Buying Glyphs

[Revdyer]

Has anyone thought about "buying" glyphs with your army points? For instance, if you are playing a 500 point game, you could buy a couple of glyphs for 100 points each (or some other "price") and still have 300 to buy your army's units.

Different glyphs, of course, would need different prices; and some of them wouldn't really work at all. But, imagine that you could buy them and place them wherever you wanted on the board. Obviously, you'd put the "good" ones in your own starting zone or near it; the "bad" ones, like Pit Trap, elsewhere.

Picture a 500 point army, and you buy +2 Defense (250 points) and +1 Common Attack (80 points), and then 2 x 4th Mass (140 points) and Eldrim. A valiant army with the 4th Mass having a defense of 5 and a Wait and Fire attack of 4. You wouldn't have many guys, but a really strong handful.

Anyway, has this already been done or discussed? I searched but didn't find anything quite like it. Below is a list of the glyphs and what they might cost if playing in the 400 - 600 point army range. The costs, of course, simply reflect my opinion of their worth. What, if anything, the idea itself is worth, is what I'm interested in finding out. Thanks for reading.

Possible (first draft) costs:

• Glyph of Astrid (Attack +1)
For each figure you control, roll one extra attack die.
100 points

• Glyph of Dagmar (Initiative +eight)
When you roll for initiative, add 8 to your die roll.
100 points

• Glyph of Gerda (Defense +1)
For each figure you control, roll one extra defense die.
80 points

• Glyph of Ivor (Range +4)
For each figure you control with a Range number of 4 or more, add 4 to the Range number.
160 points

• Glyph of Valda (Move +2)
For each figure you control, add 2 to the Move number. (Do not use this power when moving off of the Glyph).
80 points

• Glyph of Erland (Summoning)
When one of your figures stops here, you may "summon" any other figure (your or your opponent's) by moving it to a space adjacent to the figure on the Glyph. The summoning figure does not receive a leaving engagement roll if it was engaged. Note: If there is no empty adjacent space, you can't use the Summon power.
120 points

• Glyph of Kelda (Healer)
Only figures with one or more Wound Markers may stop on this Glyph. When one of your figures stops here, remove all Wound Markers from its Army Card. This glyph cannot be placed symbol-side up in any scenario you may create.
80 points

• Glyph of Mitonsoul (Massive Curse)
For each figure on the battlefield (your and your opponents'), roll the 20-sided die. If you roll 1, the figure is destroyed. If you roll 2 through 20, the figure is safe.
50 points

• Glyph of Jalgard (Defense +2)
For each of your figures roll two extra defense dice.
250 points

• Glyph of Lodin (Lucky Twenty-Sider)
Any time you roll the 20-sided die while standing on the Glyph of Lodin, you may add one to your die roll.
50 points

• Glyph of Rannveig (Wind)
All figures with the Flying special power lose this power and cannot fly while standing on the Glyph of Rannveig.
120 points

• Glyph of Sturla (Revive)
One at a time, roll the 20-sided die for each figure destroyed in this battle (yours, your teammates’ and you opponents’). If you roll 19 or 20, place the figure in any starting zone of your choice. If you roll 1 through 18, the figure remains destroyed.
50 points

• Glyph of Crevcor (Common Attack +1)
All common figures in your Army may add one extra attack die when attacking normally.
80 points

• Glyph of Proftaka (Pit Trap)
You figure is trapped. The trapped figure cannot move from this space. The figure can move off the Glyph of Proftaka only if a friendly figure occupies an adjacent space.
100 points

• Glyph of Thorian (Thorian)
All opponents' figures must be adjacent to your figures to attack your figures with a normal attack.
160 points

• Glyph of Ulanlva (Unique Attack +1)
All unique figures in your Army may add one extra attack die when attacking normally.
80 points

• Glyph of Wannok (Wound)
At the end of every round, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 1, the figure on the Glyph receives one wound. If you roll a 2 or higher, you may choose an opponent who must give one wound to any figure he or she controls on the battlefield.
50 points

• Glyph of Nilrend (Negation)
When one of your figures stops here, you may choose any opponent's uique figure. Roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 1 - 4, nothing happens. If you roll a 5 - 20, place the Gold Negation Marker on the chosen figure's Army Card. All of that figure's special powers are negated for the rest of the game.
50 points

• Glyph of Oreld (Intercept Order)
When one of your figures stops here, roll the 20-sided die. If you roll a 1 - 9, nothing happens. If your roll a 10 - 20, you may remove one random Order Marker from an opponent's Army Card.
50 points

[Draconious]

I've posted a few versions of drafting rules where you can buy glyphs, not many were interested. The focus of my rules were not just to buy glyphs though it was more to use a giant army... it took a really long time to draft since the 10 year old I was testing them with took for ever to pick a card.

This is the current working version... I am about to change some of it though.
http://s88452779.onlinehome.us/HeroS...eArmyRules.doc

Glyphs need to cost at least 100 points... some way more. You also need to limit how many can be on the battle field... for 50 points I wouldnt mind spending 200 to get 4 Wound glyphs...

[Revdyer]

Ah...I was assuming one only of each available glyph, which might allow the lower priced ones. I'd never pay 100 points for Lodin, for example. Certainly I'm proposing something much more simple than the giant army rules you wrote. Yours is in interesting proposal, though, that's for sure.

[bad_calvin]

Originally Posted by Revdyer

Ah...I was assuming one only of each available glyph, which might allow the lower priced ones. I'd never pay 100 points for Lodin, for example.

Stacking would definitely take the fun out of it.

I wouldn't mind even taking the glyph and just have it be on an army card of the players choice. When the unit is gone, the glyph could be placed on the table where the last of that unit was at.

[Draconious]

Yes my rules also limit it to 1 of each glyph.. first come first serve. Depending on the map size the better strategy may be to let your oponent buy the glyphs for you .

You should also have to pay more to place them in your own starting zone... (one of the changes I need to make to my rules).

There is also another semi-old thread around here somewhere, were I asked how much glyphs should cost if drafted... that was when I starting making these rules.

[Revdyer]

Originally Posted by bad_calvin

I wouldn't mind even taking the glyph and just have it be on an army card of the players choice. When the unit is gone, the glyph could be placed on the table where the last of that unit was at.

That's interesting, bad_calvin. It might even give the Nagrubs and Drudges some purpose <grin>.

[Shadow_in_Darkness]

Well, I had something along the lines of Glyph Purchasing, but it was a bit more complex. You see, when you won a game, you got points equal to the amont of each figure you had remaining on the board. From there, you could use those points to buy Glyphs or other units to add to your 'military'. (A selection of cards you choose from at the start of the game, replacing Drafting.) When you were placing figures, you could also place any glyph you had in your 'Treasure Hoard' in your starting zone so they were easy to get to. There was more to it, but I don't want to go that in-depth right now.

[Ormus]

We commonly do Glyph purchase in our games, but they are custom made item Glyphs.... Love the idea.

[robbdaman]

Considering how unbalancing I feel Glyphs can be and my dislike for using them in the first place I don't feel a draft cost is a good idea.

R~

[Ormus]

Originally Posted by robbdaman

Considering how unbalancing I feel Glyphs can be and my dislike for using them in the first place I don't feel a draft cost is a good idea.

R~

Yes, if you feel they are unbalanced that is a perfect reason to make custom glyphs.

[HeroscapeLunatic]

I've had thoughts of something along this line, Rev.

Obviously stacking would be out of the question. For a normal game, if we ever played with two or more of the same glyph, we didn't allow stacking, but our figures could occupy the extras so that our opponent(s) couldn't get their bonus as well.

My one and only change to your point costs on the glyphs would be to the Glyph of Wannok (Wound). That is a horribly broken glyph that is quite nasty. I would consider raising the points because it is definitely a game-breaker as-is.

You could also add in a variation of the purchase rule that allows you to pick one of your unique units to act as he "carrier" of the glyph. All of your units would receive the benefit (if applicable), but if that unique hero were destroyed, the glyph would drop on that space for anybody to "pick up".

For this variation you could raise the points for purchase.

Great idea!

[Revdyer]

HeroscapeLunatic. I've never played the Glyph of Wannok; so I would take your advice as to its relative worth. Thanks for reading and liking the idea.