Casual Game Ideas

[Darth Vader]

My intention with this thread is to share some of the game variants that my Heroscape group has developed during our casual games. Now, these games are a work in progress and aren't perfect, but they have proven to be very fun for my group. I know that I've read similar threads like this before, and I'd like to share what my group has been doing to keep our casual games fresh each time we play.

1. Capture the Glyphs
Players: This battle work can be played with any number of players, but it works best with at least three. Every man is for himself. Army size doesn’t really matter in this game.
Setup: The more terrain the better. When building your map, try to incorporate as many different environments as possible, ex. volcano, tundra, swamp. Players should start as far away from each other as possible. Each player starts with a glyph in their starting zone. All of the other glyphs go out onto the battlefield. Try to stick at least one glyph in each environment, so that it is a bit of a task to get to one. Usually 5-7 glyphs is plenty for this game.
Rules/Gameplay: All glyphs act like the Glyph of Brandar, therefore they have no power. Games generally last 8-10 rounds, and the winner is whoever controls the most glyphs at the end of the last round. In the case of a tie, add one additional round until a victor is determined.

2. C+ Battle
We all have at some point been tired of seeing Q9 and Krav in every battle, and having to fight against those annoying rats. Even when these units are in your army, it gets kind of boring playing them. How many units are out there that never get used because they cost too much, or bond with nobody? The truth is, there are many fun units out there that are never used because they stink, and competitive players don't want to waste points on them.
Using Jexik's (formerly spider_poison's) Power Rankings (found under Competitive Armies Discussion), draft your army using only units that have a C+ rating or lower. Use a few more points in this battle than usual (If you generally play 500 points, boost the point total up to 650 or 700), because some of the C+ characters cost a lot more than they are worth. Have fun with this game. This is one of my favorite variants, because I love negating Dünd with Morsbane, and watching Sudema and Moriko duke it out. There are a lot of really cool units under the C+ category, and this battle will surely be fun and interesting for your group.
Setup: Any map works with this game and size really makes no difference.

3. Two Army Game
Players: This scenario works best with 2-4 players.
Army Construction: Start by selecting a point total slightly higher that the usual amount for your group. Each player will be creating two armies, who's combined point total will add up to the the agreed point total, these armies do not have to be equal in points though, Ex. You agree on 600pts, and your first army= 275 and your second army= 325. Each army has its own set of order markers, so you are playing two armies. Bonding units can only bond with units in their own army, and the two armies under your control cannot include the same common squads. All units under your control can be affected by special powers however, so Emerroon can summon any elf under your control, even if they are in the other army, and Raelin can boost any figure under your control.
The main idea of this game is to keep many units moving and fighting. A lot of times while my group played one large army, we have a lot of units sitting in the start zone while one or two are actually doing something, but having two armies under your control really gets more action going. This game allows players to really plan out how to split up their armies, and battle strategy is key to success. I would not recommend this game to players who do not have much experience, because it could get overwhelming with all of the order markers, but experienced players shouldn't have a problem adapting to the two armies.
4. Capture the Flag, then Advance it into the Fortress.
Battlefield: For all you terrain junkies that have multiples of each master set and a bunch of castle sets, this is the scenario for you. To play this game, ideally you would want a large battlefield, at least two master sets worth of terrain, but the bigger the better. You also need at least one castle set for each player, so if three players are playing, then you need three Fortresses. Each player controls a fortress, and the fortresses should be located toward the edges of the battlefield. In the center of the battlefield, place a glyph of Brandar, this will be the flag. In each fortress, stick any glyph, (regardless of power). This glyph is powerless and is this is the end point for the flag bearer.
Gameplay: The basic idea of the game is to gain control of the flag, and advance it into an opponent's castle. Once the figure gets inside it must occupy the end zone glyph unengaged. Once this happens, the player controlling that figure wins the game. Every man is for themselves. A character gains possession of the flag when it steps on it, and can continue to move(and fly) while carrying the flag. If you are playing with three or more players, decide in advance what player will be trying to get the flag into which castle. Once a figure reaches the end zone glyph unengaged, the game ends and the player controlling the figure wins. Figures guarding an end zone cannot stand on the glyph, but can stand adjacent to the glyph. In order to win, a player must construct an army that can get to and carry the flag, as well as be able to defend their castle.
5. Kill Point Total
Players: This game style can work with 2 players, but really works well with 3-6 players. Each player should keep a sheet or two of paper to keep track of their score.
Gameplay: The idea of this game is to get a larger group of players playing without spending 6 hours during a battle. First, set the number of rounds you want to play, depending on how much time you want to spend playing. The actual gameplay is the same as a normal “Destroy all opponent's figures” game, but every time you kill a figure, you gain that figures point value in your kill points. Round down for squad figures, but if you kill an entire squad, you gain the full point value of the squad. No points are scored for wounds, only the player who delivers the final wound gets the points for that figure. My group uses this style a lot, especially during the C+ battle, and the Two Army Game. Higher cost figures like Jotun and Charos are big targets because they give the most kill points when destroyed. During the last couple rounds, players start to scramble to score some points. Players must be able to maximize their kills, while defending their figures. I like this scoring better than scoring the points left on the map after the game because this forces players to be aggressive, while being able to take some hits as well. This game maximizes the fun, yet minimizes the time.

Thanks for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this thread, and I hope that you give my games a try.