Today we have finished the last mission of the Heroquest basic box (fully painted, and the game wins). They got the Spirit’s Edge last week, and have apparently finished off the Warlock Lord, although in this latest adventure three of the heroes have died and only the barbarian survived, barely. Reading the final text (in which it is revealed that the Warlock Lord is not quite dead) I have seen several references to the world of Warhammer , and I have asked myself the question… when is it set?
But what era is heroquest set in?
The European edition of MB+GW was set in the world of Warhammer . Not only are there references to bugs (dwarves, elves, phimirs, warriors of chaos) but also localities are mentioned. And here we can have clues as to when it’s really set.
In the introduction it is explained that Morcar was an apprentice sorcerer of a human magician (Mentor). Mentor is a sorcerer from the Empire, but they don’t talk about wizarding schools. Let us remember that although Teclis founded the Colleges of Magic in 2304, that does not mean that there were no sorcerers before (in fact there were), so we cannot say for sure that it was before or after.
It is possible that around the year 2300
They speak on several occasions of “Prince Magnus”. Magnus is not only the one who pays Sir Ragnar’s ransom in Adventure 2; he also orders the assassination of the Orc Warlord Ulag. In the fourth adventure, “Prince Magnus’s Gold”, they already say that three treasure chests have been stolen from the Emperor. Watch out! Emperor Magnus? This already clearly points to Magnus the Pious, who was Emperor around the year 2300.
There are adventures that happen “months later” (eg Legacy of the Orc Lord), and we’re not sure if the adventures are in chronological order… but we’ll assume they are. In The Bulwark of Chaos they talk about the orcs invading the eastern lands (it fits in the Great War against Chaos) and in Return to Barak-Tor, they mention that the Emperor has gone after the orcs in the “Black Fire Gorge” . This smells like Black Fire Pass…. And here the problems begin; the first Battle of Black Fire Pass, in which the Empire and the Dwarves fight against the greenskins, is precisely the year -1, and it is Sigmar who fights in said battle. Since there was no “empire”, it is illogical to speak of Emperor and Prince Magnus. Yes, it is true that this barbarian roll fits more with Sigmar, but “the Emperor’s guard” does not. In 1707 CI Gorbad Ironclaw is the one who invades the Empire precisely through the Pass, and the Third where Marius Leitdorf loses his life is famous, but then (2520) Karl Franz rules and there is no “Prince Magnus”.
About Ulag… I have looked at more information about Ulag; according to the Lexicanum he was a warlord from the time of Sigmar. I think this is a translation error, since they mention the Empire several times, and it doesn’t make sense if it’s still from Sigmar’s time. It could be that Heroquest is set in the first Battle of Blackfire Pass, with Sigmar, and that there is a “Prince Magnus” who must be some lieutenant; this would explain that there are barbarians, but not the aesthetic of the imperial mercenaries of the Heroquest expansions nor does it fit with the “the Emperor’s gold, Prince Magnus…”
If we go with the Magnus the Pious (2304) theory, this would imply that it was during the Great War against Chaos, but there is no major battle at Black Fire Pass during the Great War (and it is much further south of Praag, in Averland). But neither do they mention explicitly that there was no battle at the Pass, perhaps before going to Praag. This theory would also fit with the mercenaries, and with something that was heard in its day that Battle Masters (which is the Great War against Chaos) and Heroquest were from the same era. It would also fit that precisely the Great War and Magnus are something that has been said since the first editions of Warhammer , when there was no exact chronology.
Thus, we have two possible theories: the first, which is in the year 0, and the other, which is Magnus the Pious, around 2300. Both leave certain fringes, which can be explained by the fact that the background was not 100% defined. I am more inclined towards the second, although the fact that in the Lexicanum they take it for granted that it is the first makes me doubt…
When do you think Heroquest is set ?
