100% Theoryscape

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by Eclipse

But no unique squad then. Your faction remains in shambles! Mwah ha ha ha!

True, but armies fill out a lot faster with common squads than with two member unique squads. Still, at this point, it might be harder to come by new unique squads than anything else.

[Sarpedon]

Greetings, everyone.

I've been away for a while, but I haven't been idle. This week my attention/thought was focused on what I believe to be a sub-category of units. Most categorizations are generally useful/important in that they allow us to view the included units under a new light which can serve us tactically during games. The "new" term I've come up with is "accelerators".

An accelerator is a unit that increases the speed/rate of deployment of (an)other friendly unit(s) without making use of turn/movement bonding.

I realize that most of you are fully aware of these units, but, perhaps by examining them as a distinct sub-group, we can discover interesting applications or combinations that we might have missed. If nothing more, this exercise will help us review the members of this group which are often overlooked in both casual and tournament play. Here is how I've sub-divided the units (please feel free to add any I may have omitted):

TRANSPORTERS/TELEPORTERS:
General: Saylind, Brunak, Theracus.
Specific/Limited: Tul-Bak-Ra, Ulginesh, Emiroon.

MOVEMENT ENHANCERS: (All are specific/limited)
Constant: Sir Gilbert, Marcus D.G., Venoc Warlord (scouts and frenzy), Atlaga, Warden 816, Su-Bak-Na (Marrden Hounds), Valguard, Agent Skahen.
Conditional: Eldgrim (after "death", unique card only), Ornak, Acolarh.

DEBATABLE: Jotund (throw), Minions (Utgar's Orders)?

Before I leave it up for discussion, let me show you how viewing units from this perspective helped me, I believe, improve an army I have played recently. The army I played at the last game day at a friend's house was:

4 x 10th Foot + Marcus D.G. + 2 x Legionnaires + Marcu = 520 points.

When playing this type of army, a popular tactic is to situate Marcus on a strategic elevation in order to surround him with the 10th Foot. In this way, they will benefit not only from his +1 attack bonus, but also from being on high ground. I did precisely this when I played, but I found that I had to first spend 2 or 3 order markers in the first round getting Marcus into position before moving my ranged units.

The main problem was that, because we were playing on relatively large maps with no glyphs, the Legionnaires were not earning their keep and Marcus, in spite of the bonding, was painfully slow. To improve this army, I decided to get an accelerator for my accelerator! Voila:

4 x 10th Foot + Marcus D.G. + Theracus + Raelin/1 x 10th Foot = 520 points.

For the maps we were using, and perhaps for most tournament maps in general, the tweaked army seems far more competitive. Theracus allows me to hold off moving Marcus until the time is right and then to do so using just one order marker (much faster). I may even choose to move him onto a glyph instead of onto an elevation if it were more effective. I can then choose to replace the under-achieving Legionnaires with either ROTV Raelin or another squad of 10th Foot or 4th Mass. if I only own 4 squads of 10th Foot (as is the case).

Final thought: Accelerators are some of the most underestimated units. Use that fact to your advantage to get your units speedily onto key locations to gain tactical advantages, map/glyph control and height.

[IAmBatman]

Emiroon is a specific/limited Teleporter, and I believe Jotun belongs on your list (but the Minions do not).

[mccombju]

Valguard boosts the Berserker rolls of the Tarn Viking Warriors.

Scatter boosts the movement of the Deathreavers when they are attacked by normal attacks.

Brave Arrow can forgo his attack to add 2 to his move.

The Axegrinders get a bonus of +2 move when they neglect to bond with Migol Ironwil.

Emirroon transports non-adjacent elves to positions adjacent to himself based on d20 rolls.

Using a mount like Theracus or Brunak, you can change the position (of adjacency) to squeeze a couple extra "move" when transporting a unit OR place that unit on height while still adjacent to the mount figure. (i.e. as opposed to placing the unit "behind" Theracus upon landing, place the figure on the leading unoccupid adjacent hex)

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There are probably others that I have missed.

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My first win in Heroscape was achieved by exploiting Theracus to transport Syvarris to a position where he was covered by Raelin's aura and on height. From there, Syvarris' range 9 and two attacks of 4A (b/c height) killed off my opponent's entire army as they attempted, in vain, to wound Raelin and dislodge Syvarris.

Powerful, indeed.

[Xn F M]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

Emiroon is a specific/limited Teleporter, and I believe Jotun belongs on your list (but the Minions do not).

Agreed. The minion's nonding only provides order marker flexibility without really allowing greater/faster movement.

In a similar vein, I've had the +2 move glyph basically decide the outcome of more than a few games. Being able to make your slow guys fast, or your fast guys really fast can sometimes have a bigger impact than some of the "more powerful" glyphs.

[MI_Tiger]

Don't forget Agent Skahen, who can move friendly Tricky figures with Cover Fire.

[Sarpedon]

Hello, everyone.

It has been said that, in life, patience is a virtue. In competitive Heroscape it is a must. It is very often the difference between success and failure, and good players and poor ones. I never cease to wonder at otherwise capable players whose impetuosity leads them to unecessarily charge at and engage their opponents in clearly unfavourable circumstances or at inopportune moments. After the game, these players commonly admit their mistake, but point to the dice as the greater culprits when they know full-well that they had brought on their own demise.

What is it that sometimes leads good, competitive players to these apparent mental lapses and/or bad decisions? After having played for years, I've concluded that the impatience is caused by what I've termed "The Competitive Resistance Threshold". This threshold is the maximum "amount" of time/energy some competitive players are willing to invest in a typical 500-600-point game to get an advantage in glyphs, board control, heights and/or troop matchups. If, when they reach their threshold, they do not perceive an advantage, they proceed to convince themselves that they do have one and then attack.

Not all competitive players have this limitation/flaw. Some, such as myself, are willing to concede a draw (if the scenario rules permit it) rather than risk going for the win with few(er) chances relative to the opponent. If I decide to attack, it will only be from a position of strength where the odds are in my favour. I, personally, get no pleasure/fun from winning when, statistically, I should have lost.

Why then are some so impetuous? For some competitive players, a draw is the same as a loss. This is the (most) common denominator I've found amongst the very impetuous, competitive players with low CRTs. This explains why they are willing to attack so recklessly: a drawn/standoff position is a losing position (in their minds) and thus, once they consider that they have reached that point, they believe that they have nothing left to lose. For them, the game is all but lost and can only be rescued with an all-out attack and a ton of luck.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this attitude, unless a draw (or preserving a lot of points) makes the difference that allows one to advance to the next round/level in a tournament! In the long run, knowing when not to charge and picking your spots well is just as important as being able to attack effectively.

If you sense that your opponent's CRT is lower than yours, use it to your advantage! Deploy your army carefully, and gain the best positions you can while eliminating weak spots and points of entry/flanking. If he accuses you of "turtling", tell him that you are doing the best you can, but that his troops are so well positioned and his army so well-rounded that you can't for the life of you come up with a spot to attack. Hopefully the smoke you've blown will encourage him to take the plunge.

[IAmBatman]

I guess my take on this, from a non super competitive player's perspective, is that charging in and attacking your enemy, even from a disadvantage, is a heck of a lot more fun than sitting around and waiting until the advantage is yours! That's probably the main reason I get impatient as a player and make silly moves - attacking is more fun than not attacking. I really think it might be that simple in a lot of cases.

[Sarpedon]

Indeed, IAmBatman.

There may be more than one reason for a low CRT (seeing a draw as a loss, wanting to have "fun", needing to go to the bathroom badly, etc.). Whatever the reason, however, the player with the higher CRT will have an advantage in close games if he knows that his opponent's is lower. It does not signify victory, but it surely improves the odds. The longer a competitive tournament player can remain calm and focused rather than impatient and reckless, the more likely it is that his opponent will make the first mistake.

[killercactus]

Thankfully, Heroscape has units designed for players with high CRT's (4th Mass, Raelin) and those with lower ones (Stingers, Q9 to an extent, Zelrig, AE). The answer seems to be to recognize what your CRT is and play the units that fit your style.

"Play what you know - know what you play."

[rouby44]

Originally Posted by dok

This was my latest version. The first effort was more similar to the current Zettians, but the appearance of the repulsors forced me to re-cast them as a cheaper figure that can protect against insta-wounds.

Hi Dok,
I like your fix a lot, but I've found through play-testing that the Deathwalkers and Zettians are awfully powerful with bonding, though when play-testing my Zettians had 5 defense. But I think there is a reason that there is only one ranged squad in the game with true bonding (i.e., puny Arrow Gruts), so without meaning any criticism toward your version, I offer a different perspective on addressing the Deathwalker/Zettian weaknesses:

Zettian Guards
Common Squad
50 points

4 Move
5 Range
2 Attack
5 Defense

Zettian Targeting

Sentry
When any Deathwalker you control is targeted by an attacking figure who is not adjacent, you may immediately move one Zettian Guard you control up to 4 spaces. Any Zettian Guard moving via Sentry must move
adjacent to the attacking figure.

Circuitry Replacement*

*Stolen from you, Dok, obviously


Deathwalker 7000
Unique Hero
60 points
6 Move
7 Range
2 Attack
7 Defense

Sentry Enhancement
All Zettian Guards you control within 4 clear sight spaces of Deathwalker 7000 may move one additional space when moving via the Sentry power.

Sentry Fire*
After Deathwalker 7000 or any Soulborg you control who follows Utgar and is adjacent to Deathwalker 7000 rolls defense dice against an attack from a figure who is not adjacent, Deathwalker 7000 may immediately make a normal attack against the attacking figure following rules for range and line of sight.

*Idea adapted from Jexik's Agent Renault figure sketch


One thing I like about this version is that it gives the Zets and Deathwalkers fairly strong synergy without true bonding. Once you have moved enough Zettians into position, they won't need many order markers due to the free movement via Sentry, allowing you to focus on dishing out some pain with the Deathwalkers. It also places the Zettians in their predefined role as guards of the Deathwalkers.

[Marcus Decimus Gallus]

Thank you!! I feel much better about myself now. I am not a BAD player, I just have a low CRT.