About the Quest Book
The 2021 HeroQuest Game System comes with a Quest Book of 14 quests, meant to be played in order as one campaign. Each quest is a single page: a map, a parchment text from Mentor that Zargon reads aloud, and notes that only Zargon sees. Heroes keep their gold, equipment and treasure from one quest to the next.
- A quest ends when the heroes complete the goal and get back to the stairway (or the exit the quest names). If all four heroes die, the quest is lost.
- The stories link up. Ulag the Orc Warlord runs through Quests 2, 3 and 6, and the Witch Lord through Quests 12 to 14.
- The prize: heroes who complete all 14 quests become Sovereign Knights.
This page sticks to what Mentor tells the heroes at the start of each quest. Zargon's notes, the maps and the twists are left for you to discover.
The Fourteen Quests
| # | Quest | The heroes must… | Reward offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Trial | Enter the catacombs holding Fellmarg's tomb and destroy Verag, a foul gargoyle. | Mentor's approval: your first step to becoming heroes |
| 2 | The Rescue of Sir Ragnar | Find Sir Ragnar, one of the King's most powerful knights, held by Ulag the orc warlord, and bring him back to the stairway. | 240 gold, shared; nothing if Ragnar dies |
| 3 | Lair of the Orc Warlord | Seek out and destroy Ulag. | 180 gold, shared; treasure in his stronghold goes to whoever finds it |
| 4 | Prince Magnus' Gold | Recover three chests of the King's gold stolen by orcs of the Dark Mountains, led by the Dread warrior Gulthor. | 240 gold for the chests and all the gold |
| 5 | Melar's Maze | Find the Talisman of Lore that the wizard Melar hid in his underground laboratory, past many traps and monsters. | The Talisman itself |
| 6 | Legacy of the Orc Warlord | Escape the dungeons of Grak, Ulag's son, who has captured you: recover your equipment and reach the stairway. | Your freedom |
| 7 | The Lost Wizard | Find out what happened to Wardoz, the King's personal wizard. | 100 gold each |
| 8 | The Fire Mage | Destroy Balur, the fire mage helping the orcs, in his lair beneath Darkfire Crag. No fire magic can harm him. | 100 gold each |
| 9 | Race Against Time | Escape an underground maze after your guide abandons you in the dark. | Survival |
| 10 | Castle of Mystery | Find the entrance to the gold mine beneath the wizard Ollar's magic castle, with its magical doors and monsters trapped in time. | The mine's riches, if you can reach them |
| 11 | Bastion of Dread | Fight into the orcs' underground fortress and kill every monster. | Bounty per kill: Goblin 10, Orc 20, Abomination 30, Dread warrior 50 gold |
| 12 | Barak Tor: Barrow of the Witch Lord | Recover the Star of the West from Barak Tor, resting place of the Witch Lord, whom only the Spirit Blade can harm. | 200 gold, shared |
| 13 | Quest for the Spirit Blade | Find the Spirit Blade in an ancient ruined temple and return it to safety. | The Spirit Blade |
| 14 | Return to Barak Tor | Return to Barak Tor and destroy the Witch Lord before his undead army strikes the King's forces at Darkfire Pass. | Saving the realm |
Quest Explorer
Choose a quest for its setup and a tip for the heroes.
Playing the Campaign
- The first three quests are your bank. The rewards for Quests 2 and 3 add up to 420 gold for the party. Decide early whether to pool it for one big purchase (say, a longsword for the Dwarf or Elf) or spread it out. See Treasure & Equipment.
- Redraft spells each quest. The Elf and Wizard choose schools before every quest, so read the parchment first. Quest 8's Balur, immune to fire, is the obvious case.
- Escapes test movement. Quests 6 and 9 are about getting out, not fighting everything. Averages matter: two red dice give 7 squares, but only 41.7% of rolls reach 8 or more.
- The last three are one story. Plan Quests 12 to 14 together, and think about who will carry the Spirit Blade.
Classic edition (1989–1990): the original Quest Book has the same 14-quest campaign, but the 1989 European edition and the 1990 North American edition differ from each other and from 2021. The European book names the villain Morcar and the realm's ruler the Emperor, uses Fimir and Chaos Warriors, and gives every monster 1 Body Point; its Quest 7 is "The Stone Hunter" rather than "The Lost Wizard". The North American edition renamed the villain Zargon, made the monsters tougher and added more monsters and traps to the quests. Quest 11 was "Bastion of Chaos" in both. The 2021 book follows the North American version with the Dread renames.
Try It at the Table
- Before each quest, read the parchment together and agree on the goal in one sentence. "Bring Ragnar back alive" and "kill everything" call for very different play.
- After each quest, note on your character sheets what you earned and spent. By Quest 12 you'll see which purchases actually mattered.
- If you're Zargon for the first time, run The Trial straight from the book, then read Playing Zargon before Quest 2.
Where Next
- Kellar's Keep: the first quest pack, which continues the story.
- Foundations of the world: Mentor, Zargon and the realm.
- Playing Without Zargon: running the campaign with the Companion App.