Whew...it is better than I had hoped!!!!!

I was sweating it. I will admit it. I had some very high concerns about what the finished product would be. What would it look and feel like once it was in my hands? Would D&D MS 3 be all it could be?

I was concerned for some of the same reasons you all are concerned. Maybe it is just the thrill of opening new Heroscape, but I have done that enough that I should be able to differentiate those emotions.

No, it was something more. There was a definite sense of relief upon opening the box. It isn't that I doubted what Truth, Chris, and Jerry put together. It was just the uncertainty of how it would look and feel.

Well, WotC came through with the polish and quality we have grown to love about Heroscape to go along with all the effort and ideas from Truth and Co.

I am very pleased with the look & feel and what was accomplished in this set. It is so many things all at once that it really is an impressive result given all the roles it had to fill.

It had to be a master set. This point seems so lost on most players around here. It has to be self sufficient, right out of the box. That means simplicity. This set keeps it simple for the new comers but gives some depth for the veteran.

It has to pop and follow through. This point can not be underestimated. This whole project was/is a bit of a gamble, in my opinion. The product it self had to look good to work. The Scape system is strong enough that the follow through is no problem; it is the look and feel on the board that was the concern for me. This set has enough pop to be worthy of it place along side all that has gone before.

It had to build on what had gone before. Most of the possible terrain types had been done. This set had to provide something to the current player that he didn't already have, something to further expand the world of Heroscape. Cave/dungeon is a highly workable, acceptable terrain type in Heroscape.

It had to cross promote. There is no doubt, that the product had to promote D&D. The obvious reason for it's existence. What is the point otherwise? I really think this set does a good job of capturing the dungeon, adventuring party feel.

So that is a lot to ask from one master set, wouldn't we all agree? It is like trying to be something old, new, borrowed and blue all at once. No easy task for sure.

Are there better ways or other directions this could have gone? Absolutely

Is the final product inferior and/or detrimental to what has gone before? NO WAY

This product may not be for everyone but it won't be because it doesn't look right or feel right. It will be because of prejudices that make it so. One could argue that the prejudice I have is the very reason I find it palatable. The only thing I can say there is to repeat my relief upon opening the box.

I am proud to have been a part of this project. The stakes were high, still are. Something we knew and loved was being changed and the thought of it not going well was a concern on all of our minds. The guys worked hard to try to make this set be all of these things without short changing any one of them.

The D&D master set is a good, strong addition to the Heroscape world while also being a great starting point that cross promotes another gaming system; whew.....quite an accomplishment.