooms if you wish.

I really like how the well and corn field crops sections turned out!

 

Image Gallery:

Download Links:

LDD Digital Files (.lxf)

 

Feel free to suggest/send alternate Quest layouts for this set!

Lego Heroica: Fortaan Dungeon Card Game

Although not part of the Heroica series or using the same rules, a card game called “Fortaan Dungeon” creates a different gaming experience in the Heroica world.

This card game was (as far as I know) never released commercially but was given out as a promotion when Heroica was first released. As well as the rules themselves, there was also a deck of customised playing cards that were the same as a standard card deck except that it had various items and characters from the Heroica game printed on each card. Using this deck and the rules, a complete “dungeon crawl” adventure game was playable!

Sadly, these unique cards are the one of the few pieces of Heroica merchandise that I don’t own and have been unable to track down anywhere, but the rules fortunately allow the game to be played using a standard deck of regular playing cards.

It’s a fun game and a cool idea, and something few people – even Heroica fans – know about or have experienced. I suggest giving it a try for yourselves, and have provided the official rules as a download below.

 

Standard Deck Equivalents

If you are using a standard deck instead of the custom “Heroica” one, the card equivalents are as follows:

• 2 Clubs = Strength Potion
• 2 Spades = Speed Potion
• 2 Hearts = Health Potion
• 2 Diamonds = Luck Potion
• 3 Clubs = Crystal of Deflection
• 3 Spades = Helmet of Protection
• 3 Hearts = Chalice of Life
• 3 Diamonds = Sceptre of Summoning
• 4 Clubs = Gold
• 4 Spades = Gold
• 4 Hearts = Gold
• 4 Diamonds = Gold
• 5 Clubs = Gold
• 5 Spades = Gold
• 5 Hearts = Gold
• 5 Diamonds = Gold
• 6 Clubs = Gold
• 6 Spades = Gold
• 6 Hearts = Gold
• 6 Diamonds = Gold
• 7 Clubs = Gold
• 7 Spades = Gold
• 7 Hearts = Gold
• 7 Diamonds = Gold
• 8 Clubs = Gold
• 8 Spades = Gold
• 8 Hearts = Gold
• 8 Diamonds = Gold
• 9 Clubs = Goblin Warrior
• 9 Spades = Goblin Warrior
• 9 Hearts = Goblin Warrior
• 9 Diamonds = Goblin Warrior
• 10 Clubs = Goblin Warrior
• 10 Spades = Goblin Warrior
• 10 Hearts = Goblin Warrior
• 10 Diamonds = Goblin Warrior
• Jack Clubs = Barbarian
• Jack Spades = Knight
• Jack Hearts = Druid
• Jack Diamonds = Wizard
• Queen Clubs = Goblin Guardian
• Queen Spades = Goblin Guardian
• Queen Hearts = Werewolf
• Queen Diamonds = Golem Guardian
• King Clubs = Goblin General
• King Spades = Goblin King
• King Hearts = Dark Druid
• King Diamonds = Golem Lord
• Ace Clubs = Axe
• Ace Spades = Sword
• Ace Hearts = Staff
• Ace Diamonds = Wand

 

Download Links:

Fortaan Dungeon Card Game (pdf)

Lego Heroica: Sands of Kemet

Unlike my other unofficial expansions for Heroica I post here, this one is not by me. It was originally created by Andrew Borntreger, posted on MOC here. Andrew didn’t include any build instructions or rules, just photos of his amazing design work, so I had to construct it (in Lego Digital Designer) from scratch going by the images alone. A lot of work, especially the “sphinx” statue but the result looks very close to the original, so I’m happy. The rules below are my own interpretation of how Andrew’s original Quest might play. I envisioned it as a large four-Hero set equal to Castle Fortaan, perhaps the “main set” of a second or third Heroica product wave if there had been one…

 

SANDS OF KEMET

Description:

Deep in the desert of Kemet, the evil Mummy Pharaoh commands the sand itself!

Sent by his wicked magic, swirling sandstorms now threaten the kingdom of Ennon. Can a band of heroes defeat the Pharaoh and remove the source of his immortality to prevent him from rising once more?

 

Heroes:

• Wizard
• Barbarian
• Ranger
• Rogue

Monsters:

• x5 Giant Scorpions (Strength 1)
• x5 Mummies (Strength 2)
• x1 Mummy Pharaoh (Strength 3)

Items:

• x1 Life Potion
• x1 Speed Potion
• x1 Defence Potion
• x2 Chests
• x1 Crown of Eternity (relic)

Hazards:

• x3 Blade Traps

 

Blade Trap:

These traps are triggered when a Hero steps on the pressure plates, causing a deadly blade to swing down at them as they pass!

Whenever a Hero tries to move through a Blade Trap, roll the Lego Dice again to see what happens:

• Shield = Pass through the Trap to the first available space on the other side.
• Sword = Move one space back away from the Trap.
• Skull = Move one space back away from the Trap and lose 1 Health.

 

Crown of Eternity:

The Crown of Eternity is a powerful relic. It may be kept between missions or sold for 2 Gold Pieces. If you are defeated, after rolling the first time to restore your Health, you may choose to resume playing even if you are not yet at full Health. If you sell the Crown, put it back in the box.

 

Quests:

Map #1

Goal: Defeat the Pharaoh and claim the Crown of Eternity!

 

Designer Notes:

Andrew Borntreger’s original Sands of Kemet, built with real Lego!

Andrew Borntreger’s original Sands of Kemet is probably the most professional-looking fan-designed Heroica set I’ve seen. It looks gorgeous but is something that could believably be sold by Lego as an official product.

For the Mummy and Mummy Pharaoh monsters, use the Mummy and Ramses microfigures from the 2009 Lego “Ramses Pyramid” boardgame (another Ramses was available in the 2011 “Ramses Return” game, but no mummies).

The Scorpions (use black ones) are fairly common Lego animals available in quite a few sets.

For the “Crown of Eternity” relic, use a chrome gold “One Ring” piece (from the Lord of the Rings sets); it fits perfectly on a microfigure’s head! If you can’t find one, a pearl gold stud will suffice.

 

Image Gallery:

 

Download Links:

LDD Digital Files (.lxf)

 

Feel free to suggest/send alternate Quest layouts for this set!

Lego Heroica: Tomb of Skulkar

After getting the Lego Ninjago boardgame, I desperately wanted to use the skeleton microfigures with Heroica somehow…

TOMB OF SKULKAR

Description:

The undead walk! Mysterious magic has brought to life a skeleton army!

Do the heroes dare brave the Tomb of Skulkar to defeat the skeleton general and his bony brethren before they wreak havoc across Ennon?

Heroes:

• Wizard
• Barbarian
• Sage

Monsters:

• x3 Rats (Strength 1)
• x4 Skeleton Warriors (Strength 2)
• x1 Skeleton General (Strength 3)

Items:

• x1 Life Potion
• x1 Strength Potion
• x1 Skill Potion (see here)
• x2 Chests
• x1 Sceptre of Destruction (relic)

Hazards:

• x2 Magic Barriers

Magic Barriers:

Magic Barriers are dangerous fields of mystical energy. A Hero may pass through a Magic Barrier but must lose 1 Health to do so.

Statue Trap:

The twin statues with purple studs between them are a trap, waiting to zap Heroes who pass between them!

Whenever a Hero passes between the statues, roll the Lego Dice again to see what happens:

• Shield = Pass through the statues to the first available space on the other side.
• Sword = Pass through the statues to the first available space on the other side but lose 1 Health.
• Skull = Pass through the statues to the first available space on the other side but lose 2 Health.

Sceptre of Destruction:

The Sceptre of Destruction is a powerful relic. It may be kept between missions or sold for 2 Gold Pieces. If you roll a “Shield” at the start of your turn, you may choose to use the Sceptre of Destruction to defeat one monster up to 3 spaces away. However, doing this also causes you to lose 1 Health. If you sell the Sceptre, put it back in the box.

Quests:

Map #1

Goal: Claim the Sceptre of Destruction!

Designer Notes:

The graveyard concept was inspired by the movie “Army of Darkness”.

The statue trap idea from the movie “The NeverEnding Story”.

As mentioned, use the skeleton microfigures from the Lego Ninjago boardgame for the Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton General.

For Rats, use the standing upright “Scabbers” rat included in some fantasy and Harry Potter sets.

Image Gallery:

Download Links:

LDD Digital Files (.lxf)

Feel free to suggest/send alternate Quest layouts for this set!

Lego Heroica: Flames of Mordark

This was the first custom Heroica “set” I ever designed…

 

FLAMES OF MORDARK

Description:

The Mordark volcano is rumbling and threatens a nearby village. But this is no ordinary volcano, for deep in its heart, stirring up the fires, is the fearsome Magma Beast!

The heroes must venture into the fire caves beneath the volcano and brave the flames in order to defeat the Magma Beast and stop the eruption.

 

Heroes:

• Wizard
• Knight
• Sage

 

Monsters:

• x4 Scarabs (Strength 1)
• x4 Dragonlings (Strength 2)
• x1 Magma Beast (Boss)

 

Items:

• x1 Life Potion
• x1 Strength Potion
• x1 Skill Potion (see here)
• x3 Bombs (see here)

 

Hazards:

• x3 Cracked Walls (see here)

 

Magma Beast:

The Magma Beast has its own Boss Bar, with five Health tokens on it. Heroes must fight it as per the “boss monster” rules in the official Ilrion set (see here).

 

Quests:

Map #1

Goal: Defeat the Magma Beast!

 

Designer Notes:

The entire map is built on a “raised” (higher than normal) design to make it feel like rocky paths surrounded by fiery lava.

The Magma Beast design is taken from the existing Lego Game “Magma Monster“.

“Scarab” monsters are built from a single-stud clip attached to a Scarab Shield from the old “Egypt” line.

Bombs and Cracked Walls were inspired by the Legend of Zelda video games and a Lego Ideas post here.

 

Image Gallery:

 

Download Links:

LDD Digital Files (.lxf)

 

Feel free to suggest/send alternate Quest layouts for this set!

Lego Heroica: LDD Conversion

Being the fan of Heroica that I am, I recreated the sets as best possible (since there are no “printed pieces” available for the microfigures) using Lego’s Digital Designer software.

The zip archives below contain lxf files for LDD. Included are lxf versions of the complete set (see preview images) as well as pre-made layouts for each of the official Quests. In a subfolder, you will find the individual board pieces as separate files.

Preview Images:

 

Download Links:

Draida (.lxf files)

Nathuz (.lxf files)

Waldurk (.lxf files)

Fortaan (.lxf files)

Ilrion (.lxf files)

Ganrash (.lxf files)

Sadly, LDD is no longer updated by Lego but it can still be downloaded here and is very easy and fun to use.

Lego Heroica: New Potions

Below are two new Potion items I designed and use in my custom Heroica Quests…

 

Skill Potion

This magical potion gives a hero a burst of stamina, allowing them to use a special skill immediately.

Discard this potion to immediately use one of your applicable Special Skills (ranged or melee).

Must be found on the Quest map.

Optionally, may be sold from the Store at a cost of 2 Gold Pieces.

 

Invisibility Potion

This magical potion will give the hero who drinks it temporary invisibility.

Discard this potion to pass through all monsters and other heroes when moving this turn.

Must be found on the Quest map.

Optionally, may be sold from the Store at a cost of 2 Gold Pieces.

 

Lego Heroica: Bombs and Cracked Walls

Taking inspiration from the Legend of Zelda video games, I added these new hazards and items to some of my custom Heroica maps…

 

Cracked Walls

Cracked walls are placed on spaces during setup of a Quest in a manner similar to the placement of Rocks (found in the “Caverns of Nathuz” set) except that there is no way for Heroes to move through them!

Instead, Cracked Walls must be destroyed to be bypassed, and the only way to destroy them is with Bombs.

Bombs

These explosive items allow a Hero to destroy Cracked Walls. When a Hero is adjacent to a Cracked Wall they wish to destroy, they may discard one Bomb to remove the Cracked Wall from the map.

When designing a Quest that uses Cracked Walls, Bombs should be scattered around the map for players to find, with at least one per Cracked Wall available.

Bombs are items and are stored in a Hero’s Pack when picked up.

 

Optional Rule: Purchasable Bombs

If all players agree, Bombs can also be made available to buy from the Store for 2 Gold Pieces each.

 

Optional Rule: Bombs vs Monsters

If all players agree, you can allow a Hero to discard one Bomb from their Hero Pack to defeat an adjacent monster instead of attacking normally. If the monster has a Boss Bar (i.e. more than one Health), they lose 1 Health instead of being defeated.

Lego Heroica: Official Rules, Quests, Instructions, Comics and Artbook

Since the Heroica games are long out of print now, and I couldn’t find them anywhere else online, I’m posting all the official rulebooks here on my blog, as well as the building instructions for each official set. These were all made available by Lego when the game was in print.

I am also posting the official Quest layout maps that came with each set; these have never been available digitally and only exist as poor quality photos of the included paper “maps”. Someday I might take better photos or create digital versions of these, but for now these images are the only way to recreate the official Quests without the physical maps.

I’ve also posted the official comics and art book. The comics were included with the official sets (part 1 with the 2011 sets and part 2 with Ilrion in 2012) and tell the simple story of Heroica; they also provide a nice way of learning how to play the game in picture form! The art book was only ever available digitally and was posted on the (now defunct) Heroica website; it is a fascinating document because it includes concept art and design ideas that never made it into the final game, suggesting a more complex and “grown up” system was originally planned.

 

Download Links:

Heroica Build Instructions (all sets, pdfs)

Heroica Rules (all sets, pdfs)

Heroica Official Quest Maps (all sets; photos only)

Heroica Comics (issue 1 & 2, pdfs)

The Art of Heroica (pdf)

Lego Heroica: Valour Points, New Skills and Hero Progression

In Heroica, there is no real “progression” for a player’s Hero aside from the accumulation of weapons, items, relics and gold. Aside from what they carry, one Barbarian is the same as another!

I decided that I wanted a more “RPG-lite” feel to maintaining and upgrading a Hero between Quests, encouraging players to keep the same Hero and “level up”.

To make this possible, I looked at the “Art of Heroica” concept art booklet made available online on the Heroica website, which showed several ideas that were planned for the game but later scrapped. One of these was a “Medals of Valour” system that rewarded players differently for achieving certain objectives during Quests: 1 gold medal for the player who achieved the “main mission task” (such as killing the boss monster), 1 silver medal for the player who achieves any “secondary mission task”, and 1 silver medal for the player who killed the most monsters. The idea was that at the end of several Quests, the player with the most “Valour” wins (with each gold medal worth 2 Valour and each silver worth 1 Valour).

I based my own progression system on this concept…

 

Earning Valour Points:

After a Quest is over, the players taking part are awarded Valour Points as follows:

• 2 Valour for the Hero who completed the Main Goal.
• 1 Valour for the Hero who completed the Secondary Goal (if any).
• 1 Valour for the Hero who defeated the most monsters (if playing solo, then instead reward 1 Valour if your Hero defeats every monster on the map).

 

Spending Valour:

Valour can be saved or spent to gain new Hero Abilities. Both Valour and Abilities carry over between Quests if playing the same Hero.

 

Purchasing Hero Abilities:

Each Hero has their own set of Abilities that they can “purchase” with Valour. A Hero may not purchase Abilities designed for a different Hero type. Each Ability costs a certain number of Valour; when spent, Valour cannot be recovered so choose your Abilities carefully!

Barbarian Hero Abilities:

Druid Hero Abilities:

Knight Hero Abilities:

Prince Hero Abilities:

Ranger Hero Abilities:

Rogue Hero Abilities:

Sage Hero Abilities:

Wizard Hero Abilities:

 

Using Hero Abilities:

Abilities “stack”; that means that when you roll a Heroica symbol on the die and possess multiple Abilities that could apply (for example, a Barbarian Hero with both Mighty Blow and and Barbarian Champion), the player may choose which Special Skill to use that turn. This also includes any Special Skills gained from purchased weapons or found Relics.

The number displayed on the seal below the Hero’s portrait is how much Valour it costs to purchase that Ability.

Goals for Official Quests:

Castle Fortaan #1
Main Goal: Defeat the Goblin King
Secondary Goal: None

Castle Fortaan #2
Main Goal: Collect the Helmet of Protection
Secondary Goal: None

Castle Fortaan #3
Main Goal: Reach the marked exit space
Secondary Goal: None

Caverns of Narthuz #1
Main Goal: Defeat the Golem Lord
Secondary Goal: None

Caverns of Narthuz #2
Main Goal: Collect the Sceptre of Summoning
Secondary Goal: None

Draida Bay #1
Main Goal: Defeat the Goblin General
Secondary Goal: None

Waldurk Forest #1
Main Goal: Defeat the Dark Druid
Secondary Goal: None

Waldurk Forest #2
Main Goal: Collect the Chalice of Life
Secondary Goal: None

Ilrion Catacombs #1
Main Goal: Rescue the King
Secondary Goal: None

Ilrion Catacombs #2
Main Goal: Reach the marked exit space
Secondary Goal: None

 

Goals for Custom Quests:

When designing your own Quests, you should always assign a Main Goal; when the Main Goal is completed, the Quest is over. However, you can also specify Secondary Goals in your Quest that players can complete for extra Valour. For example, the Main Goal of your Quest might be to defeat the Goblin King, but a Secondary Goal might be to collect the Helmet of Protection and another Secondary Goal could be to defeat three Goblin Guardians. It is recommended that you don’t have more than three Secondary Goals, to keep things simple.

 

Valour Quick Reference Card: