In the summer of 2012 I set about chronicling the history of Warhammer Third Edition through its releases, supplements and published material in White Dwarf. Thanks to the wonders of the labelling system on Blogger, collecting all of the posts in the series is rather easy, just a case of clicking on the 'Acceptable in the '80s' label on the right hand side and you are away.
I was brought to my attention recently that I missed several small bits and pieces of material from WD. Sure, most of us are aware that I am not commenting on the sneak peek that would be later printed in RoC Slaves to Darkness and the Lost and the Damned but I have missed a few nuggets. Due to this, I have decided to go back to issue 115 and relaunch the series and pick up those little nuggets that I have missed and get this series back on track.
Today's piece concerns the release of Heroquest, dealt with in issue 115. Now, if Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships, then this particular game must be the game that launched a thousand (if not many more) wargamers. I am sure that a great number of people who read this blog had the first taste of the fantasy game business playing this immortal game.
So how were things done back in 1989? Page after page of images of the same few models? A shed load of thinly disguised adverts posing as articles? No, just a White Dwarf cover and a four page launch.
Have a look!
Heroquest Launch by orlygg
Reading through the article with fresh eyes uncovers some interesting facts. The four player characters are given names and these I had been previously been unaware of. The barbarian, always the favourite of mine, was called Toran. The dwarf was called Gorlin. Eldoral was the name of the elf archer while the strangely clad wizard was known to his friends as Gelmick.
The whole package screams 'production values' to me. The first class art by Gary Chalk, the miniature design (and the great painting by Mike McVey), the components and, of course, the fantastic board. What makes it all much more impressive is how all this was achieved with a smidgen of the technology we have now. There are plenty of box games released in the last couple of years that lack the 'quality' look that Heroquest has.
Still has. As I am sure that the game is still played widely around the world. I bought a battered copy at a carboot sale one year and took it into school. The Year 5 and Year 6 children adored the game and all the parts that came with it and the set was literally played to death.
Looking back over the advert now, so many memories are catapulted into my mind. I can picture my bedroom table, its surface spread with newspaper, a water jar full of brushes and the Citadel Colour paint set open before it. I can remember my first efforts with painting miniatures. Undercoat in white (brushed on) base colours and then wash with black paint. The models looked great to me, until the wash dried and I was left wondering in awe about how the Citadel painters achieved the finishes they did. I can recall inventing my own dungeons on graph paper to test out against my sister, generating my own epic stories. I can recall the hours I spent oggling every detail on the models themselves. Above all, I can remember the advert on TV and how everyone in my class own a copy of the game. Or seemed to, at least!
One day I shall buy another copy myself. When my boy is old enough to play a longer winded board game. I shall paint up all of the models too, based on the McVey originals, and we will share many happy hours together battling in the dungeons of Morcar.
I am sure that there will be similar hours spent in your homes too!
Before you leave, please share with us your Heroquest memories. Do you recall this ad or the TV one? Did you own a copy? Were you first steps into the worlds of fantasy wargaming resplendent with fimir, orcs and mummies?
Please share!
Orlygg
The whole package screams 'production values' to me. The first class art by Gary Chalk, the miniature design (and the great painting by Mike McVey), the components and, of course, the fantastic board. What makes it all much more impressive is how all this was achieved with a smidgen of the technology we have now. There are plenty of box games released in the last couple of years that lack the 'quality' look that Heroquest has.
Still has. As I am sure that the game is still played widely around the world. I bought a battered copy at a carboot sale one year and took it into school. The Year 5 and Year 6 children adored the game and all the parts that came with it and the set was literally played to death.
Looking back over the advert now, so many memories are catapulted into my mind. I can picture my bedroom table, its surface spread with newspaper, a water jar full of brushes and the Citadel Colour paint set open before it. I can remember my first efforts with painting miniatures. Undercoat in white (brushed on) base colours and then wash with black paint. The models looked great to me, until the wash dried and I was left wondering in awe about how the Citadel painters achieved the finishes they did. I can recall inventing my own dungeons on graph paper to test out against my sister, generating my own epic stories. I can recall the hours I spent oggling every detail on the models themselves. Above all, I can remember the advert on TV and how everyone in my class own a copy of the game. Or seemed to, at least!
One day I shall buy another copy myself. When my boy is old enough to play a longer winded board game. I shall paint up all of the models too, based on the McVey originals, and we will share many happy hours together battling in the dungeons of Morcar.
I am sure that there will be similar hours spent in your homes too!
Before you leave, please share with us your Heroquest memories. Do you recall this ad or the TV one? Did you own a copy? Were you first steps into the worlds of fantasy wargaming resplendent with fimir, orcs and mummies?
Please share!
Orlygg