Let's Talk Heroscape

I'll just second that Sag is absolutely right.

Also, once you have some stuff going, look on Heroscapers for custom units that are based of super cheap old CMG minis and you can bulk up some really really well developed and playtested (seriously, some of these are better than official stuff) new figures for really cheap. Similar thing with terrain features; don't buy the official trees, get a shit ton of stuff from anything else and use that. I have a bunch of aquarium/lizard stuff that I use for most of my minis stuff and it's awesome and frequently cheaply on sale.

Keep an eye out at thrift stores too. HEROSCAPE ends up there all the time. It was sold everywhere and looks like toys that parents toss come college. Harder to find now than a few years ago because of all the hoarders, but you can get lucky.

Are there any rules differences between 1st and 2nd edition I should be aware of?

No eBay APP ID défined in Kunena configurationWell I did it.

Bought 2 Rise of Valkyrie master sets for $85 delivered.

Jeff White wrote: Are there any rules differences between 1st and 2nd edition I should be aware of?

Don't think so. The only change I know about is the dice color.

S.

I assume the unit boosters (waves) are all about the same and you just buy the ones you're interested in. Also, I hear that in each wave there's a set of commons, then a set that contains heroes for the common sets. I understand all of that, but nothing sounds necessary here (though I'm sure we'll get some eventually).

Now, what about the other terrain sets? Forest & Bridge looks recommended, Tundra, Castle, lava etc. Are any of these necessary or simply more tiles to use?

You need nothing beyond Master Set. Everything after that is a matter of buying what you like. You'll likely want to buy more terrain, but there's no must-have pieces after the Master Set.

I would recommend sitting tight until you've taken what you have out for a spin, and then go onto Heroscapers.com and see what looks interesting. As I said before, the pages that begin with "The Book of" are very useful to find out how to play particular pieces, and what you might want to buy to augment them. But there's a lot of game in the original box, so don't feel like you need to hurry.

Some people live on Squads. My oldest boy plays nothing but squads. I personally like big baddies because there's something rewarding about special attacks like "Swallow Opponent Whole" that you don't get with squads. Some squads work well with big baddies and particular heroes, and you can see all the combinations on Heroscapers.com.

S.

Here are the large expansions:

Castle Set = no gameplay effects but the columns which comprise the castle walls look good as line-of-sight blockers on maps.

Road to Forgotten Forest = movement bonus if you start your turn on the road, otherwise the trees are there to look pretty and block LOS.

Thaelank Tundra = there are optional rules for "slippery" ice but this expansion, complete, goes for $85+

Volcarren Wasteland = being on a molten lava space is almost an insta-kill, and you have a 50% chance of taking a wound if you end your turn on a lava field space. This one goes for about $50.

Jeb is right, if you get a chance browse your local thrift stores. I've found master and swamp sets there.

The HS trees are nice, but SO EXPENSIVE! just get some model train trees, they are dirt cheap and look better.