Tyson HeckertHeroes of Might and Magic III turned out to be a good board game. It’s a fun take on the classic video game, and I was delighted to dive into what Archon Studio did with the IP. One of the things I thought could have been better, however, are the scenarios. It needed more of them, and with better mechanical variety. The narrative campaigns were OK, but needed punchier writing and more tie-in to gameplay. One my favorite quests is actually from the stretch goals box and requires the Rampart expansion to play. It has you chase a leprechaun across the land in a creative, whimsical fashion.
Check out my review for more of my thoughts about the rest of the game, but lets just say that while it isn’t bad, it could have been better.
The Queen’s Gambit
Since I like the format of the campaigns, I thought creating one of my own would be the perfect bite size project to help flesh out the game’s content. I know some people are hesitant around player-made scenarios, but I put a lot of effort into making sure this one is something special.
In The Queen’s Gambit, players play the Castle faction and can be any Castle hero, but Queen Catherine is recommended. Follow an original story as she grapples with a rising necromancer threat to Steadwick. It has three branching endings and a one scenario with a unique twist on gameplay that revolves around hiring neutral monsters.
Excerpt:
Catherine Ironfist rubbed a tired and worn thumb across the image of her father, King Gryphonheart, in a locket. She wanted to remember the good, valiant parts of his life rather than his actions in unlife. Her gaze turned to her cracked skin and mangled thumbnail, and it reminded her of how hard she had fought to be where she was.
Late that evening, Catherine was venting to Rion about the relative drudgery of re-building Steadwick. She’d just about fallen asleep in her chair when a heavy knock turned her attention to the room’s large door that sported intricately carved shields from various long gone baronies.
The wooden portal flung open before she could spring up and answer, revealing a wide-eyed and panicked guard. No words came from the man; whatever haunted him seemed absolute. Instead, he merely pointed a trembling hand toward the window across the room.
Danger had come to Steadwick again. Overlooking many of the defenseless farmsteads Catherine had in her charge atop a hill in the far distance, a predator swept its gaze like a wolf might hungrily eye sheep. A magnificently terrifying azure hue wafted from a Ghost Dragon’s massive, extended wings like an ethereal heat haze.
Several people have assisted in testing with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Also, it was a privilege to be a part of the fan made mission book project. I used its template to create an aesthetically perfect replica of an official campaign! If you try the campaign, feedback is welcome! Feel free to drop a comment, or let me know your thoughts on Archon’s official Discord channel or BGG!
Download just this campaign with the link below, or on BGG. If you’d like the whole fan-made mission book (which has this campaign and others), you can find it here. Thanks for reading!
