Reinvigorating the Draft

[1Mmirg]

I have done some work to restore the thread (using an older version I had). There is still a lot missing that used to be there--largely suggestions that others have made. I'll try to find some time to get those back in there, but for now pretty much all the other ideas that are not in there now are ones you can get by just reading through this thread or by using the link to Gomolka's Game Night thread (now included in the first set of links in the first thread).

Sorry again that I hadn't backed-up my post more recently. Hope that others will still share more ideas. We've had fun trying out a few new ways to draft at our house--hope you have too!

[majorQ11]

one method i really enjoy is having each player randomly select 10 or so cards and then assembling a team of your liking (within the 10 cards you were dealt, obviously) up to a specified point value

[Rifier_Ace]

Originally Posted by majorQ11

one method i really enjoy is having each player randomly select 10 or so cards and then assembling a team of your liking (within the 10 cards you were dealt, obviously) up to a specified point value

Wow I had never thought of that.Hmm that may be the next tyoe if game played at my game night.

[gamjuven]

This isn't really a new way to draft, just a slightly different way to play. I posted this over at Gomolka's thread as well:

This has to do with having a "3rd army" present on the battlefield. Think of them as the natives in the surrounding area that are just trying to defend their land or may be mercenaries. If I made a map that has lava the 3rd army might consist of obsidian guards or brunak, ice map (dzu-teh or nilfheim), etc.

At the end of the round the two players each roll a d20, winner gets to immediately take a turn with the natives. If there is more than 1 type of native then the player chooses which unit to control. Once the turn is over, you set up for the next round as usual. If you controlled them last then they still can help in that if they are adjacent you can decide whether or not to swing disengagement attacks.

It's a fun way to play. Very simple addition that requires no additional rules really. It can make the game more fun and adds even more randomness to the game. This is especially good if you have 2 'scapers that are very good and this type of randomness really adds to the suspense.

Enjoy!

[NecroBlade]

Some of my Heroscape friends do a type of Magic auction each week. They pick a theme for the week, each build a deck around that theme, and then auction the decks off, bidding starting life and cards in hand. (The bid for each deck starts at something like 30 life, 8 cards in hand, then each bid must be lower; 24 starting life, 6 cards in hand, for example.) So I wondered how to apply this type of auction to Heroscape. I know there is the type of auction where you put one figure up and bid how many points you'd spend to have it in your army. But based on the above, I thought about trying this: each player builds a 450 point army, then they go up for bids one at a time. Bids are for how many points you get to add to the army, starting at, say, 225 (so you could add Jotun if the you go first and no one outbids you). So you'd end up playing a 675 point army. To beat a bid, you give a lower point total that you'd add. Thoughts?

[Hahma]

Lot's of good ideas in this thread, good job.

I often play three person games and while there are times when we do the standard draft, it can take awhile since we usually have high-point armies.

So when game time is limited, we go with the general specific draft to speed things up. We determine this with a 20d role as follows:

1-4 Utgar
5-8 Jandar
9-12 Ullar
13-16 Einar
17-20 Vydar

In case two people roll the same general, they re-roll until they are different. It's an easy way to figure which general to draft from and forces you to use units you might otherwise seldom use. I like the randomness of it because you have to make the best with what you get. I remember, not so fondly, of having to draft an Einar army to defend a castle agains two opponents. This was back when the Roman Archers and Guilty were all the range Einar had, the EI hadn't even come out yet to help making quick strikes and hop back over the wall. I got crushed, but it was fun trying to make it work anyway.

The best part of this system is that once the generals are determined, we each can start putting together our armies and it saves a lot of time in the drafting process.

[NecroBlade]

Good suggestion, that does sound pretty speedy once generals are determined.

[Cleon]

Originally Posted by NecroBlade

Good suggestion, that does sound pretty speedy once generals are determined.

New stuff up in my thread, NecroBlade.

[1Mmirg]

Some great additions recently, thanks to all contributors! Also, I just added rdhight's Counter-Drafting Notes link to the first post.

[Soul Shackle]

Okay, I've got an idea my girlfriend and I are going to start trying, since drafting takes up time we could be 'Scaping!

It's sort of a variation on the following from 1Mmirg's original post:

Multiple Armies - this is just a bring your army game, but with each player bringing X armies to the table and then rolling a dice to decide the order in which you select which army you will bring (this has some flexibility to it, but it still quick). You can add a substitution round to this as well, if you like.

First, we each choose nine 600 point armies. Then...

RULES
1) Roll for your army. Roll a 1-18 and choose the army from your list. Roll a 19-20 and choose ANY one of your pre-made armies.
2) Compare armies. If armies have no similar unique(s), begin play.
3a) If both have similar unique(s) (or if you don't own enough commons to cover both players' armies), each roll D20. Higher roll decides whether to keep army or let opponent keep army. Player needing new army must re-roll for army and follow step 1.
3b) If armies have similar unique(s) and one player originally rolled a 19-20, that player must choose a different army (though that player now knows his/her opponent's army!).
3c) If armies have similar unique(s) and both players originally rolled a 19-20, start back at step 1.

My armies (in no particular order)

(1-2 rolled)
Marcus Decimus Gallus 100
Parmenio 190
Me-Burq-Sa 240
Sacred Band (x2) 340
10th Regiment of Foot (x2) 490
Airborne Elite 600

(3-4 rolled)
Me-Burq-Sa 50
Ne-Gok-Sa 140
Venoc Warlord 260
Aubrien Archers (x2) 400
Krav Maga Agents 500
Roman Legionnaires (x2) 600

(5-6 rolled)
Ornak 100
Tornak 200
Grimnak 320
Deathwalker 8000 450
Isamu 460
Heavy Gruts (x2) 600

(7-8 rolled)
Laglor 110
Nakita Agents 230
Major Q9 410
Gorillinators (x2) 590
Otonashi 600

(9-10 rolled)
Ulginesh 150
Emirroon 260
Johrdawn 360
Chardris 450
Arkmer 500
Warriors of Ashra (x2) 600

(11-12 rolled)
Tor-Kul-Na 220
Wo-Sa-Ga 355
Marrden Nagrubs (x3) 445
10th Regiment of Foot (x2) 595

(13-14 rolled)
Cyprien Esenwein 150
Sonya Esenwein 195
Iskra Esewein 245
Braxas 455
Warden 816 545
Rechets of Bogdan 595

(15-16 rolled)
Zelrig 185
Sujoah 370
Fyorlag Spiders (x2) 450
10th Regiment of Foot (x2) 600

(17-18 rolled)
Taelord the Kyrie Warrior 180
Minions of Utgar (x2) 400
Omnicron Snipers (x2) 600

Her armies (in no particular order)

(1-2 rolled)
Laglor 110
Major Q9 290
Krav Maga Agents 390
Agent Carr 490
Raelin (RotV) 570
Guilty McCreech 600

(3-4 rolled)
Ulginesh 150
Johrdawn 250
Chardris 340
Kyntela Gwyn 360
Arkmer 410
Emirroon 490
Isamu 500
Warriors of Ashra (x2) 600

(5-6 rolled)
Emirroon 80
Sonlen 240
Syvarris 340
Raelin (SotM) 460
Aubrien Archers (x2) 600

(7-8 rolled)
Master Win Chiu Woo 140
Sujoah 325
Guilty McCreech 355
Shaolin Monks (x2) 515
Fyorlad Spiders (x2) 595

(9-10 rolled)
Marcus Decimus Gallus 100
Sgt Drake Alexander (RotV) 210
Airborne Elite 320
10th Regiment of Foot (x3) 545
Sacred Band 595

(11-12 rolled)
Marro Hive 160
Ne-Gok-Sa 250
Marro Stingers (x5) 550
Me-Burq-Sa 600

(13-14 rolled)
Sir Gilbert 105
Wo-Sa-Ga 240
Knights of Weston (x2) 380
Sentinels of Jandar (x2) 600

(15-16 rolled)
Cyprien Esenwein 150
Sonya Esenwein 195
Iskra Esenwein 245
Raelin (RotV) 325
Rechets of Bogdan 375
Minions of Utgar (x2) 595

(17-18 rolled)
Ornak 100
Su-Bak-Na 260
Deathwalker 8000 390
Me-Burq-Sa 440
Warden 816 530
Isamu 540
Marrden Nagrubs (x2) 600

I'll report after some matches and let you know how it went.

[clancampbell]

We always draft at my place. We have the rule of no multiple uniques, someone takes it , its gone. Doesn't really speed up the draft, just makes it interesting.

[S1R_ART0R1US]

The draft tourney mentioned in Alastair's thread (see first page) was actually my first tournament and the really cool part for my was that every game I was able to use a new unit I had never used before. Sometimes it didn't work out too well (Cyprien against heroes was not too good of an idea), but as a new player I really enjoyed playing with the huge variety of figures that I didn't have.