XL-1: Quest for the Heartstone | Meet Warduke, Strongheart, Kelek, Elkhorn and the unforgettable cast of Quest for the Heartstone, a classic D&D module packed with epic artwork and legendary monsters. Journey to Icewater Falls, where Ropers, Dragonnes, and Hook Horrors made their chilling debut!
The module may have not been hit but you can't deny how great the art was. And I agree with Daniel, love the fireplace but can imagine the damage stubbing your toe on one of those. My feet are already hurting thinking about it, ha.
Those Steve Jackson books are classics and I am really tempted to get one of those dragon fireplaces for the living room. However, not sure my wife would be too impressed 😁
So we never played this module. Yes, the artwork is great, but the existing characters and the links with toys etc made us think it wasn’t a real module and our DM never really wanted too many restrictions to his creations so we gave it a miss.
That being said, it’s great to read the pages and catch up with just how these were written and illustrated. I still take out my copy of Village of Hommlet just for a little nostalgia trip now and then. They really were brilliantly done 👍🏼
Ah, Hommlet has always been my favourite module as one of the first we played at AD&D. Paid £40 to get a copy of eBay and take it out to read every now and then. Looking at it just now, I think they’re meant to be Ghouls or Zombies 🤔
Great stuff! I’m a huge fan of The WarDuke and while I never had this module or any of the 1980s D&D toys I did have WarDuke on an old poster of some kind in the 1990s. Now, decades later I bought a custom 3-D printed miniature of him to use in my 5E D&D games and he has been striking terror into the hearts of my players often. I’m pretty proud of the paint job I gave him, too! And then when the big, multi-articulate figure of him came out a couple years ago I got one for my desk display. He’s the quintessential villain and NOW thanks to this article, I know where to find his origin story after all these decades! Thanks, J.Q.!
Your WarDuke miniature sounds amazing, Scott! Email me a pic when you get a chance.
Yes - that Super7 deluxe WarDuke is pretty darn epic! I haven't busted him out of his box yet to put on my desk. He would be forced to fight off the Eldrador creatures that currently reside there. I figure I'll have to introduce them slowly to each other.
Awesome post, JQ. I still love the old ljn figures. I managed to salvage most of my figures from my mum's house last summer. Missing a few weapons (and Bowmarc missing a leg) but still most of them in great shape.
Quest for the Heaartstone was a module I owned and actually DMed with a friend. He used his own characters rather than the ljn ones. It was a bit cheesy but still I loved it. And now it is one of the few resources that gives a bit of background lore for the ljn characters.
And I own the fantasy forest "Shadow castle". I plan on getting my youngest daughter to read it along with me soon. Fantasy forest might be a fun series for you to cover.
Right on, Kveto! I'm so jealous you have a bunch of those LJN figures! Funny enough, I started reading some of the Fantasy Forest books with my granddaughter last year and was hoping to get some more time with her to finish them. Let me know what your daughter thinks.
Just recently re-purchased Quest for the Heartstone. It's pure D&D nostalgia and our group didn't take it too seriously. It was fun to play and, as the DM, I got to play some of my favorite characters as NPCs. Yeah, the encounters were weird but we laughed and and a good time with it. I personally loved the merchandising aspect of it. They were trying so hard to push sales and one of our group had many of the toys which he eventually gave to me. Over the years I've added to the collection.
The module may have not been hit but you can't deny how great the art was. And I agree with Daniel, love the fireplace but can imagine the damage stubbing your toe on one of those. My feet are already hurting thinking about it, ha.
Agreed, Eric! (About the artwork, that is. For the fireplace concern, you just need to wear your trusty ironshod boots around the house!)
Some great stuff this week J.Q. 👍🏼
Those Steve Jackson books are classics and I am really tempted to get one of those dragon fireplaces for the living room. However, not sure my wife would be too impressed 😁
So we never played this module. Yes, the artwork is great, but the existing characters and the links with toys etc made us think it wasn’t a real module and our DM never really wanted too many restrictions to his creations so we gave it a miss.
That being said, it’s great to read the pages and catch up with just how these were written and illustrated. I still take out my copy of Village of Hommlet just for a little nostalgia trip now and then. They really were brilliantly done 👍🏼
Just tell your wife, "Don't wake the dragon," and you should be ok, Dan. 🐲
It sounds like your experience with Heartsone was pretty similar to others' I have read - and that makes a lot of sense.
I don't think I've ever experienced the "Village of Hommlet"! Are those Trolls on the cover?
Ah, Hommlet has always been my favourite module as one of the first we played at AD&D. Paid £40 to get a copy of eBay and take it out to read every now and then. Looking at it just now, I think they’re meant to be Ghouls or Zombies 🤔
Great stuff! I’m a huge fan of The WarDuke and while I never had this module or any of the 1980s D&D toys I did have WarDuke on an old poster of some kind in the 1990s. Now, decades later I bought a custom 3-D printed miniature of him to use in my 5E D&D games and he has been striking terror into the hearts of my players often. I’m pretty proud of the paint job I gave him, too! And then when the big, multi-articulate figure of him came out a couple years ago I got one for my desk display. He’s the quintessential villain and NOW thanks to this article, I know where to find his origin story after all these decades! Thanks, J.Q.!
Your WarDuke miniature sounds amazing, Scott! Email me a pic when you get a chance.
Yes - that Super7 deluxe WarDuke is pretty darn epic! I haven't busted him out of his box yet to put on my desk. He would be forced to fight off the Eldrador creatures that currently reside there. I figure I'll have to introduce them slowly to each other.
Awesome post, JQ. I still love the old ljn figures. I managed to salvage most of my figures from my mum's house last summer. Missing a few weapons (and Bowmarc missing a leg) but still most of them in great shape.
Quest for the Heaartstone was a module I owned and actually DMed with a friend. He used his own characters rather than the ljn ones. It was a bit cheesy but still I loved it. And now it is one of the few resources that gives a bit of background lore for the ljn characters.
And I own the fantasy forest "Shadow castle". I plan on getting my youngest daughter to read it along with me soon. Fantasy forest might be a fun series for you to cover.
Great nostalgia.
Right on, Kveto! I'm so jealous you have a bunch of those LJN figures! Funny enough, I started reading some of the Fantasy Forest books with my granddaughter last year and was hoping to get some more time with her to finish them. Let me know what your daughter thinks.
Just recently re-purchased Quest for the Heartstone. It's pure D&D nostalgia and our group didn't take it too seriously. It was fun to play and, as the DM, I got to play some of my favorite characters as NPCs. Yeah, the encounters were weird but we laughed and and a good time with it. I personally loved the merchandising aspect of it. They were trying so hard to push sales and one of our group had many of the toys which he eventually gave to me. Over the years I've added to the collection.
Dude - that's awesome! 💪