ANDERSON — Back in 2004 when toys and games manufacturer Hasbro released Heroscape, they had no idea what it was or what it would become.

Heroscape is a fantasy game of conflict played with miniature figures, hex-shaped plastic tiles that provide the terrain and special dice that control the outcome of the battles.

Hasbro designed the game to have two levels. The basic game is really for kids about 8 to 12 years old. The advanced game was planned for older gamers, generally the early to mid-teen market.

What Hasbro didn’t count on was that many gamers, especially those with a fondness for miniatures and a yearn for something easier to play than most games in the genre, would absolutely fall in love with the game and buy into it heavily.

It should be mentioned that the game isn’t collectible exactly. There is no rarity scheme. One piece — with the exception of three promotional pieces only given out at the gaming convention called GenCon — is, generally speaking, no harder to find than another. When the gamer buys a base set or an expansion, it is clearly labeled what is inside the package.

Heroscape was originally found in mass market outlets like Wal-Mart and Target and still can be purchased there. But those outlets weren’t diligent about stocking the new product or reordering when it sold out, creating a scarcity that Hasbro hadn’t planned.

Recently Hasbro handed the game off to one of its subsidiaries, Wizards of the Coast.

With that change, the game can now be found in hobby stores like Reader Copies in Anderson. The advantage of buying through those shops is that it is possible to know when new product will be arriving and to have the possibility of special ordering sets.

WOTC also understands the gamer who is buying and playing the game. Though none of the game developers from WOTC were available to answer questions for this article, those same people have answered questions in other online discussions and have said that the product will basically remain unchanged under their control.

There will still be no random packaging or rarity scheme. There will still be new releases and the game will be more readily available. There may even be some in-store tournaments sponsored by WOTC in the future.

Last month a pack of large heroes called Aquilla’s Alliance was released. The pack contains a Soulborg, a worm like Marro Hivelord, a large Dragon, an Ogre and a giant insect-like creature. To go with the heroes pack, there is a new terrain pack. The Ticalla Jungle terrain pack features three jungle trees, six jungle bushes and a squad of spiders.

There is also the next figure expansion. It came out in stores in early June and is called The Defenders of Kinsland. There are two unique packs. One pack is called elves, and comes with four unique elves. The other pack is named “Heroes of the Molten Sea.” There are also two common packs, Militia & Wolves, and Marro Cavalry.

The newest and second base set of the game is called Swarm of the Marro. The first base set and still available in some locations, was called Rise of the Valkyrie. Each base set contains enough figures and tiles to get started and have hours of enjoyment.

There are many online support locations as well.

One is at: www.hscodex.com. That site offers PDF magazines specifically for the Heroscape player. There have been nine issues and all are downloaded for free. Each issue has tips for building scenarios, custom terrain and custom figures.