The Book of Steppenwolf

[IAmBatman]

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?
Yes, but only Parademons.
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?
Nope.

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?
Nope.

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?
Nope.

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?
Nope.

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?
Nope.


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?
He can do decent auto-wounding, which increases as he’s wounded more, but that also means he’s closer to death. It’ll be a main feature 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?
Nope.

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?
It can revive Parademons, but doesn’t seem impossible at all.

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?
Sort of? He can lead a big group of Parademons without leaving the start zone, but this feels on theme and will be tested and costed appropriately.

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?
It’s intentional that he’s slightly better once he has a wound or two, as that pairs well with Darkseid (II).

[IAmBatman]

This version seems a bit stronger, so I'm going to try him at 330 instead of 280. Loses the round number block with Darkseid (II), but now Darkseid (II), him, and a set of Parademons is a block of 1,000, which seems good.

One more vote will do it.

[Karat]

I think it might partly be the mechanics of it actually. I think it would parse better if it took effect after attacking an adjacent figure and he dealt 1 or more wounds.

[IAmBatman]

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and stop the vote for now and sleep on it. Dude just doesn't have that much comic book presence to go on, but I'm not sure we've settled on something evocative yet.

I do like Battle Hardened and the troop movement power. It's the third power that I want to mull over a bit more.

[Karat]

I totally get that and I think you're about 2/3 of the way there. Had to do that with the Colonel too.

[Soundwarp SG-1]

Just nu52 Steppenwolf (which I guess this is going for?) has 39 appearances according to DC wiki. That's not enough for you? Some of us are working with single digit appearances you know

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by Soundwarp SG-1

Just nu52 Steppenwolf (which I guess this is going for?) has 39 appearances according to DC wiki. That's not enough for you? Some of us are working with single digit appearances you know

Seems like most of those are the Earth 2 (or wherever) version of him that kills Superman and Wonder Woman. The Earth-Prime version doesn't have much by comparison.

I have an idea I'll post in a bit, though.

[LordVenoc]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

Seems like most of those are the Earth 2 (or wherever) version of him that kills Superman and Wonder Woman. The Earth-Prime version doesn't have much by comparison.

I have an idea I'll post in a bit, though.

My understanding is that the New Gods aren't multiversal. So Earth 2 Steppenwolf is Steppenwolf that happened to show up on Earth 2. Just like Darkseid that attacked Earth Prime is the same one that basically took down and invaded Earth 2.

Also fairly certain the mini you're using is based on the Earth 2 look anyway

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by LordVenoc

My understanding is that the New Gods aren't multiversal. So Earth 2 Steppenwolf is Steppenwolf that happened to show up on Earth 2. Just like Darkseid that attacked Earth Prime is the same one that basically took down and invaded Earth 2.

Also fairly certain the mini you're using is based on the Earth 2 look anyway

It's the only mini for Steppenwolf available. I'd prefer to do Earth-Prime, though.

[IAmBatman]

OK, here's what I'm thinking for changes:

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

NAME = STEPPENWOLF

SPECIES = NEW GOD
UNIQUENESS = UNIQUE HERO
CLASS = INVADER
PERSONALITY = DISCIPLINED
SIZE/HEIGHT = MEDIUM 5

LIFE = 6
MOVE = 6
RANGE = 3
ATTACK = 7
DEFENSE = 6
POINTS = 330

APOKOLIPTIAN TROOP MOVEMENT
Instead of moving normally with Steppenwolf, you may move up to 6 Common Parademon figures you control, then attack with up to 2 Common Parademon figures you control.

ESCALATING INVASION FORCE
After Steppenwolf receives one or more wounds from an enemy figure, you may immediately roll a number of combat dice equal to the number of Wound Markers on this card. For each skull rolled this way, you may place a previously destroyed Common Parademon figure in your Army on an empty space in your Start Zone.

BATTLE HARDENED
If there is at least 1 Wound Marker on this card, the most wounds Steppenwolf can receive from an attack is one.

SUPER STRENGTH

OK, I made him a tad faster to compensate for removing Super Leap, gave him a range of 3 because apparently he's a lethal axe thrower, then cut out any weapon references because clearly I don't really understand how his weapons work in a way that communicates clearly. Instead, I decided to go all-in on his general abilities and give the theme that as he takes more damage from the puny inhabitants of wherever he's invading, he starts to take them more seriously and calls for more and more reinforcements. This soft synergizes with Darkseid (II) without being totally abusable by him.

I think I still want to try him at 330 with this version.

[LordVenoc]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

It's the only mini for Steppenwolf available. I'd prefer to do Earth-Prime, though.

Did you ignore the paragraph of stating Steppenwolf is Steppenwolf, no qualifiers required?

[IAmBatman]

So then the Earth 2 look is the same Steppenwolf as the Earth-Prime Steppenwolf?