Astro's Custom Units [Update 4/10/21: Aquilla Yokai Spider]

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by Astroking112

The VC currently uses the Mechwarrior Solaris VII Heavy-Class pack for four figures (Deathcommander Mark 3, Major J15, Executioner 616, and the in-playtesting Deltacron), but there are two more figures in the box. Since good mecha figures are hard to come by, I wanted to design something utilizing one of the open sculpts:



This is what I have so far. I thought that the red color scheme and overall design could blend in somewhat with the other Vulcanmechs (at least as much as Zetacron does with the Omnicron Snipers), expanding Valkrill's SoulBorg "faction" a little bit. Here's a picture of the mini for reference:



The dual missile launchers on the mini's back begged for an explosion attack, but I thought that it should be unique from the others. I originally left it as a version of Deathwalker 9000's attack that could simply be used twice, but I thought that this version would be more balanced by not allowing the same figures to be affected more than once per turn. This wording also evokes classic missile lock-on systems in many of the games that I've played, wherein all the targets are selected before any missiles actually fire, which I think is a nice touch.

The other defining aspect of this mini to me was that it was a walker-styled mecha instead of the SoulBorgs that we normally see. We don't see many benefits for Small figures (other than Warden 816's Evisceraxe Special Attack, I don't know of any), so I thought that essentially giving them Phantom Walk against him was a fun negative power that makes sense, while not crippling his use.

I'd like to get this guy through the SoV at some point (and as a standalone hero, he will be far easier to test than Eltris), so I'd appreciate any feedback and thoughts on the overall direction for him that anyone wants to offer.

I like everything about it except the name - Vulcanmech Imperator feels a bit boring, generic and a bit like an Uncommon Hero (though I do like the use of Latin with Imperator). One thing I've noted is that all Soulborg factions have different naming conventions - Omnicrons have Greek letter + cron, Vydar Soulborgs have Major + Letter-number, Utgar Soulborgs have descriptive name (usually involving Death) + serial number. Personally, I've always thought that for a new Soulborg faction it'd be really cool to give them acronym based names, as that's cool, distinct and fits in with the robotic name theme. Personally, I'd suggest naming this guy something like A.R.E.S., or Artillery Response Extermination Soulborg, after the Greek God of War (or perhaps M.A.R.S., or Mass Artillery Response Soulborg, as going for the Roman name for Ares might fit in better with the Vulcanmechs, with Vulcan being the Roman name for Hephaestus, the God of the Forge).
Really like that you've made him Valkril - that figure always looked like a Valkril Soulborg, to me, and he definitely fits better with the Vulcanmechs visually than he does with the Utgar Soulborgs, which I've also seen people put him in with. They have a fairly expansive faction now, anyway - the Valkril Soulborgs need expanding.

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by Lazy Orang

I like everything about it except the name - Vulcanmech Imperator feels a bit boring, generic and a bit like an Uncommon Hero (though I do like the use of Latin with Imperator). One thing I've noted is that all Soulborg factions have different naming conventions - Omnicrons have Greek letter + cron, Vydar Soulborgs have Major + Letter-number, Utgar Soulborgs have descriptive name (usually involving Death) + serial number. Personally, I've always thought that for a new Soulborg faction it'd be really cool to give them acronym based names, as that's cool, distinct and fits in with the robotic name theme. Personally, I'd suggest naming this guy something like A.R.E.S., or Artillery Response Extermination Soulborg, after the Greek God of War (or perhaps M.A.R.S., or Mass Artillery Response Soulborg, as going for the Roman name for Ares might fit in better with the Vulcanmechs, with Vulcan being the Roman name for Hephaestus, the God of the Forge).
Really like that you've made him Valkril - that figure always looked like a Valkril Soulborg, to me, and he definitely fits better with the Vulcanmechs visually than he does with the Utgar Soulborgs, which I've also seen people put him in with. They have a fairly expansive faction now, anyway - the Valkril Soulborgs need expanding.

I definitely feel like the name can be improved. The Imperator bit came from me trying to fit the sculpt into Einar, but when I transitioned it to Valkrill, I thought that it fitted alright still. Since we've only seen the Vulcanmech Incendiborgs for Valkrill so far, trying to get a naming scheme for them has been somewhat of a challenge (at one point, I had been seriously considering "Blastiborg" or something similar before deciding that I couldn't bear naming it that ).

I like your idea for the acronyms--I forgot that the Gladiatrons and Major X17 established that SoulBorg heroes can have their own naming conventions--especially M.A.R.S., since it still fits the latin theme somewhat, along with suiting a war-oriented destroyer. Thanks for the great name idea!

[The Strange Traveler]

Astroking112, it took me longer than usual, but here are my thoughts on your most recent custom.

Vulcanmech Imperator: I like the design, and I think that you are going in the right general direction with it. I think that the mini fits with the Vulcanmech Incendiborgs, and I think that Missile Barrage Special Attack and Raised Chassis fit with the mini and are good powers. I believe that Missile Barrage Special Attack is moving into new territory by virtue of being an explosion-style special attack with multiple initial targets, but that new territory seems fine to me. However, I do have some concerns about Vulcanmech Imperator.

For one, I think that his cost is too low by about 10 or 15 points. Missile Barrage is extremely strong. Raised Chassis is a significant weakness, but it is matchup dependent and can be mitigated with a screen, and the Imperator’s slowness isn’t too bad due to his range. His rather poor survivability is probably his worst weakness, but even then… I just feel that the Imperator is a little too good for his current point value.

My other concerns are thematic. I don’t like the name Vulcanmech Imperator. As Lazy Orang said, it is too generic for a Unique Hero. However, I don’t have any specific suggestions for what the new name should be. Lastly, why the Mindless personality? What about Precise? I feel that Precise would fit well with Missile Barrage Special Attack.

I look forward to seeing you work more on this design. Good luck eventually getting it through the SoV!

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by The Strange Traveler

Astroking112, it took me longer than usual, but here are my thoughts on your most recent custom.

Vulcanmech Imperator: I like the design, and I think that you are going in the right general direction with it. I think that the mini fits with the Vulcanmech Incendiborgs, and I think that Missile Barrage Special Attack and Raised Chassis fit with the mini and are good powers. I believe that Missile Barrage Special Attack is moving into new territory by virtue of being an explosion-style special attack with multiple initial targets, but that new territory seems fine to me. However, I do have some concerns about Vulcanmech Imperator.

For one, I think that his cost is too low by about 10 or 15 points. Missile Barrage is extremely strong. Raised Chassis is a significant weakness, but it is matchup dependent and can be mitigated with a screen, and the Imperator’s slowness isn’t too bad due to his range. His rather poor survivability is probably his worst weakness, but even then… I just feel that the Imperator is a little too good for his current point value.

My other concerns are thematic. I don’t like the name Vulcanmech Imperator. As Lazy Orang said, it is too generic for a Unique Hero. However, I don’t have any specific suggestions for what the new name should be. Lastly, why the Mindless personality? What about Precise? I feel that Precise would fit well with Missile Barrage Special Attack.

I look forward to seeing you work more on this design. Good luck eventually getting it through the SoV!

Thanks for the feedback again! I definitely view his frailty as his greatest weakness, since, as you said, Raised Chassis is so heavily dependant on the match-up, but his sheer offensive potential could easily outweigh his slow nature and relative lack of defense. A screen definitely improves him, though. I'll begin testing him at 130 points and drop him down if needed.

I really like @Lazy Orang 's idea for M.A.R.S. as the name, and I've actually already changed the next draft's name to that. I agree with pretty much all of the points on Vulcanmech Imperator feeling more like an Uncommon Hero name than a Unique one.

Mindless was just me trying to avoid Relentless like the Incendiborgs while still going for a Valkrill theme, but I think Precise fits this design better. It matches both his long-range normal attack and the feeling of locking on to enemies before firing the missiles. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely be changing his personality to that.

[flameslayer93]

Just out of curiousity, why don’t you have two seperate attack rolls for Missile Barrage? I reckon that will come up as a question for the SoV.

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by flameslayer93

Just out of curiousity, why don’t you have two seperate attack rolls for Missile Barrage? I reckon that will come up as a question for the SoV.

I originally had it separated so that he was simply attacking a second time. I threw in a clause that the same figure couldn't be targeted more than once (to prevent bombing the same figures twice every turn), but this felt a little clumsy to me.

I was also partially inspired by many of the Sci-Fi games that I played as a kid, where missile systems like this would lock on to each target before firing a single missile, so I felt that simplifying the attacking process would still be thematically appropriate while also nerfing the figure's offensive potential a little bit. If there is significant pushback against this targeting system, then I don't have a big problem with changing it back to be a double-attack-explosion Special Attack.

[Lazy Orang]

Originally Posted by Astroking112

I originally had it separated so that he was simply attacking a second time. I threw in a clause that the same figure couldn't be targeted more than once (to prevent bombing the same figures twice every turn), but this felt a little clumsy to me.

I was also partially inspired by many of the Sci-Fi games that I played as a kid, where missile systems like this would lock on to each target before firing a single missile, so I felt that simplifying the attacking process would still be thematically appropriate while also nerfing the figure's offensive potential a little bit. If there is significant pushback against this targeting system, then I don't have a big problem with changing it back to be a double-attack-explosion Special Attack.

Personally, though I wouldn't have thought of it, now it's been explained to me I love the 'locking on' nature and hope it stays.

[Pumpkin_King]

Vulcanmech Hellseeker?

Also I am going to get around to that post....

[Talyn]

Man those battleball minis are amazing, totally look like Heroscape sculpts. And since their numbers and team insignia are stickers, they could easily be removed to make them more Heroscapey.

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_King

Vulcanmech Hellseeker?

Also I am going to get around to that post....

Wouldn't Vulcanmech Hellseeker face the same problems as Vulcanmech Imperator? I'm currently planning on using the name M.A.R.S. for the design.

And I look forward to it!

Originally Posted by Lazy Orang

Personally, though I wouldn't have thought of it, now it's been explained to me I love the 'locking on' nature and hope it stays.

Thanks for weighing in on that. It's nice to know that even if that aspect isn't immediately apparent, it makes sense and is likable.

Originally Posted by Talyn

Man those battleball minis are amazing, totally look like Heroscape sculpts. And since their numbers and team insignia are stickers, they could easily be removed to make them more Heroscapey.

I agree! I was surprised to see how relatively unused they are by the community, since they're practically perfect fits. The stickers don't bother me much since I went for the sports team angle, but that's a good point about how they could easily be turned into more generic HeroScape-esque sculpts.

[Noziroh]

@Astroking112 Arboris is so cool!!! Do you know the name of the figure? I have to have it!

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by Noziroh

@Astroking112 Arboris is so cool!!! Do you know the name of the figure? I have to have it!

I'm actually not sure, but @Dr.Goomonkey might know. I love the sculpt, but if I remember correctly, pretty much all of the minis used in the Springtime Custom Contest were pretty rare.

I'm hoping to get Arboris inducted into the SoV at some point, so I was waiting to see if a more widely available sculpt would come along for him (or if I would need to change anything when C3V releases what might be an Ent/Tree faction). It pains me a little bit, because I think his current sculpt looks awesome.