The Small Stuff...

After much discussion (thanks again Patroclus) and play-testing it was time to tweak a few little things to optimize the gaming experience.

All of these changes are small and subtle, and you can of course use any or all of them at your discretion. I believe they make the game run smoother and in my opinion more fun for the players. Be sure to check out the DOWNLOADS page of this blog for the full rule set.

1. Dungeon Counters on a roll of 1 only. Let's face it, if the GM wins, the game is over! Advanced Heroquest is already very challenging for the Hero players and should continue to be so, but the GM's goal shouldn't be to kill them off immediately. That said, when the Heroes advance in level and ability the GM can then increase the frequency of dungeon counters. This is a great way to level the game without simply adding several more monsters into an already cramped room.
2. Fumbles with Ranged Weapons. You can only accidentally hit your ally if he is in an adjacent square to the target - in the case of a fumble with a Ranged weapon. This is easier to work out, less chaotic and slightly more forgiving than the original rule.
3. Arrow / Missile weapon Retrieval. In a tiny a dungeon cell it should be easier to retrieve missile weapons that have been shot or thrown. In Enhanced - Advanced Heroquest you retrieve all non-magical arrows on a 4+ and all non-magical thrown weapons on a 2+. Magical weapons however, regardless of type are retrieved on a 10+ as they are generally unpredictable and somewhat unstable in the mortal realm.
4. Less frequent Sentries! In the Enhanced - Advanced Heroquest monster tables the frequency of Sentry models has already been changed. In your own games you can simply replaced rolled Sentries with Champion or Warrior models at your discretion. The rare Sentry found in a dungeon adds variety and excitement but can be potentially brutal. Unless they are part of your pre-designed dungeon plan / narrative, it is tedious to have them show up too often. 
5. Searching for Secret Doors per Section. In dead-end corridors and rooms you can search for Secret Doors, checking the entire section with a single roll. Have the Leader then choose which wall to place the door(s) so the GM can add them to the dungeon. In my opinion this helps the game run smoother - checking for doors per "wall" was needlessly time consuming.

So that's basically it - nothing to drastic. In my games I decided to also give the Heroes an addition 'Wound' to start as well as some pre-determined starting gear (see the Creating Heroes section of the rules). The primary goal is for everyone to have fun.