Honestly, when I first looked over Priscus' card, I was a little underwhelmed by what I (at the time) felt like was his Inspiration-Lite focus. However, he looked balanced, and brought the Gladiators a much-needed Special Attack, plus Filthy put together a
fantastic nomination, so I decided to vote Yes to review him.
I'm certainly glad that I did-he has proven to be an excellent addition to the Gladiator line-up.
Two of the Steamrollers significant weaknesses have been numbers and lack of a Special Ability. Priscus helps address both those.
With a cost 90 points less than Spartacus, a fourth squad of Capuans is now in reach for many more point totals. Altenatively, those points can be spent on another Gladiator Hero, or a ranged unit to entice your opponent to move within striking range of the Caps.
Shield Pin is a thematic Special Attack with a very valuable, but not over-powered bonus.
Taste of Freedom is Priscus' key selling point. Attack bonuses have always been highly regarded and highly priced in Heroscape. This one is one of the least expensive, but has the potential to affect many figures. It is severely limited, however, by only affecting Gladiators, and only functioning when all Order Markers are placed on Gladiatiors, including requiring one on Priscus.
Interestingly, the tactical overlap of Priscus and Spartacus (what I liked least on first consideration of Priscus) resulted my favorite army: Spartacus, Priscus, Capuans x3. This army requires careful Order Marker juggling, since both heroes require them to function fully. This added a level of strategy to the Steamroller that is previously lacked, and 5+ attack Gladiators are a sight to behold, especially when they are facing a hero-heavy army.
IN my opinion, Priscus' main weakness is that Taste of Freedom's limitations result in some default army builds, much as Spartacus' Gladiator Inspiration does, but fortunately Priscus' price allows room for more variety than Spartacus, is one wishes to build it in.
In the end, Priscus adds flixability, complexity and a much needed Special Attack to an army that benefits from all those things. I vote
YES to induct Priscus into the Soldiers of Valhalla.