"The Perfect Game" a superior way to play test (version 3)

[chief]

Revision 3, ideas comments, anything please! All sections were revised so please read. Most of the changes = grammar and new content. Most of the new content was added or changed towards the middle and end of each step.
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I first want to state that the goal here is to make YOU a better and more creative player. We all play this crazy game called Heroscape and we can get competitive as you know. With the competiton comes the desire to win. And in order to this you need that "perfect army", now perfect is a broad term for each person. But the following steps will allow you to create that "perfect army" that lets you have fun, have a higher chance of winning, and make you all the better player. I have compiled all this information into a process to be known as the "perfect game"

Before you read on, I suggest you redirect yourself to these threads and read through the initial posts if you haven't done so already. This way you will have an idea of what a perfect move is, and thus a perfect round, and then what a competitive game would be like. Also when you choose an opposing army for the "perfect game" you need to know what kind of strategies are best for it.

Suggested Reads 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11


Alright, by now you have either read all of them or said forget it, I am going back to that original thread. Well my fellow scaper we shall advance then. "The Perfect Game" is a great tool, but in order to utilize it you need to know each step. So read below and you will understand this theory and then be equipped with the knowledge to truly create the best army possible for you and your chances of victory . So read on for this is my good bye...

"The Perfect Game" - a play-testing strategy to build the best army for you and your desire to win

step 1 armies
The obvious fact here is that you need yourself an army. So go ahead, based off of your knowledge of the good and bad units select your army. Wait what is that, where do you start? Alright, first thing you need to know is what size army you need. Second you need to know what units you enjoy playing with. Then the last step pick out your army based off of those criteria in edition to the information you retained from the suggested reads. So you have your army, great! Now you need to get prepared, look at your army, what flaws does it have? What weakens its effectiveness? Dont choose just 1 either pick 2 or 3. For example, if I have a Vydar based army with a lot of soulborgs I am weak against repulsors, bigger range, and soulborg anti units like the Quasatchs. The next step is to pick two armies that will exploit these weakness's between the two of them. To pick these two armies you must choose two cards for each army that exploits one or more of your armies weakness's. Then using the suggested reads information construct the two armies around these selected cards. Now you need to choose a third army to battle, this army should be a competitive and synergy abundant army. You may look around the competitive army section to find some of the best armies, or even ones that rarely loose. This army will be a strong army representing the fact that you can and will run into armies designed not to specifically kill your army. But are still more than a match.

step 2 other players
This is a simple step. You need other players for two things. Army choices and battling. No person can battle themselves and call it perfectly successful, when you get into the battling part of "the perfect game" you need another player who has read and is playing by these same guidelines. If this is done it will be a mathematically correct game with a different point of strategy for each army. Causing a probable outcome. You also need another player for army choices. while you are picking the 3 opposing armies have that player put in recommendations and ideas. This point of view will add flavor, ideals, and choices you would have not considered. All again making it the "perfect game". This step although suggested can be skipped if you don't have another player to assist you.

step 3 scenario
Now although scenarios are not a required step i suggest them. There are classic kill em all, kill em all HOB, and ctf, among many more. If you decide to play with a scenario you will be playing to a more unique skill which can only increase the chance of either army becoming the winner because it is the better army. And it will develop your general play skills into a thinking and killing machine. I would suggest to make at least one of your face ups a kill em all style game.

step 4 maps
Alright, it may sound simple, but it is not clear cut. To pick a map you need to pick a map that will exploit your opposing armies strengths. For example, as earlier you have that vydar robot army, you are facing a jandar omnicron sniper/repulsor combination. This army will benefit from range, choke points, and increased attack (height). Using these criteria either build a map or choose a map that benefits the army you wish to beat with your original draft. But since you have 3 opposing armies you will need 3 maps, but this just adds to the fun. So construct and place the armies. I would recommend using the Battle Fields of Valhalla for you maps. If you are play testing for an upcoming tournament you would be well off to build and play on the boards being used for that event rather than your own.

step 5 making your move
This step is the most intense part, because you are actually playing the game! With each round you need to refer back to how to play competitively and all of those other strategy ideas. Take at least a minute to consider the possibility of each turn for each card. Then upon deliberation place the order markers on the best possible choices. One thing to keep in mind is that each turn is to expand the armies advantage, exploit it's strengths, and create the easiest possible win. Remember that you are doing all this for each army! By the end of the game you will realize that doing this does take time, but that each army had perfect game and that the army that came out on top won because it is the most developed and strategically better combination of units. As you advance through the game you need to be paying attention to individual units as well. If a unit can choose between 3 things to do, choose the best that will benefit it and you for the rest of the game. While going along if you realize you placed an order marker or took a turn and over analyzed so much you missed a huge move, go back! Restart the turn or the round.

step 6 dice
This is a very easy concept. as you should know the game of Heroscape uses the attack/defense dice system and a d20. The attack and defense these dice use high amounts of math to create outcomes. But the fact that they can roll whiffs or lucky all skulls needs to be addressed. Every time you roll attack and defense you should re-roll in the condition of you whiff, get all skulls or shields, your army wins the roll by 1 to 3 skulls or shields over the opposing army. But only do this every other time. Other wise the fact that luck happens wont exist and this will only hurt you. EX attack = whiff re-roll next attack = whiff don't re roll etc.

step 7 aftermath the records
The game is done and the dust has settled, what now? Well you need to review your match. I will state now that while you play you should take notes and turn by turn records of the match. Write down the units name and list each time they die or kill and enemy or grab a glyph. When you are finished sit down and read through your notes, think of ideas that you could have have used to better advantage your army under testing. By doing this you will realize new strategies and tips that will allow you to get that victory in the future. By writing what ach unit did you will be able to see how effective they were in the micro game.

step 8 aftermath the evaluation
Its time to reconfigure your army. Look at each unit, you should have kept a record of how many wins, losses, deaths, kills, and what the factors in those were. For anything beneficial to the cause (ie a kill or grabbed a glyph or was alive when you won) put a 1 next to their name for anything un-beneficial (ie died never killed another figure didn't get activated) put a -1. Tally up the points once you have successfully done this for every card look at your point totals. If you have a unit that is lower than a sum of -5 then that unit clearly did not achieve the task they were supposed too. (assuming you played the game as competitively as possible). Once this is completed and if you have a unit that matches this description remove them from your army and go back through your shelves, find something you like that will work well with your army in one way or another. Make sure that these units would have accomplished what the others did not then place them among your ranks. Now repeat all previous steps until you have won all 3 games and you don't have to remove any units from your army.


Review
We come to the end of this article and you should realize three things that you will get from this, I can create the strongest army for me, I can develop new strategies and advance as a player, and I get to play Heroscape!

PS
Sorry for any spelling/grammar errors, I was never actually taught the proper application of each of them ...

[chief]

Any problems here? critique and opinions welcome. I wan to eventually have a final version that is influenced by all you all!

[chief]

Just a bump. I made changes indeed. Mostly integrated ideas from version 2. I also did some spell/grammar check. As well as rearranging the steps.

[Uchiha Blood]

This was very helpful to me. I applaud your efforts! I will have to keep this in mind when I make my army for my first tournament.

[KCU Master 2007]

I would like to suggest another thread: the Power Rankings would be a good one to include as well as the others you have mentioned.

[Bear1211]

Good advice thanks for the effort. I'm sure it will come in handy!