Heroscape Birthday Bash, 9.10.2016

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

There were several things happening these past few months that convinced me to have a Heroscape game night. Firstly, I’ve been slowing reclaiming the garage back to a functional space and gaming area. I tore out section of counter and cupboards and built and installed three storage cabinets. One of these voluminous cabinets now holds my board game collection. Well, about 60% of my board game. As well, my youngest has been requesting he and I revisit map-building and battling in Heroscape.

As well, my friend and gaming buddy, jetcougar sparked my interest in the Magic the Gathering: Arena of the Planeswalkers game system based on both Heroscape and M:TG. I’m currently catching up on the releases for this game series and will have the first base set sometime next week.

Buying into the new series has brought back a lot of memories playing with a good gaming friend who passed on some years back. He and I played so much Heroscape in the span of eight years that we actually wore out the combinations of drafting and armies. So much so that we didn’t even bother playing the last Heroscape: Dungeons & Dragons releases. At that point, he had lost one leg to the cancer he’d been battling since 2004 and was in a lot of pain and discomfort. Not that it was apparent because he was so tough, stoic, and so darned positive all the time. He was pretty much resigned to laying on his stomach on the couch and playing a game he’d always had an interest in trying, Magic the Gathering. We played it so much that it has the highest logged plays of any game I have ever played.

So with me jazzed to have two game systems my late friend would have been crazy-happy to play, a nice man cave finally returning to reality and big enough to accommodate ‘Scape, I decided it was time to bring out all my Heroscape stuff and host a birthday party on Saturday, September 10.

The plan was to have six players facing off, 1v1, on a handful of maps. I was inviting guys I’ve known through family, teaching, soccer, childhood and BGG gaming. Most were not too familiar with Heroscape or if they were, it had been so long since they played that the game was like basically new to them all over. Using a spreadsheet of pre-made 500-ish points armies compiled by HappyJosiah and expanded upon from a previous HS fan, ThePowerofDund, I created about thirty armies to choose. Project 500 is a wonderful resource as it incorporates all the pure Heroscape units in armies that do not feature the same Hero or Squad twice, yet allows for bonding and other synergies to demonstrate to a new player the dynamics that make the game and drafting so much fun. Thank you, HappyJosiah for Project 500!

Earlier in the week, I began creating my maps. I like my maps no longer than twenty hexes long.
Symmetry is easiest for me to compile a battlefield that is equal for both opponents.
The first map is low in height and typical of what I like to create: coverage for melee units with some height for both single and double spaced figures. Armies are placed on the first two rows of each side.

I asked players to submit names for each battlefield after they had played on them. Robot’s Folly won for this map.


Buggy Swamp features elements of Ticalla Jungle and Fortress of the Archkyrie.


Wan Passage was the snow and ice map featured for the evening and it was here I fought all my matches.


Finally Sizzling Spine was the map constructed with pieces from the Toys R Us exclusive terrain packs, Volcarren Wasteland. No one played on this map, so I’ll have to give it a go with one of my sons or wife?


With the maps completed, I spent the rest of the week cleaning up in the garage and moving lights for better illumination. Every September I receive a birthday card and five dollars from my departed gaming buddy’s mother. The money is beer money to purchase a favorite brew and drink it in honor of Scott.
Like clockwork on Friday, my actual birthday, the card arrived. I wouldn’t normally share such an image, but everything aligned nicely this year, and it just felt perfect to receive this on such a weekend.




As the game night, approached, I had one final task to complete: compiling the cards and figures for the guests.
This took a very long time, more than I anticipated.
So, my awesome youngest son, Joe helped me out.
The cards in 5”x7” Top Loaders and sorted by General factions and uniques (left bin) and commons (right bin)
The figure storage bins.



It was so cool, exciting, nostalgic, impressive and darned fun getting the figures out after so long a time in storage. There to greet us were the Esenwein vampire family, the Marro scourge in all their varied forms (dragon, stomping giant, plague dogs, melee and ranged units, war witches), the orcs, the dinosaurs, the dragons, cowboys, native Americans, Highlanders, Kyries, monks and monkeys, the agents, the snakes, etc….


Joe snapping some pictures and sharing them with friends.


The guest arrived around seven, except for one and eventually he was a complete no-show. I got the players started and while I waited I began to document the fun.








My opponent never showed, so my son Joe came out to do battle with his dad.
We met on Wan Passage with me commanding an army of Jandar Kyrie heroes and Sentinels. Joe brought the Ullar Kyrie forces and a compliment of Mohican River Tribe and their hero, Brave Arrow. Joe had me on the ropes the entire game. The Sentinels dropped so fast, even with an adjacent bonus from Concan and an extra defense die from SotM Raelin. Next to fall was Raelin and Kelda. But before she died, Raelin took out the remaining Protectors of Ullar.


By game’s end, only Concan remained to face Brave Arrow and the rest of his squad of Indian warriors. All order markers were stacked on my armored Kyrie warrior.
And he did not disappoint. “For Jandar!”



My next opponent, who had never played Heroscape before, took an all-hero army as he wanted simplicity from the previous two configurations of units he took in his previous two battles of the night. I was aching to get Alistair and his MacDirk Warriors a stretch and Project 500 featured them with Thorgrim, Eldgrim, Finn, and one Guilty McCreech. After setting up my forces,


I looked up to see this horrid image staring me down.
Oh boy.


For starters, I sent Eldrgrim out on a suicide mission.
With an Overextend, he made it quickly to, up and over the stone pass of Wan Gorge.
When he died - and he did. Hello, Nilfheim - his spirit was placed on Alistair MacDirk.
Alistair’s movement would be a swift six.


From there, it was a matter of bonding with the Viking brothers, Finn and Thorgrim.
They took to the stairs in an attempt to reach the pass, but Nilfheim, with a Realin backing him up, plugged up that option real quick. It became an upward battle for the Highlanders.

The MVP for this match was the Scot on the far right, with the pot on his head.
He inflicted so much damage with his halberd that he earned the name, Stabby McStabster. With such a menacing moniker, he took down Nilf and in the endgame, Johnny Shotgun.
.

Here, Finn and Stabby have gained the pass and are seeking the kyrie warrior, Raelin
"Look behind you, guys, behind the small ice peak!"

My army eventually finished off Raelin, Johnny Shotgun and SotM Sgt. Drake Alexander.



My final battle of the night and on the same map, was my Ullar Elven army versus Monks, Master and Microcorp Agents. This was a fun and tense battle. Because of the those nasty aggravating Agents, I had to, at all costs hold the highest ground.
If those were to gain the bridge with their Sighting ability, their shots would rain down upon my elves with four attack dice.
So the Ashra Warriors were to engage the Agents as well as deal with monks with the Defensive Agility. They did a fantastic job holding down the edge with monks and agents ascending and attacking.


my Aubrien Archers took pot shots all over the board. It was imperative the elven archers gain high ground whenever possible, but if they did not, I was confident Frenzy would kick in and the archers moving to higher ground or at least shot again with the measly two attack of their bows.

I will attest to this: in all my games of playing Frenzy units, Venocs and Aubriens, they were able to get Frenzy at least once or twice. Last night, they never Frenzied. Not once. It was insane. Whenever a new round started, I agonized putting any order markers on the few remaining archers I had. I was just sure Frenzy would kick in, but it was not to be. So many of them fell to Kung Fu chops to the face or bullets to the body.


Syvarris did what he could, staying just out of reach of the six-movement agents and cleaning up approaching enemies. Alcolarh tried his best to saved destroyed Ullar followers, but his crappy flagbearer 10-dice Flagbearer power never manifested anything significant greater than two Ullar symbols.



The Ullar army finally prevailed and the party was over. I think it was a good success and look forward to doing it again on October 15, National Heroscape Day.
If you're in the neighborhood, let me know if you'd like to join the battles.

When my guests left, I did some low-light reenactments on Wan Passage map that feature the flickering votive candle lights my wife purchased.

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Oops, posted in the wrong forums!
I'll try to figure how to move it to Battle Reports forum.
If I can't remember, please help! Thanks.

[Dad_Scaper]

I can't, but @Xorlof or @Aldin or @IAmBatman can. I am not sure which of us lowly moderators has powers in this subforum, but I do not. Thanks for sharing, HEH!

[Oman1666]

Those are some awesome looking battlefields and some really cool pictures! I wish I knew people who did Heroscape nights of this scale!

[Sir Heroscape]

Oh wow!! HAHA, now that is pretty legit! Very cool pictures and looks super fun...thanks for sharing!

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Thanks, Dad Scaper. It appears someone moved the thread. Wish I could remember how.
They should take off my 'Admin' badge, too.

Oman1666, you're always invited if you make it out to the Bay Area of California.

Sir Heroscape, your YouTube HS Battle videos are so entertaining.
I just subscribed last night! Love the choice of maps. I need to try some smaller, classic map configurations. Your skull rolls are sexy hot, too.
Keep them and your videos rolling!

Around 2001-2002-ish on an adventure to Montana, we passed through Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It's gorgeous in your state. I see you're in the southern portion, but am sure it's just as scenic/

Thanks for looking, guys.

[Xorlof]

I love seeing your posts here, HEH! It looks like it was a cool event.

Originally Posted by Hex_Enduction_Hour

They should take off my 'Admin' badge, too.

Your title is fixed!

[Hex_Enduction_Hour]

Thank you and thank you, Xorlof!
By the way, is there such a thing as a Silver Smurfer?

[Xorlof]

Not really, but there should be!

[Sir Heroscape]

Originally Posted by Hex_Enduction_Hour

Sir Heroscape, your YouTube HS Battle videos are so entertaining.
I just subscribed last night! Love the choice of maps. I need to try some smaller, classic map configurations. Your skull rolls are sexy hot, too.
Keep them and your videos rolling!

Around 2001-2002-ish on an adventure to Montana, we passed through Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It's gorgeous in your state. I see you're in the southern portion, but am sure it's just as scenic/

Thanks for looking, guys.

How exciting! I'm glad to hear you've joined the channel. That warms my heart to hear your feedback and to know the community really does enjoy what I do. As for my skull rolling...haha...It makes me happy to know they now have a new classification ...that would make a good title too...*winking at admins*

Yes, Idaho is a beautiful state, though I really outta become more outdoorsy to enjoy what Idaho has to offer...but having a new kid kinda keeps you indoors moreso.

[Scaperedude]

Dang... Those are some WAY cool maps!! Looks like a lot of fun! Congrats!!

[MementoMori]

I was intrigued during most part of the read.

What the hell is inside the glaciers? –*I was thinking
Look, there's something orange in there – Said my GF

And then... BAM cool looking pictures. Now I must print custom lava glaciers to make a hot looking map.

Congratulations on the nice maps, fun meeting and, of course, your new playing area!