The Book of X-O Manowar

[IAmBatman]

When it comes to sending them to Public Playtesting one at a time, please prioritize Draugr due to planned release date.

[Karat]

The Armor still references Righteous Defense.

[dok]

The sheer offensive output of this figure is kind of crazy. Combine him with some cheap figures like Atom and Ragdoll and Chucky to tie figures down and add autowounds with Righteous Rage and it looks really strong.

I don't know the character, but my instinct would be less defense, more life (otherwise it's all about autowounds to kill this guy), and make the markers somewhat more likely to get removed.

[johnny139]

I'll definitely up the roll to 4 or less to begin with. That's the dial I'm most happy to turn. I like risky figures, so it's no skin off my back if he ends up risky.

Life/Defense balance is definitely something I'll have in mind going into testing. And if Righteous Rage proves too potent I'm happy to tone that down, too... I figured we'd swing for the fences for the first shot at least.

[johnny139]

Competitive Concerns

Does the design offer worrisome Order marker movement or efficiency (Commander Rogers, Joker (I), Ozymandias)? - N/A

Does the design offer superior Auto wounding (War Machine, Cosmic Cube, Selene)? - Yes, Righteous Rage is very potent. Something I'll be keeping an eye on.

Does the design cause the prevention of abilities (Blob, Polaris, Meteorite)? - N/A

Does the design move opponent's figures (Graviton, Magneto (II), Vulture)? - N/A

Does the design move friendly figures (Angel, Martian Manhunter (I))? - N/A

Does the design boost other figures (outside of a narrowly defined set) (Captain America, Star-Lord, Sage)? - N/A

Does the design have one or more excellent defensive powers (5th Precinct Beat Cops, Magical Defense, Speedball)? - N/A

Does the design auto destroy or take control of other figures in a way that unbalances the design (Psycho-man, Gorgon, Enchantress)? - N/A

Does the design have any other concerns (Magma creating lava tiles, pre re-eval Crow's invulnerability, pre re-eval Mad Thinker Mind Games and limiting design space for Androids)? - Multiple attacks from a heavy hitter is something to keep an eye on.

Summary of Any Competitive Concerns/Suggestions for Changes - None

Two things to worry about while testing! That's unusual for me!

Consistency Concerns

Name and Identity
Verify character is named in a way that is clear, accurate and feels consistent with the way other characters are named. - The "of Dacia" in his SI is a bit unusual. I'd be fine going with just Aric here, but I think it's a bit of extra flavor.

Uniqueness and Type
Verify that the power text reflects the listed uniqueness and type, that the uniqueness fits the character, and that squad size is listed for squads. -

Left Box
If the character's species, class or personality is reused, verify that the character feels thematically consistent with other figures that have that species, class or personality. If they are not reused, verify that there is no pre-existing species, class or personality that would make more sense. -

Size and Height
Verify that the listed size and height are accurate. Standing the mini up next to a stack of tiles, and a few other minis of various sizes, is encouraged. - I assume correct but I'm sure LV can verify!

Super Strength and Flying
Verify that these special powers are present if they make sense, and not if they don't. -

New Powers - Names
Verify that any new powers are not using power names identical to, or very similar to, pre-existing powers. Verify that any new powers are actually new and not old powers with new names. -

New Powers - Effects
Verify that the effect and timing of all new powers is clear. Verify that any logical immunities, benefits, or weaknesses (whether those be necessary for thematic or mechanical reasons) are implemented: consider whether defensive powers that work against normal attacks should also work against special attacks, whether or not a power has an elemental component that some figures should resist, and whether or not unliving figures (such as Undead and Androids) should be affected. -

Reused Powers
Verify that the design is reusing powers in place of creating new ones, where reused powers could implement the same theme and mechanics with no differences or only trivial differences. Verify that any reused powers have the correct text. - N/A

Power Level
Verify that the character's movement, attack, range, and defense (in conjunction with any special powers that enhance those stats) feel consistent with the capabilities of characters with analogous powers and abilities. Verify that the character falls into a similar point range to characters with comparative powers and abilities. - He's justifiable in a pretty wide range, but for the Superman/Thor of the Valiant universe I think he's in a good place.

A lot to keep an eye on here. Hoping to get this set of tests in over the next few days, and am happy to take any army suggestions people have.

[johnny139]

Oh, and I almost forgot, I PROPOSE WE MOVE TO INITIAL PLAYTESTING!

[quozl]

Yea

[Karat]

Yea

[johnny139]

Technically just an hour or so left here, but I don't think I'll have time to get this one done before I go... so anyone else with an opinion, feel free to jump in.

[Lazy Orang]

Yea

[johnny139]

Right, so I'm back from vacation and we got four votes so I'm going to call this one!

Now that Eternal Warrior is wrapping I'm hoping to play one game with him and Ninjak to see how they feel as a trio. Then one game abusing cheap tiedown figures, and probably a third just slotting him into a Justice League build or something, to get the full "breadth" of the character.

[johnny139]

C3G INITIAL PLAYTEST FEEDBACK FORM

NAME OF THE PLAYTEST UNIT: X-O Manowar

Army Test
Map: Ravaged River (Custom Map)
Units: X-O Manowar@390, Atom, Ragdoll, Stature (700 Points) vs. Nightwing, Starfire, Speedy (Roy Harper), Miss Martian (700 Points)

TAKE ONE: Aric immediately wipes out Speedy and Starfire, taking no wounds. Doesn’t feel right - you just park him on height and blast away. Adjustments made (Manowar Markers ticked down to 3, A/D ticked down to 4/4, Sheer Force only against adjacent attacks.

TAKE TWO: Aric deals four wounds to Starfire, but then gets pulled off of height by Miss Martian and swarmed by the Titans to death in the first round - bad showing, not smart playing.

Spoiler Alert!

Summary

ROUND 1: Aric plays it a little more careful, staying back and bringing the little folk with him. Starfire and Miss Martian climb onto height and position themselves for Nightwing’s turn. Aric is parking behind a ruin when it happens - they can only deal one wound, and can’t move him out. He takes the last turn of the round, charging in and attacking MM, dealing 4 wounds, with two attacks due to Sheer Force.

ROUND 2: The Titans take turn one and Go again, dealing two more wounds to Aric. He goes next, flying off to attack Miss Martian, finishing the job. She had OM2, so takes another turn, killing Starfire. Then since she had OM3, he takes another, going after Speedy.

ROUND 3: It’s Nightwing and Manowar, head to head, and it’s not a great matchup for Aric. Nightwing dodges every blow, then pops back in with no trouble. Finally, Nightwing hops over onto height and attacks him from range, dealing the last wound to finish the tank off.

ROUND 4: Nightwing and the little folk fight. No one does anything to anyone.

ROUND 5: Stature takes one from leaving an engagement, parks on height, downsizes. Nightwing deals a wound to Ragdoll. Yawn.

ROUND 6: Ragdoll engages Dick, and actually manages to deal two wounds. Stature starts swinging at him, but deals no damage. He manages to kill Ragdoll! More hemming and hawing.

ROUND 7: After much todo, Atom is killed, Stature takes another wound. Does anyone actually enjoy playing with Nightwing? The dark closes in.

ROUND 8: Finally, FINALLY he kills Stature. Game over.

Who won?: Titans win; 2 Wounds on Nightwing, all others destroyed, 8 Rounds.

Thoughts: Very interesting. I have no idea how to play this army, and I’m not really sure why I bothered - maybe the Titans weren’t a good matchup against it, maybe the newly added “must be adjacent” rider made Sheer Force too tough to manage, maybe I’m just not that smart! But it was essentially Aric, a one-man wrecking crew, tearing through the Titans until Nightwing stopped him in his tracks. He felt okay. Tough to say given the circumstances.

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Army Test
Map: Ravaged River (Custom Map)
Units: X-O Manowar@390, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior (850 Points) vs. Ms. Marvel, War Machine, Puck (850 Points)

Spoiler Alert!

Summary

ROUND 1: War Machine gets into position on height as the boys move out. They’re wary and keep their distance. Ms. Marvel and Puck both advance as well.

ROUND 2: Ninjak inches over and manages to hit Puck and Rhodey with his shuriken, dealing one to War Machine. But Ms. Marvel flies in and blasts him for one from a near distance. Gilad comes in but just can’t close the gap. Carol takes another turn and again blasts Ninjak, this time for two. Aric says screw it and flies in to engage with War Machine - he takes one wound from his Chain Gun, but manages to punch him hard enough to finish the job. Carol decides to move away from Aric, off height, before attacking Ninjak… and he only takes one wound.

ROUND 3: Puck bounces into action, knocking Ninjak into the water and Gilad back a space. His bounce manages to kill Ninjak, but he can’t wound Gilad. Gilad takes two from Ms. Marvel, though. Aric zooms in and attacks - no damage on the first attack, but six skulls on the second, which is enough to kill Carol in one hit. Aric zooms into Puck, but does no damage, and Puck bounces away. Gilad takes a turn and is a lot luckier, dealing four wounds in one blow.

ROUND 4: Puck bounces around, focusing on Aric - he manages to deal three wounds across two turns, very impressive! And he dodges the first attack! But unfortunately, the second ends things prematurely.

Who won?: Unity wins; 3 Wounds on X-O Manowar, 2 Wounds on Eternal Warrior, Ninjak destroyed, 4 Rounds.

Thoughts: This felt pretty fun - I liked that the trio had their own interplay, but it was sort of hard to manage in this setting. Ninjak died without getting to use his X ability, Gilad only got his free move once, and Righteous Defense didn’t trigger once. But the threat of these things really dictated how the other player acted - Ms. Marvel giving up height to stay out of Aric’s range, targeting Ninjak first and letting Gilad hang around.

But I’m a little disappointed that in all of these games, Aric has never lost a marker!

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Army Test
Map: Ravaged River (Custom Map)
Units: X-O Manowar@390, Batman (III), Zatanna (II), John Constantine (985 Points) vs. Amanda Waller, Rick Flag Jr., Harley Quinn (II), Deadshot, King Shark, Parademon (990 Points)

Spoiler Alert!

Summary

ROUND 1: Batman has 4 JL markers, Aric is the special assignment. The Outlaws are all in the Suicide Squad. The Squad moves up onto the hill as Zatanna, Aric, and John all advance on their own.

ROUND 2: Aric is the Special Assignment. Rick and King Shark advance out, and Rick even manages to put a wound on Aric. Batman moves out. Rick gets onto height and attacks Aric, then commands Deadshot to follow him across the river. Aric charges at Rick and deals two wounds. Deadshot takes a turn and targets Aric… and bam, four wounds against a whiff! Aric goes down hard. Harley tries to move across the river. Zatanna takes the last OM from Aric and with Sleight of Hand deals another wound.

ROUND 3: Zatanna is the Special Assignment. Harley and King Shark move on her, and each deals a single wound. She decides to Teleport, swapping with Batman, and then moves in to magically zap Rick Flag and takes him out of the running. The Squad makes some tough choices - Harley moves on Batman, trying to take him out, but he blocks and gives her a wound on defense. Then Deadshot fires on Zatanna, dealing a wound, then another, Finishing the Job.

Batman is now the focus - he takes turn 2, but can do no damage to King Shark. Deadshot fires on him, dealing a wound, and then Harley falls back to blast him with her Pop Gun. She deals a wound and knocks OM3 off… but then she decides to cut and run and has her head blown up by Amanda Waller.

ROUND 4: Batman is the Special Assignment, and he takes the first turn, but can’t wound King Shark. Parademon swoops in and deals a wound, bringing Bats up to 3. Then Deadshot takes his shot… and he is deadly indeed. Batman goes down, passes his OM3 to John. John takes a turn and deals a wound to King Shark. John is targeted by Deadshot and Parademon, and takes a wound from the latter. He moves toward Deadshot and deals a wound to him, but on the next Squad turn manages to Con his way out of taking any attacks.

ROUND 5: John takes the first turn, and attacks Deadshot, dealing no wounds again. Parademon comes after him, but Con Artist triggers - and evidently it’s quite the con, because Parademon defects and explodes immediately after. Deadshot and King Shark focus on him, bringing John up to 3 Wounds.

ROUND 6: His luck starts to run out - cornered by Deadshot and the King, one big attack from height from Deadshot finishes Constantine off.

Who won?: Suicide Squad wins, 1 Wound on Deadshot, 1 Wound on King Shark, Amanda Waller unharmed, all others destroyed, 6Rounds.

Thoughts: This one was pretty tough to gauge - coming under concentrated fire means Aric goes down fast. He did manage to do some damage to Rick Flag, and between him and Zatanna, he died, and then the dominoes fell as Harley and Parademon both exploded… but for almost 400 points that’s not really good enough, is it?

As an aside, I really love John Constantine, and glad I got to mess around with him. Con Artist is a lot of fun to imagine playing out - Constantine trying to talk his way out of a fight with an assassin, an alien, and a giant shark man.

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THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT'S COST, BALANCE, & DRAFTABILITY: So, I do think he felt better after those initial adjustments - 8M/4R/7A/7D just feels more Aric-y than 9M/5R/7A/8D. But I’m going to tick his Move and Life up by 1 to compensate, and give him a little less of a glass jaw. I could even see his Attack going up to a base 5.

Points-wise, I don’t think he was worth 390. Maybe people who are better at the game can abuse Righteous Defense, but I didn’t get it to trigger once in five games - Sheer Force now only triggering when he gets into melee range might be a factor there, but it just didn’t feel right for him to be blasting away from height with a screen in front of him. He feels more like… 350-370, with the other flying bricks in that category. But it’s tough to say. I definitely don’t think I managed to play him to his full potential.

GENERAL THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT: In general, he didn’t really perform to my expectations… just in the fun category. Righteous Defense didn’t trigger once. He didn’t burn any markers. Sheer Force did trigger, but it didn’t ever get to the “exploding in his face” level, which was a bummer. I have some adjustments in mind to make him feel better… see the next post!