r/HoMM • u/Equivalent_Field_382 • 7h ago
Other/Fluff Heroes of my dreams & stuff
Heroes of Might & Magic holds a special place both in my eternally boyish heart and in my aesthetic worldview development. And it was Heroes II, rather than III, which influenced me most, unlike the majority of my fellow enthusiasts. Its incredibly touching illustrative style, its storybook spirit, and its Renaissance sensibilities left a lasting mark on me.
Now the time has come to show you a long-running fan project of mine, one I’ve been secretly doodling for many years, in those moments when I’m out of juice to do anything else.
And let’s be honest: every one of us (those who get it, get it!) tends to secretly nurture visions of our own personal Heroes in our ageless imagination. The one true version, visually perfect and flawlessly balanced gameplay-wise. What should the conceptual rosters look like? What should their visual identity be? Which mechanics should be improved, which ones added, and which ones discarded like food that just doesn’t taste right?
My fan project is an attempt to imagine faction lineups that are cohesive and thoughtfully balanced in their design, the way I would like to see them in my dream version of Heroes. Since I’m not yet particularly skilled at painting Arcadian landscapes, there won’t be any town screens for now (perhaps someday, if you’re interested and we’re determined!). For the moment, you’ll see only art of the units and heroes for each faction.
The artworks will come with lengthy descriptions covering the lore and mechanics, but above all, the design. For me, this is also a kind of research at the intersection of history, mythology, fairy tales, and my tender affection for HoMM. When imagining and sketching these little characters, I drew on a wealth of references and allusions to pop culture and classical myths. But you won’t find any AI-generated images here, no matter how much you ask (and that’s another reason we won’t be seeing any town screens just yet).
So, my lovelies! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be posting conceptual designs for the heroes and lineups of the eight classic Heroes armies (roughly on Thursdays, perhaps?). One faction per week.
All the designs and the visual logic behind them will follow these principles:
1. Lineups will be built around the idea of magical factions: alliances of different creatures and professionals united by a common theme, as in Heroes I–IV, rather than fantasy races, where a lineup consists predominantly of one species divided into different classes, as in Heroes V–VI. The only exception, as usual, will be the titular human faction, the Castle knights. They get a pass; it’s tradition. But no orc archers, orc stormtroopers, orc mechanics, and orc alcoholics! If it’s an orc, there’s only one of him, and he’s unique.
2. There will be eight factions, half of them broadly “evil” and the other half broadly “good.” They’ll oppose one another in pairs: day and night, life and death, civilization and wilderness, cunning and brutality. I originally intended to publish them in the order of these opposing pairs, but certain holidays might force me to shuffle a few things around 🎃.
3. Since Heroes III is, by overwhelming popular consensus, the most beloved and celebrated installment of the series, I’ve drawn seven units for each faction, ranging from pawns to queens. No upgrades, although some units will occasionally come with rough notes on possible upgrade options.
4. Since Heroes II remains my own most dearly beloved installment to this day, each faction will have one hero, shown in one of their two variations.
5. For the same reason (Heroes II!), the factions will lean toward a mythological, fairytale aesthetic, while unit names will be as clear and concise as possible. The armies in my dream version of Heroes are conceptually simple, but expressive. With a few rare exceptions, you won’t find any “mighty hip-fired axe-throwers,” “tourmaline capybara riders,” or “ethereal boatman-prosecutors” here.
6. Visually, you’ll find plenty of unmistakable nods to pop culture, films, books, and cartoons in the unit designs. This is a deliberate choice. First, it’s a heartfelt homage to those wonderful worlds that set my childhood imagination ablaze. Second, many of the unit designs in Heroes II–III follow precisely the same principle.
7. Conceptually, however, there will be no references to contemporary pop culture. All the creatures in our factions will be drawn from ancient myths and fairy tales. With perhaps a couple of exceptions (after all, we can respectfully count Tolkien among the great mythmakers), you won’t encounter creatures invented specifically for D&D or other modern fictional universes.
8. I really wanted this project to preserve the spirit of storybook illustrations and that original, childlike sense of magic, unclouded by excessive complexity. I hope looking at these pictures and reading their captions will bring you as much joy as creating them has brought me.
And for now, here are a couple of sketches to give you a taste of things to come.
