No-luck Heroscape Variant with Boring Title

[Girshwin]

While I like the luck in Heroscape, I tried to find a way to eliminate this, while retaining the tactics and strategy which make the game fun.

This is a two-player Heroscape variant where each person has equal teams, and there is almost no luck. While it is played on a Heroscape board, there is no height or terrain (as of now) and unit's stats work differently.

I'm not sure how to make the map in a program, but it is symmetrical and roughly shaped like a circle, with hex rows like this: 7, 8, 9, 10, 9, 10, 9, 10, 9, 8, 7. The starting areas are the back two rows on both sides.

Each turn, one unit can attack and/or move (it doesn't matter which is first), up to their Move rating; first turn is determined randomly, but whoever wins it may only move with Recovery 1 units. Units may move through other friendly units, but not enemies.

After a unit has been used, it gets it's Recovery value placed on it. If the unit only moves, the value is halved and rounded down. If the unit only attacks, the value is halved and rounded up. You can use dice or markers to keep track of the Recoveries. At the end of the turn (except the turn the die is placed) every unit's Recovery decreases by one. When it reaches 0, the unit may move again.

When a unit attacks another (they must be in Range) they deal damage to the opponent's Life equal to their Attack minus the opponent's Defense, unless the attack is Armor-Piercing. Then a unit's Life goes to 0, it is destroyed. The goal of the game is to destroy all of the opponent's units.

Units

These units don't correspond exactly to Heroscape figures; it doesn't matter which is used, as long as it has a 1-hex base.

Mastiff

Life: 7
Move: 3
Range: 1
Attack: 4
Defense: 0
Recovery: 2
Brutal Charge: The Mastiff gets +2 Move and +3 Attack if all movement is in a straight line, the Mastiff moves at least 3 spaces, and the Mastiff attacks an enemy unit after moving. If the Mastiff uses Brutal Charge, it may not move through friendly units that turn.

Ogre

Life: 6
Move: 2
Range: 1
Attack: 5
Defense: 2
Recovery: 2

Ninja

Life: 6
Move: 4
Range: 1
Attack: 4 (hits all adjacent units)
Defense: 1
Recovery: 1

Vampire

Life: 8
Move: 4 Teleport (may move through enemy units)
Range: 1
Attack: 3 Armor-Piercing (disregards Defense)
Defense: 0
Recovery: 3
Drain: After attacking, the Vampire gains Life equal to the amount of Life lost by the unit it attacked.

Golem

Life: 5
Move: 2
Range: 1 (two adjacent squares at once)
Attack: 0
Defense: 2
Recovery: 3
Armor of Stone: When the Golem attacks a unit, instead of taking damage the unit gains 3 Life. This is the only ability which can increase a unit's Life beyond it's original value, and it stays unless the Golem moves/attacks or is itself attacked, at which point units affected by the Golem lose 3 Life.

Sage

Life: 5
Move: 3
Range: All friendly units
Attack: Heal 2 (when the Sage attacks, it heals all friendly units by 2 Life)
Defense: 0
Recovery: 3


Shifter

Life: 5
Move: 4
Range: 1
Attack: 2 Armor-Piercing
Defense: 2
Recovery: 1
Phantasm Shift: When the Shifter attacks, the attacked unit moves to the original position of the Shifter, and the Shifter moves to the position of the attacked unit. If the Shifter attacks before moving, after being shifted it can still move, like any other unit.

Giant Spider

Life: 7
Move: 3
Range: 2
Attack: 3
Defense: 1
Recovery: 1
Web: When the Spider attacks, the attacked unit's is enclosed by a Web, which reduces its Move by 1 until the affected unit is attacked by anything (other than the Spider.)

[Onacara]

It is an interesting "new game" more than a variant.