Another PC cult classic will hit the tabletop in the near future. This time, it’s “Heroes of Might and Magic III”, the most popular of the “Might and Magic” series.
The game’s publisher, Archon Studios, has announced a special surprise for us to celebrate the launch of the Kickstarter campaign, which will be a “Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Board Game” live unboxing, which will be live tomorrow on YouTube:
This is great news, as we will be able to take a closer look at the amazing artwork and miniature models contained in the game box. They look incredibly well done and truly do the iconic units and heroes from the original game justice.
Currently, “Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Board Game” offers you three playable races – Necropolis, Dungeon, and Castle, but there are already three expansions announced, and two of those will bring the Fortress and Rampart factions respectively. The third “Battlefield Expansion” will introduce a new game mode. Each faction’s heroes – one of Might and one of Magic – will have unique abilities no other faction will have.
Exploration Is the Key to Victory
Every single Heroes III fan knows the classic hexagonal board tiles the creatures used for creature movement and spell casting.“Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Board Game” will bring them back in a whole new way. The Board game will be represented as hexagonal map tiles, with each tile being divided into seven hexagonal fields. The players’ heroes will be using those hexagonal fields to move around the map and explore.
Each faction’s chosen hero will start at their own unique starting tile, represented as each faction’s respective starting town – much like in the PC game. As soon as the hero leaves the town, the exploration begins. Bear in mind that each tile will be shrouded in a fog of war. This means that players will have no idea what is on the field until they decide to actually go there and explore it.
Once the player’s hero travels from their current tile to the undiscovered one, the controlling player draws a card from a special deck, which will determine what lies on that field – there might be a mine to flag, an outpost to take, and then defend, or a secret location. Much like in the PC game, their opponents won’t stay idle, so exploration is best to be done quickly, in order to reap the most rewards.
Tiles can also be placed and turned as the exploring player sees fit. This is crucial to gameplay, as some players may put mountainous terrain in front of their opponents, which they will not be able to pass. Acquiring a valuable mine early may have dire consequences later!
Note that some tiles will be labeled as “Tier II” or “Tier III” – those will be particularly difficult to handle, but they will have rewards that can easily shift the balance of power – powerful items that your hero may use. Should players ever wish to use their items against each other and battle, they will have to do so on a whole new “battle board”, reminiscent of the original game.
The official Kickstarter campaign is expected to launch at an undisclosed time this November, with a pledge of €75 getting you a base copy of the game. Should you wish to obtain the expansions, a backing of €169 is required. Please note that everything at this time is subject to change, but we will update you as soon as any news comes up!