Freelance Feedback Focus Group (3FG) - New Thread!

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by Astroking112

Range 2 is unlikely to fly because of potential height differences (the spear could theoretically stretch up many levels to attack a figure that's actually much further away), so you might want to go with Reach.

Since Thri-Kreen Assault is modeled after Double Assault and pretty generic, I'd prefer for the power to be called Triple Assault. That lets it be reused pretty easily on any unit in the future, even if they aren't Thri-Kreen.

If you fear rejection on it being just another medium fantasy hero, then don't make it one. You could easily claim that this creature is a race on Marr or some other futuristic planet and design abilities in line with that.

I may add Reach. In the meantime, combining his dexterity, chitin, evasiveness, etc., into a simple 5 Defense, leaving room for other things. Since Thri-kreen can dodge projectiles, I'll project that ability into Whirlwind Defense: +1 Defense to adjacent figures.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by kolakoski

Well met!

What made it so cool?

That was the 80s and ninjas were all the rage. They were insect warriors with boomerang throwing stars essentially, you do not get much cooler than that.


I would start with the throwing wedges if I were to create a design for them but that is me and I am old school.

[Astroking112]

I posted an earlier iteration of this guy in my own customs thread to seek out feedback on the overall design and see how people felt about it, but I'd like to get some more eyes on him if possible. For those unaware, the sculpt is an unused figure from the Mechwarrior Solaris VII Heavy-Class pack that C3V/SoV uses, so I'd like to get a VC-approved design for it out to help improve the value of that pack.

I think the miniature looks like a good fit for the Vulcanmech Incendiborgs from Valkrill, so I thought that designing a unique standalone hero that ties into their aesthetic would be neat. The main unique points of the sculpt seem like the walker legs and the twin missile launchers on the back to me, which are each represented in a single power.

Missile Barrage Special Attack functions the way that it does (choosing two targets and all adjacent figures to affect) to prevent the same figures from being attacked more than once per turn and representing a "lock-on" system for guiding the missiles, similar to many video game portrayals that I played as a kid. It represents a ton of offensive potential, but with only 3 life and 5 defense, M.A.R.S. won't last very long to use it.

Raised Chassis is mostly flavor, since it's heavily match-up dependent, but I also like the slight benefit that it gives to Small figures. It also makes sense when looking at the sculpt, as many figures could reasonably fit under his legs.

I'm mostly looking for thoughts on balance at this point, but I'd also like to know anyone's thoughts on the overall strength of the design or any other musings that people might have.

Thanks to @Lazy Orang for the name, by the way. She gave a great explanation that I completely agree with, so I'll leave it here:

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.

[superfrog]

I might do an attack of 4 for the normal attack. I do like the design in general very much. Simple, but unique.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by superfrog

I might do an attack of 4 for the normal attack. I do like the design in general very much. Simple, but unique.

Great design! [I even have the mini.]

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by superfrog

I might do an attack of 4 for the normal attack. I do like the design in general very much. Simple, but unique.

I can get behind this change. It provides more of a choice between using his normal and special attacks (beyond just having the additional range), and I think that the special attack will remain the best option in most cases, leaving it as a minor buff. Thanks for weighing in!

Also, thanks for the compliment, @kolakoski !

[superfrog]

Yeah, I was thinking especially of DW9K, who has a 3 attack explosion, but a normal attack of 4. Same idea here, so you don't just automatically use the special 100% of the time. The range difference is a factor, but it's not huge.

[Sir Heroscape]

I think it's a solid design! Just a couple things though...

I agree with the move to 4 attack for his normal attack. But I'm pretty wary on the 4 move. That seems pretty uncharacteristic for a soulborg...well...other than the Vulcanmechs I guess (which you mentioned is part of his inspiration)...so maybe not. Is the main reason for the 4 move because his threat range would otherwise be too strong?

My only other qualm would be that you roll once for the special. I don't particularly like it because it really makes him a high risk figure. You either can effect a lot of figures with him and have a high potential or you blank and it was a wasted turn. I'd like to see you roll attack dice separately for the 2 targeted figures. I think this would make him much more reliable and increase his offensive potential, especially with him being so slow and trying to get him into position to pull it off in the first place. I think as is with his special he reminds me too much of DW8K who sounds so strong and scary on paper until you realize that it's pretty unlikely you'll get to "go off" with him on your opponents army. I mean, it happens, but not enough that I've found him an enjoyable figure to try and field consistently. I love the special and the theme you've build and I think this would be a welcome addition to Heroscape, but that special would just be so disheartening if I were to blank. Getting a second shot would help mitigate the disappointment and increase his ability to fill those points...especially with his characteristic low life but lower than usual defense for a soulborg hero.

EDIT: well there is Q10 with 5def and 4life...but again, his offensive potential with his special attacks are very much worth the lower defense.

[superfrog]

Practically speaking, it's not much different than Fire Line. In fact, it's better in at least a few ways: much easier to set up, almost guaranteed two targets, and more max targets. It obviously is worse in that it's only got 3 dice not 4, but the precedent for rolling once for several figures (i.e. more than an explosion) already exists.

Plus, it hits some thematic notes for me. Locked-on targeting rather than separate attacks is cool, and the all-or-nothing vibe is very soulborgy to me.

[Sir Heroscape]

Originally Posted by superfrog

Plus, it hits some thematic notes for me. Locked-on targeting rather than separate attacks is cool, and the all-or-nothing vibe is very soulborgy to me.

You have some good points. I'm kinda tired of "all or nothing" soulbourgs though (at least from Valkrill/Utgar)...Vydar seems to have it figured out (Q10 & Q9). I would just like to see him more of a Q10 type where he's still really solid but not so insane as Q9 and not so risky as DW8K. Idk...just my own opinion. Even still, as is, I really do like him....I guess I just get really discouraged when I try to make high risk figures work and they just end up disappointing...idk ...maybe that's just me.

[Astroking112]

Originally Posted by Sir Heroscape

I think it's a solid design! Just a couple things though...

I agree with the move to 4 attack for his normal attack. But I'm pretty wary on the 4 move. That seems pretty uncharacteristic for a soulborg...well...other than the Vulcanmechs I guess (which you mentioned is part of his inspiration)...so maybe not. Is the main reason for the 4 move because his threat range would otherwise be too strong?

The main reason for the slow movement is because of his high offensive potential with the Special Attack, which is partly why I gave him such a high normal range to compensate.

A lot of his stats were also inspired by the Vulcanmechs, though. The slow movement, great special attack, and 3 life all represent various parts of that squad to mechanically link the two together a little bit.

Originally Posted by Sir Heroscape

My only other qualm would be that you roll once for the special. I don't particularly like it because it really makes him a high risk figure. You either can effect a lot of figures with him and have a high potential or you blank and it was a wasted turn. I'd like to see you roll attack dice separately for the 2 targeted figures. I think this would make him much more reliable and increase his offensive potential, especially with him being so slow and trying to get him into position to pull it off in the first place. I think as is with his special he reminds me too much of DW8K who sounds so strong and scary on paper until you realize that it's pretty unlikely you'll get to "go off" with him on your opponents army. I mean, it happens, but not enough that I've found him an enjoyable figure to try and field consistently. I love the special and the theme you've build and I think this would be a welcome addition to Heroscape, but that special would just be so disheartening if I were to blank. Getting a second shot would help mitigate the disappointment and increase his ability to fill those points...especially with his characteristic low life but lower than usual defense for a soulborg hero.

As someone who uses Zelrig every time when possible, I am painfully aware of how often an explosion attack of 3 can whiff. My original draft for M.A.R.S. had a more normal explosion Special Attack that he could simply use twice, but that led to being able to target the same figures more than once. Even by separating the dice rolls, players can still attack the same figure multiple times (such as in the case of two adjacent targets), so I'm very hesitant on allowing that.

The whiffs will be painful when they do occur, of course, but I think Superfrog has a good point that it's pretty much the norm for SoulBorgs (outside of Q9 and Q10, but I view those as a bit of outliers and don't want to make a unit that strong). The swinginess is almost defining for them, although M.A.R.S. does at least have a little bit of life to compensate.

Originally Posted by Sir Heroscape

...I guess I just get really discouraged when I try to make high risk figures work and they just end up disappointing...idk ...maybe that's just me.

That's definitely not just you. I've actually sworn off of using Deathwalker 9000, because he died to an unboosted Arrow Grut the first time that I fielded him. That said, I still think that the swingy units have a place in HeroScape, and I believe that M.A.R.S. will already disappoint far less often than his Utgar counterparts.

[Sir Heroscape]

And truth be told...you can always boost him up with Beorn Boltcutter and bond him with the Zettian Infantry...which should make him much more useful.

EDIT: I say you update his ATT to 4 and then you're probably good to get him submitted...assuming of course you've playtested him...which if not, then you're probably good to playtest and move forward. I'm excited and interested to see the response and feedback from the judges...officially that is.