Craig Van Ness Q&A Thread

[Dr.Goomonkey]

Why are there eleven molten lava tiles? Did nobody think that 10 or 12 would've made more sense?

[chaoserver]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

And I, conversely, feel justified in viewing some of the D&D units as the best that Heroscape has to offer.

Yeah, especially as Heroscape ended up getting cancelled, the small addition of Dnd was great. The minis they used were fairly in line with classic scape, and we didnt get to the bottom of the barrel point. Other than a tiny handful like Torin, I think the Dnd units are among the best designed.

I'm not really brushed up on how the DnD scape lore affected things, but I could see that part being crude though.

[Craig Van Ness]

Originally Posted by TREX

@Craig Van Ness , just looking at C3G and HOSS, do you think we did an ok job at creating these universes in fan scape compared to what you guys were working on?

TREX,
As I have said before, I stayed away from the custom forums while I worked at Hasbro, but now that I have spent sometime looking around...

I think you guys did an awesome job creating these universes. The card powers are creative and different. And Heroscapers really enjoy your waves, all you have to do is look at the comments.

IMO, the powers C3G and HOSS are putting on cards are every bit as creative as the official Heroscape cards! Well done.

Craig

[TREX]

Originally Posted by Craig Van Ness

TREX,
As I have said before, I stayed away from the custom forums while I worked at Hasbro, but now that I have spent sometime looking around...

I think you guys did an awesome job creating these universes. The card powers are creative and different. And Heroscapers really enjoy your waves, all you have to do is look at the comments.

IMO, the powers C3G and HOSS are putting on cards are every bit as creative as the official Heroscape cards! Well done.

Craig

Thanks for getting back to me Craig. On behalf of all the custom groups I'll say thanks for the input and feedback. I'm sure at the very least it will put a smile on all our faces. I know how much testing goes into our projects.

[Porkins]

Congrats C3G and HoSS! CVN stamp of approval!

[chaoserver]

First of all, even if you cant answer my questions- Thank you for the great game. Heroscape has ruined gaming for me in the best possible way, since now if a game doesn't have amazing, varied, pre-painted minis and strategic rules that are also extremely simple to grasp, and therefore teach- its hard for the game to hold up!

I read through the thread, and dont think you've answered these. If you cant answer or go into too much detail, I understand, of course.

First, storywise, was there somewhere you're disappointed we didn't get? Marro uprising etc. ?

Second, are there any specific units you are particularly disappointed we didn't get to? Something like Cyprien's Cavalry.

Third, when designing units, how much did you account for multiplayer? A unit like Runa which is terrible in 1v1, but creates fun scenarios as soon as there are free for alls going on make me suspect it plays a factor.

[lefton4ya]

Re-asking below.

Originally Posted by lefton4ya

@Craig Van Ness First of all thanks for all your fun work on Heroscape and other games and for joining this site and answering questions now that 1/2 your NDA agreement is null.

I wanted to ask you since it has been 10 years if you can let the cat out of the bag:
Who was responsible for "Hot Lava Death" going on the Volcarren Wasteland box lid tab and how long did it take for Hasbo to find out?

I know it must have made someone at the company mad enough that they ordered it to be covered it up with a sticker at the factory. AFAIK, in a BoardGameSpeak 2004-12-07 Podcast (cannot find a download for it now) someone yelled "hot lava death" and I guess it became a running joke among the Heroscape creators, but who decided to put it on the box and did the actual graphic design for it? I don't know if either your exiting NDA or just whoever did it's pride prevents you from telling, but was hoping you can let us all in on the joke.

Originally Posted by GaryLASQ

Found it. Geek Speak Ep 12. The thread on BGG is here:
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/535...craig-van-ness

However, the links for the sound files (AAC and MP3) seem to be broken. But fear not, I found a download of it on my laptop and uploaded it here (temporarily):
http://glasq.com/heroscape/BGS-2004-12-07.mp3

To hear the "Hot Lava Death" (Rob Daviau), skip to 46:10.

It was fun listening to the whole episode again ... a real blast from the past.

I listened to this podcast for the first time a couple weeks ago - the talk of mass market vs independent design and development is as relevant now as ever. Also, I'll have to play 99 sometime.

[Oliver Upshaw]

Craig, did the Heroscape Design Team ever get a direct acknowledgement from Higher that shipping two Orm's Return for every Road to the Forgotten Forest was a mistake. I know that it was reversed in later printings and large expansions, but I was just wondering if you guys got a direct statement from someone that they understood what a mistake that turned out to be.

[Craig Van Ness]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

. . . and in the C3V, expanding the universe of Valhalla compared to what you guys were working on?

Geez, TREX.

Dad_Scaper,
I have not looked at all the customs yet. There are so many. The ones I have looked at are impressive. As far as comparing where we were going as a Heroscape design team to where C3V went- that is a tough question to answer without a complete knowledge of your customs and any stories written about custom new cards.

[Craig Van Ness]

Originally Posted by Sherman Davies

Craig, like everyone else here I want to thank you for your part in designing this game. It is, pound for pound, my favorite game and has given me the chance to know some very good folks, both on this site and in real life. It's also been one of the best creative outlets I've ever known. Heroscape rules.

Anyway, my question is about how the order marker system came about. It's one of my favorite elements of the game and I was curious if it was inspired by another game, a bolt-from-the-blue "Eureka!" moment, or more of a collaborative idea.

Sherman,
Thank you for the kind words. Creative energy keeps me going. This site is filled with creative talent.

Order Markers- Good question!
In war, leaders give orders, and often simultaneously to different groups. Sometimes things go according to the plan, but sometimes things fall apart. I think the order markers in Heroscape capture this element of decision making. The order markers allow you to plan, to take risks, to bluff. Robo Rally had some influence on the order marker's design. In that game you simultaneously make a plan with cards.

Also, we wanted something different than the usual, I take a turn, you take a turn...

[Craig Van Ness]

Originally Posted by A3n

G'day Craig. I, like everyone else on this site (& broader I'm sure), thank you & your team for many years of family fun & enjoyment. Heroscape was a lot harder to get on my side of the pond but I stumbled across it one trip to Brisbane (my state's capital) & thought it would be a good Xmas present for my nephews & then on a whim bought a set for myself also. That was 10 years ago. I was lucky over the years to stumble on some good ebay deals before international postage got crazy. Me & my boys have enough of a collection to have had many joyous times battlefields playing this great game.

Heroscape lead to this great community where I now have many friends, although I have never actually met any of them. Heroscape/rs has also provided a creative outlet for me in my down-time to escape from the daily grind.

I doubt there are many other games that have affected families lives in the positive ways that Heroscape has. So thank you.

I do have a question for you. If you can say it, what was the real reason the 1st Marvel wave wasn't realeased?

Cheers

A3n,
Thanks for the kind words. I have been typing this sentence quite a bit. Hopefully, the many people that worked on this game and the Heroscape community who have made and continue to make creative contributions to this game are reading this thread. It warms your heart to read it.

My family has grown up with Heroscape too. Stephen, my nephew, would have Heroscape tournaments for his birthdays. I would bring prizes and a car load of terrain. After the tourney, I would host a big game on a giant set up with simultaneous play and some new story element or surprise.

Marvel Expansions- Once management decided to turn over Heroscape to WOTC my ability to control the line offering was gone. I could really only recommend direction. I don't know why they decided not to proceed with the Marvel expansions. It was a mistake. The sculpts were awesome, and Chris Nelson did a great job designing the army cards.

[Jexik]

Originally Posted by Porkins

Agreed. Whether you like or hate the D&D theme and the figures and all that WotC did, everyone has to admit that the units that Colby, Jerry and Chris designed are really great.

YES! The backlash against D&D scape really bummed me out after all the hours of playtesting.

Unfortunately, there was so much "Evil" stuff in the D&D line that they had trouble picking generals for stuff, and the sculpts didn't match, but when I played them all with proxies I loved it!