The time has come to start expanding on the Faction thread that Bats got started and I have kept working on. The time has come to add in the C3V and SoV!
[Construction Notice: I'll be working on this thread for the next bit, adding in some units that you know about (like Omegacron) to their appropriate spots.]
(Here is the original thread, for those interested in it. I've left it alone for the purists out there.)
Here is a piece of Bats' original intro:
Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmBatman
I’ve based most of my thoughts on what a Faction “should be” or “could be” on what could probably be considered the closest to “complete” Faction in the game – the Samurai. Basically, when I say “Faction” I mean a group of units in Heroscape that fit together both Thematically and Synergistically. They’re smaller than the divisions between Generals and quite a bit more homogenous. The best way to demonstrate what I’m really talking about here, though, is to talk about what makes a Faction “complete” or not. After all, that’s what all of us “Faction-heads” want, right? Completeness?
A Faction that is complete to OCD type levels would, IMO (and with no particular logic to back this up) include the following “parts”:
A general, a flagbearer, minimum of three unique heroes, minimum of one unique squad [or other "special unit" development, see below], minimum of one ranged “bread and butter” type common squad, minimum of one front line “lockdown” type melee squad, and cavalry/shocktroops.
Most of these are probably self-explanatory, but in the name of this particular mental exercise, let me break these categories down and explain a bit.
Spoiler Alert!
A general
Kato Katsuro is the consummate example of what I mean by a “general”. I honestly doubt we’ll see many of these throughout the factions before we reach an end of Heroscapey goodness, but nothing seems to put a cap on a Faction like a guy who you works best with a 1,000+ point army of all figures from that faction and gives you both order marker flexibility within that faction and/or allows you to activate more than one unit within that faction at one time – basically a figure that grows stronger when you have an army of all that faction and that, likewise, gives your overall army a benefit for being all or mostly of that faction. Guys like Kato, and I would argue Ulginesh and the Marro Hive, all fit this mold and really “seal the deal” for their respect Factions.
A flagbearer
This should be self-explanatory. Though since we seem unlikely to ever get another set of official flagbearers, this would seem to imply that only the Orcs, Primadons, Samurai, Elves, and Knights could ever be complete factions. Like many of these categories, I think some interpretive flexibility must be allowed. Perhaps there are some “unofficial” flagbearers for some of these factions – players that like the Generals benefit from being in armies predominately of that faction and likewise most benefit armies of predominately that faction, but lack the high cost and Order Marker influence of a General.
A minimum of three unique heroes
It’s self-explanatory, but what do I base that number “three” on? Well, I’m counting a general, a flag bearer, and I want one more to show the range and flavor of the faction. An ideal faction might have even more unique heroes than this, but I feel that every faction should have some representation of a unique hero beyond a general and a flagbearer (even if I only give the unique heroes the designation of general and flagbearer in an honorary sense).
A minimum of one unique squad[or other special unit, including Un/Common Heroes]
I put this requirement in because I feel that a truly complete Faction gives us a taste of all the variety that Heroscape has to offer. Common Heroes don’t make the cut because I feel that they were a bit of a failed experiment by the designers of ‘Scape. Sure, Swog Riders are cool and useful, but I don’t think we’re really going to see any new Common Heroes any time soon. Unique Squads, on the other hand, while not as proliferate as Unique Heroes or Common Squads, still do play an important role in the game. Not to mention that my Representative Faction, the Samurai, have three of them. [I've decided to expand this category to better match (a) what is coming out now and (b) the sense that I have that this represents more a question of development and attention, then a specific needed requirement, i.e. the fact that a faction is large enough, developed enough that the designers are adding in specialized units, whether Unique Squads, Uncommon Heroes, or even Common Heroes. --Mmirg]
A minimum of one ranged “bread and butter” type common squad
A full sized faction should be competitive in its grandness. At least to some extent. And part of being competitive in a lot of senses is having a common ranged squad you can build around and put a lot of Order Markers on. That said, I’m somewhat twisting the Jexik concept of “Bread and Butter” here in that some of these Factions currently possess common ranged squads that fill more of a Niche role than a Bread and Butter role, and yet I’ll still be plugging them into this category for the sake of this breakdown.
A minimum of one front line “lockdown” type melee squad
Deathreavers are the prime example of this, of course, but every faction needs its own melee screen to work well. If you’re going to have a bunch of common shooters, you need some cannon fodder to give them separation. A “complete” Faction will have just that. Typically these are Common Squads as well.
Shocktroops
Upon Atmospro’s wise suggestion, I’ve decided to change the name of this group from Cavalry to “Shocktroops.”
Lately we’ve been getting a lot of cavalry units released and they’ve normally been part of a pre-existing Faction. Even the rumored Skeleton Cavalry would fit right into the Undead Faction. Upon further investigation into other Factional groups, I discovered similar groups that move fast and hit hard and decided that these work in the same way.
That said, what exactly make Shocktroops? If we were holding to just Cavalry, we would want our Cavalry to say “Cavalry” on the card, or at least involve a common squad of warriors on mounts. But using the Shocktroops designation opens this category up a bit, allowing us to find a few more units that fulfill this Faction requirement for more Factions than just for the Marro and Knights.
So now that we know what Factions are, and what the “ideal OCD complete” Faction would involve, let’s see how many complete Factions we have, what’s close, what isn’t really a Faction at all, and basically how everything else shakes up.
COMPLETE FACTIONS
Japanese Dynasty []
Spoiler Alert!
General: Kato Katsuro (the “Ur” example) Flagbearer: Hatamoto Taro Unique heroes: Kaemon Awa, Hatamoto Taro, Kato Katsuro, [Otonashi, Isamu, Moriko, Shiori, Kumiko] Unique squad or un/common hero: Izumi Samurai, Kozuke Samurai, Tagawa Samurai, [Ninjas of the Northern Wind]
Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Tagawa Samurai Archers, Ashigaru Harquebus Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Ashigaru Yari, Izumi Samurai (this is really their purpose). Shocktroops: Kozuke Samurai, [Ninjas of the Northern Wind] (Both move fast and hit hard, though they could really use a common Shocktroop as well. Though I don’t usually consider 6 move enough to qualify for this group, Phantom Walk keeps the speedy Ninjas of the Northern Wind from getting tied down before hitting their targets). Comments: This is the next most complete Faction after the Marro/Marrdens, and probably the group that first really got me thinking about this idea of “Factions.” They really seem a set of common Samurai Cavalry away from feeling really, really complete. Although, it’s not like I’d complain to see a Unique Hero that seems to fit the Izumi and Kozuke groups like Kaemon seems to fit the Tagawas. Sub Factions, anyone?
I recently added the Ninjas to this group, which just fills them out even further in content, and gives them tons of options in the Unique Hero and Squad groups [and I’ve put them into brackets, since they strike me as secondary fits to the faction, rather than primary].
Marro/Marrdens
Spoiler Alert!
General: The Marro Hive (Both special powers make it the epitome of a General – not to mention its reliance on the Marro Faction for any hope of victory) Flagbearer: Su-Bak-Na (An honorary nod, because Hive Supremacy does so much for this Faction as a whole). Besides, doesn’t that big reaper thing he carries kind of have a “flag of death” feel to it? Unique heroes: Wo-Sa-Ga, Tor-Kul-Na, Ne-Gok-Sa, Me-Burq-Sa, Kee-Mo-Shi, Su-Bak-Na, Marro Hive, Tul-Bak-Ra (Everything from Hivelords to Warlords to Overlords here. The Marro Faction runneth over with content). Unique squad or un/common hero: Marro Warriors [Intriguing to me, actually, that they do not have any Un/Common Heroes at all, given their expansiveness otherwise.] Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Marro Stingers, Marro Drudge (even though they can’t compete with the Stingers really) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Marro Drones, Marrden Nagrubs (?), Marro Dividers (they, perhaps, fill this role better than their predecessors, especially if you’re rolling hot on the D20, because they not only defy death, they resurrect on the spot, tying up enemies for what could seem like an eternity). Shocktroops: Grok Riders, Marrden Hounds (with their speed and function, they really fit here better than as a melee screen, IMO), Marro Gnids Comments: The Marro don’t really need the Marrdens to fill things out, but they're a happy bonus, and it’s not like the Marrdens are amounting to anything on their own. This might be the most “complete” Faction in the game, though we’re getting more of them anyway – I’m hoping for more Warlords (also, an official flagbearer wouldn’t hurt). [C3V alert--more coming here soon...]
Orc and Beast
Spoiler Alert!
General: Ornak - ? (he does similar things as Ulginesh, the Marro Hive, and Kato with his powers, as many posters pointed out to me. Though I’d still accept a future Orc Overlord/King type of figure). Flagbearer: Ornak Unique heroes: Grimnak, Nerak, Tornak, Ornak, Mimring, Krug Unique squad or un/common hero: Swog Rider, Ice Troll Berserker, [and through the Death Chasers: Ogre Pulverizer, Ogre Warhulk] (I know Orcs are typically depicted as rank and file types, but an “elite” unique squad or two with special weaponry could be a lot of fun, I think). Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Arrow Gruts (still one of the best in the game). Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Blade Gruts, Heavy Gruts (the former is more for speed and numbers and the latter for when you really want to put the hurt on. So they fill similar roles, but not identical ones). Shocktroops: Death Chasers of Thesk, Swog Riders Comments: I'd still like to see more from these guys. Really they’re only an Orc King/Chief/Warlord and an Elite Orc squad or two from being a darn complete Faction. Though if they wanted to throw in some more Orcs on various prehistoric mounts for a truer Cavalry type of Shocktroop, I wouldn’t complain about that either. Updates: So glad to see more love to this faction. I can't wait to try these guys out with the Death Chasers and/or the Ice Troll. I love my AGs and Swogs, now I got more reasons to pull them out
(NEAR) COMPLETE FACTIONS
Deathborgs
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: Warden 816 is close (His Guard Leadership gives him the Faction synergy to qualify, but he’s not a great example) Unique heroes: Deathwalker 7000, Deathwalker 8000, Deathwalker 9000, Warden 816 Unique squad or un/common hero: Zettian Guards Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Zettian Infantry Ffront line “lockdown” type melee squad: Deathreavers (and they’re darn good at it) Shocktroops: Deathstalkers (Now that I’ve re-envisioned this group, the Deathstalkers are a perfect fit). Comments: Utgar’s Soulborgs seem to be only a General (I'd sure love to see a DeathCommander come out!) and a common ranged squad away from being a pretty complete faction (could the SoV be filling this hole soon?). The latter’s still quite the gaping hole, though, especially when it comes to being competitive.
Elven Fantasy []
Spoiler Alert!
General: Ulginesh Flagbearer: Acolarh Unique heroes: Emirroon, Morsbane, Chadris, Jorhdawn, Arkmer, Kyntela Gwyn, Sonlen, Syvarris, Ulginesh, Acolarh, Haduc, and to a lesser extent Brandis Skyhunter, Sharwin Wildborn, and maybe Erevan Sunshadow Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Aubrien Archers Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Warriors of Ashra Shocktroops: Theracus (I now feel he solidly belongs here, though there is plenty of room for more, like Elves on Pegasi or Unicorns) Comments: One of the better examples of a Faction – it really has most of the things I’m looking for.
MELEE FACTIONS (these factions are fairly complete, most notably lacking ranged units)
Drow and Arachnids (new!) (still a developing faction really, but also a melee faction, for now)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: None (but I’ll suggest Estivara here for the Spider boost) Unique heroes: Estivara and Pelloth (and related through bonding, Sujoah) Unique squad or un/common hero: Drow Chainfighter [and, perhaps, the Wyvern] Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Deepwyrm Drow, Fyorlag Spiders (not the best lockdown units, unless, of course, they actually manage to pull off their web special!) Shocktroops: Again, the Spiders can work here as well, with their speed (esp. if the Venoc Warlord is mixed (unthematically) in here) and even more so when bonded with their fast and disruptive predators (Sujoah and Wyvern, even if the theme gets shaky at this point). Comments: This is the closest thing to a “D&D Faction” that we have so far. The Drow could be like the Marro and continue to grow in interesting ways. There are enough of them to make this a faction with potential; we’ll see... [Could there be more here with the SoV and C3V...]
Dwarves
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (A Dwarf Elder or Dwarf King would be the bee’s knees ). Flagbearer: None (Though for now I’ll place Mogrimm here in parentheses; he is the Initiative Flagbearer, if you will). Unique heroes: Migol Ironwill, Darrak Ambershard, Mogrimm Forgehammer, Ulfrid Hornwrangler Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Axegrinders. Though their defense could be stronger to make this choice feel better. Shocktroops: None (When the Axegrinders forgo bonding for a move of six, they’re close, but I don’t think they’re quite speedy enough). Comments: The Dwarves are growing, still not like the Knights, but getting there. And a Dwarf flagbearer for Aquilla would be awesome. Can the C3V or SoV offer this...
Gladiators
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: Spartacus (he’s really a bit of a hybrid in the mold of Ornak/Gilbert. He’s more of a Flagbearer than a General, due to his synergies being stat based rather than offering extra figure activations, but would the Gladiators really ever have another General than Spartacus?). Unique heroes: Crixus, Retiarius, Spartacus, Priscus Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Capuan Gladiators (Steamroller! They’re a three figure, bonding, four defense common melee squad so long as they’re properly “inspired.” Not bad). Shocktroops: None (Would love some chariots ‘o fire). Comments: I think we’ve probably seen about as much development as we’re going to from the official powers that be on this one. But what we have is a pretty darn nice, if “incomplete,” faction that offers plenty of thematic playability. In my best of all worlds, we’d get those javelin throwers and/or chariots too. I think this is a great example of how not every “Faction” is really meant to be “filled out” in the way this post suggests.
Valiant Knights
Spoiler Alert!
General: Sir Gilbert (He fits this role in a similar way to how Ornak fits his. Still, I’d love to see a King Arthur/Pendragon/King Richard the Lion Hearted figure that made Dupis and the Templars more competitive, for example). Flagbearer: Sir Gilbert Unique heroes: Sir Dupis, Sir Denrick, Sir Gilbert, and (arguably) Concan and even Alastair, Thorgrim, and Finn due to synergies and Valiancy (I removed Sir Hawthorne). Unique squad or un/common hero: None (Much like the Orcs, I’d love to see a couple of squads of Knights with unique weaponry or some kind of sergeant figure. For now unless we add in the not Valiant Tarn Vikings, we have nothing here). Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None (there’s a reason people clamor for Crossbowmen and Longbowmen). Ffront line “lockdown” type melee squad: The Knights of Weston (and they’re one of the best at this). Shocktroops: Templar Cavalry and perhaps Sir Dupis Comments: Anybody with a flag bearer is a good candidate for Factioning. A General in the mode of King Richard the Lion Hearted, a squad of Elite Knight Guards, and some Crossbowmen or Longbowmen would really make this Faction “pop.” Another idea I saw that I really liked would be a Merlin-esque hero to fit in with this group. [This faction is easily expanded by including the Vikings and/or Highlanders, who share a general and could be called something like Noble Knights & Warriors.]
Vipers [with a stretch ]
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: Venoc Warlord (Another unofficial flagbearer, but his overarching synergy with all other current Vipers qualifies him, IMO) Unique heroes: Venoc Warlord (An Armoc Warlord would be great) [C3V has a surprise coming here!] Unique squad or un/common hero: Elite Onyx Vipers Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None (This is why people clamor for Spitting Vipers – even with a range of 3, they could add a lot to a Viper Faction). Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Armoc Vipers (and they bond with the Warlord, which is always a plus for a Faction. I would love to see some “Constrictors” here as well. I forget who came up with this great idea, but thanks!). Shocktroops: Venoc Vipers (A perfect fit in this revised category. Maybe the best fit out there, as Venocs are meant to be charged in and attacked with until they’re gone, Kamikaze or Light Brigade style. They have a move of 7, or 9 with the Venoc Warlord, don’t have to stop for water, and have frenzy potential. They’re as fast as any cavalry out there, and it’s not as if we’re going to get any mounted Vipers … that’s just silly). Comments: Interestingly this one’s somewhat underdeveloped but already has a couple of subfactions in the Armoc and Venoc arenas. That said, I don’t think it’d be terribly hard to fill this Faction out a bit if the creators were interested. Heck, spitting vipers and an Armoc Warlord with “General” like powers would mostly do it. [We could add in units that look like the Vipers, such as the Hydra or the Sahuagin Raider, etc., but since there is no real link or synergy between them, I’ve left them off.]
Undead
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (Though thematically Cyprien fits, even if not in gameplay)
Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Cyprien Esenwein, Sonya Esenwein, Iskra Esenwein, Marcu Esenwein, Sudema, Nicholas Esenwein Unique squad or un/common hero: Rechets of Bogdan, Zombie Hulk, Preyblood Thrall, Deathstrike Thrall, Skull Demon Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None (skeleton archers, anyone?) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Zombies of Morindan, Death Knights, Skeletons of Annellintia Shocktroops: Shades of Bleakewoode (move 7 fliers definitely qualify), Rechets of Bogdan, and Phantom Knights. (Too bad we never got the official Skeleton Cavalry, but they remain a possible Fanscape future addition, perhaps...). Comments: Probably the most developed Faction in the developing Faction group. If you can’t have a ranged Common Squad, might as well have multiple melee Common Squads. But I’d still feel better about this faction if Cyprien had powers that were synergistic with more of the Undead as a whole (or if we got another General in his stead) and if there was a ranged Common Squad to be had. This one also has Sub-Faction potential with Vampires and Zombies. But where would that leave Sudema and the Shades? Perhaps “Uber Faction” is a better direction for this group, and I did include them in such a Faction lower down in this post. [The C3V/SoV will definitely leave a mark on this faction... Might even end up splitting it up... Maybe very soon...]
RANGED FACTIONS (these factions focus on ranged firepower—and perhaps really like to draft Deathreavers )
Agents (Now with Primadons!)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (But for now Agent Skahen is the best we have, with her Cover Fire allowing for non-turn movement at least. What I would love to see is an Agency Director with powers similar to Kato would be really cool. Ninthdoc actually made a pretty sweet Nick Fury custom along these lines. Add in Zaeus and the Nakitas and you have something like a General figure for part of this faction.) Flagbearer: Laglor (though his boosts go well beyond his Faction). Unique heroes: Agent Carr, Agent Skahen, Laglor, Zaeus Unique squad or un/common hero: Nakita Agents, Krav Maga Agents, Command Courier Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Microcorp Agents Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: None. [I’m disagreeing with IAB and putting the G-nators as Shocktroops, because of their speed and range—allowing them to target start zones easily and rapidly, if, sadly, not always that effectively. For now, while the G-nators may be the closest thing to a “lockdown” troop the Agents have, I’m moving them to Shocktroops.] Shocktroops: Gorillinators. (Not the best fit. As IAB says, “I’ve seen lots of ideas on this board for Agents with jet packs or jet boots, either of which I think would best fulfill this requirement. I’d also still love Apes on scooters (or trikes!). ”) Comments (IAB): They’re agents, so I’m almost tempted to forgo the front line lockdown melee category for them. It wouldn’t make that much sense for agents to be without guns, so they’d be ranged by default. Primadons were previously a separate category, before many posters (wisely) pointed out to me that the Primadons are agents. I already saw the thematic and synergistic overlaps between the two groups, so I was happy to add the Primadon units to the Agent Faction. With this addition, the Agents are really challenging the Undead for “most developed of the developing Factions” status.
American Soldiers (Marvel)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (Would literally be a General, though, I imagine. Mr. Washington, perhaps?) Flagbearer: Captain America (he boosts the move of all soldiers, fits in a 4th Mass army perfectly, and, thematically, fought in WWII. Not to mention the attack and defense bonuses he gives with his Tactician power. A Paul Revere custom would still be cool). Unique heroes: Sgt. Drake (RotV and SotM), Capt. Varan, Captain America (I love the idea of a Rocketeer type hero as an addition here. Thanks for the idea, Soundwarp SG-1!). Unique squad or un/common hero: The Airborne Elite Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: 4th Massachusetts Line (and probably the best one in the game). Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: None (though the valiant 4th do work here well enough--nothing like point blank WTF) Shocktroops: Airborne Elite (Their Drop ability lets them get right into the midst of fighting. I’d love to see more conventional Shocktroops, but that would likely necessitate vehicles, at least motorcycles or horses, though I don’t really think “Cavalry” for American Revolutionaries or Civil War soldiers). Comments: I still love those lil green army men, and want to see WWII troops more fleshed out as a Sub Faction, but on the suggestions of others in this thread I’ve created the wider “American Soldier” Faction. Once I realized that Cap is a lynchpin between the 4th Mass and the greenies, it seemed too perfect to resist. It’s also propelled this into the “developing Faction” category. Between potential WWII German troops, Red Skull, and the already existent 10th Regiment, this group also has plenty of thematic enemies. Cold War Russians would probably fit in as well. After all, what makes Factions more fun than that “A VS. B” feel? As for the “American Soldier” Faction itself, I’d still love to see Shocktroops and a “General” but they’re fairly close to complete otherwise. Well, OK, and a melee lockdown squad. There’s a reason they’re still in the “developing” category.
Cronborgs
Spoiler Alert!
General: Omegacron Flagbearer: None Minimum of three unique heroes: Omegacron, Zetacron (would love to see more) Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Omnicron Snipers Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Omnicron Repulsors (Though they’re really more of an “anti-lockdown” squad, considering how they dispense with Reavers. And they’re technically not melee, but their powers encourage you to engage with them and that ranged attack of one has limited use). Shocktroops: None (I’m still in favor of Omnicron Wardogs. Or maybe Alphacron to mix it up. If you wanted to get literal with “shock” the Repulsors and their EMP Reponse are a good fit here ). Comments: Wave 9 made it official. These guys are a developing Faction. The Repulsors add a front-line lockdown type squad which, though a bit delicate, can strike some fear in opposing armies and certainly boosts the playability of the Snipers. They're still well short of a fully fleshed out Faction, but two common squads and one hero gives them full fledged Developing Faction status. I’d most like to see some Shocktroops added here, though another hero or two wouldn’t hurt either. And now Omegacron makes these guys clearly more and more of a faction...
EMERGENT FACTIONS
Dragonkind (new!)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (wouldn't it be cool though...) Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Zelrig, Nilfheim, Braxas, Othkurik, Mimring, Charos, Moltenclaw, Zogross, and perhaps Rhogar Dragonspine (could the C3V have more in store here...) Unique squad or un/common hero: Black Wyrmling, Blue Wyrmling, Red Wyrmling, White Wyrmling (The Wyrmlings are common heroes and of course, most of the unique dragons actually function like a unique squad, multiattacking from a single OM (and some might consider the Hydra and/or Wyvern as related units, though I'm unconvinced they belong here.) Could the SoV add in a Green Wyrmling... Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None (though all the Wyrmlings kind of belong here, since they all have ranged attacks, are common, and do link to each other, forming a kind of mini ranged squad effect) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Greenscale Warriors Shocktroops: Zelrig fits here, though there is nothing like the standard shocktroops for the Dragons Comments: This is an intriguing point of growth, especially with the recent D&D focus. If other Lizardfolk, Dragonborn, and/or types of dragons are added to the game. Definitely potential here, though this faction is never likely (imo) to look like a generic faction.
Guard Duty [] []
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: Warden 816 (close enough) Unique heroes: Gurei Oni, Tor-Kul-Na (through Nagrub bonding), DW9K (via Zettian Guard synergy), Eltahale (in name only) Unique squad or un/common hero: Zettian Guards, Dumutef Guards, Drow Chainfighter Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Blastatrons Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Granite Guardians, Obsidian Guards, Gladiatrons (via Blastatron movement bonding; the ultimate 'lockdown' unit), Death Knights (through Dumutef Guard bonding), Nagrubs Shocktroops: None Comments: With the exception of the well-defined General/Flagbearer roles (which are important roles, obviously), this faction is remarkably complete. Warden 816 potentially fits either role, Guard-wise, while Eltahale has a very loose connection to the group (in name, only). Still, as a member of the Warden class, she can bring a powerful, anti-hero attack to the group in her own right.
Imperial Soldiers (renamed/reconceived)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (Caesar?) Flagbearer: Marcus Decimus Gallus (I think he synergizes well enough with all the soldiers to fit here) Unique heroes: Marcus, Parmenio, and, perhaps, Valguard Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: 10th Regiment of Foot (one of the best), Roman Archers (though they aren’t real great at actually filling this role competitively) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Roman Legionnaires, The Sacred Band Shocktroops: None (I think the common desire is for Chariots, War Elephants, something…) Comments: I’ve combined three of IAB’s factions into one and, honestly, I like it. (It’s also something he mentioned as an uber faction, but I think works well as a single faction, at least until/unless one of these factions distinguishes itself in some way.) It isn’t as tight a faction as some, but the imperial soldier theme and MDG’s soldier bonuses make this a fun, highly synergistic, and fairly thematic faction.
Kyrie (newly added)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: Atlaga is as close as we have Unique heroes: Atlaga, Concan, Kelda, Kiova, Raelin (RotV and SotM), Runa, Saylind, Taelord, Tyrian Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Protectors of Ullar (pricey, but something) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Sentinels, Minions (again, pricey, but they can each be quite effective) Shocktroops: None (but the Einar Imperium, properly boosted (Atlaga and/or MDG), can serve here) Comments: I’ve added this as a developing faction. It doesn’t match with some of the others (in part because the kyrie are expensive and spread out across generals with only the lightest (i.e. Atlaga) bit of synergy, but I feel they qualify as a bud.
Tronborgs
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (General Q1? Z1?) Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Major Q9, Major Q10, Major X17 Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Blastatrons Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Gladiatrons (Great example of this group) Shocktroops: None
Comments: I could see potential expansion here, but it seems just as likely that this Faction remains as is, save another unique hero or two. Still, they’re not that far from being “complete” if the designers/custom makers wanted to go in that direction. Either way, this "partial" faction is one of the tightest and toughest armies out there...
Warriors of the Old Frontier (renamed/reconceived)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None – Maybe a Marshall, Chief, or Outlaw leader would be appropriate (I could see this eventually dividing into two or three Factions) Flagbearer: None (A Prospector type unit might be cool for this, I think) Unique heroes: Deadeye Dan, Johnny “Shotgun” Sullivan, James Murphy, Guilty McCreech, Brave Arrow Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Mohican River Tribe Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Mohican River Tribe (these, like the 10th Regiment, can be their own best lockdown units). Shocktroops: None Comments: For now, I’ve grouped our Lawmen and Native Americans. I know that some will balk at this, but until I see some changes, I’d rather see these guys working together—they have similar origins and theme, and did historically work often together.
Wolves
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: Khosumet (like the Venoc Warlord, he bonds or synergizes with every unit in the group) Unique heroes: Khosumet Unique squad or un/common hero: Dumutef Guard and the Werewolf Lord (and, to a degree, Van Nessing) Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Wolves of Badru (They’re wolves, I think the closest we’re going to get to this one is a range 3 pounce) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Anubian Wolves Shocktroops: None (though the Wolves of Badru also somewhat fill this one) Comments: With the coming of the Werewolf Lord, this group gets a nice boost and is one step closer to feeling like a full faction. The Death Knights have shook things up a bit, offering bonding with the Dumutef--and opening up the the broader "Horror" faction (below)--perhaps now with Taelord, Death Knights, Dumutef, etc. all together
FACTION BUDS (interestingly, these all seem to be melee factions in the works (with some slight exceptions)--we'll see if these remain that way or not)
These are Factions that could be, maybe should be, but really aren’t quite there yet. Sometimes they’re only one army, sometimes two, but they always seem to represent a theme that has some potential for expansion. (Fanscape, anyone...)
Elementals
Spoiler Alert!
General: Kurrok Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Kurrok Unique squad or un/common hero: Greater Ice Elemental and all the Elementals Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None (though the Water Elemental, en masse, with Kurrok can qualify) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: None (though, again, we can count the Earth Elemental here—or for the opposite effect, locking down melee, the Air Elemental, and if you just want to fry the melee units, use the Fire Elemental) Shocktroops: None (though, on a good water map, the Water Elemental can function a bit like this) Comments: Definitely room to grow; we’ll see--already had a few things pop up in the SoV... (If you want to be more expansive (but much less synergistic) you can, of course, also include the Obsidian Guards, the Dzu-Teh, the Quasatch Hunters, and the Granite Guardians as well.)
Highlanders (melee)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Alastair MacDirk (Perhaps there … can be only one?) [Of course, Gilbert also works well here, just not purely in the "faction."] Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: MacDirk Warriors (Though they’re more about killing than locking down, IMO. They just lack the speed to qualify as Shocktroops). Shocktroops: None Comments: They’re part of a great Fusion Faction with the Knights, but they’re not much on their own.
(Tarn) Vikings (melee)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Thorgrim, Finn, Eldgrim (and, loosely, Valguard, though of course not in any pure sense) Unique squad or un/common hero: Tarn Viking Warriors Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None (Viking Axe Throwers, anyone?) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: None (But I think one could easily fit into the wider game). Shocktroops: None (The Tarn Vikings only qualify if the D20 is really on your side). Comments: We got three out of four units in the first Master set and not much since! I’d love to see some common Vikings so we could finally see this Faction take off.
Creepy Crawlies (non-Drow version) (melee)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None (And since we’ve already covered the whole “Hive” thing with the Marro, this one might be hard to come by). Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Sujoah Unique squad or un/common hero: Wyvern Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None (Plenty of options though...) Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: None (Some giant ants or army beetles would be awesome here). Shocktroops: Fyorlag Spiders (They’re more about speed than durability, thus the move to this category). Comments: OK, so there’s not much here, but it’s definitely a theme developing in Aquilla, so it seems there’s room for expansion as a Faction, even if not to the point where we’re really getting things like a General or Flagbearer. I could at least see some more unique heroes, and definitely more common melee squads. Maybe even a squad with some ranged venom.
Monks (melee)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: Master Win Chiu Woo (OK, not technically, but I feel like his Master’s Influence lets him qualify) Unique heroes: Just Woo Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Shaolin Monks Shocktroops: Shaolin Monks probably fit here too. Comments: Not one I really see much growth potential for, but it's possible. A few more unique heroes would be really cool. Cavalry and ranged commons seem doubtful. I’m actually quite happy with them like this, though, as I could see Woo and innumerable Shaolin Monks in a great “versus” battle against 1,000 points of Ninjas or Samurai. (I disagree with IAB a bit on this one. I think there could be some real opportunity to expand and grow the Monks, perhaps linking to other Monk groups and concepts.)
Warforged (melee)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Heirloom, Siege Unique squad or un/common hero: None (but I think we might see this filled...) Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Warforged Soldiers Shocktroops: None Comments: We’ll see if this faction grows at all. There is definitely room for growth, but so far it is a tiny bud. I’m hopeful that more may come, so I’ve included this faction here.
Dark Knights (melee)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: None
Unique heroes: Sir Hawthorne Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Death Knights Shocktroops: Phantom Knights Comments: Again, this is just the tiniest bud, but Jerry deserves at least that. Now that he can bond with the Death Knights and the Phantom Knights are around to run interference, well, this faction has some possibilities...
Mariedians
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: Kira Jax Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: M-43s Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: None Shocktroops: None Comments: Another truly tiny faction, but I, for one, hope that changes...
Varkaanans (melee)
Spoiler Alert!
General: None Flagbearer: None Unique heroes: None Unique squad or un/common hero: None Ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None Front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Varkaanan Blade Dancers Shocktroops: None Comments: Change is coming...
FACTION SEEDS (still have a long way to go, but the units we have really resonate theme and faction potential)
Spoiler Alert!
Dreadgulls
Probably the one comment I’ve gotten most often in this thread is “why isn’t Valguard with the Vikings?” I’ll tell you why – because he’s their sworn enemy. Synergy aside, putting Valguard with the Vikings would be like putting Orcs and Elves together. Thematically criminal. Instead, right now, he and a few of those nifty “Journal Entries” are official “buds” for a future Dreadgull faction (are they “evil” Vikings? Barbarians? I’m not really sure).
So far, though, it’s just Valguard here. [I’ve gone ahead and added him to the Imperial theme, as a Warlord, though, really he’s still mostly an odd man out…]
Doggins
OK, right now it’s just Dund, but the desire for a squad or other unit that bonds or synergizes with him makes me think that maybe, just maybe, a Doggin Faction could one day be a reality. (And Skahen is there to help a little...)
But, yeah, for now, I doubt it.
Goblins
Could be that the Horned Skull Brutes and Goblin Cutters may grow into a faction. Kurrok is a sort of fit in here, but more in name only. Seems like I've seen some units lurking around the SoV...
SUB FACTIONS
Just as an area of further discussion, there’s the thought that some categories could be broken down further. Maybe I’m deconstructing a bit too much with some of these though as I’m not sure many of these categories are really expandable within themselves. The ones I find most interesting are those that seem to point to some type of Political/Tribal/Special loyalties, like Weston/Templar, Izumi/Kozuke/Tagawa, or Armoc/Venoc.
Spoiler Alert!
Marro/Marrden – Marro – Warlords and Cavalry; Hivelords; Hive and Common Squads, and what the heck to do with Overlords?
Marrdens (Hounds and Nagrubs) Samurai – Izumi; Kozuke; Tagawa (between the Samurai, the Samurai Archers, and Kaemon, this one feels pretty deep). Elves – Wizards; Archers; Warriors (they really need a hero to put them on even footing). Orcs – Ranged Gruts; Melee Gruts; Mounted Gruts Valiant Knights – Weston; Templar Deathborgs – Walkers; Stalkers; Reavers; Guards Undead – Ghosts (Shades); Vampires; Zombies; Mummies; Skeletons (?) Vipers – Armocs; Venocs; Onyx Agents – Krav Maga (Carr and Skahen both fit this color scheme), Nakita, Microcorp Wolves – Anubians (Khosumet fits this sculptwise); Badrus, Dumutefs, Werewolf Lord Vydar Soulborgs – Major X’s; Major Q’s; Trons Roman Soldiers – Archers; Legionnaires; Warlords
UBERFACTIONS (Previously Faction Fusion)
If going small doesn’t work, why not go big? I mean really big!
Some Factions just seem more complete together than apart. I put the Marro-Marrdens as a single Faction, just because they don’t seem to exist as separate at all. But this category lists some Factions that do all right apart and offer even more synergy (and at least decent thematics) together. Many of these were put together into larger Factions at the bequest of posters in this thread.
[I’ve left this here, though, as you can see, I’ve also included much of this in the parts above as well. I think my sense of faction is generally more expansive than IAmBatman’s was. I wanted to leave this here as a note of the differences in the ways of conceiving these factions—and because some of these are beyond what I have included as well; they are even too uber for me .]
Spoiler Alert!
Heroic Warriors General: None Flagbearer: Sir Gilbert Minimum of three unique heroes: Sir Gilbert, Sir Dupis, Sir Denrick, Alastair MacDirk, Thorgrim, Finn, Eldgrim. A minimum of one unique squad or un/common hero: The Tarn Vikings. A minimum of one ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None. A minimum of one front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Knights of Weston, MacDirk Warriors. Shocktroops: Templar Cavalry, Sir Dupis. Comments: This doesn’t do much for the Silver Knight Faction beyond adding a unique squad, but it does bring in plenty more bonding options for the Knights of Weston, as well as giving the Highlanders and Vikings a fuller Faction to call home. (I still want more Vikings, though! ).
Horror General: None. Flagbearer: Khosumet (he’s not as good a fit as before, but he’s not bad). Minimum of three unique heroes: Cyprien Esenwein, Sonya Esenwein, Iskra Esenwein, Marcu Esenwein, Sudema, Khosumet (maybe even Taelord and perhaps Runa). A minimum of one unique squad or un/common hero: Rechets of Bogdan, the Werewolf Lord, Dumutef Guard A minimum of one ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Wolves of Badru and Mezzodemon Warmongers (neither is a true bread and butter ranged unit, but they both offer options--because of their durability, I also list the Mezzos under lockdown melee units below) A minimum of one front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Zombies of Morindan, Anubian Wolves, Death Knights, Mezzodemon Warmongers, (maybe even Minions of Utgar). Shocktroops: Shades of Bleakewoode, Wolves of Badru, Phantom Knights Comments: Basically this is an oft requested combination of the Undead and Wolf Factions. The combination gives the wolves some more finesse, and the undead some more, well, teeth in a squad of powerful melee attackers and another with speed and limited range. [Now the Death Knights are out, this becomes more viable and intriguing. With some cross factional bonding, but still within a broad Horror theme--demons, wolves, undead--this is an intriguing point of current growth.]
Norse Mythology General: None (too bad there’s no Thor for Marvelscape!). Flagbearer: None. Minimum of three unique heroes: Finn, Thorgrim, Eldgrim, Migol Ironwill, Jotun. A minimum of one unique squad or un/common hero: Tarn Viking Warriors. A minimum of one ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: None. A minimum of one front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Axegrinders of Burning Forge. Shocktroops: None. Comments: Basically this combines Viking warriors, Dwarves, and Giants, all directly from Norse Mythology. This one was suggested by a poster (I forget whom, sorry! Remind me and I’ll give credit, though) and I liked it a lot.
Kyrie General: None. Flagbearer: Atlaga (Just about all the heroes could qualify, but Atlaga increases the speed of all Kyrie specifically). Minimum of three unique heroes: Raelin (x2), Concan, Kelda, Saylind, Atlaga, Empress Kiova, Taelord the overcosted, Runa. A minimum of one unique squad or un/common hero: None A minimum of one ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Ullar’s Protectors (finally a kyrie with range! And it helps make this cohesive group feel more like a Faction). A minimum of one front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Sentinels of Jandar (who are perfect for this), Minions of Utgar, The Einar Imperium. Shocktroops: None (both the Minions and Einar Imperium would qualify with just a little more speed). Comments: Throwing these all together may go against the storyline, but they look cool as a set (what with all the wings) and they come pretty close to filling the requirements of a Faction this way, thanks to Wave 9’s additions.
Soulborg General: None. Flagbearer: None. Minimum of three unique heroes: Zetacron, Deathwalker 9000, Deathwalker 8000, Deathwalker 7000, Major X17, Major Q9, Major Q10. A minimum of one unique squad or un/common hero: Zettian Guards. A minimum of one ranged “bread and butter” type common squad: Omnicron Snipers, Blastatrons. A minimum of one front line “lockdown” type melee squad: Deathreavers, Gladiatrons, Repulsors. Shocktroops: None. Comments: Someone mentioned something about combining all of these, so I thought it was worth a look. It mostly results in redundancies, though, so considering the thematic element I feel these are better (more fun for me anyway) kept separate. Rats do, of course, go with anything (except maybe Repulsors!).
I’ve left a lot of IAmBatman’s work here, in part because I like the way his ideas and mine agree (and don’t agree), creating a kind of dialog here that is informing. I’ve also left it because the core of the work is still very much his. I loved this thread from the first time I saw it and am glad to have inherited it, so to speak. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and help us all rough out the unofficial factions of Heroscape. --Mmirg
July 26th, 2011, 05:25 PM
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(still a developing faction really, but also a melee faction, for now)
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