Development!!!
I'm so excited about this one, I can't wait for the Alpha release to tell you guys about it
Turns and initiative was sloppy and sometimes cumbersome in HoS. So in Chronicles of a Distant Realm (title, until further notice,) I'm taking a whole new approach.
First, like I've mentioned before, Heroes aren't necessarily meant to be the only character you play when playing CoaDR. You are allowed to have an Army and creating additional units for your Army will work the same way as creating your Hero
Second, Classes are broken into tiers. As an example (from the Class that will be provided in the Alpha,) Militia will be Tier 1, Soldier will be Tier 2, and Warlord will be Tier 3.
Third, I'm removing Order Markers. When it comes around to your turn, you can make one of three choices: Take a turn with one Tier 3 figure, take a turn with two Tier 2 figures, or take a turn with three Tier 1 figures.
Fourth, the single, powerful Hero concept is not eradicated. You must choose in your Army a "Leader." The leader is more powerful than the rest of the figures. This means that as a Leader, classes like Warlord can purchase skills that can improve their power as an army, like being able to take a turn with four Tier 1 figures instead of three.
Five, there will be an added stat to the game called "Speed." Speed will most likely be determined by Class. Classes like Rogue and Warlord will have higher Speed than others: Rogue for obvious reasons, Warlord because he's a quick-thinking leader. Whichever Army has the Leader with the highest Speed gets to go first (roll to break ties.) This will make knowing the turn order much easier.
So as you can see, this set up will still allow for RPG style, one Hero, going through Adventures with other solo Heroes, type of gameplay. But, the change will make the game easier to host for the "GM." And, summoning Classes, like Warlord can feel more rewarding to play. AND, there will still be options for good ol' Free For All Army battles like in Heroscape.