The CODEX#3 Big Give-Away: Zaravi Incursion

[LordRaidor]

Defeat the ZARAVI scout force featured in Issue#3 of the HS Codex and win the figures!!!

"The forces of the Zaravi are invading, and you must take arms against them. Only by uniting can the denizens of Valhalla hope to defeat the merciless Zaravi..."

http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/grandprz.jpg
[Grand Prize (above) and Finalist Prizes (below)]
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/finalprz.jpg

Issue #3 of the Codex features a new custom species that is invading Valhalla, ...the Zaravi. To uncover all the details about this ominous twist in the Battle of All Time, download Issue#3 from HScodex.com (http://www.hscodex.com) and check it out!

Once you are familiar with this new threat in the battle for the Wellsprings, enter the first Heroscape Codex Big Give-Away Contest for a chance to win a set of these figures and cards to use in your own games!!! The full details are available on page 43 of the Codex, but basically, entrants must build an Army of 450 points or less and submit it to submissions@hscodex.com. This army: Must total 450 points or less May use only official units released by Hasbro May contain no more than one copy of any given 'unique' unit May contain no more than 3 copies of any given 'common' unit Must include the Army list, entrant's full name, mailing address, and e-mail address Must be -mailed to submissions@hscodex.com by August 1, 2006
The Codex Judges will select the best four armies submitted, and these four armies will be played cooperatively against the 1775 point Zaravi force in a real-life game of HeroScape, using the 'Against a Common Foe' Scenario on pages 40-42 of Codex Issue#3. Regardless of whether the 'players' win or lose against the Zaravi, the creator of the finalist Army that performs the best against them (or wins the scenario) will win the Grand Prize - 18 Zaravi Units, 27 figures total!!! The other 3 Finalists will receive runner-up prizes - 2 Zaravi Units (5 figures) each. Winners of the contest and a summary of the battle will be announced in the Codex Issue#4. That's all there is to it!!!

This thread may be used for rules questions or clarifications, or to discuss Army building strategies in constructing the perfect Army to use against the Zaravi. Be warned, however, that publicizing your ultimate strategy online may decrease your odds of winning. In the case that an exactly identical Army is submitted by several different entrants, only one (chosen randomly by the Codex) will be eligible to enter the Finals. So make your Army effective, ...but try to keep it original as well.

Have fun, ...and GOOD LUCK!!!

^_^
-LordRaidor- (and the Codex Staff)

[ultradoug]

Woops I forgot to put my full name and address... should I email again or just wait if I win? ^_^;


May contain no more than one copy of any given 'unique' unit
May contain no more than 3 copies of any given 'common' unit


Ok, I read this as "Only 1 unique hero or squad" in the Codex. I'm guessing that was wrong? How could you have more then 1 unique anyway?

Also for the 3 copy of any common, again I think I read this wrong, I was thinking I could only include 1 of any common unit, for example, I could not have 3 Marrow Drones?

Looks like your saying, you can have UP to 3 of any copy of non-unique, so I could have had 3 common drones, but no more then that.

If I'm reading this all wrong can I resumit or am I stuck with what I sent in? :D

Thanks.
Also I'm assuming one entery per house-hold?

[Sydcomebak]

The Codex Judges will select the best four armies submitted

How will you determine which armies are "best"?

[ultradoug]

In the codex it said they will be played agenst the army. I'm guessing thats going to take alot of playing to figure out who is best?

[netherspirit]

In the codex it said they will be played agenst the army. I'm guessing thats going to take alot of playing to figure out who is best?

Read it again. :P

Only 4 armies are being played against the Incusion. The judges pick those 4, the one that does the best will be the winner. One game will be played. Unless I read it wrong.

[Sydcomebak]

Nether, that was my interpretation as well. I take it you are also curious as to how the armies will be chosen for the final 4?

[shakey_snake]

The Codex Judges will select the best four armies submitted

How will you determine which armies are "best"?
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/2903/blankrlycopy2lh.jpg

[LordRaidor]

...Looks like your saying, you can have UP to 3 of any copy of non-unique, so I could have had 3 common drones, but no more then that.

If I'm reading this all wrong can I resumit or am I stuck with what I sent in? :D

Also I'm assuming one entery per house-hold?

What we meant on the unique/common issue was this:
You can have Agent Carr and Mimring and the Tagawa Samurai, ...but not TWO Grimnaks or TWO Squads of Zettian Guards. Just re-stressing the standard drafting rules about 'unique' units...
If you include any 'common' units in your army, you may include UP TO THREE copies of each unit, but no more. For example, you could include up to 3 squads of Arrow Gruts, 3 squads of Blade Gruts, and up to 3 Swog Riders in your "All-Urk" Army, but not submit "11 Blade Grut squads" and call it a day. One or two or three 'Marro Drones' squads is legal, ...four or more is not. Make more sense now?

Entries are limited to one per person. Regardless of how many e-mail accounts you have or how many houses you live in, only one entry with your full (real) name will be accepted. If your brother and your sister want to enter in addition to you, they may, eventhough you all live in the same home (assuming you have different names).

And, I guess we'll let you resubmit your entry UD, since there were rules clarification issues, but as a general rule, entrants should be SURE of their final choices before they send in an entry. There's no reward for being early - as long as the entry is received by August 1st, it'll be good. Lots of people changing their minds constantly and sending 40 entries each would be a nightmare though, and such entrants will be disqualified...

How will you determine which armies are "best"?

That's a good question Syd. Though our judging guideline aren't yet set in concrete, we'll be looking for Armies that are balanced, efficient, functional, and stand a good chance of defeating the Zaravi (as an allied group, of course). While this is obviously a little bit subjective, there are several GREAT articles about drafting strategies and Army construction in Codex Issue#3 (...how convenient, huh?). These should give you a good idea of what elements we'll be considering when we evaluate the entries to pick the four 'Finalists'.

If there are many submissions that are very similar (for example, 400 points are the same, but the last 50 points vary between the entries), we'll be picking the 'best' one based upon how that last 50 points sets it apart. The army which uses that last 50 points to best augment the rest of the Army, or provide some functional flexibility, or minimize the Army's weakness (if any), will be the Army we choose as the 'best'...

Hope that's helpful (and not too horrible vague)...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[LordRaidor]

...Nether also has it straight...

Only ONE real-time battle will be played, pitting all 4 judge-chosen finalists against the 1775-point Zaravi scout force pictured.

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[InfinityMax]

Doug, if you win, we'll let you know and get your info.

[player_of_volleyball]

can someone give me a over view of this new race casue i cant download the issue and i wanna see want make this race tick. Thx in advance

[Velenne]

According to the article, players creating an army from a single general's units recieve the 10% loyalty bonus to their point total. Is this true of the armies created for this contest?

For example, if I create an all-Vandar army can I use up to 495 points (450 + 45) instead of 450?

[LordRaidor]

can someone give me a over view of this new race casue i cant download the issue and i wanna see want make this race tick. Thx in advance

You can see an index of all of the units in the Zaravi Custom Unit (http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1064) thread, or see the full-sized cards in the Gallery (http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/thumbnails.php?album=257). Some minimal background fluff and designer's notes are also at my website (http://www.geocities.com/lordraidor/heroscape.htm), but only the Codex Issue#3 has everything all in one place...

According to the article, players creating an army from a single general's units recieve the 10% loyalty bonus to their point total. Is this true of the armies created for this contest?

For example, if I create an all-Vandar army can I use up to 495 points (450 + 45) instead of 450?

Good question Velenne. The answer is "no". The 10% 'Loyalty Bonus' is a House Rules Drafting Variant, detailed in another article in the Codex. I use this variant in all my games, so if you ever play at mi casa, your all-'J'andar Army can be up to 495 points. (Unless by "Vandar" you mean Jandar/Vydar combined army, in which case you are still limited to 450 - see the Codex article for details...) Since this army must be drafted "by the book" however, this variant drafting rule may not be used. (Though if is was, the Zaravi could use it too, and could draft up to 1952 points (1775 + 177) instead of 1775 - Yeowch!...)

So basically, entries are limited to a total of 450 points maximum, period.

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Velenne]

Er.... I meant Jandar. :oops:

450 it is!

[Velenne]

Which trumps- Cyberclaw or the Zaravi racial ability to negate special powers and attacks?

[ultradoug]

A good question, I was also thinking about Morsbane's negation, I belive the Zaravi ablity since not on there card is not something you can turn "off" its a race ablity.

Would it be permissible to use this post to get with other people and desigen team theemed armys, ones that could "work together." That way 4 people could enter there armys as one cohesive force. Perhaps this would also alow for less playing by the contest judges.
O.k. so I could enter, my wife could enter. Grovey.

Ok. So its up to 3 of any squad. Any amount of unique heros. This changes how I would have done my army. @_@;
Anyway, sorry for the rambling.

[LordRaidor]

Which trumps- Cyberclaw or the Zaravi racial ability to negate special powers and attacks?
A good question, I was also thinking about Morsbane's negation, I belive the Zaravi ablity since not on there card is not something you can turn "off" its a race ablity.

Good questions guys. We've actually seen both of these issues in playtesting...

Most Zaravi are actually too BIG to be affected by Cyberclaw, but in the case of medium-size Zaravi (or Improved Cyberclaw), it would work like this: As soon as a Zaravi "enters or occupies a space adjacent to" a unit with Cyberclaw, that ability 'targets' the Zaravi. As per the Species Power, that Zaravi would then get to roll the d20. On a 13 or higher, the Claw wouldn't work and the Zaravi would still be free to move. On a 12 or less, however, then the Claw actually manages to 'get a grip' on the fluctuating Zaravi, and it would be unable to move (until the offending unit with the Claw is eliminated or moves away).

As for Morsbane's negation, UD is correct: the Zaravi Species Power is unaffected, and would still be usable by the negated Zaravi (unless a 20 negates it clean to death, of course). Also note that if Morsbane does roll a 16-19 (or even a 20), the targetted Zaravi does still get to use its Zaravi Species Power (once) to attempt to avoid the effects, just like with any other Special Ability targeting a Zaravi...

...Would it be permissible to use this post to get with other people and desigen team theemed armys, ones that could "work together." That way 4 people could enter there armys as one cohesive force...

'Fraid not, UD. Only single-Army entries are accepted, not 'team' Armies. Feel free, of course, to connive with other 'Scapers and make Armies that will work well together, by all means. If all of those Armies are chosen as finalists, your group will stand that much better a chance of winning against the Zaravi, but each Army submitted will be judged on its own singular merit, not as a part of a larger task force...

Also, teamwork is GREAT, but remember: the other Armies fighting at your side against the Zaravi will be stabbing you in the back as soon as the Zaravi are defeated. ^_^ Beating back the Zaravi is the first objective, but ultimately, to win the Grand Prize, you have to defeat your 'allies' as well. "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer"...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[ultradoug]

Ok I sent in both mine and my wifes ideas for armys.
yay.

[Agent Minivann]

My question is who plays the armies when they battle?

[LordRaidor]

...That would be... ME! ...and my crack team of local HeroScape enthusiasts... ^_^

We've got MANY hours of HS under our belts, and we vow to marshall our (randomly assigned) finalist Armies to victory against the dark forces of the evil Zaravi... Plus, we're intimately familiar with the Zarvi units (after all those months of playtesting), so we'll have a good idea what we're up against...

Now, if the chosen finalists would like to play their own Armies, I have absolutely no problems with that. Fellow 'Scapers are always welcome at my house on Game Nights. ^_^ The CODEX, however, will not be springing for any travel expenses, ...so you'd have to foot your own bill to make it down here to Texas (Lubbock) for the big match. If you have a comfy sleeping bag though, you are welcome to sleep in my living room floor for the nights before and/or after...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[ultradoug]

...That would be... ME! ...and my crack team of local HeroScape enthusiasts... ^_^

We've got MANY hours of HS under our belts, and we vow to marshall our (randomly assigned) finalist Armies to victory against the dark forces of the evil Zaravi... Plus, we're intimately familiar with the Zarvi units (after all those months of playtesting), so we'll have a good idea what we're up against...

Now, if the chosen finalists would like to play their own Armies, I have absolutely no problems with that. Fellow 'Scapers are always welcome at my house on Game Nights. ^_^ The CODEX, however, will not be springing for any travel expenses, ...so you'd have to foot your own bill to make it down here to Texas (Lubbock) for the big match. If you have a comfy sleeping bag though, you are welcome to sleep in my living room floor for the nights before and/or after...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

Oh dude, I'm so there!

[LordRaidor]

...Gotta become a finalist first. ...Hope you built a good Army...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[jcb231]

I wonder if an exception could be made for Marro Drones....they are most effective when the player wields four squads. Could an exception to the limit-3 common rule be made for this unit only?

[jcb231]

Ok I sent in both mine and my wifes ideas for armys.
yay.

Wha...wha? UD has a wife? :-P

[jcb231]

Which trumps- Cyberclaw or the Zaravi racial ability to negate special powers and attacks?
A good question, I was also thinking about Morsbane's negation, I belive the Zaravi ablity since not on there card is not something you can turn "off" its a race ablity.

Good questions guys. We've actually seen both of these issues in playtesting...

Most Zaravi are actually too BIG to be affected by Cyberclaw, but in the case of medium-size Zaravi (or Improved Cyberclaw), it would work like this: As soon as a Zaravi "enters or occupies a space adjacent to" a unit with Cyberclaw, that ability 'targets' the Zaravi. As per the Species Power, that Zaravi would then get to roll the d20. On a 13 or higher, the Claw wouldn't work and the Zaravi would still be free to move. On a 12 or less, however, then the Claw actually manages to 'get a grip' on the fluctuating Zaravi, and it would be unable to move (until the offending unit with the Claw is eliminated or moves away).

As for Morsbane's negation, UD is correct: the Zaravi Species Power is unaffected, and would still be usable by the negated Zaravi (unless a 20 negates it clean to death, of course). Also note that if Morsbane does roll a 16-19 (or even a 20), the targetted Zaravi does still get to use its Zaravi Species Power (once) to attempt to avoid the effects, just like with any other Special Ability targeting a Zaravi...

...Would it be permissible to use this post to get with other people and desigen team theemed armys, ones that could "work together." That way 4 people could enter there armys as one cohesive force...

'Fraid not, UD. Only single-Army entries are accepted, not 'team' Armies. Feel free, of course, to connive with other 'Scapers and make Armies that will work well together, by all means. If all of those Armies are chosen as finalists, your group will stand that much better a chance of winning against the Zaravi, but each Army submitted will be judged on its own singular merit, not as a part of a larger task force...

Also, teamwork is GREAT, but remember: the other Armies fighting at your side against the Zaravi will be stabbing you in the back as soon as the Zaravi are defeated. ^_^ Beating back the Zaravi is the first objective, but ultimately, to win the Grand Prize, you have to defeat your 'allies' as well. "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer"...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

Wow. Morsbane can't negate the species power for the negation marked card? Ouch. That makes these guys even stronger than I first thought. Wow...just...wow. So even if Morsbane is successful, the figure can still disengage, fly, be immune to all terrain, dodge attacks, etc.....wow. Note to self: do not use Morsbane in my army.

[Su-Bak-Na]

Ok I sent in both mine and my wifes ideas for armys.
yay.

Wha...wha? UD has a wife? :-P

Not only that , he's crushing on Tealord Focker over here. Makes you wonder.

[Turtleboy]

This is extreamly cool idea Lordraidor and i'll defently take part in it.

But can the figured not part of the prize, be listed?

and will Cards come with the prize or just the figures?

[LordRaidor]

I wonder if an exception could be made for Marro Drones....they are most effective when the player wields four squads. Could an exception to the limit-3 common rule be made for this unit only?

No exceptions, ...sorry. One of the main reasons for the limit is that I DON'T OWN more than three copies of any official unit. ^_^ We want to take 'live-action' photos of the match for the Codex Follow-up Article, so proxies aren't an option. Plus, we wanted to encourage variety, and we felt a '3-copy' limit was plenty for common-unit functionality. Besides, if there were no limits, IMax's 400-pt Orc Army would just crush everything and win anyway, ...and that wouldn't be any fun... ^_^

Wow. Morsbane can't negate the species power for the negation marked card? Ouch. That makes these guys even stronger than I first thought. Wow...just...wow. So even if Morsbane is successful, the figure can still disengage, fly, be immune to all terrain, dodge attacks, etc.....wow. Note to self: do not use Morsbane in my army.

It's true, ...Morsbane can't negate the Zaravi Species Power, but that hardly makes him worthless. If you plop a 'negation marker' on VEKLA, for example, he's still got the Maybe-Dodge power, ...but he's also 450 points of SITTING DUCK. With no way to move, and no way to summon in targets, that behemoth bad-boy will eventually get taken down by a 40-point squad of Arrow Gruts. I know, because I've seen it happen (much to my chagrin - I was the one controlling Velka). ^_^ Not really germane, since Vekla won't be in the Contest Battle, but my point is - Don't count out Morsbane just yet. Losing powers HURTS, even if you're still a Zaravi, ...and a lucky 20 with a failed Maybe-Dodge is still one toasted Zaravi, any way you slice it... ^_^

This is extreamly cool idea Lordraidor and i'll defently take part in it. But can the figured not part of the prize, be listed? And will Cards come with the prize or just the figures?

Glad you're enthused, TB! The units NOT in the prize (or your opposing Army) are: Vekla (the huge-honkin' General), Zovela (the purple Dark-Aura boy), Valcamelk (the scary red Fear-factory), and Queldranis (the clear-ish one with Possess). The prize Units will come with printed copies of Atmospro's majestic Army Cards, ...and I'll even throw in copies of my Card-sized cards if the winner wants.

I should also mention at this point that the winner also has the option of whether they want the figs rebased or not. The Prize figs are currently still on their original Mage Knight bases (the photos you see are of my prototypes). This prize has quite a substantial monetary value as Mage Knight figures alone. On the off-chance that the winner would rather keep them intact with their original MK bases (to collect or re-sell or whatever), that is totally do-able (and would save me a TON of work rebasing those suckers). If the winner wants 'em just as the HS brutes they're intended to be, then I'll put them on custom wooden bases similar to the ones pictured. If the prize-sets are rebased, it will be with Malechi's new 'Second-Generation' base stickers too, which look even more authentic than the ones pictured on my prototypes!!!

Anything I forgot? ...Keep those entries coming!!!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Turtleboy]

OK one more question man, The colors the winner gets, whats the diffrance between them and the show picture?

(Ie you show a red X----X but will we recive a Blue X---X instead?)

But Lordraidor your doing a helva job with this, i cant wait to see how this goes down.

[ultradoug]

how meny entrys have been gotten so far?

[Alastair MacDirk]

Glad you're enthused, TB! The units NOT in the prize (or your opposing Army) are: Vekla (the huge-honkin' General), Zovela (the purple Dark-Aura boy), Valcamelk (the scary red Fear-factory), and Queldranis (the clear-ish one with Possession)

^_^
-LordRaidor-

I am getting confused..... what units exactly is the 1775 point Safari army comprised of????

[ultradoug]

The big guys not in the prize?
Ah man, thats like, the coolest one!
well, cant wait to see how this unfolds.

[LordRaidor]

OK one more question man, The colors the winner gets, whats the diffrance between them and the show picture?

I can't be absolutely certain at the moment. The prize figs are (lovingly) packed away in a box full of styrofoam peanuts at the moment to protect them from my wandering 20-month-old (this being the main reason I have no pix of them yet). However, ...I think that the Heralds and the Archons are all exactly as pictured (silver armor, not the gold variant). The Soulspawn and Puppetmasters have little dots of red, yellow, or blue 'accent' paint in varying places (belt-buckles, tiaras, hair braids, etc.) to distinguish the 'weak', 'average', and 'strong' Mage Knight versions, but they are all cast in the plastic colors shown. Lunoma, Xohar (x3), and Hashtira are all as pictured. The last four prize figs are the 'Sinister' versions of those molds, which means they are all cast in a bluish-green plastic instead of the yellow/red/orange/green prototype figures in the stock pic. Again, ...I won't know for sure 'till I open them up and unpack them for re-basing (if needed), but I think that's the extent of the color variation...

how meny entrys have been gotten so far?

Ouch Doug, ...that hack-job of a post is making my brain hurt... ^_^

I'm not sure. (I don't have access to the 'submissions' mail-box at the website.) There are three weeks left for entries, though, ...so it's still a little early to be tallying up your odds... ^_^

I am getting confused..... what units exactly is the 1775 point Safari army comprised of????

The grand prize (and opposition army) consists of the following 18 units: Xohar (3 figures), Adlilum, Jemais, Hashtira, Quevalus, Almalain, Lunoma, 3x Morsuvox (3 figures), 4x Puppetmasters (4 figures), Zodiac Heralds squad (2 figures), Zodiac Archons squad (3 figures), & 2x Soulspawn squads (3 figures each, 6 figures total). Should be 1775 points, if my math is up to snuff...

The big guys not in the prize? Ah man, thats like, the coolest one! well, cant wait to see how this unfolds.

No, ...Vekla's not in there. Besides being expensive ($15-20 on eBay), it was a BEAR to make that custom 3-hex base for him, and something I don't relish the thought of ever having to do again...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[ultradoug]

how did you make the base? wow, still going for that much, not bad.

[LordRaidor]

Yep, he's still pricey. I saw a batch of 6 or 8 on eBay from a warehouse in Jersey a few weeks ago. They were the cheapest I've seem 'em in quite a while, with a 'buy-it-now' price of, like, $9.99 or thereabouts. With the $6 shipping charge though, it was still $16 for just a single fig...

Anyhow, ...I carved the base out of a 1/8th" sandalwood sheet with an exacto knife. Getting the template just right was tricky. I put three glyphs together and traced around them, then had to make it slightly larger, so the fig would fit on the base. (Just a hair larger, however, and it wouldn't fit into recessed 'nooks' in the terrain though, so the tolerances were tight.) Painted it 'espresso brown', then traced and exactingly cut some of Malechi's (1st gen) Base Stickers to fit on the top between the fig and the edges of the base...

You can't tell just by looking, but the fig is actually hollow underneath, up to well past its waistline. Just 'cause I thought it'd be neat, I drilled a 3/8th" hole in the center of the base. It's not visible from the 'outside', but it is just large enough to fit one of those tiny, battery-powered, button-sized LED lights up through the hole rest it on the base inside. That way, I can stomp Vekla around on the battlefield like any other fig, ...but when I turn off the lights, ...he GLOWS an eerie red...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[xo4]

Most Zaravi are actually too BIG to be affected by Cyberclaw, but in the case of medium-size Zaravi (or Improved Cyberclaw), it would work like this:

I just want to clarify. (sorry) But doesn't the improved cyberlaw work on small medium and large figures? Admitedly it's unique, so there is only one of them, but in the codex, the only huge Zaravi is Vekla, so it would work on all the rest, wouldn't it? Really not trying to be nitpicky, just making sure I understand.

[LordRaidor]

I just want to clarify. (sorry) But doesn't the improved cyberlaw work on small medium and large figures? Admitedly it's unique, so there is only one of them, but in the codex, the only huge Zaravi is Vekla, so it would work on all the rest, wouldn't it? Really not trying to be nitpicky, just making sure I understand.

You are correct xo4, 'Improved Cyberclaw' could work against any Zaravi but Vekla (if that Zaravi fails to roll 13+ for their 'Species Power' roll to avoid it). My earlier (and apparently confusing) comment was concerning the plain 'Cyberclaw', which could only affect Puppetmasters, Soulspawn, and/or Xohar (as those are the only 'Medium' sized Zaravi - the rest are 'Large' or 'Huge').

Hope that helps...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[skyknight]

My army is so gonna win this :lol:

[ultradoug]

only if its teamed with mine :D

[LordRaidor]

...Only FIVE MORE DAYS to get your entries in, 'Scapers...

...If you've been waiting for 'Thora's Vengeance' to hit the shelves so you could enter with them in your army, ...it might be time to give up and just build your Zaravi-bashing attack force without Ninja or Warmadillos. All entries due by August 1, 2006...

^_^
-Zac-

[reapersaurus]

I picked up a Solonavi Eidolon Spirit Celestial for $2.75 recently. :D

[ultradoug]

how meny entered i wonder do we see a play by play with each army or just the winners? i'm sure this will take alot of time to finnish out

[yagyuninja]

I entered. Those Zaravi are stinkin insane! Good luck Lord Raidor and the other players!

[CupidsArt]

I entered and decided to use my favorite army :)


Saylind 80
Aubrien x2 140
Drake 110
Raelin 80
Gyilty McCreach 30

[ultradoug]

can we post are armys? I guess there is no harm? but i was waitng for entery to be finnished befor posting mine

[skyknight]

I did not post mine, I wanted to keep mine original and try to not give to many people ideas yet, plenty of time for that afterwards :wink:

[LordRaidor]

That's a nice bargain on the Spirit Eidolon, Reaper. Did you enter the contest so you could win a bunch of troops to back him up?... ^_^

There's no rule against posting your Army (like Cupid did), unless (as SkyKnight mentioned) you just want to keep your strategy to yourself. It might hurt your chances if someone else submits an exactly identical Army, but since that would immediately halve their chances too, ...I don't know why anyone in their right mind would do such a thing... ^_^

In any case, ...still four days left to submit entries...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[reapersaurus]

i haven't entered yet, though i hope to - i am just kind of frustrated with the contest rules... :( :grrrr:

I was hoping for the contest to be creative, and based on how the contestant could somehow help the Zaravi Project.

Once you chose to run the contest AFTER they were released in the Codex, it was kind of crushing to my enthusiasm for the contest. I understand your desires for doing so, I just think it led to a much-decreased strength of contest (from a contest design standpoint).

I really don't see how you are going to choose between so many different permutations of the same entries. :shrug:

[reapersaurus]

You can't tell just by looking, but the fig is actually hollow underneath, up to well past its waistline. Just 'cause I thought it'd be neat, I drilled a 3/8th" hole in the center of the base. It's not visible from the 'outside', but it is just large enough to fit one of those tiny, battery-powered, button-sized LED lights up through the hole rest it on the base inside. That way, I can stomp Vekla around on the battlefield like any other fig, ...but when I turn off the lights, ...he GLOWS an eerie red...this sounds VERY interesting.
Do you think we could cut thru the bottom of the MK base and insert a light?
Is the light always on, or do you somehow turn it on and off with a switch?
How long will the battery last?
How cool does it look in normal lighting? Do you have to turn off the lights to see it?

[CupidsArt]

That's a nice bargain on the Spirit Eidolon, Reaper. Did you enter the contest so you could win a bunch of troops to back him up?... ^_^

There's no rule against posting your Army (like Cupid did), unless (as SkyKnight mentioned) you just want to keep your strategy to yourself. It might hurt your chances if someone else submits an exactly identical Army, but since that would immediately halve their chances too, ...I don't know why anyone in their right mind would do such a thing... ^_^

In any case, ...still four days left to submit entries...

^_^
-LordRaidor-


I honestly don't think anyone would want to copy and besides I made this army from my playstyle and not as a generalized.

I honestly don't see my army making it into the top 10, but it is an army I am proud of.

There is also that whole "lowering your chances of winning by copying an army" thing as well. :D

[LordRaidor]

i haven't entered yet, though i hope to - i am just kind of frustrated with the contest rules...
I was hoping for the contest to be creative, and based on how the contestant could somehow help the Zaravi Project.
Once you chose to run the contest AFTER they were released in the Codex, it was kind of crushing to my enthusiasm for the contest. I understand your desires for doing so, I just think it led to a much-decreased strength of contest (from a contest design standpoint).

I hear ya. You were one of the first people I discussed the Zaravi with (what, ...last September?...), and the surrounding contest. As you know, my original vision WAS a sortof creative "help-design-the-Zaravi" type of thing. Once we decided to release them in the Codex, however, Atmospro and IMax pointed out that my original 'idea' would have a very limit target demographic - specifically just customs designers. The contest would have had little appeal to Scapers who weren't active 'customs creators'. We went through several other ideas too (map-building, scenario-making, etc.), but all of these still targeted a very limited cross-section of the HeroScape crowd...

We eventually decided to refine and balance the Zaravi in closed session, then release them in conjunction with an 'easy' contest that ANY 'Scaper could do -- draft an Army. Not everybody makes customs or builds maps or writes scenarios or sketches HS pix or drafts fanfics... Everybody knows how to draft an Army, and everybody has their favorite units that they think are the best. We thought it would be quick, easy, all-inclusive, and would have the broadest appeal to every average-Joe-HeroScaper...

So, ...it wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but I still think it's a neat contest. We had a tight-knit group of top-notch customs creators and critics to refine and balance them, then the contestants get to decide the best way to pick them apart on the battlefield...

I personally hope you'll enter; you've got FOUR days left... ^_^

You can't tell just by looking, but the fig is actually hollow underneath, up to well past its waistline. Just 'cause I thought it'd be neat, I drilled a 3/8th" hole in the center of the base. It's not visible from the 'outside', but it is just large enough to fit one of those tiny, battery-powered, button-sized LED lights up through the hole rest it on the base inside. That way, I can stomp Vekla around on the battlefield like any other fig, ...but when I turn off the lights, ...he GLOWS an eerie red...this sounds VERY interesting.
Do you think we could cut thru the bottom of the MK base and insert a light?
Is the light always on, or do you somehow turn it on and off with a switch?
How long will the battery last?
How cool does it look in normal lighting? Do you have to turn off the lights to see it?

The idea just 'hit me' when I peeled him off his Clix-base and saw that he was hollow. I use a tiny magnetic LED light like this one (http://www.lightgod.com/store/product.asp?id=2984&catid=729) that my wife picked up at a dollar-store someplace. It's less than 3/8" in diameter and barely 1/2" tall. Two tiny watch-batteries fit inside, and you turn it off or on by tightening/loosening the endcap. When I push it up through the hole in the bottom, it 'rests' upright on the flat wooden 'base' under the fig, so he can be moved around without any attached wires or protruding bits. To get it out, I just stick a screwdriver up in the hole and pull it out when I hear the 'snikt' (the LED base is magnetic). The effect is visible under normal lighting (barely), but it's MUCH more pronounced when you turn off the lights...

The only complaint I have about the little LED is that it's a flasher. The 'flickering' does look neat, but I think I would prefer a 'steady' light-source. Honestly, I haven't really looked, so I don't know if any are available or not. The 'flickering' is also limited to his trunk (from the waist down), even in a darkened room. I hope to someday find a steady light-source that is MUCH brighter so that the upward beam will light his entire torso as well, and maybe even 'telegraph' into his wings and arms... ^_^

Honestly though, I don't see why you couldn't drill a hole in the MK base for the same effect. I'd pop the 'dial' out first, so you're only drilling through one piece of plastic instead of two. Then pilot a hole slightly off-center (a little toward the fig's back). Just be careful not to drill more than 1/4" deep, or you might punch into the fig and drill out through his back!!!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[markwars]

How many folks have entered?

[InfinityMax]

About 25 so far. This is the last day, so get your armies in!

[skyknight]

Is today the big announcement day? :P

[yagyuninja]

Oooo, I'm excited. Who's going to save Valhalla from those glowy punks?

[yagyuninja]

Still no contest news? I'm excited to hear the contestant armies (even if one of them isn't mine)!

[InfinityMax]

What? No. Monday all the armies were due. The grading hasn't even started yet. Then once four are picked, there's a great big battle. THEN we can announce a winner, though we probably won't until issue 4.

[ultradoug]

Not everybody makes customs or builds maps or writes scenarios or sketches HS pix or drafts fanfics...

done it, done it, done it, done it, done that too.

[yagyuninja]

What? No. Monday all the armies were due. The grading hasn't even started yet. Then once four are picked, there's a great big battle. THEN we can announce a winner, though we probably won't until issue 4.

Alright, cool. I can wait, just didn't want to. :twisted:

[skyknight]

Thanks for the update Imax, I was a little excited there for a second :wink:

[LordRaidor]

27 entries (total) were submitted into the contest, and all are currently being reviewed and ranked by the contest judges. Just 'cause I enjoy playing with spreadsheets, here is a list of the most popular units drafted into the armies. (The number beside each unit is the number of entries that included that unit):

8 Raelin the Kyrie Warrior
5 Aubrien Archers
5 Guilty McCreech
5 Knights of Weston
4 Deadeye Dan
4 Kelda the Kyrie Warrior
4 Marro Warriors
4 Roman Legionnaires
4 Sentinels of Jandar
4 Sir Denrick
4 Thorgrim the Viking Champion
3 Concan the Kyrie Warrior
3 Finn the Viking Champion
3 Me-Burq-Sa
3 Minions of Utgar
3 Ne-Gok-Sa
2 4th Massachusetts Line
2 Airborne Elite
2 Arrow Gruts
2 Brunak
2 Dumutef Guard
2 Gorillinators
2 Izumi Samurai
2 Krav Maga Agents
2 Krug
2 MacDirk Warriors
2 Marcus Decimus Gallus
2 Marro Drones
2 Nilfheim
2 Saylind the Kyrie Warrior
2 Shaolin Monks
2 Su-Bak-Na
2 Swog Rider
2 Syvarris
2 Tagawa Samurai
2 Venoc Warlord
1 Alastair MacDirk
1 Anubian Wolves
1 Armoc Vipers
1 Blade Gruts
1 Dünd
1 Gladiatrons
1 James Murphy
1 Khosumet the Darklord
1 Major Q9
1 Major X17
1 Microcorp Agents
1 Mimring
1 Morsbane
1 Parmenio
1 Sacred Band
1 Sgt. Drake Alexander
1 Venoc Vipers

Almost 1 out of 3 armies entered included Raelin, so there's a real good chance we'll be seing her on the table in the big battle. I guess alot of folks thought those extra defense dice would be muy helpful against the Zaravi. ^_^

Not alot of public confidence in the Deathwalkers' abilities to combat the extradimensional demons though... Not one single entry had a DW of any model. The other units that didn't get any lovin' included the terrain-specific Obsidians and Dzu-Teh, and not suprisingly, ...Taelord. Here's the full list of units that definitely won't be duking it out against the Zaravi:

Agent Carr, Braxas, Charos, Deathwalker 7000, Deathwalker 8000, Deathwalker 9000, Dzu-Teh, Elite Onyx Vipers, Grimnak, Johnny "Shotgun" Sullivan, Jotun, Marrden Hounds, Nerak the Glacian Swog Rider, Obsidian Guards, Omnicron Snipers, Roman Archers, Sudema, Taelord the Kyrie Warrior, Tarn Viking Warriors, Theracus, Tornak, Valguard, & Zettian Guards.

That's it for now, ...more to come soon. Thanx to everyone who entered, ...and GOOD LUCK!!!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[skyknight]

Cool thanks for the update.

[ultradoug]

I guess the blow up of DWK7 was just too risky. Since, they Z could just negate it anyway. Tae says that the green guys scared him so thats why he didnt play, he likes to sit on the side line and rant anyway.
Everoyne thats played with me knows this.

[LordRaidor]

Zaravi Mini-Contest: YOU BE THE JUDGE!!!

All of the entries for the HS Codex#3 Contest have been received and are being reviewed by the judges. Since we have decided not to announce the finalists or the big winner until the Codex#4 (October 1st), I thought a sub-contest might be an entertaining way for the entrants to pass the time until then. So, ...YOU BE THE JUDGE!!!

Three polling threads will be created, each listing nine of the 27 entries. Vote in each thread for the one Army you think is best suited to laying some smack-down on the Zaravi. These three polls will run for two weeks, then the top 3 performers from each thread will advance to the 'finals', with another 2-week poll to determine the top 4 among them, who should, in our infinite community wisdom, be the ones entering the Grand Prize Bout against the Zaravi...

I say "should" because the outcome of these polls will not actually influence the 'official' judging in the contest. ^_^ The 'real' judges are already well on their way to picking the finalists (two judges have already rendered their decisions), and won't be relying on these poll results in any way. However, if the community picks different finalists than our esteemed Codex judges, those winners picked only here at HeroScapers.com will be given a special honorable mention in the Codex#4 battle report of the Finals. If the single top entry in the 'final' poll with the most votes isn't one of the judge-chosen finalists in the actual contest (though I can't fathom this being the case ~_^ ), I'll personally come up with an HS-related prize of some kind for that entrant. ^_^

The armies are numbered instead of being labeled with the owners' names. If entrants want to post openly and claim their entries (and drum up support for them), that's fine. I just wanted to preserve the anonymity of anyone who didn't want to participate actively in forum discussions. If you entered the contest, feel free to vote for your own submission in its thread, but be sure to analyze all the entries in the other two threads and pick the ones you'd most like to have at your side in the Final Battle...

Them'z the Rulz. Have Fun!!!

The polling threads are here (pt.1) (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1614), here (pt.2) (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1615), and here (pt.3) (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1616).

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[markwars]

Thanks for making this happen LordRaidor. :)

[Velenne]

Thanks for making this happen LordRaidor. :)

x2


This is a really fun contest!

[LordRaidor]

...My Pleasure. ...Glad you guys are enjoying the Contest! ^_^

There are some definite leaders emerging in two of the polls, but nothing is ahead by an insurmountable margin. One week left to go before the Finals - still plenty of time to get those votes in (even after the GenCon-cloud clears)...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[ultradoug]

LordRaidor just wondering if every army entered was played or just analized for its pontental ablity like we are doing in the mini-contest? If played, will all the results of each game be posted or just those that made it? I understand this must be a termendus undertaking by those involved and it must take awhile to play that so meny times! I'm just curous to how its being done and what we the viewers as it were will see of the results? Thanks.

[LordRaidor]

...Sorry it took me song long to reply to your question, UD, ...I forgot I had an unanswered post in this thread. ...Doht!!!

There were 6 judges responsible for choosing the Finalists. 3 veterans from these forums, 2 of my local Zaravi playtesters, and myself. Each judge was given complete individual discretion on how they chose their top candidates. One judge ranked the entries based primarily on how well they specifically countered or exploited the Zaravi strengths and weaknesses. Another judge focused mainly on how efficiently each army functioned in-and-of itself (i.e., bonding, enhancements, synergy, order marker usage, etc.). Yet another judge ignored the Zaravi angle entirely, and just compared all the entries to each other, presumably angling on which army would outperform its 'teammates' once the Zaravi were defeated. The remaining judges considered these and many other factors in evaluating which entries were the 'overall' best candidates...

Each judge ranked his or her 'choices' by giving them between 1 and 4 'points'. Their first choice (best army) got 4 points, their 2nd got 3 points, etc. Once all the points are tallied, the 4 armies with the most 'points' from all 6 judges total will be the 4 Finalists. Oddly enough, though the approaches varied, most of the judges choices were very similar. Though the final rankings from 1 judge are still outstanding, we currently have 3 armies with a HUGE lead on all of the others. The race for the fourth is still a tight race (between 3 or 4 entries), and will probably be decided by our last Judge's votes (or possibly a second round of voting, if needed)...

To answer your question though, ...I don't think any of the prelim judging actually involved real-time battles. I know that 1 judge did build a battlefield while deliberating, and might have done a little skirmishing, ...but I'm fairly certain that the majority of the 'judging' was purely theoretical...

...And now, ...the whole reason I came to this thread in the first place...

There is less than 1 day left for voting in the polls!

I'm not sure how or exactly when the 'forum scripts' will close the polls, but I do know they are set to end tomorrow (Aug 20), and I'll be starting the Final Voting Thread then! Remember, if the ultimate winner of the forum polls ISN'T one of the finalists selected by the real judges, I'll personally provide a prize for the owner of that army!

So get out there and rally support for your entries!!! The finals start tomorrow!!!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[LordRaidor]

The votes are in, and the top 9 entries from the prelim polling threads (basically every army that got more than 3 votes) have advanced to the FINALS (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?p=61837#69018). Congratulations to the entries that made it this far!!!

Now everbody go VOTE for the best army to lead the charge against the Zaravi! If the poll winner wasn't picked as a finalist by the judges of the REAL Zaravi Give-Away Contest, I'll send 'em a consolation prize to beg for their forgiveness for the judges being so obviously daft. (Note: I have the utmost confidence that this isn't going to happen, ...I hope...)

Polls will be open thru September 3rd 2006 (two weeks). Have fun, and good luck!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[LordRaidor]

O.K., ...there's still 1 week to go for voting in the 'Mini'-Contest online, ...but out in the real world, final preparations are being made for the actual Championship Battle...

The date has been set for Thursday, August 31, where the Championship Match will be taking place in a highly-guarded, top-secret HeroScape Bunker location...

With five days left until the ultimate confrontation, what can you do to make sure your Army comes out on top? Well, ...assuming your Army was chosen by our judges as one of the 4 finalists, ...you can TELL US WHAT TO DO WITH THEM!

We won't be releasing the identities of the Finalists or the Grand Prize Winner until Codex Issue#4 (out October 1, 2006), but if you think your Army was good enough to make it to the Finals (check the Polling Thread (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?p=61837#69018) for the 'Scapers community opinion), this is your chance to lay out your master 'winning' strategy for your troops...

Contestants won't be able to play their Armies personally (sorry, U.D., ...we'll let you astound Lubbock with your mad Scapin' skillz some other time), but you CAN post the strategy you'd use in this thread. On Thursday August 31 (about noon-ish), I'll check back here and look for any posts (in this thread) by the owners of the judge-picked Finalist Armies. If those contestants have written any strategies or suggestions for their entries, I will relay that information to the 'General' in charge of that Army before the Championship bout begins...

We're not you, and obviously we don't think exactly like you, ...but if you tell us how you envisioned your Armies being deployed, we'll try our best to adhere to your strategies. Battles are highly fluid and dynamic environments, and no written strategy could be expected to cover every possible situation and contingency, so my commanding 'Generals' might need to make discretionary alterations to your "plans" as needed, in the best interest of leading your forces to victory. For the most part though, ...if you submit a viable command outline, we'll try our best to run your Army as if you were actually behind the helm...

Please try to be clear and succinct, and keep it under 300 words if possible. A brief tactical synopsis is good - channeling Sun Tzu is not. Here are items that might be good to include in your command outline: Which Starting Zone is prefered, and how you'd setup
How you'd assign order markers (opening-, mid-, and end-game options)
What formations to maintain (if any)
What terrain or glyphs you'd prefer to hold or avoid
What are your key goals (defend glyphs, stay alive, inflict kills, etc.)
Which Zaravi you'd want to engage, or try to avoid
(Possibly most importantly) Which Zaravi you'd place order markers on, and how you'd use them (see 'Common Foe' Scenario)

Just for grins, here's an example, using my ideal (not) Army, "Ullar's Big Bad-Boys": Jotun and Charos (435 pts)

http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/jotun.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/ullar.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/charos.GIF

"For starters, I'd haggle with the other players for one of the two 'middle' starting zones, then setup as close to the center as possible, so I can charge straight into battle! I'll put two markers per turn on Jotun (Hulk Smash!) and only one on Charos (Counter Strike works without orders). I'll ignore glyphs completely (let my chump 'allies' defend them if they want). Keep Jot and Char within 3 spaces of each other whenever possible, and advance into the mosh pit. Jot will engage as many figs as possible, then toss little figs into Charos (if they don't get damaged, they'll still have to face the Counter Strike!) and Wild Swing the rest. If any 'Allies' ask to be 'tossed' up onto the Zaravi starting 'plateau', I'll happily oblige, but throwing enemies is preferred. Char will advance when he can (without disengaging) to keep close to Jot, and try to hold high ground, but not on Lava Fields. Main goal is to inflict as many kills as possible, but try to keep Char alive (have Jot cut enemies away from him if Char gets in too deep). Place 'foe' markers on squad figs or common heroes (that Jot can toss'n'bash), and charge them into Jotun as quickly as possible. ^_^ If I have to take 'foe' turns with big heroes, move them at the closest or weakest 'ally' units and wreak havoc on the other players' forces. Once either fig dies, the other will retreat (as quickly as possible without disengaging attacks) away from the frackus and let my 'allies' finish up with the Zaravi (all foe markers at this point used to march Zaravi at my ‘allies’ en-masse). Once the Zaravi are gone, my remaining Ullar Big Bad-Boy will easily be able to wipe-out my ‘allies’ stragglers and secure me the victory! Mwa-Ha-Haaaaah!!!”

…Get the idea? …Good. If you pass up this opportunity to lay out some strategic groundwork, then you leave your Armies at the mercy of my commanding Generals. On the bright side, we’re all experienced HeroScape Veterans, …but on the other hand, …I’ll only be playing one army (randomly assigned), so the others will naturally need all the help they can get… ^_^

-LordRaidor-

[LordRaidor]

Well, ...I didn't get any strategy suggestions, so my players and I were forced to lead the Finalist armies with nothing but our own shrewd tactical acumen (God help them)... ^_^

The final battle has been fought, and the winner decided. The battle lasted over seven hours, and in the end, only one single figure survived, but you'll have to wait for Codex Issue#4 to come out to discover the results for yourselves!!! The winners will be contacted via e-mail on or around the first of October to confirm shipping addresses and such... Thanx to everyone who entered; I sure enjoyed running this shindig! ^_^

As a little bit of food for thought while we wait out the official announcement in three weeks, the final results of the Mini-Contest Polls here at 'Scapers.com are up for review. All of the keen minds here in the forums have voted, and the concensus of opinion is that these armies should be the ones in the final showdown:

http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/aubrien.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/aubrien.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/aubrien.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venoc.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venoc.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venoc.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venocwl.GIF
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/drone.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/drone.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/drone.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/marro.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/subakna.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/negoksa.GIF
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/romlegn.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/romlegn.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/4thmass.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/4thmass.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/elite.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/marcus.GIF
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/thorgrim.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/raelin.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/minion.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/izumi.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/tagawa.gif


...Could these armies pull off a victory against the Zaravi? If they did, which figure would be the only one to survive? Thoughts? Comments? Mindless Insanity (UD)?... ^_^

...When Codex#4 comes out, I'll resurrect this thread and openly discuss our judging process, the finalists selected, and any details of the final battle that you'd like better illustrated. Until then, ...keep on 'Scaping!!!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Messenger]

With those four armies I could see it coming down to Ne-gok-Sa vs. Marcus, or possibly one or more Tagawa. Why?

Mittens will have a target on his big green belly. The bonuses he gives to his army makes it necessary to take him out early. And the Zaravi can get to him with their species movement powers.

NGS is a watcher who'll only engage after the rest of the army is gone, even after SBN. Also, enemies will steer clear on the chance they could be 'converted' by a fluke mind shackle, leaving NGS for the end game.

Marcus is in mainly for support, giving move bonuses to the rest of the army. Surround him with romans and he should last longer than Mittens.

The fourth army is harder to gauge. Raelin will go down quick (see Mittens, above). The Minion assault squad needs to be activated in order to be effective, leaving the samurai backed by Thorgrim on defense. The question then becomes who dies first? Engage with Thorgrim then place his spirit on Tagawa? Engage with Tagawa to boost their experinece bonus? Engage with Izumi and leave Tagawa for the end game? A lot depends upon the battlefield dynamics, but assuming the Tagawa stay on defense till the end, I could see one or more going at it against either Marcus or NGS.

Last figure standing? My heart says Ne-gok-Sa, my head says Tagawa.

[yagyuninja]

Only one single figure? That sounds distinctly like Ne-Gok-Sa to me... :)

[Velenne]

It's October 1st!

[LordRaidor]

You're right Velenne, ...it is October. ...However, ...the Codex Issue #4 isn't available yet, and that's what I'm waiting for before I post results and stuff here...

I know Atmospro has been bustin' his butt tryin' to get the issue wrapped up, but it looks like it's gonna be just a whisker late. As soon as the issue is released, I'll resurrect this thread with a winners announcement and some battle highlights...

But we're gonna have to give Atmospro just a little more time. ^_^ Putting all that GREAT HeroScape content together into such a small package is no easy task, ya know...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Messenger]

Awwww, c'mon LR. How about a teaser? I'm reading your sig line thinking, "It's Ne-gok-Sa isn't it?" Or wait, better yet, did he Mind Shackle someone? Huh, huh, did he? Who was it? Was it Quevalis? Did he Jedi mind shackle Almalain?

Guess I'll just wait. :(

[LordRaidor]

...Well, ...I guess I could throw you a little bone. Here goes...

The 4 armies chosen in the online polls (pictured above) were NOT the actual 4 finalist armies chosen by the Codex Judges...

At least TWO of the armies above WERE in the final battle...
But at least ONE of the armies above was NOT...

There, ...do you feel teased yet?

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[atmospro]

I'm not late it isn't midnight yet. Oh! I know who won but your going to have read through a long LodRaidor battle report to find out.
Have fun cheers







Oh by the way it up at hcodex.co for download now.

[Messenger]

:shock: WOW, just, WOW!!

_______ was the last one standing? (don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read the battle report). I don't even have him yet.
Man, I'm gonna have to go buy a set.

[yagyuninja]

AWESOME! Great battle report LordRaidor! I especially like the survivor's thoughts at the end. :lol:

[LordRaidor]

See, ...there it is! ...I told ya to have a little faith - Atmospro always pulls through!!!

The judge-chosen finalist armies were:

"Ullar's Frenzy":
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/aubrien.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/aubrien.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/aubrien.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venoc.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venoc.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venoc.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/venocwl.GIF

"The Marro":
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/drone.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/drone.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/drone.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/marro.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/subakna.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/negoksa.GIF

"Marcus' Marauders":
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/romlegn.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/romlegn.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/4thmass.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/4thmass.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/elite.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/marcus.GIF

And "Vydar's Sharpshooters":
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/micro.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/micro.gifhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/dan.GIFhttp://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/majorq9.gif

Now go download the Issue#4 and find out who won!!!

I've already sent e-mail notifications to all the winners; Congratulations!!! I know that UPC submitted the "Marauders" and yagyuninja created the "Sharpshooters", but I don't yet know if the other two winners are members here at 'Scapers.com or not.

Whaddaya say? ...Anybody here willing to lay claim to those other two armies?

In any case, read over the battle report and feel free to post your thoughts or comments here. ...I'd start some discussion myself, but I'm up to my neck in CoN obligations right now...

Thanx again to everyone who participated!!!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Kobu]

Ne-Gok-Sa was robbed!

:p~

[Messenger]

Ne-Gok-Sa was robbed!

:p~

Totally.

What I don't get is, why didn't NGS hang back with SBN and let the drones and Mario warriors soften up the enemy? Oh well, doesn't matter now. Still, I would have liked to see the tank score a shackle. I guess reaper's sig line is right.

[jacob_j_p]

Well, I guess I can claim the frenzy army as mine, since I got the email that I won. The group I play in often does large FFA games, and the frenzy army often does well with all the extra turns it gets. It gets even better with more points to use

The battle report in the Codex is extremely well written, and very creative.

Thanks!

[LordRaidor]

Hey, there's the man now! Congrats jacob_j_p!!! Your army performed quite well... ^_^

What I don't get is, why didn't NGS hang back with SBN and let the drones and Mario warriors soften up the enemy?...

I didn't marshall the 'Marro' myself, but I believe the theory was to get NGS in quickly and bank on shackling a big Zaravi tank BEFORE it got 'softened-up' too much. After all, you wouldn't really want to nab a half-killed Zaravi when you could get a fresh and burly one, now would you? Since the Zaravi have 'flight' and 'disengage', there's really nothing to stop them from plowing right through the 'front lines' and tearing up the big figs in the back before they get activated...

It's true that getting Shackled would be a big hit for the Zaravi, but SBN DOUBLES the chances of that happening, and has a pathetic Defense. Figuring that SBN would go down before NGS if they were both held in reserve, the Marro General decided to meet the enemy head-on with NGS while his Shackle chances were still doubled by SBN. He did pull off THREE Shackle attempts before he fell, at 10% chance each, for a total 'likelyhood' of 30%!!! ...That's almost 1 in 3 overall odds that a Shackle would work. As luck would have it, no 19s or 20s came up, ...but if they HAD, ...that extra 220 points of Zaravi firepower would almost certainly have sealed the victory for the Marro...

It was a risk well worth taking, ...it just didn't pan out...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[yagyuninja]

It's cool that the "survivability" army outlasted the others and the mostly aggressive army did the most damage. Good job frenzy army with the massive damage.

[Alton]

who ever won the grand prize, are they willing to sell?

are these customs anywhere else?

[LordRaidor]

who ever won the grand prize, are they willing to sell?
are these customs anywhere else?

The Zaravi Units were customs created by me and my local HeroScape enthusiasts, with much assistance and input from several key members of this community. The Army Cards for these units (designed by the amazingly talented Atmospro) can be downloaded and printed for free from the Gallery here at 'Scapers.com (http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/thumbnails.php?album=257). The figures used are all from the now out-of-print 'MageKnight' line by WizKids Games, but they can still be purchased in several places online, including www.everythingmageknight.com and www.ebay.com. Here is an indexed list (http://www.heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1064) of what figures were used for which units. Some of the minis are very rare, but many of them are fairly common...

I will admit that I have received multiple inquiries (here and via my Yahoo e-mail) from players asking if I sell these customs, or where else they can be purchased. Since the whole purpose of the contest was to give away my 'extra' figures, I regret that I do not have any more of these units to trade or sell. However, they were designed to be easily reproduced, and the cards can be downloaded from here for free, so I would encourage those who are interested in owning their own to try to hunt down the minis online - it wasn't that difficult when I did it 15 months ago...

I'm not sure if Jacob is interested in selling the 'Grand Prize' figs that he won, but you can certainly contact him and ask. His member profile is here (http://heroscapers.com/community/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=313); shoot him a PM and see if he's open to the idea. Alternatively, just keep an eye on eBay or uBid - who knows? ...Maybe some scalper will put up a lot of their own 'Zaravi' figs to capitalize on their popularity...

Good luck finding a set, ...or driving to Texas or Ohio to play against the two sets already out there...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Alton]

wow why do thoes little pieces cost 20-40$ on their own? its a little much in my opinion, i was expecting them to be 5$ each

[LordRaidor]

Alton, ...I will admit, I have not personally checked on the prices of these MK figs in almost a year. When I was 'acquiring' them last summer though, the 'Soulspawn' and 'Puppetmaster' figs were less than a buck each and the 'Morsuvox' were less than $2 each. Many of the fancy 'heroes' were $3 or $4 each, but I never paid more than $6 for any single figure, including the rare ones like 'Queldranis' or 'Zovela'. The big "Spirit Eidolon Celestial" was the only pricey one last year, going for $15-20, but I thnk the actual retail value of that fig when it was in print was $13 or so. I also made one BIG purchase of figures in a single lot on eBay (which was why I had 'extras' to give away). I did it to get some rares like 'Valcamelk' and 'Lunoma', which I couldn't find as cheap singles, but all said and done, the figs in that lot averaged out to like $0.87 each...

When MK went out of production, the general concensus of opinion was that the prices for the figs would most likely go DOWN, but as I said, I dropped out of the market since then and didn't really check back to confirm this. Since you commented, I checked back on eBay and everythingMK this morning, and it appears that you are correct. Though many of the 'OOP' MageKnight figs are still really cheap, the 'Solonavi' (the transparent 'Jolly-Rancher' type figs I used for the Zaravi) figs have indeed gone WAY up in cost, especially the 'unique' heroes from the 'Nexus' and/or 'Sinister' expansions, which are going for up to $30 each!!! Yipes!...

Sorry about that fellow 'Scapers. I just picked figs that I thought looked cool. I thought they'd be easy to reproduce, since they came from a readily available 'mainstream' product line like MK, but I certainly didn't plan on their resale value skyrocketing like that. ...Looks like I'm mailing Jacob over $200 worth of MK figures tomorrow... WOW...

I regret that it might not be nearly as easy (or cheap) for other players out there to make their own 'Zaravi' now. ...Bummer. For those who might be interested though, don't lose hope. Check you local game stores for used MK singles, or keep an eye peeled at the online marketplaces like eBay. I'm sure it's still possible to find these figs at reasonable prices, ...it just doesn't look llike it'll be as easy as it was for me a year ago...

Knowing what their resale value is though, Jacob might be even more willing to sell or barter off his 'Grand Prize' figs. I'd like to think he wouldn't give up his spiffy Zaravi for anything (...I wouldn't), ...but maybe he'd rather have a hundred bucks instead? Send him a PM and see; ...it couldn't hurt...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Alton]

shoot lol thats aa little much for a few sets tho... i think ill just travel back in time, sounds cheeper

[jacob_j_p]

I would have posted on this tread regarding the MK figs I'm getting as a prize, but I've been out of the country for the past week with little internet access.

I had no idea how much this stuff is worth. It's amazing how much prices like this can fluctuate. Maybe I should pull out some of the old gaming relics I have and check on their prices too.

I'll be keeping them for now. Sometime in the future I may decide to make them available, and I'll do it here if I do.

[Alton]

come to me first please, i love customs, i think they are awsome ways to have tournaments

[deathsaurx]

Me first, me! I just saw a good deal on E-Bay. Snatched Vekla for 8 bucks. :wink: Is putting the base the figures hard, LordRaidor?

[LordRaidor]

Re-basing the LITTLE figs isn't hard, so to speak, ...it's just time consuming. I start with a 1.25" diameter 'wooden nickel' (1/8th" thick) from the craft store, use a dremmel to bevel the edges at 60-degrees, paint the sucker "cappuccino" brown, then slap on one of Malechi's "base-stickers" cut to fit... Not hard, ...just time-intensive...

VEKLA was a whole different story. I custom-carved his base out of 1/8th" sandalwood to a template slightly smaller than a 3-hex terrain tile. Didn't bevel the edges or round off the corners. Trimming the base sticker was a pain too, 'cause I wanted the fig to glue to the WOOD, not the STICKER, so I meticulously trimmed it to fit exactly against the outline of the figure's "footprint". I'm VERY pleased with the end-product, but I don't think I'd EVER try to do it again.

If you're thinking about giving it a try, ...GOOD LUCK!...

[LordRaidor]

http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/rebased.jpg

Well, ...it took me almost a month to get it done, but the Prizes have finally all been shipped out. Jacob_j_p was a saint, and decided he wanted the Grand Prize figs on their original MageKnight bases. Thanx Jacob - that saved me ALOT of work. I owe you bigtime... ^_^ The rest I finished up yesterday (with Malechi's spiffy new 2nd generation base stickers, no less) and sent along their merry way...

Thanx again to all who participated in the contest! Ciao!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[Kobu]

http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgallery/albums/userpics/10038/rebased.jpg

Well, ...it took me almost a month to get it done, but the Prizes have finally all been shipped out. Jacob_j_p was a saint, and decided he wanted the Grand Prize figs on their original MageKnight bases. Thanx Jacob - that saved me ALOT of work. I owe you bigtime... ^_^ The rest I finished up yesterday (with Malechi's spiffy new 2nd generation base stickers, no less) and sent along their merry way...

Thanx again to all who participated in the contest! Ciao!

^_^
-LordRaidor-

Sorry for the trouble, but the rebased figures look awesome. :D

[LordRaidor]

...Sorry for the trouble, but the rebased figures look awesome. :D

Well, ...it was a little extra effort, but it wasn't really trouble. I was glad to do it, and I'm glad you like the figs! Plus, re-basing 15 figs was nowhere near as monumental as re-basing 40, which is what I would've been in for if Jacob had asked for the Grand Prize to be re-based...

As far as I'm concerned, I definitely got the shiney end of that deal...

^_^
-LordRaidor-

[yagyuninja]

I just got mine too. They look fantastic. Is there a thread somewhere on how to make your own wooden bases, or do you have your own method?

[LordRaidor]

I just got mine too. They look fantastic. Is there a thread somewhere on how to make your own wooden bases, or do you have your own method?
Oops, ...sorry it took me so long to reply, yagyu, ...I've been distracted alot lately...

But you can scroll up this page about five posts or so (http://heroscapers.com/community/showthread.php?t=1072&start=95) and find a very basic overview of how I make my custom bases. I might make an 'illustrated' step-by-step guide someday, ...but I haven't been able to find the time yet...

Enjoy your Soulthralls!

^_^
-LordRaidor-