Reading a 1990s rulebook made me laugh at how far we've come

I was cleaning out my basement yesterday and found my old copy of HeroQuest from 1990. The rulebook is this tiny 10 page pamphlet with barely any explanation, just 'roll these dice and hope for the best'. Compared to modern games like Gloomhaven or even Wingspan with their 30 page tutorials and solo modes, it's night and day. My nephew saw it and asked where the companion app was. Has anyone else gone back to an old game and been shocked by how little material they gave you back then?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisar141mo ago

tiny 10 page pamphlet" is exactly right, lol. My buddy found his old Warhammer 40k 2nd edition rulebook and we cracked it open for laughs. The thing was like 70 pages and half of it was just pictures of Space Marines in weird poses. No FAQs, no errata, just "roll some dice and go." Compare that to now where you gotta read a novel before you even set up the board. My friend tried to teach his kid how to play using that old book and the kid gave up after like 10 minutes because there was no app or tutorial video. It's wild how much we just accepted back then.

the_rose1mo ago

Did that kid also stare at the box art for hours trying to figure out the story? I remember doing that with my old HeroQuest set, convinced I was missing some secret level hidden in the cardboard. Guess we were just more patient when the only way to learn was to make up half the rules ourselves, huh?