Heroscape - Renegade Studios relaunch

[Smoove_B]

A new age rises...

Wish I had more to share, but considering it's been 12+ years since Heroscape was last published, this feels like a big deal!

EDIT on 6/8/23 for most current news

[Isgrimnur]

The name Avalon Hill lives on as a zombie brand, not even a recognizable shell of its past self.

Monarch sold Avalon Hill to Hasbro on August 4, 1998 for $6 million. Coinciding with the purchase, Hasbro laid off AH's entire staff.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, I don't pretend to understand the reasoning there either. Probably accountants and lawyers (which will likely be the first expansion pack for Heroscape Annihilation).

[Smoove_B]

Info released:

Heroscape, the beloved hex-based battle game, is coming back with a brand-new starter set. Titled Heroscape: Age of Annihilation, the set will include a massive red dragon as well as a rogues gallery of humanoid, dwarven, and other fantasy creatures.

...

In Heroscape, players take on the role of powerful generals who have gathered warriors from across time and space to fight their battles. The original system was developed by Stephen Baker (HeroQuest), Rob Daviau (Risk Legacy, Return to Dark Tower), and Craig Van Ness (Star Wars: Epic Duels). The base set, first released in 2004, eventually expanded to include characters from the Marvel Comics universe, Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering. The game remains highly collectible for its dozens of unique, pre-painted figures — but also for its elaborate terrain. The tiles are stackable, and remain sought after by fans of just about every hex-based combat system — including BattleTech.

It was confirmed today that it's not pre-painted, so the photos you see in the article demonstrate potential, not how they actually look.

[hentzau]

I still have tubs of the stuff. I really need to sell it.

[Smoove_B]

Apparently now a crowd-funded effort via Hasbro's Pulse program? Yikes.

The models they're featuring look...not great. I fear for this re-launch.

[hepcat]

I think my local grocery store is going to start a crowdfunding site for groceries. I mean, why not. Everyone else is doing it.

Stretch rewards: 3 brussel sprouts, not 2. And a limited edition salad shooter that won't be available retail!

[Blackhawk]

Will the sprouts be available after the campaign?

[hepcat]

Www.grocerysteward.com

[Daveman]

Hours to go, and barely only half the backers needed. Wonder if they'll go back to the drawing board and try again?

[hepcat]

They screwed themselves by limiting it to only 5 copies per backer….

[Blackhawk]

They're doing it on their own platform? They might have done better on a site that people have actually heard of and look at.

Besides, Hasbro funding a Hasbro game on a Hasbro crowdfunding site seems somehow off. More like straight up asking for pre-orders before committing to the project. I mean, that is what most crowdfunding has become anyway, but it still feels weird.

[hepcat]

They cancelled it a little while ago. No plans to do it again apparently.

[Isgrimnur]

Womp womp

[Blackhawk]

Hasbro hasn't been doing a great job of things lately.

[Isgrimnur]

They seem to be doing just fine overall.

[Blackhawk]

They've made major missteps with Magic lately, and their D&D plans are alienating customers. Profits have been dropping for a while, and executives are starting to do the Uh-oh Shuffle.

[Smoove_B]

I've updated the OP, looks like there's going to be *another* attempt to bring back Heroscape:

Renegade Game Studios is excited to announce that they are finalizing expansion of their licensing relationship with Hasbro, a global leader in play, to produce the best-selling Heroscape tabletop game.

Originally proposed for relaunch in October 2022 by Avalon Hill on Hasbro Pulse’s crowdfunding platform, HasLab, fans shared an outpouring of support for the game’s revival. Now, the organizations have come together to usher in the long-awaited return of Heroscape for the hobby, mass, and specialty markets. Renegade will also partner with Hasbro Pulse to make Heroscape available to as wide an audience as possible.

Fans will get to experience classic elements of the game they love with all-new content, alongside the introduction of terrain packs, faction boxes, and more. Going forward, Renegade hopes to introduce new models in a variety of configurations and price points for both new and hardcore Heroscape players.

[hepcat]

They cancelled it a little while ago. No plans to do it again apparently.

I stand corrected.