Why Customs? A Philosophic Discussion

[kolakoski]

Well met!

A recent discussion within our gaming group (New York City Gang of Four) has made me newly aware of just how subjectively diverse our opinions about customs really are. I suggested that Valkrill's Justice was a brilliant collection of customs. Most of the others in our group were not at all impressed. Similarly, as I peruse the various custom sites herein, including C3V/SoV, most do not speak to me. Note: I do not claim any special view here; on the contrary, my ignorance in so many areas with respect to 'Scape is glaring. Marcus Aurelius said, "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."

[DarthLegolas]

I've recently started making customs because it's simply a great creative outlet. I love Heroscape and I'm fascinated by game design; so it's great fun to write out, create, and flesh out my ideas into something feasibly playable. I think I mainly differ from a lot of the current custom creators in that my ultimate goal is not to make it into SOV, (though that would be very cool) but rather it is to get these ideas out of my head and share them with people to get their takes.

In discussions, I've noticed that a "wow" factor is never really brought up. I think more people are striving for customs to be meticulously adjusted until they are fair and balanced for competitive play and less about what makes a unit cool and exciting in the first place. I don't want to use the word "uptight" but that's sort of the feel I get from some threads. There's probably not a whole lot of truth to that, but it has also been difficult for me to get any feedback at all so it's hard to say where people's minds are at.

I love browsing customs just to see other's creative ideas, and I think the C3G and SOV are great.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

My comments in red:

Originally Posted by DarthLegolas

I've recently started making customs because it's simply a great creative outlet. I love Heroscape and I'm fascinated by game design; so it's great fun to write out, create, and flesh out my ideas into something feasibly playable. I think I mainly differ from a lot of the current custom creators in that my ultimate goal is not to make it into SOV, (though that would be very cool) but rather it is to get these ideas out of my head and share them with people to get their takes.

I'm with you. But verbalization/writing is not enough. They must be played. Although SoV is a worthy process, presenting customs at my Hosting a few times a year (with an occasional extra play test date) should suffice for the interim.

In discussions, I've noticed that a "wow" factor is never really brought up. I think more people are striving for customs to be meticulously adjusted until they are fair and balanced for competitive play and less about what makes a unit cool and exciting in the first place. I don't want to use the word "uptight" but that's sort of the feel I get from some threads. There's probably not a whole lot of truth to that, but it has also been difficult for me to get any feedback at all so it's hard to say where people's minds are at.

It has been difficult for me to get substantive feedback. So it's hard to say where people's minds are at. "What makes a unit cool and exciting in the first place" is so subjective. I do not think "meticulously adjusted until they are fair and balanced for competitive play" and "what makes a unit cool and exciting in the first place" are mutually exclusive; however, they are a challenge to achieve.

I love browsing customs just to see other's creative ideas, and I think the C3G and SOV are great.

Same here!

[Shiftrex]

Originally Posted by kolakoski

Well met!

My comments in red:

I personally don't strive for SoV. I've got an entry in that's been there a few years, staying the course because I know some players bought those units and I've received encouragement to continue. So I'll work at it until it passes, that can be a 10 year project if it must.

I agree that customs should be played. That is the entire point of them. It's quite comparable to writing, made by the people that want to be published. People that want to have their books published want people to read them because it is an experience to share. That's why I'm doing work at NGC, pursuing some things that I think are very fun.

I halfway agree with you on the topic of units being exciting versus having a wow factor. It is true that a well adjusted unit can have a lot of wow factor. I think there is a large misconception about what is balanced, what is fun, and what fits in the game. VC should not be a measurement of any of these. That isn't to say that they do not fit the picture of well adjusted and tuned in many cases, nor that they are missing units that have wow factor.

Rather, that they excel in creating a particular experience. That particular experience is not necessarily "Heroscape" but rather a specific interpretation and perception of "Heroscape." I have had issues in the past because I wanted to be a part of that experience and contribute to it, quite earnestly because I love designing and creating for this game system. However, many of the things that I want to do are not in line with that curated experience. It took me a long time to realize that I don't have to compromise the experience I'm searching after, and that I can still make things that are quite tuned for a wonderful game at the table.

It is certainly a challenge to achieve, but not a soul burning one that takes decades of life to achieve. Novels are written by real people, medals are won by mortals, and game are created by regular people that like them. I found a lot of fulfillment in creating what I enjoy, in empirically testing that, and watching it bring joy to people that have taken the time to play them. If you ever have things you want me to look at specifically, please reach out. I'll look at anything you need me to within a day or two and leave feedback.

[Leaf_It]

HeroScape is a game that has been out of production for over 10 years. That means that a majority of the fanbase has moved on, or is at least not very active here on the forums. The fans who have stayed active here are generally those who are both highly experienced at playing the game, and usually play in a competitive format. Those 2 things are key to the culture that currently exists on this forum.

Customs exist for a variety of reasons. If it's something you are mainly creating for yourself, that offers a lot of freedom. No one really cares if something is balanced to their tastes or not, if they are never going to see it at their own gaming table. There's a difference between something that is balanced for the casual once every few months game with friends, or the game you might play with a young kid or teenager, and the kind of balance that would be typical of a tournament. The kind of balance that you will see people talking about on these forums is almost always going to be aimed for a 1v1 500 point WoS map competitive tournament. When you post your customs here, for better or worse, your custom is inviting the perspectives that are common here, and the culture we have here on these forums. That means most of those perspectives are going to look at the design from a 1v1 500 point WoS map competitive stand point. The truth is that a "Wow factor", while desirable, isn't as big of deal for that perspective. How it performs in a tournament, when piloted by those who know how to exploit every ability in the game, is what counts the most to a large portion of the active community on these forums.

It is important to remember that when you create customs, you are primarily creating them for yourself, or those that you play with regularly. You are not making them to appease everyone here, and most of the time, you shouldn't try to do that. Make what's fun for you and your games. Sometimes that will come close to what the competitive community on here likes to see, and sometimes it won't. The best practice is to make the customs that you want to see and play with.

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by Leaf_It

The fans who have stayed active here are generally those who are both highly experienced at playing the game, and usually play in a competitive format. Those 2 things are key to the culture that currently exists on this forum.

I think that misses one pretty significant portion of our population. I think there are also a large section of fans who've stayed active because they're highly engaged in making the game their own (usually in the form of customs). That population is not necessarily highly competitive at all, but tends to be highly collaborative and highly creative.

[kolakoski]

Well met!

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

I think there are also a large section of fans who've stayed active because they're highly engaged in making the game their own (usually in the form of customs). That population is not necessarily highly competitive at all, but tends to be highly collaborative and highly creative.

The NYCG4 is closer to IAmBatman's model. 99.9% of our games are played at chas' Game Palace, with the occasional foray out to Long Island for Islandscape. We take turns "Hosting;" that is, creating a scenario, choosing or free building a map, and determining what units/customs are allowable, for our monthly game days. Even when I am not Hosting, I can generally receive permission to play test a custom (not in next month's Switcheroo, as chas felt that having an unfamiliar figure involved would be detrimental).