Heroes Welcome

Heroes Welcome begins with the rather excellent idea that medieval nobles have been turned into goblin shopkeepers by an evil witch. Soon enough, dim adventurers arrive in town carrying dungeon loot, and you greet them politely from behind the counter while steering them towards trades that are not entirely in their favour. It is the sort of small bit of theatre that makes a Tuesday after work feel less like more work.

Each round brings an adventuring party and its haul into town. The goblin merchants usher that loot through the shops and try to make the right exchanges, while the monsters in the neighbouring dungeon are also clamouring for new weapons. The trading therefore feels tied to a town living off the heroes' next bad decision, rather than being commerce for its own sake.

Once the heroes are broke but still oddly calm, they head back into the dungeon, clear it out, refill their bags, and return for another pass through the shops. The cycle continues until the final boss falls and scoring arrives; between players, the contest is chiefly over who can make the best use of this endlessly ruinous customer base.

It is a tidy, pleasant game in the lighter AEG mould, but I wanted the theme to have a little more bite. Stronger action cards, wilder turns, a bit more goblin unpleasantness: as it stands, it feels like Lords of Waterdeep without the intrigue cards. The Kickstarter mini-expansion, Kickbacks, appears designed to supply precisely that energy, though we did not add it.

This is not one for groups who treat smoked fish at breakfast as a personality trait. For three or four players, while people are gathering for the main event, it is a pleasant and quietly excellent warm-up; anyone who missed the Kickstarter may fairly find the price hard to swallow.