The Book of Red Robin

[Lord Pyre]

Maybe cut his move to 5 if he can fly now? Or are you fine with him being that fast?

I'm fine with a flying symbol.

[Scapemage]

I'm fine with Flying as well. 6 move may be much though.

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by johnny139

I'm still fine with relegating that ability to a Glyph (one that we could possibly release alongside him?) but if you're good with Flying on the card I'm fine with it.

I'd be fine with the glyph approach too, but it sounds like Flying is going to be needed to keep everyone happy with using this mini.

Originally Posted by Lord Pyre

Maybe cut his move to 5 if he can fly now? Or are you fine with him being that fast?

I'm fine with a flying symbol.

Great call. I'll throw the Flying symbol on there, drop the move to 5, and send this out to ERB tonight! Thanks, guys!

[IAmBatman]

I'm also dropping his defense to 4, since Flying really frees up his options for the Utility Belt, and I don't want his cost exploding on us.

[IAmBatman]

Thanks!

Yeah, Attack Plan is meant to be a less effective version of Secret Attack Plan, of course. He's a big time schemer, so I wanted to represent that.

I think it'll mostly come into play when he or his teammates need an extra boost against a figure that's much tougher than them. For instance, if Red Robin ends up staring down Superman, he'll probably use it a lot, because he's not getting very far with just that base attack of 4!

Also, selling out by doubling up with Oracle promises to be fun as well.

But, yeah, you'd want to use it carefully, for sure.

Thanks for the speedy input!
Bats

Originally Posted by Margloth

Looks good. Cool to see Tim growing up!

Attack Plan will rarely be worth it, me thinks, unless you really need to kill a figure. Still nice to have in certain situations, and an interesting continuation of Oracle's Secret Attack Plan.

[IAmBatman]

Thanks! This is actually (I believe) the first time we've used the Bo Staff power, but it's been floating around on a few write ups previously. Attack Plan is actually a variation on the previously done Secret Attack Plan, but they're pretty close.

I'm glad you're digging him!

Cheers,
Bats

Originally Posted by tcglkn

Don't know this character well and all the powers are reused so this design looks solid. Nice work Bats and gang.

Great stuff, David!

Sounds like we need a Beast Boy, Honey Badger form!!

I'll adjust the wording on the Utility Glyph.

Thank you kindly!
Bats

Originally Posted by davidlhsl

Red Robin

Here’s a great idea for you guys, and you don’t even have to give me credit!

Galactus is a lot of fun, because you can use him to tear down your maps. But how about this: what about designing a figure that tears apart figures? That’s right! A roll of 18+ (you might have to tweak this during playtesting), and you can rip off a piece of a figure on the battlefield. Tear off the Invisible Woman’s legs! Grab Mandarin’s rings the easy way by ripping off his whole arm! Yank off Lizard’s tail! And how about those pointy Amazon Warriors’ spears? Off you go!!!

Where are you people going? Come back! I’m a genius, you hear? A genius!!! I can hear you breathing in the Sanctum! You can’t hide from me forever!!!



Hey, it’s the weekend, and we’re supposed to get some great weather. Let’s get it kicked off with a check of this design!

Utility Belt 1
For consistency with Batman II, perhaps: “are placed and before initiative”. And naturally, you had to cut out some of the wording due to Red Robin only getting one glyph.

I love the Utility Glyphs already produced, so there are a lot of great items for Red Robin to march into battle!

Attack Plan

A numbered Order Marker will cost a turn, so it’s pretty pricey. In the right situation, though, it could be handy.

Bo Staff

I like this! Check to make certain that rules lawyers can’t crack this, but the intent of this is that the reduced dice apply to each attack, and not just the first (ex: 3 attacks with 2 dice each is intent, assuming no height or other bonuses).

I like these abilities that allow you the option to adjust attacks/defenses, such as Deathstroke’s Calculated Defense and Dum Dum Dugan’s Marksmanship.

Flying

“Fly, Robin, Fly” by the Silver Convention. A great song from the 1970s!

Final Thoughts

Lots of great stuff, and Red Robin looks like he’ll be fun to play.

This ERB has been checked and clear of any possible subliminal messages.

[IAmBatman]

C3G INITIAL PLAYTEST FEEDBACK FORM

NAME OF THE TEST UNIT (RED ROBIN)

- THEME TEST/ Check to see if there are any powers or stats on the test unit card that does not accurately reflect the theme or likeness of what the character would and could do. Also consider destructible objects, and whether or not this characters powers should affect them.
PASS with the 5 defense giving him a bit more staying power.

- MIRROR TEST/ Check to see if the unit were played against itself, if there would be any loops that would upset the balance of the Game.
PASS

- BONDING TEST/ Compare the unit card with all possible currently existing Bonding abilities to make sure there are no continual Bonding possibilities that do not stop appropriately or do not stop at all. This is to prevent loops in Bonding.
PASS

- SYNERGIES TEST/ Compare the unit card with all possible currently existing synergies to make sure there are no factors that could break the game by making any unit to powerful or too weak.
PASS

- POWER CHECK/ Consider the test unit and all existing units and all glyphs to compare to and check for any powers that could be over amplified and break the game. Each power must define when it takes place, who or what it affects, and What are the stipulations on the power if there are any.
PASS

- FUN TEST/ Consider whether or not the design was fun to play.
PASS

- FUN COMPETITIVE TEST/ Consider whether or not the design was fun to play against.
PASS

- DRAFTING TEST/ Consider whether or not this design is worth drafting.
PASS with the Titan Synergies, Utility Belt options in the future, and 5 defense for sure. I do wish he synergized better with the Gotham bunch, but he works well with Oracle at least, and I imagine he’ll work well with future Nightwing and Blackbat Titans. Hopefully even Stephanie Batgirl.

- USAGE TEST/ Consider whether or not all of the powers on this card were used or at least usable.
PASS

- STRATEGY TEST/ Consider whether or not the design offers any real strategy or interesting tactics to the overall game.
PASS Which Utility Glyph to grab, when to use Attack Plan if at all, whether to subtract attack for Bo Staff, etc.

Heavy Hitter or Mid-Level Hero Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes.
- What should be the unit's point value? 140.
- Give a brief overview. I was split between 140 and 150, but losing two convincingly to Catwoman at 145 helped clear that one up.

Spoiler Alert!

TEST 1
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Batman (Terry) (150)
Close match here! Red Robin had two shots with his Bo Staff to take down Terry in his last turn. Red Robin used the Bo Staff for double attacks of 3 twice in this match. Red Robin went down with an unused Emergency First Aid glyph here (he didn’t want to sacrifice the turn, thinking he could finish Batman off). Red Robin and Batman felt very event here.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Batman (Terry) wins with 3 Wounds, Turn 6, Round 1.

TEST 2
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Batman (Terry) (150)
Down by a few wounds, Red Robin used his OM3 in Round 2 for the auto skull on Attack Plan. This paid off, leading to a 4 skull attack, which put all 3 wounds on Batman. Red Robin just didn’t roll well enough here in general, though, and spent one turn early on healing a wound with the Emergency First Aid.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Batman (Terry) wins with 3 Wounds, Turn 3, Round 2.

TEST 3
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Deadshot (150)
Red Robin had much better luck here, thanks in part to bringing the Bat Shurikens and having the Driven personality. He had height for three attacks with the Shurikens on Deadshot, including one in which he used Attack Plan for an extra skull. With Deadshot loaded up with 3 wounds, he used Attack Plan again for an extra skull in Round 2.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Red Robin with 1 Wound wins Turn 2, Round 2.

TEST 4
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Deadshot (150)
I went with the Bat Shurikens again here, as it seems tough to burn a turn to heal wounds with this guy, but adding range for him (and three attacks from range at that) is highly valuable. He had early success with the Shurikens, scoring two quick wounds, but Deadshot backed up and forced him off height, then got in two quick wounds back.
Robin sold out in Round 2, twice removing a numbered Order Marker for an extra skull on turn 1 (he used the Bo Staff for two attacks of 3 + an auto skull each time). He managed to get Deadshot up to 3 wounds, but it wasn’t enough. Then Deadshot finished him off on the next attack, without even having to use Finish the Job.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Deadshot with 3 Wounds wins Turn 2, Round 2.

TEST 5
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Nightcrawler (140)
Nightcrawler got obliterated here. Red Robin took the Shurikens and got height fast, then went after Nightcrawler, who missed his first two Evade rolls, and took two wounds each from two attacks.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Red Robin with Full Life wins Turn 3, Round 1.

TEST 6
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Nightcrawler (140)
Nightcrawler managed to Evade once early, and that’s all it took. He got off more attacks overall than Robin here, thanks to his special attack, as well as winning initiative in Round 2. The Bat Shurikens didn’t help Robin here, as he was never able to attack from range.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Nightcrawler with 1 Life wins Turn 1, Round 2.

TEST 7
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Catwoman (145)
Bat-Shurikens, Bo Staff, and Attack Plans couldn’t keep up with 9 life and a nasty whip.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Catwoman with 7 Wounds wins Turn 3, Round 2.

TEST 8
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Catwoman (145)
Catwoman’s Whip absolutely tore through Red Robin here. He was down for the count before he could engage.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Catwoman with 1 Wound wins Turn 3, Round 1.

TEST 9
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Rorschach (140)
Using his much greater mobility and threat range, Robin had multiple attacks with height advantage that made taking down Rorschach easy. Rorschach never got in an attack.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Red Robin with Full Life wins Turn 5, Round 1.

TEST 10
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Rorschach (140)
Rorschach managed to get on height early here with his Grapple, and Red Robin just couldn’t rolls skulls in this match.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Rorschach with Full Life wins Turn 2, Round 2.

_____________________________________________________________

Squad Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes.
- What should be the unit's point value? 130-140?
- Give a brief overview. Red Robin doesn’t quite have what it takes to survive well against squads.
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Street Thugs x2 (150)

Spoiler Alert!

Red Robin took the Bat Shurikens here again. He had the offense, but not the defense to keep up with the Thugs, who were enhanced by Asphalt all game.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Street Thugs with 1 squad remaining win Turn 3, Round 2.

_____________________________________________________________

Squad Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes.
- What should be the unit's point value? 120.
- Give a brief overview. This one felt pretty even, until Red Robin’s attack rolls betrayed him near the end.
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin vs. Arkham Inmates x2 (120)

Spoiler Alert!

Height advantage and Bat Shurikens helped Red Robin rule the roost early, but the Arkham Inmates finally caught up to his position and put him down.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Arkham Inmates with 2 figures left win Turn 5, Round 2.

_____________________________________________________________

At this point I upped Red Robin’s defense to 5 and decided to play him at 150 in the Army Tests.

Army Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? .
- What should be the unit's point value? 140-150.
- Give a brief overview. Red Robin, despite the theme of it, really doesn’t fit into this army. He needs to be in a Titan build. He’s also better off with the Shuriken than any other Utility Glyph, except maybe the Kryptonite Gauntlets versus Kryptonians.
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin (150), Batgirl (130), Oracle (110), Black Canary (190), Robin (Damian) (90), Anarky (110), Spoiler (50), Huntress (170) (1,000) vs. Martian Manhunter (300), Flash (250), Wonder Woman (300), Vixen (150) (1,000)

Spoiler Alert!

The synergy for Red Robin’s team just wasn’t great here, and the heavy hitters on the other side proved difficult for them to handle, especially Flash (who bum rushed their startzone and tore many of them up). Robin died with the Emergency First Aid Kit still intact, and made me really realize I should have gone with the Bat Shuriken here.
Martian Manhunter led off for his team, crushing Robin (Damian) before the brat could get into play, and helping Vixen move up behind him. The Gothamites managed to take down the Martian, but Flash came in and Huntress had zero answer for him. He took down Spoiler, Black Canary, and Oracle as well, taking back 3 wounds in the process, and then Red Robin finally finished him off.
Vixen came by next, and Batgirl couldn’t get any luck for Defensive Premonition, then Red Robin managed to finish her off as well with help from an Attack Plan.
An Attack Plan also helped Red Robin in end game versus Wonder Woman, after she took down Anarky, but Red Robin only got one wound in on the Amazon Princess before falling.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Wonder Woman with 1 Wound wins Turn 6, Round 7.

_____________________________________________________________

Army Test
- Does it pass, Yes or No? Yes.
- What should be the unit's point value? 150+
- Give a brief overview. Red Robin felt much better with more synergistic teammates, versus a weaker opponent.
Map: Custom
Units: Red Robin (150), Wonder Girl (140), Lagoon Boy (90), Starfire (210), Cyborg (200) (790) vs. Werewolf x3 (390), Morbius (250), Count Vertigo (160) (800)

Spoiler Alert!

Werewolfs didn’t offer much use here since changing species didn’t do them any good, but their Healing Factors gave them staying power at least.
Red Robin flew in first and tangled with Count Vertigo, who almost took him out one-on-one. Red Robin’s Bo Staff and Attack Plan combo prevailed, though, and he put the final two wounds on Count Vertigo. (Cyborg scored the first two from range, using Red Robin to boost his normal attack’s range).
Red Robin faced down with Morbius next and Morbius just rolled really poorly all around here. Wonder Girl get in the first four wounds on him, and Red Robin snuck in the last two.
The Werewolves came in next and Wonder Girl’s lasso reducing their defense really helped her and Red Robin do well against them (his multiple attacks were key for combating Healing Factor). They finished off the first Werewolf together (Red Robin put 3 wounds on it, one of which got healed), then Wonder Girl fell. Red Robin got two wounds on the next Werewolf (both healed) before falling himself.
Starfire and Cyborg came in next, and finally took out the second Werewolf. But Starfire took two wounds in the process. The final Werewolf managed to finish her off while Lagoon Boy made his way to the battle. Lagoon Boy was able to use Puffed Up for some big attacks that finished the last Werewolf off, though.
Who won and how many wounds did they have? Full Life Lagoon Boy and Cyborg win Turn 4, Round 10.

[IAmBatman]

Tests updated through the squad tests. I'm upping his defense to 5, and then I like him at 150 so far. I hope to do the Army Tests on Wednesday.

[Hahma]

Cool

[IAmBatman]

I lied. I got a second wind and finished him up tonight. I like him as is at 150. 24 hours on the clock!

[Hahma]

Pre-yea for testing at 150

[quozl]

You broke a second wind?
Pre-yea