Scytale's customs

[TheAverageFan]

Tasculuss: Ironically, out of all his bonding options I'd likely take him with Greenscales the least since they only get one bonding hero so it may as well be the best one (and if you can't afford a Dragon or even Zogross then I have to question the decision to draft them in the first place).

Otherwise he looks to be a cheap, beefy, and welcome addition for Romans, Armocs, and Death Chasers. Plus he brings along the always-appreciated Special Attack, something I'm sure all three of those factions wouldn't mind having.

~TAF, hypothetically

[Scytale]

unit highlight 8/3/15

Early in my custom-making career, back when Heroscape is still in print, I got the idea to mix-and-match some of the samurai to form new squads. Three existing unique squads could create three new unique squads with just some simple repainting. Those early customs of mine weren't the greatest and I ended up scrapping all of them. I considered reworking the samurai squads since I had already done the paint work, but the game really doesn't need more unique samurai squads. Still, I really liked the red-gold set I created, so I kept them anyway.

The design is quite simple and inspired by the models. They lack the low price tag of the Izumi and the frightening potential of the Tagawa, but what you get is pretty solid for the price tag. Fairly mean offensively until they lose a figure.


one of the Izumi Samurai (Heroscape Rise of the Valkyrie) repainted
one of the Tagawa Samurai (Heroscape Zanafor's Discovery) repainted
one of the Kozuke Samurai (Heroscape Thora's Vengeance) repainted

[Yodaking]

I like those guys quite a bit. Even after losing one figure, you are still getting 4 attacks per OM. I always liked the Samurai squads though and wish they were more playable vs. all the benefits of a common squad. Perhaps one of the other two squads you made could give all the Samurai squads some OM flex or partial bonding (similar to the wolf packs from C3V) and make a 4-5 unique squads of Samurai into a competitive army. Kato is just too expensive a figure to do it.

[TheAverageFan]

Double Attack ensures that they'll still be useful after losing a figure (or even two). Tomoe Gozen sure would make them really powerful in that regard.

~TAF

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by TheAverageFan

Double Attack ensures that they'll still be useful after losing a figure (or even two). Tomoe Gozen sure would make them really powerful in that regard.

Yeah, maybe too much so. One of those I designed long before the C3V unit.

[Scytale]

unit highlight 8/10/15

Ninja heroes fill a unique role in the Heroscape universe: each general summons one ninja which proudly wears that general's colors. After Aquilla was added to the canon, it was only natural to assume she would someday summon one as well. (I do not feel the same about Valkrill; he seems more like an upstart that marches to the beat of his own drum.)

The D&D Dragonblade Ninja miniature has a couple of problems. First, the lack of Aquilla coloring. That I handled with a bit of yellow paint. Second, and not so easy to fix, is that the mini is rather small, even for a D&D mini. He's a shrimp compared to a lot of Heroscape miniatures. Though he looks ok next to the other Heroscape Ninjas; that's good enough for me. I like to think of him as a teenager.

As for the design, I wanted to make him a filler figure. I also wanted him to be useful against both heroes and squads, but amazing at neither. He's a useful end game cleanup filler figure.


Dragonblade Ninja (D&D Deathknell) repainted

[wriggz]

I figured it was time to offer praise where praise is due. I recently printed cards for 8 or so of these customs. The huge chain golum, g2 demolisher, and lok being some of my favorites. I would have picked up more but prices and availiblity are not what they once were.

I doubt there is better praise than actually including another's design in your personal collection for drafting and army building with the same status as official figures.

bravo mistro bravo.

[Tornado]

The Shidou are really nice. Even minus one figure you still get four attacks which is solid.
Ever give them the Finn, Eldgrim and Thorgrim boost?

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by wriggz

I doubt there is better praise than actually including another's design in your personal collection for drafting and army building with the same status as official figures.

There is definitely no greater praise (outside of a positive comment from Craig Van Ness or something). I am always hugely honored to hear that.

Originally Posted by Tornado

The Shidou are really nice. Even minus one figure you still get four attacks which is solid.
Ever give them the Finn, Eldgrim and Thorgrim boost?

Yes, I've definitely given them the boost. They love Finn especially.

Their biggest problem is that they have lower defense than the Izumi or Tagawa. They aren't exactly fragile, but it makes losing figures more likely.

@dok used them very effectively in the Scytaleverse tournament, in a Raelin/St. Patrick/ranged pod with Shidou and Ice Devils for close-range fighting. Very potent hodgepodge.

[Ixe]

I've fallen behind.

Slanec Vipers
They look cool and the ranged attack is nice but I've been burned before on low survivability unique squads like this. You have to hope your first turn or two with them is productive because they seem like they'll struggle to earn their points. The Onyx Vipers taught me the lesson that powers like Frenzy are good in the long run where you'll average a few extra turns throughout a game's worth of order markers and don't work as well when a kill or two rips apart your efficacy. Cool design, I just can see it so quickly going bad for you.

Tasculuss
This guy seems a fine choice for a good cheap king. The problem I usually have with lizardfolk options for the greenscales is that you'd so often rather bond with a dragon but he could work for lower point armies or if the greenscales are supplementing a more significant ranged component to your army. Otherwise I'd see this guy relying on his other, more flexible bonding options for a dirt cheap beater who can soak some hits. I like him.

Shidou Samurai
I do love me some samurai and I can appreciate a good, simple design. 4 defense makes them a bit more vulnerable than I like (an less likely to counterstrike) but double attack makes them pretty frightening. Like the other unique Samurai, they'll probably be fairly swingy (they live for a while and do a lot of damage or you lose some early and they struggle) but they look like fun to use nevertheless.

Sasuke
Speaking of things that I love, ninjas have long been a favorite of mine. Sasuke seems like a solid addition who can hit pretty hard and hold up decently well against commons. 30 points is fighting with some other solid filler options but I wouldn't mind picking him up for the fun of it (and definitely would use him with Kantano Daishi). Cool design.

[TheAverageFan]

Originally Posted by Scytale

Their biggest problem is that they have lower defense than the Izumi or Tagawa. They aren't exactly fragile, but it makes losing figures more likely.

Well hey, 4 defense is miles ahead of the Einar Imperium, as far as I'm concerned.

~TAF, who wishes his favorite General got some better Kyrie

[Tornado]

What would be cool is a Kyrie with long range and allowed the Empress and Imperium to bond. Actually just the bonding would help a lot.