Power Creep Customs: Open Challange to the Custom Community

[wriggz]

I love @dok defense of VC, but I did not post this in the SoV or C3V section, because I feel that is an entirely different thing. I think they do great work and really maintain the flavor of Heroscape. This is more of a call to vanilla customs in general.

Also, it was a intended to be a bit tongue in cheek, but of course that is quickly lost over the internet.

I have often fallen into the trap of expecting too much of my own customs, babying them, giving them powers in attempt to get them to survive longer or destroy more than other figures. "Going back the drawing board" is a way of clearing my head to make more elegant and simple designs.

Above are mere suggestions - often repeated by those who are pillars of the community. If you want your customs to dominate the rest of your figures, or created something that exists out side of classic scape more power too you. I Post cause I think that the is the life blood of this site. The more we keep the conversation going and the more people thinking the longer it will last.

Finally C3G is a totally different things, with its own rules and game set. Having investigated both fully, I would really call them two different games at this point that use the same core rules, but that is an argument for another time.

[Grishnakh]

Personally I'm attempting to push the boundaries of what Heroscape is while staying true to the core mechanics of the game. Personally, if I don't do this, I find myself getting bored with this game. If design by committee groups and/or individual custom designers continue to give me "more of the same" the game becomes stagnant. Therefore I've forged off in my own direction with buildings, objects on the battlefield that you can interact with, and characters with 4 or 5 powers that help capture the personality of that character. And it's nice to know that some of you have joined me on that journey.

Does my stuff blend in with established official units? Of course not. Does it matter to me that they don't. Not at all. Heroscape encompasses a big landscape of gamers. And we are all playing in the Heroscape sandbox with our own flair and style.

[wriggz]

After reading @Soundwarp SG-1 comments I have to admit, despite the venom, I have to eat my words. While I'm calling for creative design, I'm pigeonholing all customs into Vanilla Scape (yes vanilla). So while I agree that designers should consider my list when designing for classic scape, I fully encourage blazing your own trail and creating a distinct game based on the same mechanics. Thusly, I’m adding the following Amendment to my OP:

If you are looking to create a unit that “feels” like it belongs in classic scape, is unique and will be accepted by others playing classic scape the following are a compiled list of common comments among the custom thread. I guess it is a list of way not to “Baby” your custom, to avoid making over powered. Many of these points are a great starting point for avoiding common pitfalls for your custom. I myself have repeatedly had to alter customs after realizing that my unit is too good, because I wanted to see my customs shine, even if that meant that other units would be duller for it.

If you, however, are Posting your customs to share your creativity and don’t care about wide acceptance, more power to you. If you want to create a game of My little Pony scape with Crazy powers, cards without points and simple rules so your “little sister” will play Heroscape with you, go for it! Don’t feel like all your units have to fit into Vanilla scape. Pokemon Scape, Super hero scape, @Grishnakh unique rules all march to the beat of their own drum and the custom community is better for it.

[IshMEL]

As a customs creator I appreciate your post. I often need to remind myself that "less is more" when it comes to powers.

Of course, now I feel the need to make a 4/4 supervillian named "Power Creep" who bonds with all Squads and can destroy an adjacent figure after rolling a 2 or higher.

[wriggz]

Originally Posted by IshMEL

As a customs creator I appreciate your post. I often need to remind myself that "less is more" when it comes to powers.

Of course, now I feel the need to make a 4/4 supervillian named "Power Creep" who bonds with all Squads and can destroy an adjacent figure after rolling a 2 or higher.

Actually a Red Skull Mastermind like power for Squads is a pretty good idea for a supervillan.

[flameslayer93]

Nice ammedments.

Trailblazin'!
@IshMEL you may want to look at my custom, Nightmare the Fiendlord, for wording ideas for the Red Skull Squad Variant. While that block of customs have largely been phased out of my gameplay, I never did update the OP.

[caps]

I don't understand why Soundwarp reacted the way he did to this thread--but I never saw it until after the amendment was there. All of this seems like great advice to me.

And nothing about it made me think it was directed at VC.

[Soundwarp SG-1]

Originally Posted by capsocrates

I don't understand why Soundwarp reacted the way he did to this thread--but I never saw it until after the amendment was there. All of this seems like great advice to me.

And nothing about it made me think it was directed at VC.

I don't like people telling other people what to do when it comes to creative expression, simple as that. Originally the opening post came across as something everyone just had to follow blindly, which wasn't the intention, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

It's great advice if you want to do things the wriggz way, which is a fine way to do things, but it's not everyone's way. If someone wants to only make customs that all have bonding and triple attack, that's a fine way to do things too.

I never thought it was directed at the VC, I never cared if it was.

[caps]

If I take out the part in italics I can see why you were upset, then.

As it is now I see it as solid advice for anyone who wants their cards to fit seamlessly in with the original cards. Anyone with that goal already has constraints on their creativity.

The VC comment was my reaction to reading dok's post.

[Syvarris45]

You are so right! I try so hard to follow the "not to much power" guideline, but know and then, everyone slips. Here is my only overpowered custom.






This guy is everything opposite of what you said. Underpriced, overpowered, and everything in-between. Thanks for the tips!


~Syvarris45~

[Drewman-chu]

I could use some help to make this custom more viable to used in Heroscape. Any wording or power ideas would be appreciated.