Crossbows and Catapults reboot coming from HeroQuest board game designer

Legendary designer Steve Baker is at the helm

Jul 7, 2021, 8:09 PM UTC

Charlie Hall is Polygon’s tabletop editor. In 12-plus years as a journalist & photographer, he has covered simulation, strategy, and spacefaring games, as well as public policy.

Crossbows and Catapults, the popular dexterity game first published in the 1980s, is getting rebooted. Restoration Games (Downforce, Return to Dark Tower), which specializes in revitalizing older tabletop franchises, announced Wednesday that it has secured the license. Best of all, legendary designer Steve Baker — the man behind HeroQuest and BattleMasters — is signed on as the designer.

Crossbows and Catapults was first released in 1983. It featured a selection of rubber band-powered plastic siege engines that players used to fling projectiles as fortifications. The raucous gameplay was a hit with kids, even when they were just flinging plastic bits at their siblings.

According to Restoration’s Rob Daviau (Pandemic Legacy), Baker’s design is highly scalable. The final game will include army building, multiple weapons, and alternate victory conditions. Crossbows and Catapults will begin life as a Kickstarter campaign some time in 2022. While the base game will eventually show up in Target stores, thanks to a partnership with Goliath Games, the team assures Polygon that there will be plenty of items that will only be available through the crowdfunding campaign.

The Crossbows and Catapults style of play was recently reinvigorated with Catapult Feud, developed by Vesuvius Media and published by Iello Games. That game also began life as a Kickstarter campaign.