The future of the Multiverse rests in your hands...
Introduction:
So it's been on my mind lately to be part of a Project to sustain AotP with balanced, playtested releases similar to those seen in Heroscape-based projects such as C3G. I've seen similar sentiments from other members who wish that such a project existed, and so I decided to create this Opinion thread to gauge interest and to get some feedback on the possible directions of the project.
At least initially, I don't picture the project to be anywhere near the scope or intricacy of other, larger projects like C3G. I imagine the AotP community is not very large at the moment compared to Heroscapers, but I think that there are a lot of people out there with AotP Master sets who would play the game if it had more to offer than it currently does. Arena's greatest downfall, in my opinion, was its lack of support. As a result, the game has a LOT of untapped potential. The Magic: The Gathering (MTG) universe is rich, not only in lore and characters but in locations as well.
The intent is for this to be a Community effort. So the success of it would largely be dependent on the involvement of individual members. Therefore I made this thread to ask you, as a community, for your opinions on what kind of things you would like to see out of a Project like this.
The biggest decision at the moment (besides deciding on a catchy Acronym!) would be to decide the scope and purpose of the project. For example, there have been efforts already to port Heroscape figures into AotP, and vice versa. There are also people who believe that future AotP customs should be designed totally independently from Heroscape. I've decided to split these choices into a few major groups. Here's the explanation for each one:
Option 1: Integrate AotP
With the relatively small list of released figures for AotP, it would not be infeasible to import all current figures into the Heroscape format. After all, they are already 90% similar. Generals could be assigned for each unit, or they could simply be grouped by MTG color.
@
wriggz
shared some beautiful custom templates that provide a really good representation of what the latter option could look like:
https://www.heroscapers.com/communit...ad.php?t=52378
(Credit to
@wriggz
)
In taking this route, AotP would essentially become an MTG Expansion to Heroscape. Like Superscape, it could be recommended to be played separately, but would otherwise be fully integrated into the same 'network' as other formats such as Classic 'Scape customs and Superscape customs. (Unique aspects of the game could still be retained and integrated, such as the Spell cards). Future MTG customs would be released as part of this Heroscape/AotP hybrid format.
The advantage to this approach is that the player-bases would be more unified. Terminologies would also be altered to proper Heroscape wording, making integrated games much easier than they currently are. For example, Spell cards would be made clear as to what they can and can't target, and may even be carefully rebalanced to reflect their expanded usability.
The primary disadvantage is that we lose the accessibility of the original game as an independent entity. Players who are solely interested in AotP would have to familiarize themselves with Heroscape terminologies and mechanics (and terrain, which is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain) in order to benefit from the custom work being created. In addition, balancing would prove more difficult if designers had to account for the interactions between future AotP customs and other mainstream custom releases.
Option 2: Integrate Heroscape
This is essentially the opposite approach from the first. The idea would be to take as many Classic (and perhaps Custom?) Heroscape figures as possible and integrate them into Arena of the Planeswalkers. These could either be simple ports where only slight modifications are made and colors are assigned to them, or the creatures/characters could be renamed and rethemed to fit in with the MTG Lore.
@
quozl
begun such a project a few years ago, and you can read more about it here:
https://www.heroscapers.com/communit...ad.php?t=53239
(Credit to
@quozl
)
If the community decides that this is the way to go, we could focus our efforts on porting RotV figures first, then continuing on to include all official HS figures. It would be a larger undertaking than Option 1, but still doable. A clear advantage to this approach is that there is a wealth of already-established units to convert, and many AotP players already own the miniatures. Creating new names, alignments, mechanics and themes for established miniatures could be a fun and interesting challenge.
A disadvantage to this approach is that some players may feel a lack of excitement over the reusing of classic miniatures, especially if the cards are simple ports of the originals. In the case of rethemed miniatures, some people may have the idea of the original characters so ingrained in their heads that they have a hard time suspending disbelief in order to see the same miniatures under a different light. Repaints / figure modifications may be a remedy for this effect, but that would then require more work on the part of the individual player.
Option 3: Keep AotP Independent
This option basically speaks for itself. The idea would be to allow AotP to grow as an independent game with its own terminologies, card formats and balancing as originally intended by the designers. An exception might be made when it comes to Terrain, as Heroscape terrain is popular enough and works well enough with the core AotP game that it could be considered a valid blending of the two. But the main idea is still to stay as true to the game as possible.
The advantage here is that designers can narrow their focus on the game as it currently exists, without having to worry about rebalancing card effects, spell cards, or altering wording from one type of game to another. New cards would be balanced and evaluated based solely off of the already released content, without any consideration of possible interactions with Superheros or other Custom or Official Heroscape content.
The disadvantage to this approach is that blending units from the two games may be harder for those who want to do it. Strange or broken interactions between spell cards or character abilities are bound to occur when mixing games and, due to the lack of any 'official' rulings on the matter, would be up to the individual player to resolve.
House rules can be utilized as a fix for this, such as the "Mixed Play" Rules thought up by
@
TREX
which you can see here:
https://www.heroscapers.com/communit...ad.php?t=53350
(Credit to
@TREX
)
These type of rules have been attempted in various ways, and are usually quite playable. However, they suffer from the simple limitation that the two games are not designed to work in exact conjunction. Several features have to be cut or reduced, such as restricting the use of specific spell cards (like Enchantments). Some rulesets go further than others, and the list of rulings and exceptions can get quite complicated, with reference charts often having to be used to remember the differences. So while it is doable, it is not necessarily optimal.
Concluding Thoughts:
So as you can see, each direction comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. In my eyes, they are all noble undertakings, and any one of them would be worth the potential challenges. However, when it comes to this project, there really needs to exist a specific vision for what we want future custom AotP to be. We are at a crossroads, and it is up to the community to decide.
That being said, I am aware that there may be other options besides the ones I listed, or other Advantages/Disadvantages that I neglected to mention. Feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, and/or support below! I look forward to hearing what the community has to say.
Some people who have been previously part of the discussion:
@
TREX
,
@
IAmBatman
,
@
Sir Yeshua
,
@
Astroking112
,
@
capsocrates
,
@
Tiranx
,
@
TheTravelingScaper