Marvel "Wave 1" may never be, but reinforcements may come
 

Forgive me if this has been said before but I just had a revelation on the next Marvelscape (hopefully). All of the discussion has been on "wave" and "boosters" but I don't think that that was ever the plan. If I'm right, it could be a reason for the delay even before the WOTC transition.

I think, Hasbro intended the original Marvel to be fly off the shelves when you combine a great game and a great license both with sick loyal fans. After that, the strategy may have been to follow up with a second set of equal size with just different characters. Here's my evidence:

1. The first set was titled "The Conflict Begins". The second set, "Reinforcements Arrive". Sounds to me like titles of equal chapters of similar size, not a main story and a simple expansion booster pack. What would wave 2 have been called... "More Reinforcements Arrive"?

2. The promo photo showed 10 figures... the exact amount we have in the initial set. Splitting 5 and 5 into two boosters seems silly and could lead to a more popular pack selling more than the other. Unless there are other figures out there that we just didn't see in the photo (such as Mr. Fantastic... but I doubt it), I think these 10 were intended within the same set.

3. "Conflict" was more of an expansion set then it was a master set anyway. The number of terrain pieces is actually less than Tundra. The 10 original figures barely fit on the map, would we really expect a Marvel exclusive fan to jam 10 more characters on the existing set? Believe me, I started with the Marvel set and had to dive into the whole beautiful Heroscape Universe because I needed more terrain for the few customs my son made me add to the game.

4. As I said, the wait on release would be held up regardles of company reorg or plumeting economy. There is no way you could put a second Marvel box set on shelves while "Conflict" still sat there (on clearance in many places).

5. If boosters were intended, they would have been nuts not to release them while the main set still sat heavily on the shelves. If they wait until it's gone... they limit their customer base to those who already own the original and lose the chance to pull in new folks.

If I'm right, then we all may be lucky enough to see this some time this year now that even Walmart has finally cleared its shelves of the "Conflict" set. Maybe, WOTC can release what I think is an equivalent sized expansion, and pick up sales from all of us (you can never have too much terrain) while gaining a new generation of Marvel fans who see Super Skrull (Skrull Invasion), Punisher (new movie), Fantastic Four (always recognizable to most newcomers), or Sandman/Doc-Oc (classic Spidey foes).

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. WOTC, if you're reading this... I figured out your plan so now give me my prize!

Re: Marvel "Wave 1" may never be, but reinforcements may com
 

A nice theory, but back when we had a WotC representative posting on this site, I believe it was confirmed that those 10 figures were supposed to be released as a Wave with two expansion packs, five figures per pack.

You're right - they were nuts. It's also thought that they overestimated the potential reach of the game and overproduced the Marvel set. This in turn made sales of the set look bad, so they were in no hurry to throw good money after bad by rushing the expansion wave into production.

Re: Marvel "Wave 1" may never be, but reinforcements may com
 

Of course, if they HAD released the Marvel booster, it would only have helped sales of the master set. Being able to see the actual figures in the boosters is a bigger draw than pictures on the side of a box.

In any case, it's hard to believe that another Marvel expansion (whether in booster or second master set form) wouldn't sell at least as well as some of the other stuff that has the Marvel name on it.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/metasea...h=Marvel&B1=Go

The one I often see in game shops, Marvel Heroes, looks pretty weak compared to the Marvel Heroscape set.

Re: Marvel "Wave 1" may never be, but reinforcements may com
 

I think Marvel themselves are the ones to blame for the poor sales. They have been whoring themselves out to any company willing to pay their rates and that seems to be just about every toy company on the planet. When I go to the toy section I see tons and tons of Spiderman, Ironman and Hulk themed junk clogging up the shelves. Their is so much crap out there that the good stuff gets lost in the background.

The parent/friend/relative of a Spiderman, Ironman, or Hulk obsessed kid isn't going to buy him a $30 Heroscape set for his birthday when he can just pick up one of 2 dozen cheaper Marvel themed toys.

Re: Marvel "Wave 1" may never be, but reinforcements may com
 

Though not my first choice, I would be satisfied if they simply swapped out the original ten figures with the new ones in the Conflict Begins starter.

Re: Marvel "Wave 1" may never be, but reinforcements may com
 

In my opinion,anything they do to "add" to marvel heroscape is going to be very welcomed.I personally have introduced 5 people to the marvel side of heroscape,and now they all own marvel sets,and play frequently.

The popularity is there,but i think it's a mixed bag...

and

etc...

It just impresses me to see this community kickin load and proud.I've had other games that i've gotten into that has NO communities like heroscape..example= killer bunnies = no card scans,no customs,etc....

I know that even if nothing is produced further in marvelscape,i can find people working on customs or helping me with mine here!!!

(appologies for the babble)

Re: Marvel "Wave 1" may never be, but reinforcements may com
 

Yeah. One small step further, though... swap out the original ten figures with the new ones, and add a small selection of things like a streetlight, mailbox, parking meter, etc.

If we're looking at larger changes- city street tiles, with the yellow lines.