Heroscape Expansion Ratings (Hopefully to become official)

[krysto2002]

I've noticed lately that players have been frequently asking "What should I buy" So I figured that in addition to individual figure ratings we officially rate each expansion similarly.

I'm going to fill out the list soon but I want your opinions as well.

Things to consider:
Price/similarity of units: are the units similarly priced? Like Drones and Minions, no one likes having to buy 5 packs to get enough drones, but get too many minions.

In-pack synergy - do the units inside work together or are they black and white? Consider the wyrmlings, they already work together in one pack, no additions necessary.

Bang for your buck - assuming each expansion is priced the same, is it better to get pack A or pack B? Which will do you best in the long run?

Effectiveness of units - Are the units inside strategically powerful (Wave 4 Soulborgs and Elves) or strategically mediocre (Monks and Guards, no offense)

Anyone else think this is a good idea?

Here's the list, ratings to be added:

Wave 1
Grut Orcs
Romans
Snipers & Vipers
Heroes of Bleakewoode
Wave 2
Knights & Swog Rider
Minutemen & Wolves
Drones & Minions
Heroes of Barrenspur
Wave 3
Monks & Guards
Gorillas & Hounds
Kilts & Commandos
Heroes of Nostralund
Wave 4
Soulborgs & Elves
Greeks & Vipers
Lawmen & Samurai
Heroes of Trollsford
Wave 5
Soulborgs
Warriors & Soulborgs
Ninjas & Samurai
Gladiators & Agents
Wave 6
Archers & Kyrie
Zombies
Orcs & Shades
Heroes of Durgeth
Wave 7
Templar Cavalry
Spearmen & Riflemen
Fiends & Vampires
Heroes of Elswin
Wave 8
Soldiers & Wolves
Marro Cavalry
Elves
Heroes of the Molten Sea
Wave 9
Braves & Brawlers
Dividers & Defenders
Dwarves & Repulsors
Heroes of the Moon Tribe
Wave 10
Champions of Renown
Warriors of Feldspar
Wave D1
Warriors of the Ghostlight Fen
Fury of the Primordials
Glaun Bog Raiders
Heroes of the Faerun
Wave D2
Ogre & Goblins
Golem & Wyrmlings
Veterans of the Last War
Heroes of Khorvaire
Wave D3
Bugbears & Orcs
Valkrill's Legion
Icewind Scourge
Heroes of Fallcrest

[Fen_Hydra]

It sounds pretty interesting... although there are a lot of variables to conider, and lots of deviation based on personal opinions.

It would be pretty much impossible to get a list that everyone agrees with.

However, it does seem like a useful idea that would be helpful to new people and also people who are trying to decide in between certain packs.

I would say it is a good idea, and it would be interesting to see what the most common opinions are for what the "best" booster would be.

[krysto2002]

Okay the list is finished.
In order to best rate these packs, let's look for an A+ and an F- to start with, and work from there.

For our A+, let's look for the pack that gives you the most for what you pay.

For example, Snipers and Vipers has 2 good units in it, but Vipers practically require the warlord in another pack, and in terms of armies, you usually see 2-4 sniper squads as opposed 5-8 squads of Vipers.

I'd probably rate S&V a solid C or C+ as a pack, since if you really want the vipers you end up with a rather painful 3 or 4 extra squads of snipers sitting around.


As another example, consider the Golem/Wyrmlings pack. You get 4 wyrmlings and an iron Golem. Any army can do with just one golem, and 2 is also fine, but on the other hand you would need many more wyrmlings to complete an army of them. BUT! Wyrmlings also function well as an addition to an army, as opposed to a core, even with just 4 of them. With this pack, you end up with components that can make or tack on to plenty of armies, with as little as one pack, or as many as 4 or more (though I've never seen a 4+ golem army....) .

This pack could easily receive a solid A, but I'm giving it an A- since even though it gives you a variety of wyrms to work with, it gives you 1 each, and often you need more to fit a situation. Let's face it, all wyrms were not created equal.

[sixthflagbearer]

Sounds like a great idea. I think we should have a poll for what people think are the best expansions, and if we wanted, we could also rate large expansions and master sets too!

[elitebeatk]

I think you need to get everyone to post their ratings, and then use the average.

[Frylock]

If there's an F category, it's got to include Warhulk+Goblins. The worst paring by far I can think of. Goblins you need at least 4 squads, and you're rarely ever going to use more than one Warhulk. Another contender for a bad grade is the Minions and Drones, and to a lesser extent Protecters and Dividers.

On the flip side, I think the Wave 3 packs got it right generally, with the possible exception of the Macdirks/Commandos. Of course, the best pack ever was the Zombie Horde.

[krysto2002]

So let's put this scenario-wise:

You are planning on joining a 'scape league and don't need any terrain to bring, just figures. You enter a game store and OMG! They have 'scape. But this sale is special, they have EVERY expansion pack of 'scape for the same price...
Which would you buy first, which would you buy last, assuming that you ARE NOT considering the actual value of the figures inside. Simply, what would do you best.

(Note, this ACTUALLY happened to me. I ended up with some good stuff, but if I had known ahead of time, I could have come out with Aquilla's alliance and all of wave 2... and cheap too...)

[Killometer]

To get a rough start you might consider starting grading the packs by combining the Power Rankings with the Collection Guide. If you provide the initial grades it will give a jumping-off point for further discussion.

[Killometer]

Seems like a valid endeavor. I'd like to reiterate my suggestion that you provide the initial grades for the list by combining the Power Rankings with the Collection Guide. That will provide someplace for discussion to start.

[Onichi]

Interesting idea. My regular response to the what to buy question is "Get what you can, when you can." I don't like the idea of a grading system because every unit/expansion has its place. Perhaps just a simple list of the type of figures (Unique/common, heroes/squads, range/melee/mix) If it has in-pack synergies (like for the wyrmlings), "required" packs to get the full usefulness out of that pack (like Khorvair and the elementals) and other packs that may not be required but increase it's usefulness or playability. That way people can choose the types of figures they like, see what would be a good match for it and for those with limited funds can avoid the packs which "require" additional purchases.

[rednax]

I have a feeling this was done before, but I'm not sure.

~Rednax

[Killometer]

It seems familiar to me too, but I can't remember exactly, and a brief search didn't turn up what I thought I remembered.

@krysto-Regarding your title, what do you mean by "hopefully to become official"? Do you mean "hopefully to become a generally agreed upon framework for discussion" (like the Power Rankings), or are you actually looking for some type of WotC recognition?