I’d like to start out by saying that the overall balance in recent waves has been great. The playtesters have really started to hit their stride, and I can’t wait to see Wave 9 hit shelves around the country. I love how the new releases are taking old units and reviving them, while simultaneously introducing new and interesting synergies, combos, and tactics to an already excellent game. But I still have a few worries.
Not everyone plays Heroscape to win. Not everyone plays Heroscape in tournaments. But would anyone be hurt if more units were priced a bit more competitively? I’ve seen it suggested multiple times that some units are ‘fun’ units, and that others are ‘competitive,’ but does that distinction really serve a purpose? Can’t we have our fun and want to play it too? (
rdhight has been a very vocal proponent of this last sentence).
I am not proposing that we go back and change the cost of any existing figures. I am not suggesting that we house rule them to fit our vision of the game. I am suggesting (and hoping) that future releases will begin to have a more competitive slant when it comes to price. Alternatively, new figures that are released should take extra care to try to boost units that are already overpriced. To show what I mean, I’ll highlight some of my favorite (and least favorite) releases of the last year.
As I state in my order marker pieces, as well as an upcoming strategy article, I think that price (and “killing your points”) is secondary to how a figure affects your and your opponent’s turns. Some even affect what people bring to the table in the first place. I’ll start with a figure that exemplifies this concept.
The Studs
Isamu- Let’s face it. This guy is just pure awesome. He’s a steal at 10 points, but if you’re winning a game by a lot, you probably won’t ever even activate him. He’s a great figure for tournaments and casual play, because he helps the underdog feel like he has a chance of winning all the time, but doesn’t give any benefit to someone in the lead. He’s balanced not by his point cost, but by the fact that a melee hero with one attack who doesn’t bond with anything isn’t a great order marker choice except in certain situations. What I like even more is that while he has an ability that is very specific (2 extra attack against Jandar) he is still very useful outside of that specific niche.
Cyprien Esenwein- Second perhaps only to Major Q9 or Nilfheim in his ability to completely run the table (with of course some help from his lovely and loving wife), this Vampire was at first thought to be ridiculously overpowered. But the fear of facing a swarm of gladiatrons or Major Q9 help keep him in check while simultaneously making him an entertaining choice in drafted games. He makes people second guess using the Krav, which is something I like.
Marro Stingers- Although recently catapulted into
spider_poison’s vaunted A+ category alongside the likes of Raelin, Major Q9, 4th Mass, and Deathreavers, I still feel like these guys are pretty balanced. Sure, they can beat anything in capable hands, but a skilled player on the other side of the board has a good chance against them too. Their popularity and short range also subtly boosts the competitiveness of melee units in tournament play.
Sgt. Drake Alexander (SotM)- Here, we get a nice, beefier version of the classic hero from Rise of the Valkyrie. He might seem a tad overcosted, but as a Valiant Soldier, his potential synergy is sky high, and he makes an excellent end game unit.
10th Regiment of Foot- Despite how often you saw me explain that I felt the 4th Massachusetts Line are clearly better, the fact that those dialogues even took place is a testament to their power and versatility. Their 2 defense against ranged threats makes them a much less daunting opponent, and generally makes for a more fun and winnable fight. The choice between Wait then Fire and Bayonet Charge each turn makes them a very entertaining and tactical squad.
Zelrig- Much like Cyprien, just the fear of facing him in a competitive setting is probably good for the metagame. With all of the powers and glyphs that adversely affect unique units, it’s nice to have something going the other way. With the same defensive stats but different optimal targets as Nilfheim, his price is also well chosen.
Zetacron- Elegant in his simplicity. Great price.
Major Q10- Like Zetacron, he seems just right. A great, well-rounded figure that also happens to look totally badass.
The Duds
I think part of the problem for many of these units is how situational they are. How useful is the word Large or Phantom Walk on a card? Can a non-bonding melee hero be useful at any price in a competitive environment? In any case, I think they could all use a good 20-40% point reduction without becoming overpowered.
Shiori- When using her Shuriken or normal attack, she’s doing about the same amount of damage as Isamu, with the same movement ability. Sure, she has 3 lives, and 3 defense (and 4 some of the time!), but 60 points is probably still a little high to pay for a melee figure that doesn’t bond or synergize with anything.
Moriko- Like Shiori, but even worse. Compare her to almost any hero in her point range- Kaemon Awa, Brunak, or heck, even Sgt. Drake or Agent Carr, and she doesn’t really warrant the price of admission. Maybe there’s a new ninja master on the way? I sure hope so.
Gurei-Oni- As spider_poison mentions in his recent power ranking update, he’d be great if he had a ranged attack. As is, you get the same thing and more kick if you opt for Sgt Drake Alexander from RotV. And that guy’s already collecting dust. At least he gets extra movement from the Warden. Which reminds me...
Warden 816- Cool idea. However, he boosts some of the worst figures in the game (and the Blastatrons) and has one attack. He also has a melee special attack which doesn’t work against Deathreavers, the main reason to have a special in the first place. Might be good with future Guard releases, especially if they bond with him.
Templar Cavalry and Grok Riders- These guys suffer from the same problems as Deathstalkers. They’re double spaced and they cost way too much. Sure, in the right situation they can get 5 Attack dice and potentially kill anything, but a strong breeze will usually blow them off the board, especially since they just took all of your starting zone spaces up. They make sweet zombie counters I guess. If being Large automatically jumps the price of squad figures, it shouldn’t. Being double spaced is a big no-no when it comes to common squads.
Marro Drudge- Unless you design a map specifically to favor them, jumping in sludge forces them to give up height advantage 99% of the time, which negates the usefulness of their bonus. When you compare them to Stingers, all I can do is
But there might be light at the end of the swamp tunnel. Cheerleaders that boost oft-neglected personalities or unit types might have a profound effect on the future of this game. Like Guard, Hunter is one of those classes that is home to some of the worst units around (and of course a ‘tron too). Same goes for Warrior, that one’s all over the place. Since there is now a unit that targets Wild figures, it stands to reason that something that boosts Wild figures is just around the corner. Similarly, Soulborgs have immunities- I hope it is only a matter of time before they get their comeuppance.
As I go further with this, I feel that this is becoming less a discussion of price, and more one of versatility. Less versatile figures should have lower point costs, and what I guess I’m noticing is that this is not the case. Bland figures like the Marro Stingers and Major Q9 which overpower their opponents simply by virtue of rolling more attack and defense dice seem to cost just as much as figures with similar or worse defensive stats, even if those other figure’s abilities are much more limited or unreliable.
Really powerful figures like Cyprien or Isamu are much more interesting when they have a fatal flaw. For both of them, it’s those darned Gladiatrons. For Krug, it has always been that he can only kill so many figures per turn, and that it’s rather unwieldy to move his big dumb butt around sometimes. For Nilfheim, it’s his wings. For Braxas or Mimring, it’s that their defense is low enough that the squads they seek to crush are equally dangerous to themselves. For the Krav, it’s that one misplacement or initiative switch can be deadly.
In the future, it would be cool, if more figures had explicit weaknesses and were naturally undercosted. Perhaps the best example of this that already exists is Sir Hawthorne, especially at the time of his release. With one more life, a special attack, and costing 10 points fewer than Sir Denrick, he seems like an obvious choice. But you’re always a little uneasy activating him because of the irrational fear that he might turn on you. [My favorite examples from Magic are the Djinn and Efreet cards. They always have some drawback but have low casting costs.] Marcu is another great example. These cheap, but very tough and flavorful units might serve as a nice counter to the moderately priced, but powerful and slightly more bland units that currently dominate our tournament scene.
Here are a few more ideas. Some of them stem from the fact that I’m a huge fan of the engagement rules. Wording might not be perfect. Unlike the two examples I gave, these don't use the d20 at all.
Simple Programming (think reverse cyberclaw)
If a Zettian Infantry figure is adjacent to an enemy Medium, Large, or Huge figure, it may not move.
Mole
You can’t place your X order marker on this card.
Winded
For every wound marker on Oswald the Obese’s Army Card, subtract one from his Move value.
Slow Reflexes
Dwight the Dim cannot make any leaving engagement attacks.
Chicken
When attacking an adjacent figure, subtract one from Penguins with Machine Guns’ Attack value.