[Filthy the Clown]

I would like to nominate my own Priscus, Gladiator Hero.

Soldiers of Valhalla Induction Reports for Priscus

Spoiler Alert!

Originally Posted by ZBeeblebrox

I had the same reservations as my colleagues did when I saw this nomination, but I voted yes, because Filthy did such a good job of “selling” him. So I began my games playing this guy and he is just fun. He adds new blood to the Gladiators, allows for more interesting builds, that Spartcus’ high point cost rebuffs and adds a Special Attack to the mix. Not only that, he also makes a Spartacus / Capuan Steamroller build even more potent.

My only reservation is that he is a modded figure, but since it only a little paint (or even a permanent marker works) and a small snip…its not too hard of a mod. People can still find Capuans out there at about $25 a pack, not bad price in this age of scape, and you can just mod him a bit and choose to use him as a Capuan or Priscus (Like you can with Samuel Brown).

So since he adds something to the Gladiators and can be modded easily, I vote YES to induct Flithy the Clown’s Priscus into the SoV.

Originally Posted by Killometer

Honestly, when I first looked over Priscus' card, I was a little underwhelmed by what I (at the time) felt like was his Inspiration-Lite focus. However, he looked balanced, and brought the Gladiators a much-needed Special Attack, plus Filthy put together a fantastic nomination, so I decided to vote Yes to review him.

I'm certainly glad that I did-he has proven to be an excellent addition to the Gladiator line-up.

Two of the Steamrollers significant weaknesses have been numbers and lack of a Special Ability. Priscus helps address both those.

With a cost 90 points less than Spartacus, a fourth squad of Capuans is now in reach for many more point totals. Altenatively, those points can be spent on another Gladiator Hero, or a ranged unit to entice your opponent to move within striking range of the Caps.

Shield Pin is a thematic Special Attack with a very valuable, but not over-powered bonus.

Taste of Freedom is Priscus' key selling point. Attack bonuses have always been highly regarded and highly priced in Heroscape. This one is one of the least expensive, but has the potential to affect many figures. It is severely limited, however, by only affecting Gladiators, and only functioning when all Order Markers are placed on Gladiatiors, including requiring one on Priscus.

Interestingly, the tactical overlap of Priscus and Spartacus (what I liked least on first consideration of Priscus) resulted my favorite army: Spartacus, Priscus, Capuans x3. This army requires careful Order Marker juggling, since both heroes require them to function fully. This added a level of strategy to the Steamroller that is previously lacked, and 5+ attack Gladiators are a sight to behold, especially when they are facing a hero-heavy army.

IN my opinion, Priscus' main weakness is that Taste of Freedom's limitations result in some default army builds, much as Spartacus' Gladiator Inspiration does, but fortunately Priscus' price allows room for more variety than Spartacus, is one wishes to build it in.

In the end, Priscus adds flixability, complexity and a much needed Special Attack to an army that benefits from all those things. I vote YES to induct Priscus into the Soldiers of Valhalla.

Originally Posted by 1Mmirg

I vote NO to accept Priscus into the SoV.

This is a fun addition to the Capuans with a smart way to keep balance with Spartacus even in a huge point army. I like the unit quite a lot--I very narrowly didn't vote YES--but have a few issues. Maybe these are just me, but here they are, fwiw:

A) The pin shield SA subtracting two dice--that quite a lot.
B) The attack aura being 3 spaces--that's a big step up from similarly costed cheerleading/bonding units (think, Taelord vs. Finn).
C) The fact this unit requires a repaint of a current unit--not something I want to do a lot of really.

Several tests revealed that the Shield Pin is quite solid, but doesn't seem to be too unbalanced. This isn't the biggest issue, just one more.

The aura works well, but seems designed for by the Caps as only being a 3 man melee squad. However, I am concerned about the future of Gladiators--since the power does not specify only adjacent attacks getting a boost, this may limit the future of gladiators. There are a lot of ideas out there for Glads with range and this unit makes incorporating them a bit tougher. Bottomline for me, this power works as is--it's tough and might deserve a small price bump--but it works fairly well, but it is really limiting to custom work on future Glads, imo.

Should a unit be voted down for units that don't exist yet? Well, I think, yes. A unit should not create a mechanic that limits future units unnecessarily, imo. I'd like to see the card specific adjacent attacks, personally, or bump up the cost a bit.

Finally, the issue of sculpt. This is not a big issue, but it is an issue, for me, however small. I'll be clear, I'll always be a bit harsher on a unit that requires a repaint--esp. one that suggests an actual physical mod of an existing unit.

Anyhow, sorry for being a downer. But I have to be honest. I think this unit is extremely close to being an SoV unit (and my fellow judges may still consider it appropriate), but I'd like to see the cost jump slightly and/or see the aura adjusted. Icing on the cake, would be finding another sculpt/figure that could be used.

Thank you, Filthy, for creating this unit. Very solid and one I hope joins the SoV, sooner or later. Very nice work.

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Ok, time for me to vote on Priscus by Filthy the Clown.

At 110 points Priscus is an important fit into a Gladiator build, as Filthy noted in the nominating post. He's obviously thematic. One thing I struggled with was the sculpt. He is a modified 'Scape sculpt, one of the gladiators, and Filthy's step by step guide to creating Priscus can be found here.

One thing I really wrestled with was whether I could vote to induct a sculpt that takes so much customization. So I read Filthy's instructions and realized something: His *only* change to the sculpt is the clipping off of the end of the sword. The rest is paint - red crest, darker clothes - making him almost identical in this way to Samuel Brown.

Another thing about the sculpt and competitive play: In the case of Samuel Brown, it's the rule for my events (see House Rules in my sig) that any 4th will do, provided it's distinguishable from others you may have in play. Extending the same rule to Priscus leads to an absurdly simple solution for an acceptable proxy: Just use Spartacus. They'll never be in the same army, so why not? Food for thought for the TDs out there.

Anyway. As I said, Priscus is very thematic and an overdue & welcome addition to the Gladiator faction.

I played with him a number of times on a few different maps and each time he played exactly as I believe Filthy intended him to. With 4 defense and 5 life he's reasonably durable but certainly not Spartacus or Crixus; with an attack aura of 4 hexes Crixus *loves* him but with no defense boost the Gladiators do not become too strong.

Filthy also duplicated the OM mechanic from Spartacus onto Priscus, so players are forced to choose one or the other even at very high point totals, or make a significant sacrifice by putting a 1, 2 or 3 on one of the heroes.

I think he may have worked as low as 100 points. Not lower, and definitely not higher.

This is a well balanced, clever, thematic, well-written card, concept and sculpt. I am pleased to vote yes to induct Filthy the Clown's Priscus into the Soldiers of Valhalla.

Criteria

Spoiler Alert!

Balance
At 110 points, Priscus costs more than the other, non-Spartacus Gladiator heroes, and for good reason: he offers a special attack and an attack boost for other gladiators. When compared with other attack-boosting cheerleaders (namely, Sir Gilbert, Finn, Taelord, Marcus and Spartacus), his cost reflects his abilities. However, note that he is far from invincible, with an average defense...Which tends to give credence to the gladiators abilities to strike quickly and take advantage of the assets that their limited numbers contribute to the fray.
Playability
Priscus fills a niche by allowing for a cheerleading Gladiator Hero that can be used when point totals do not easily allow for the other Gladiator Hero, Spartacus. In essence, he helps to make the Capuans more playable by boosting their offensive potential. Although his regular offensive rating is weak by gladiator standards, he offers a special attack that can be used to cut gaps through enemy screens (a known weakness of the gladiators). With this in mind, there are a couple of strategies that he excels at:

• Charging up front and punching a hole through screens that can in turn be exploited by his fellow gladiators. His longevity will be threatened in this scenario, but this becomes moot as the gladiators are able to take advantage of his penetration.
• Use him as a second wave to go forward and boost frontline gladiators. Send in Crixus first, then follow up with another wave of Capuans, led by Priscus.

Creativity
Shield Pin special attack is not only an ability that is unique to the gladiators; it thematically fits with their style (in this case, he is a gladiator, trained in the use of a shield and Gaius/short sword; this matches the weaponry on the sculpt as well).
Taste of Freedom is indeed rather Taelord-esque, but it is an ability that can only be utilized by gladiators (hence, adding a creative flair to otherwise uninspired Capuans and gladiator heroes).
Theme
Priscus fits in the theme of Einar, as a gladiator hero, as well as a historical figure (he was a first century Roman Gladiator, who was born a slave and fought another gladiator to a standstill, allowing both gladiators to earn their freedom).
Accessibility
Priscus is created from an existing Capuan Gladiator sculpt:

With a few modifications (namely, the shortening of his sword, and the repainting of his armor and shield...All of which can be accomplished with minimal household materials), Priscus can easily be created. Capuan Gladiators are available at

• Ebay
• Auggies (they are currently out of stock, but I have seen them a few times this year)
• Wal-Mart (for example: my local Wal-mart still has 4 packs of them; although this is specific to my location, I suspect that he can be found in other Wal-marts as well)

Additional information in regards to Priscus (including a painting guide, suggested armies, and other playtesting feedback) can be found at my customs thread.

NOTE: I originally playtested Priscus by painting a red crest on the helmet of one of my Capuans. For those wanting to only slightly alter their chosen Capuan sculpt, this could be an easy way to 'create' Priscus, while still using the sculpt as a Capuan squad member (you can always swap out the sculpt for your first casualty of the game).

Thanks in advance for the consideration!