The Book of Thinker

[Lord Pyre]

This guy is quite goofy. Seems about right for a behind-the-scenes style guy. Cool stuff.

[Arch-vile]

I propose for initial testing


COMPETITIVE REVIEW BOARD CHECKLIST

Spoiler Alert!

Efficiency- Check to see if your design is providing armies with turns/moves/etc. to a degree that would make it difficult or impossible for an opponent to keep up with your output.

1. Does your design allow itself or figures to move/attack/take a turn/etc. instead of/in addition to your normal turn for revealing an Order Marker? Is it granting these benefits to too broad a range of units? Does it combine with other powers to create overly long or powerful chains of actions?
No

2. Does your design allow you to take actions during an opponent's turn? Can it combine with other powers to create tediously long reactions to enemy actions or a restrictive environment?
no

3. Does your design allow you to rearrange your Order Markers or otherwise bypass the costs of Order Marker requirements on the special powers of other figures?
No

4. Is your design doing anything outside of a player's turn, at the start or end of the round? Is the effect too powerful by itself or when combined with other powers?
we'll see in testing

5. Does your design have any powers that trigger anytime it moves as opposed to only when it moves normally on its turn? Will it be too efficient when combined with figures that grant extra moves to figures?
N/A

6. Is your design adding or subtracting from initiative rolls? Will it pair too easily with other figures that alter initiative or have powers triggering on the results of initiative rolls?
N/A

Potency- Check to see if your design is wounding/removing/etc. enemy figures, increasing the chances of other figures in your army doing so, or otherwise directly effecting the number of figures available to players to a degree that would make it difficult or impossible for an opponent to recover from.

1. Does your design have a chance to inflict wounds or destroy figures? Is it getting these chances too frequently or having to high a chance of success? Is the power balanced against expensive targets that can cause a massive swing in the game when destroyed?
We'll see in testing

2. Is your design adding to the stats or 20-sided die rolls of other figures in your army? Is it a boosting a broad enough range of units effectively enough to become a 'mandatory' draft or inhibit future design space? Can it be combined with other boosts too easily?
Nope

3. Will your design benefit from stat boosts or other enhancement to an overpowering degree? Will it restrict future growth within its faction or point cost by limiting available boosts to others?
Nope

4. Does your design take control of enemy figures permanently or temporarily? Is it too difficult to for your opponent to regain control of their figure or recover from the losing the figure? Does the method of taking control expose the enemy figure to the powers of other figures in your army that can easily destroy it?
not that strong of a possession power

5. Can your design heal itself or others or revive itself or others? Is it doing so in a way that an opponent cannot hope to overcome in certain scenarios?
Nope

6. Does your design place enemy figures on its card or otherwise have an unconventional method of temporarily removing enemy figures from play? Will it guarantee your victory against a single remaining enemy figure?
Nope

Chicanery- Check to see if your design is preventing your opponent from taking actions with too much ease or is otherwise causing negative play experience through tactics that make your opponent feel you're 'not playing fair'

1. Does your design restrict the movement of enemy figures, or allow you to move enemy figures? Can it do so in a way that results in an unwinnable scenario for your opponent if they are down to one figure, posses only figures with a range of 1, etc.? Can your design easily combine with other figures to greatly impede enemy figures or otherwise gain an excessive advantage?
Nope

2. Does your design effect/change the placement of an enemy's Order Markers, or remove their Order Markers entirely? Can it force Order Markers to go onto cards that have no figures on the battlefield? Can your design easily combine with other figures to completely dictate the placement of an enemy's Order Markers or remove all of their Order Markers?
Nope

3. Does your design inhibit your opponent from attacking your figures or make attacking a losing proposition? Are there scenarios or combinations that make your opponent totally unable to harm your figures through attacking?
Nope

4. Does your design directly negate the powers of enemy figures or otherwise ignore them in a way that can completely disrupt the opponent's strategy or leave them feeling like they are stuck playing figures without special powers?
Nope

5. Does your design become overly powerful in a podded group of figures, or provide significant benefit to your army without leaving your Start Zone?
Sure but it requires OM investment.

6. You can attack your own figures in Heroscape, does your design have any powers that will trigger off of doing so or otherwise wounding/destroying your own figures? Is this intentional on your part? Will the design be too efficient or potent when doing so?
nope

CONSISTENCY CHECKLIST (LONG FORM)

Spoiler Alert!

1. Are the character’s name and secret identity listed in a consistent format with the rest of the project? If the character shares a name and/or secret identity with another character is it properly clear whether or not they are the same character?
Consistent.

2. Consider the listed Species. Are the design’s power level, point level, and statistics (life, move, range, attack, and defense numbers) within the established range for that species? If it’s an outlier, is there thematic justification for this?
Consistent

3. Consider the listed Uniqueness. Does the power text properly reflect whether the figure is a Hero or a squad, and whether it is Event, Unique, Uncommon, or common? If it’s Event, are the powers written with consideration for Event Hero rules? If it’s Uncommon, are the powers written to avoid stacking? If it’s common, are the powers written with this in mind?
Unique Hero.

4. Consider the Class and Personality. For each, is it a reuse? If so, is the character thematically consistent with other members of that Class or Personality? If not, is there a preexisting Class or Personality that would fit as well that could be used instead? Are there any existing synergies with that Class or Personality that are undesirable or that this Design would create that would be undesirable for preexisting members of that Class or Personality?
Antagonist - thematic faction, fitting for the character
Brilliant - fitting and a reuse

5. Consider the listed Size. If the figure is double based, is it Large or Huge? Is the chosen miniature’s physical size consistent with other miniatures in the chosen size category? Consider the listed Height. If you stack hexes up next to the figure, does the number listed for the height match up the layers of stacked hexes that match the miniature’s physical height?
medium 5

7. Consider the listed Life number. Is this number consistent with other figures of the same species?
low life, high-ish defense

8. Consider the listed Move number. Is this number consistent with other figures of that power level?
6 move is standard flier move

9. Consider the listed Range and Attack numbers. Is this number consistent with other figures that use the same type of weapon or power to attack?
3 range with the crazy wires. Or he gets in close to attempt a possession.

10. Consider the listed Defense number. Is this number consistent with other figures of the same or similar species and with the same or similar armor or other defensive equipment?
low life, high-ish defense

11. Does the figure have Super Strength? If it does or doesn’t, was this determined on the standard of that character demonstrating three things: A. The ability to throw a car B. The ability to survive a fall from a tall building and C. The ability to knock back another person when punching them?
no super strength

12. Examine all of the special powers. Are there other powers that fit the same theme already in existence in the project? If so, can they be reused? If they can’t, can those other powers be used as a basis for the mechanics and wording?
2 new powers, 1 reuse

13. Examine any movement powers. Do they keep the figure’s speed consistent with other figures of their species and power level?
N/A

14. Examine any offensive powers. Do they keep the figure’s offensive potential consistent with other figures with the same powers and power levels or skills and weaponry?
yep

15. Examine any defensive, healing, or other tanking powers. Do they keep the figure’s survivability consistent with other figures of the same powers or power level or species and armor class?
yep

16. Examine any leadership powers. Do they exceed the activation potential of the best existing leaders? If so, is there thematic justification for this?
N/A

17. Consider any powers that reference darkness, electrical, figure movement, fire, gas, ice, kryptonite, light/sensory, magical, poison, psychic, stealth, or water-based abilities. Do these behave in similar ways to other powers of this type, including mentions of immunities?
N/A

18. Is it clear for all special powers what phase of the turn and how they are triggered, what phase of the turn they are active in, and when and how they cease being active?
Should be clear

19. Are special powers listed in game, round, and turn order?
Yep

20. If a special power includes a D20 roll, does it make sense to list a number by the title?
done

21. If a power is being reused, are the title and wording copied accurately?
Yes

22. Has the power title or a very similar one been used before with vastly different mechanics?
Nope

[tcglkn]

Yea

[IAmBatman]

yea

[Arkham]

Yea

[Tornado]

Yea

[Lord Pyre]

Yea

[Arch-vile]

This passes.

[Arch-vile]

C3G STANDARD PLAYTEST FEEDBACK FORM

NAME OF THE PLAYTEST UNIT: Thinker

Army Test
Map: A Couple Puddles
Units: Thinker (235), Black Adam (380), Lex Luthor III (185), Sinestro (250) (1050) VS Fan4, Wasp I (1050)

Spoiler Alert!

R1: I had Black Adam take OM1, then randomly gave Thinker one of the other OMs - the idea was that Black Adam can then use Wisdom of Zehuti to avoid taking a turn with Thinker. OM1 was chosen and Human Torch takes 0 wounds. Black Adam rushes the opposing team, dealing 4 wounds to Sue and 3 to Reed, but taking 6 in return.

R2: OMX was chosen and Thinker takes 1 wound. Thing kills Black Adam, then Sinestro flies in to kill Sue. Reed rolls a “3” for his leadership and wounds Sinestro. Thinker has OM3 (Black Adam never lived long enough to take it off him), so he flies in and misses his attack on Reed.

R3: OM2 was chosen and Wasp takes 1 wound, killing her. Sinestro kills Reed. Thinker wounds Thing. Johnny kills Thinker.

R4+: Sinestro kills Johnny. Thing kills Sinestro. Thing hunts down and kills Lex.


Who won? List figures remaining in the winning army (include life remaining for heroes): Thing (2 wounds) wins.

___________________________________________________________

Army Test
Map: A Couple Puddles
Units: Thinker (235), Black Adam (380), Lex Luthor III (185), Bomb Queen (1000) VS Nightwing, Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, Miss Martian (1000)

Spoiler Alert!

R1: I used the same Black Adam strategy to avoid taking turns with Thinker at first. OM2 was chosen and Raven takes 1 wound. Black Adam rushes the opposing team and one-shots Starfire. He then puts 3 wounds on Cyborg. The Titans put 5 wounds on Black Adam.

R2: OMX was chosen and Thinker takes 1 wound. Black Adam kills Cyborg and wounds Miss Martian before finally being taken out.

R3: OM3 was chosen and Raven takes 2 wounds. Bomb Queen wrecks the Titans, taking out Nightwing and severely wounding the rest. Thinker lands the last wound on Raven. Miss Martian puts a second wound on Thinker.

R4: OM2 was chosen and Miss Martian takes 1 wound, killing her.


Who won? List figures remaining in the winning army (include life remaining for heroes): Thinker (2 wounds), Bomb Queen (1 wound), Lex Luthor (1 wound) win.

___________________________________________________________

Army Test
Map: A Couple Puddles
Units: Thinker (235), Lex Luthor III (185), Reverse-Flash (295), Gorilla Grodd II (285) (1000) VS Batman III, Green Arrow II, Plastic Man II, Martian Manhunter III (1000)

Spoiler Alert!

Asked the fine people of C3G Discord to guess for me this game rather than spread my OMs randomly as in past games.

R1: OM1 was chosen and Batman takes 0 wounds. Martian Manhunter puts a couple wounds on Grodd, while the Injustice crew puts a couple wounds on the Martian.

R2: OM2 was chosen and Plastic Man takes 2 wounds. The Justice League take out Gorilla Grodd, but then Reverse-Flash finishes off Martian Manhunter. Plastic Man and Green Arrow put 3 wounds on the Reverse-Flash.

R3: OM1 was chosen and Plastic Man takes 1 wound. Reverse-Flash brings Green Arrow to 3 wounds then Plastic Man kills him. Thinker and Green Arrow can’t land a hit on each other.

R4: OMX was chosen (all OMs were on Thinker, it was random) and Thinker takes 1 wound. Thinker controls Plastic Man and has him kill Green Arrow. Plastic Man puts a second wound on Thinker.

R5: OM2 was chosen (all OMs were on Thinker, it was random) and Batman takes 2 wounds. Rubbery Rebound kills Thinker. Plastic Man puts a couple wounds on Lex.

R6: Plastic Man kills Lex.


Who won? List figures remaining in the winning army (include life remaining for heroes): Plastic Man (3 wounds), Batman (2 wounds) win.

THOUGHTS ON THE TESTED UNIT'S COST, BALANCE, & DRAFTABILITY: I really like Outthink The Thinker, it’s a fun power and creates some cool mind games. I feel like its impact wasn’t really that great overall, though - despite his teams doing fairly well each time, looking at the results, Thinker didn’t do much until the last game. I think he’d work fine at 10-20 points lower, which also puts him at a different point cost than Giganta.

Game 1: 1 wounds on Wasp, 1 wound on Thing.
Game 2: 3 wounds on Raven, 1 wound on Miss Martian.
Game 3: 3 wounds on Plastic Man, 1 wound on Green Arrow, 2 wounds on Batman.

The A.I. Possession power is more a light touch than anything, it’s not something that activates often. My first thought for a tweak was to change the d20 bonus to give the +4 if the figure took a wound from Thinker this round, so that wounds from Outthink The Thinker give him the boost too. Cutting the power entirely is also an option to simplify the design if people prefer that. Another idea I had is letting him use the power from 3 range.

[IAmBatman]

You missed the game 2 wound on Miss Martian in your tally, so 4 wounds all together with his Outthink power in that game.

You showed me with Superwoman how nasty temporary control powers can be if they're triggering! I'm down with the bonus being if he wounded them this round. I kind of like keeping it adjacent, though, since he's already so good when he's not engaged.

[Arch-vile]

Thanks Bats, that’s a good perspective. Let’s keep him at his current point cost for now with that slight change to the possession power.

I’ll propose for public testing.

[IAmBatman]

Yea