100% Theoryscape

[Sarpedon]

Greetings, everyone.

I'm starting this thread so that I and others can post ideas about our beloved game that do not fit elsewhere. Everyone is invited to participate. I myself will post regularly and, hopefully, interesting discussions will ensue. The thread will not be limited to one particular topic, but will be open to intriguing discussions regarding Heroscape ideas/thoughts. I will attempt to set the tone/example with this first post.

I'd like to begin by considering the (usually) standard 24-hexagonal space start zones on most tournament maps. What is its purpose? Which units benefit the most? Which units are diminished by it? Answering these questions will, in theory, help us partially to understand why some units are less competitive in tournament play.

There may be many reasons for the start zone space limit. One reason may be practical: space on the table. However, it probably has more to do with "guiding" the draft. Let's say we have 500 points to spend and we want to have a Venoc Viper-centered army. Thus...

12 x Venoc Vipers = 480
Marcu................ = 20
Total................. = 500

How many starting spaces would be required? 37. As you can see, the effectiveness of this (nearly) one-dimensional army is reduced by the limit on the number of common squads that can be drafted. It is not possible to fit 500 points-worth of Venoc Vipers on the start zone and thus a large chunk of its "commoness" virtue is diminished. The maximum number of Venoc Vipers would be 24, which would never happen anyway because you would have to forego 180 draft points!

Now, consider this 500-point army:

7 x Aubrien Archers = 490
Isamu.................. = 10
Total................... = 500

As you can see, this army would (in all likelyhood) defeat the previous army. Are Aubrien Archers better? Not necessarily. However, you CAN fit 500 points-worth of them (21) in the start zone. THAT is the key difference. The Venoc Viper army can never compete because it is not permitted to fully deploy. If 500 points-worth of Venoc Vipers went up against an equal Aubrien Archer force, the odds would be far less tilted in favour of the 21 Archers (and they might even favour the 36 (!) Venoc Vipers).

This was just a small comparison example, but it served to illustrate the considerable effect of limiting starting zones. The main goals of the limit are, probably, to save time (fewer unit moves to ponder) and promote the use of (relatively expensive) unique heroes. Thus, the Venoc Viper army would probably have to draft the Venoc Warlord and at least one squad of Armoc Vipers.

The problem, as I have shown, is that the more expensive ranged squads are not as hamstrung by the space restriction as are the cheaper melee squads. This, to some measure, accounts for the great effectiveness of squads such as the 4th Mass. and the Stingers. By being able to focus spending almost entirely on a particular type of ranged common squad, a player avoids putting all of his eggs in one basket (one or more expensive unique heroes) and, in addition, enhances/simplifies his order marker decisions.