Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion

[flameslayer93]

I'd reject him because he should be Relentless.

:P

[cmgames]

Originally Posted by flameslayer93

I'd reject him because he should be Relentless.

:P

Actually, with that Special Ability, I'd call him "Hopeless" if it weren't for his cost and basic stats.

~Z

[superfrog]

It’s been a while since I posted a review as I’ve been busy with work over the summer and then school starting back up. Sorry to everybody whom I’ve kept waiting.

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Uzog by Kinseth

Durgeth were introduced in the fiction of RoTV, but they’ve never appeared in HeroScape. With a squad of Durgeth in the C3V pipeline, Uzog is here to be their leader, as the biggest, baddest, and savagest of all of them.

Balance

Uzog has a bunch of life, a decent attack, and at least one bonding squad. But his defense is low, and he has a power that could end up being a big negative. As just a quick comparison, we can use Martial La Hire. Uzog has an extra life, but gives up a defense. Both have a single attack, that triggers a questionable benefit on success. Uzog’s negative seems to be bigger, and his upside smaller, but he bonds with a pretty good squad in the DCoT. So we’ll call it a wash.

Theme

I like Uzog as a Durgeth rather than an Ogre. Savage is a well-fitting and under-used class, and Wild works here. Trophy Skulls shows that this unit was designed for the sculpt, and marries sculpt with gameplay very well. Theme is strong here.

Creativity

Not sure if this is on purpose, but the stats (excluding range) are 6/5/4/3, which makes it really easy to remember. Gruesome Display and Trophy skulls are well-designed powers. As I’ve said before, I really like this powerset, and it’s unlike anything I’ve seen.

Playability

Uzog works best with 1 of 2 different squads. One is the Deathchasers, and the other is a super secret special squad that I can’t tell you about. Uzog isn’t at a huge price point, so in a DCoT army, it’s a choice between Uzog as a secondary bonding option, or adding a ranged bonding option like MBS+filler, or an additional squad of Chasers.

If Uzog is played as a secondary bonding hero, it’s hard for him to get up into the action originally. If you try to use him at the beginning, he becomes a liability if he comes up with a kill and “succeeds” on his roll for Trophy Skulls. If you leave him until turn 3, he sits for 2 turns to get pounded on. So either way, his ability makes him risky to use.

Risky abilities are fun, though, so it’s not a terrible issue if the upside is worth the potential downside. Unfortunately, a +1 attack bonus is not a very good reward. his attack is decent to start with, but it’s only equal to the attack that the Deathchasers have themselves. If the bonus was +2, it might start helping him crack through heroes better, because he rarely gets up to two markers. If the bonus was an additional attack, he’d be worth taking the risk with. As it is, the bonus is not worth the liability of sticking out a 75 point sitting duck.

Summary

I loved Uzog. I really wanted to pass him, but I didn’t feel like he had enough offensive output. At a lower price point, he'd stand a better chance, or with a better bonus, I’d pass him in a heartbeat. For me, Uzog was right on the edge, and just fell towards the wrong side.

I vote to induct Uzog into the Soldiers of Valhalla.

[wriggz]

Originally Posted by superfrog

With a squad of Durgeth in the C3V pipeline, Uzog is here to be their leader, as the biggest, baddest, and savagest of all of them.

Uzog works best with 1 of 2 different squads. One is the Deathchasers, and the other is a super secret special squad that I can’t tell you about.

Super Secret eh?

[Scytale]

Just a reminder for anyone interested in applying to be an SoV Judge. The deadline is the end of the month.

Originally Posted by Scytale

To find a replacement Judge, we will have an open audition. Anyone interested in becoming a Judge can apply. If you have applied in the past, we still have your submission on file, so you can simply PM me to say that you would like to be considered. If you have not submitted before or would like to add a new submission, please PM it to me.

The deadline for new submissions is end of day October 31st.

What we are looking for in a submission:
First, a short paragraph telling us why you think you would make a good Judge. Then include one or two reviews of units currently in the queue complete with your Yea or Nay vote(s). We do not expect you to run a complete set of tests with the unit (though you will need to do some), nor do we expect thoroughness in your review. We are looking to get a sense of your playtesting technique and what you are looking for in a unit.

[Soundwarp SG-1]

Retchtongue Warband, Ragsh Skullcrusher, and Gruul the Wicked by Kinseth

After reviewing some pictures Scytale provided, I've decided the disparity between the figures is just too great for me to overlook. The squad is mismatched, with two figures that sort-of match each other and one figure that's completely out of place (and the alternate sculpts aren't any better). What's worse is the 'sneaky archer' Hero Gruul looks like the hulk when compared to the 'front-line warrior' Hero Ragsh. I can see the pathfinder figures as a two man squad with Ragsh as their leader but Gruul and Grassy Gnoll need to go back to assassinating Kennedy, they have no place with the others.

I vote to induct the Retchtongue Warband into the SoV.
I vote to induct Gruul the Wicked into the SoV.

By extension, I have to vote to induct Ragsh Skullcrusher into the SoV.

[Scytale]

Retchtongue Warband, Ragsh Skullcrusher, and Gruul the Wicked have received to Nay votes (Scytale and Soundwarp SG-1) and are removed from the process.

[Dad_Scaper]

I liked the designs, @Kinseth . Scy and SW, I like the vigilance even more.

[Kinseth]

Thanks guys. This is where they say Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder(Or SoV judge). For me, these things didn't matter because of the nature of Gnolls and their description.

DND Source Books - Gnolls are hyena-headed, evil humanoids that wander in loose tribes. Most gnolls have dirty yellow or reddish-brown fur. They are listed as being different colors within the same pack.

If you take their nature of resembling Dogs or other Wild Pack animals, you will find that not all are uniform. Larger one here, smaller one there. (Same with humans Battle of Troy Little Ajax and Big Ajax anyone?)

So if they are suppose to represent a Pack, having slightly different sizes, skin/fur tones and shapes wasn't an issue for me.

Thanks again guys, appreciate your time.

[Son of Arathorn]

Uzog by Kinseth

Ever since HeroScape debuted, we’ve known of the mysterious Durgeth, a race of primitives thought to have vanished from their home in the swamps of Valhalla. In Uzog, they make their return- but is he worthy of representing them in the Battle of All Time?

Balance
Uzog’s base stats are a good bargain at 75 points- 6 life and 3 defense isn’t the sturdiest combination on paper, but with the right positioning it can pull through on the battlefield. His average Move of 5 and Attack of 4 ensure that he won’t be going anywhere in a terrible hurry, nor does he spell doom for any figure that meets his ugly mug face-to-face.
However, when you throw his special powers into the mix, it’s a bit of a let-down. Taking advantage of Trophy Skulls forces Uzog to be a sitting duck if he manages to land his dice roll, and for a hero with only 3 defense that lack of mobility can really hurt. Gruesome Display mitigates that, but hardly enough to justify drafting him alone. Only when you consider his role as a bonding hero is he a viable option.

Theme
Even though we know little about the Durgeth, Uzog still has big shoes to fill. There are many units and races mentioned in HeroScape lore that never made it to the table, but when FanScape tries to provide, I believe that we need to accept nothing but the best. Examples of this dynamic include C3V’s take on Haduc (the promised 9th Elf Wizard) and the dreaded Nhah Scirh cultists- both are excellent additions to Valhalla, in my opinion. So when it comes to Theme, I hold Uzog to a particularly high standard. Luckily, I have no trouble believing this take on the Durgeth as pale, savage creatures with grisly behavior. Certainly one of the best miniature choices for a design I’ve come across in my time on HeroScapers, the Malgus Kreeg miniature drips theme. The special powers fit that theme on paper.

Creativity
Designing a unit like Uzog is no mean feat- anytime you throw a negative power into the mix, the payoff has got to be worth it. Again, on paper, I like it. It’s not a stellar implementation, in my opinion, but that’s more because of what I saw in playtesting than what I first saw on the card.

Playability
As mentioned, Uzog is only viable as a bonding hero. Unfortunately, even the crazed Death Chasers of Thesk can't make up for a big problem: Uzog is simply not worth the points or time you have to invest in him by including him in an army. Maybe it’s my playstyle, maybe it’s universal, but for whatever reason, I find the lack of freedom that comes with Uzog’s Trophy Skulls power to be incredibly frustrating- it effectively negates any prospects he has as a frontline hero. Using multiple bonding heroes can mitigate the problem, but it seems to require a measured restraint that it not at all friendly to a low-defense squad like the Death Chasers of Thesk. Despite his high life, it’s relatively easy for an opponent to wear Uzog down while he tries to find a lone figure to decapitate, or after the fact while he’s too busy decorating himself with a new skull to notice the ongoing battle. Against an army of a few expensive squads like Minions of Utgar he can usually find some poor loner to spend his time on, but his viability remains limited.The Death Chasers have so many different bonding options that he’s overshadowed in that field, and trying to work around the power feels like more trouble than it's worth. In my experience, the gamble of Uzog’s Trophy Skulls does not often pay off with Gruesome Display.


Summary
Uzog has some great points, including the notion of a tense power tradeoff (something I'm always a fan of) and the great choice of a miniature. However, his role on the battlefield leaves a lot to be desired. The theme is there, the idea is there, but the output leaves something to be desired. I’d love to see this mini come back to the SoV with a revised design- the look and the basic concept are too good to pass up, and I believe that it is workable. Until then, Uzog’s not quite ready to do battle.

I vote to induct Uzog into the SoV.

[Son of Arathorn]

I'm sorry to say, that was my final review. I'm resigning my post due to RL obligations that prevent me from carrying on my work with the good folks in the SoV project. It's been a pleasure.

Cheers everybody.

[Scytale]

Uzog has received two Nay votes to induct (superfrog and Son of Arathorn) and is removed from the process.