Levi Combs - English version

Today, we have with us one of the creators of the most recent expansion for Heroquest. He is Levi Combs, and he has worked in the development of the Jungles of Delthrak.

I hope you enjoy the interview because he is a true HeroQuest fan and a really cool guy!

I would like to thank HispaZargon for his help with the questions for this interview.

Full interview with Levi Combs

Hi Levi!

First of all, thank you for your time and for agreeing to this interview, which will surely be interesting for all HeroQuest fans.

Levi Combs: Thanks for interviewing me! I appreciate it.

Before we talk about HeroQuest, could you please tell us a bit about your professional background? What other work have you done previously, and what led you to focus on designing role-playing games?

LC: As far as my professional background goes, I’ve worked mostly with the civilian side of the military the last decade or so. Not a ton of things to say there, but it’s nevertheless been a great ride!

As for game/RPG design, I established my own company, Planet X Games, in 2017. Previous to that, I had worked for a number of third-party RPG imprints including Frog God Games, Necromancer Games and others. I believe I have close to 50 RPG credits now… and I feel like I’ve been living the dream writing for each and every one!

¿Do you have any previous work before HeroQuest that you are particularly proud of?

LC: Oh, sure! I’ve done a few over-sized, third-party adventures for Dungeon Crawl Classics that I really enjoyed. They seem to resonate with people too, which is always a bonus. I’ve printed over a dozen RPG-related zines too, which is a medium I especially enjoy.

Before working with Hasbro, had you ever played HeroQuest? If so, was it the classic 1989 HeroQuest or the 2021 remake? What do you think is the best aspect of HeroQuest?

LC: I had played it casually a few times. For whatever reason, my friends got turned on to Talisman first, so that was the game we played the most. One day, I hope to work on that property because I really think I could turn in something altogether different and incredibly fun. It’s pretty much my dream project when it comes to board games.

With HeroQuest, however, I really like the interactive dungeon environment. The minis and terrain are great, IMHO, for extended play and creating new, homebrew adventures after you’ve done the other quests several times. Also, playing them continuously, in a row? Epic!

From what we know, in previous projects, you collaborated with smaller companies than Hasbro, although this did not prevent you from being involved in big franchises, such as D&D. Did you work directly with Hasbro on any other project before designing Jungles of Delthrak? How did you end up working at Hasbro and why within the HeroQuest franchise?

LC: I had not previously worked with Hasbro but found all involved to be total pros. Absolute gems, really. They were great.

I was introduced to the team at Hasbro but a great guy and dear friend who had played in several of my RPG games at conventions and had purchased some of my adventures before. I was very grateful for that connect and glad he liked those games!

Could you briefly tell us how a completely new HeroQuest expansion is developed? Did you have a development team and game testers? Did anyone on this team belong to those who developed the original game in 1989?

LC: I worked closely with the team at Hasbro. I was given prompts and guidelines. Once in hand they cut me loose and let me do my thing. Creating the terrain was cool too, allowing me to bring some cool ideas into play. A really good team at Hasbro, BTW. Solid folks!

Regarding the story of the Jungles of Delthrak expansion, the dwarf explorers fled from Kellar’s Keep. Did you talk to Stephen Baker about this? (about how to fit it into the classic game lore)

LC: No, but I was able to fill in some details. The development team at Hasbro knew what they wanted going in and did a great job bridging the gaps between expansions.

I played Kellar’s Keep as well, so that definitely helped. Great game!

Jungles of Delthrak is a completely new adventure in the world of HeroQuest, featuring monsters (animals) never seen before in the game. What challenges did the development team face because of this? Did you define the art of the expansion and the appearance of these monsters?

LC: This was almost entirely in the hands of the development team, although I was able to slip some stuff in there that I think really worked. My play testers and home group really fell in love with Revelroot! A couple of the magical objects and monsters were big hits as well… and no one liked those Blighted Crawlers!

The Jungles of Delthrak expansion introduces a new concept to HeroQuest, more typical of role-playing games than a board game, such as allowing players to choose between different paths as the story progresses, and three modes of difficulty for the heroes. Was implementing these mechanics your idea or was it a requirement imposed by Avalon Hill?

LC: That was Avalon Hill, and I applaud them for that decision! Replay value is a big deal for me, personally, so when you add that into the quality of the terrain and figures, it gets high marks from me. I like the unpredictability it brings and it allows the option of “free play” to flow well if you’re not running things straight by the book. That’s important in a game like this, I believe.

Many fans believe that Jungles of Delthrak is probably the best-designed expansion of all those released so far for the modern version of HeroQuest; to what extent were you involved in its design? Only in the story and general configuration of the expansion, or did you also participate in playtests, difficulty adjustments, new rules and mechanics, etc.? (I am referring especially to new rules like the Spawnling) What was it like working with Doug Hopkins?

LC: Doug is a gem. I was involved in several different aspects but, honestly, Doug and his team did most of the heavy lifting. Sure, I got my story in there with all the choices and weird environments, and almost all of my contributions survived the final cut. I was happy about that! However, Doug and his team are fantastic creative stewards of the game, and they know better than anyone how these scenarios should flow. They gave me priceless advice time and again. Great folks to work for and shape a game with.

The blight that floods the jungles, what is it for you? A kind of virus, something naturally evil, or something simply of magical origin? Any analogy with something that exists in the real world?

LC: I thought of the blight as kind of a creeping, dolorous menace that consumed everything around it. It brought out the worst in everything, twisting it into something destructive. Oh, and what an appetite! Left unchecked, the blight consumes all! Nothing is left behind but this weird, alien, crystalline structure - an anathema to the vibrant life of the jungle.

Have you been in contact with Christopher De la Rosa? (Christopher was involved in the story development of Rise of the Dread Moon expansion.)

LC: No sir, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him.

There is a question that periodically arises in the HeroQuest community and generates intense debates among fans. As a D&D specialist… Do you think the world of HeroQuest could be part of Dungeons & Dragons in the future? Do you see it as viable, or do you think that none of these worlds need to be mixed?

LC: I’ll say this - HeroQuest could easily be a D&D expansion. It’s all there. If they ever want to proverbially “cross the streams”, it won’t be a massive leap!

Do you usually check social networks like Discord or web forums where groups of fans share ideas or propose improvements for HeroQuest?

LC: No, not really. However, a few friends have told me that some folks have had some really nice things to say. Anytime anyone enjoys a game that I had a part in creating, that brings me a sense of real joy.

One last question before we finish the interview, do you have any future projects with Hasbro for HeroQuest (or any other game)? What is your opinion about the future of HeroQuest? Do you think Hasbro will release more expansions?

LC: No, I don’t have anything lined up at this time. Like I mentioned before, the entire team was a joy to work with and for. Doug was a great project leader and boss. I have nothing but positivity when it comes to working for those guys. A fantastic crew!

I have no idea if there will be more expansions… but I certainly hope so!

Thank you so much once again for your time. We hope to see you working on the HeroQuest franchise again, as Jungles of Delthrak has brought very interesting innovations to our favourite dungeon crawler.