Magic: the Gathering Strategy Board Game

[Ixe]

Finally caught up and will add to the chorus. Others have already voiced it, but this game will not be Magic or Heroscape but will be inspired by both. Given the designer and the base games it's drawing from, I think it's very likely to be a good game that is a lot of fun on its own. And sure, you can always mine parts of it for Heroscape just as you can do with many other products. In this case, you could probably even draw inspiration from the design.

It seems that people are a little split over the Magic brand, and reasons for that vary from person to person. I've heard people complain about it for the cost involved and it being a CCG, for the community built around it, or for the crazy combos players can put together. I can't remark on what sort of collectible aspect they'll have with this game, but all of those concerns should be curtailed by the fact that it is going to be smaller. A new product can't suddenly have 20+ years of material behind it and producing miniatures has a much different cost profile than printing cards (molds are expensive). It will appeal to a more niche community and will likely not draw some of the more polarizing elements that have pushed many people away from the game.

I recommend putting aside expectations of this being Heroscape born again and just look at this game for what it is. I'm willing to keep my eye on it and see how what time brings in the coming year.

Spoiler Alert!

I'm putting this in the spoiler since I don't want an ultimately unrelated point distracting from the rest of my post.

Originally Posted by Foudzing

Here's where I am getting:

13 pages in one day on a topic which isn't even about Heroscape whereas the forum has never been so quiet.

You alls talk about "this will revive Heroscape blahblah" but gentlemen the reason why Heroscape (and this site) is dying is not because it's not produced anymore. It's because you need more new stuff to buy or you stop playing.

You all think Heroscape needs new stuff to regularly come out to survive. More than that I think Heroscape needs players...
You all think about buying this thing whereas I am pretty sure you haven't explored 30% of your collection possibilities yet. One over two games I still find some new stuff (synergies, strategies etc..) which can be about a figure released 8 years ago.

Would you buy this thing if Heroscape was still produced? I am pretty sure it's a no for the majority of you.
You are all excited and impatient to buy it because you're in need.

Any drug dealer will tell you that once a junkie is in need, you can sell him cat's herb at 500$ the ounce and he'll be happy. That's exactly what WotC are doing.

I don't see any downside of this for Heroscape neither but hey there is just a new about a game that will look like Heroscape and boom everyone is back on the site like it's magic.

It would be better if, instead of hoping that Heroscape will be revived with new stuff, you keep Heroscape alive yourself.

Heroscape and this site are dying (I'd actually love to see the numbers on the number of active members over time if we have it) not because of lack of new material but for lack of new players.

Any game has a certain life span with its audience (Magic's average player span is 9 years, for instance, which is unusually high), meaning that there will always be an effective death rate and attrition of members. This can happen for any number of reasons, but the point remains that people will slowly and eventually leave any given game. Games are still able to grow when this death rate is offset by a metaphorical birth rate, or the rate at which new players join the game. Multiple things are factored for new players to join, but advertising and product being available for them to have a starting point is key.

With the game discontinued and prices for acquiring older product being so prohibitive, along with lack of advertising for them to even necessarily know about the game, our effective birth rate is exceedingly low while we still suffer the same figurative deaths of members as time passes. And yes, novelty is a means of keeping active members interested in the game and slowing the rates of them leaving, but that only means so much if new people aren't coming in.

[Sweetcurse]

I don't see why the squads being unpainted and have more than 1 life is a problem if you want to use them in HS. You could just call it as a new mechanism in Heroscape, summoned squads. I think it'd be very easy to use this in HS with little adjustment. I like it!

[Hogg]

Originally Posted by Foudzing

Please don't tell me you're hyped by the flat board.

I'm not "hyped up" by it, but I'm not outright dismissive either.

[Dad_Scaper]

Great googley moogley, this thread is bringing out the old timers.

Good to see you posting, Sweetcurse! And Elstree, and the rest of you graybeards!

[Sweetcurse]

We're the ghosts of Scapedays past.

Graybeard indeed.

[A3n]

Originally Posted by Hogg

I'm not "hyped up" by it, but I'm not outright dismissive either.

As a base layer I am. That layer would save a ton on the set-up time & make your other tiles go further since you wouldn't be wasting them on the base layer.

[nate the dawg]

Originally Posted by Hogg

I also think they haven't shown the white summoner yet because it would spoil a plot twist in the Magic universe. It will probably be a new character or someone will switch sides or something. If its hyped up it could boost sales.

Nah. I'd be surprised if it weren't Ajani.

[flameslayer93]

Originally Posted by nate the dawg

Nah. I'd be surprised if it weren't Ajani.

This.

I just don't think they've nailed down who they want to use. Ajani seems the most likely to me though.

[Ixe]

It could always be Gideon, too. With Elspeth out of the stable of white planeswalkers, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it's some new character that they'll debut in the card game around the same time as some cross-promotional thing.

[skyknight]

Absolutely stoked for this....that is all

[IAmBatman]

[Dad_Scaper]

Good God, another one!!!

I'm going to my bunker. Too creepy, with all these guys I'd given up for dead hanging around.