What Type of Custom Creator or Fan Are You?

[Boromir_and_kermit]

I hope you don't mind if I join the fray

1. Figure Photo or Comic Art
At the moment, I'm really enjoying the comic art. Also, the lack of TMNT figures at the moment (temporary I'm sure) makes it hard to have figure photos. Even when I was doing my LOTR customs, I mainly chose art over figure photos. My reasoning is that a figure is normally viewed from at least arms length away. When you take a photo of one close up on a card, they can sometimes look a bit... off. But its not something that I'm terribly passionate about either way.

2. Compatability with Marvel, Valhalla, C3G, NM24, any comic custom, and/or other customs such as Sci Fi/Star Wars (in other words, are you concerned with your customs playing well with synergies in other genres)
I think Compatibility with Marvel is a must, Valhalla is important and I also consider C3G compatibility important too (mainly due to the hard work that everyone puts in there and the high standards that they hold themselves to) I used to like to make them compatible with TNT customs, but they don't really exist anymore, so aren't worrying about it as much.

3. Theme vs. Mechanics, which one is more important to you. Would you sacrifice something on one in order to perfect the other?
Theme is very important to me. I don't see the point in creating a custom of a character, unless it is representative of it. That being said, I'd like to think that the clever use of stats and abilities can produce a very thematic custom. I certainly wouldn't want to sacrifice the playability of a custom to keep it thematic.

4. Custom short cuts such as Flying Symbols or other symbols like team logos, where do you draw your line.
Flying Symbols yes, but I wouldn't use anything else. If I used team logos, they would be to represent some sort of bonding. But I think that if the bonding is that important, it can be represented by text and synergies on the card.

5. Individual Secret Identities or Iconic "Lunch Box" Representations What would your custom world include?
I do think that different representations are important for different characters. Some more so than others. For example, the different Green Lanterns and Batmans often have differences that are fun to represent on the card. Things such as TMNT differ greatly from original comics, to the 80s cartoons, new cartoons and newer comics. They are essentially different characters that need to be represented by different cards (in my opinion). I wouldn't be comfortable with meshing characters as you loose the unique flavour from each iteration of the character.

6. Does your quest for theme mean that you want you specific characteristics always spelled out in the powers, or are you willing to "hide" theme in base stats for "simplicity".
I think sometimes its more elegant to hide them in base stats. But the abilities are there to represent unique or important characterisations of the figure. I was of the thought that I enjoyed Marvel Heroscape, but thought that some of the abilities were a little too 'simple'. It really depends on the character.

7. Language preference. Are you strict on Heroscape "official" language or are you willing to take liberties on "house slang" such as "...powers that refer to heat, fire or flame..."
I wasn't really strict on Heroscape "official" language as I knew what I meant and if people weren't sure what I meant, then I would reword it so that it could be understood. I think the trend is leaning towards more 'official' wording though. My customs are written as I think of them, are playtested and then the wording is hopefully streamlined/adjusted to be more official. I think the concept of the power is more important to begin with.

8. Do you have a ceiling on the number of powers on a card?
I suppose I do. I don't like to go higher than 3. Otherwise it looks too cramped on the card and can be a bit over the top. I think most of the customs I do can be capped to 3 powers max.

9. Do you have a ceiling on point value?
I get nervous assigning high point values, but in the TMNT universe (which I'm currently working), I don't think I'll need to worry about that too much.

10. Are you into the customs to actually play in games, or are you just into the fun of translating comic characters onto cards?
I am into customs to get these guys on the table mainly. I do enjoy creating a custom, but the purpose is to create a playable character that I can use in my games.

Cheers,
Ben.

[badgermaniac]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

Great idea for a thread.

How much is just enough, though? For me, it's somewhere north of a Matt Helm original and south of a Badgermaniac original.

The irony of this statement is that I am very much a moderate, or at least WAY closer to center than the label people have slapped on me.

Theme for me does come first, simply because otherwise, you risk characters that don't feel like the source material, which to me, defeats the whole purpose of the game.

However, as long as the theme isn't drastically broken, I think there is a lot of room for flexibility to accomodate different tastes, different game mechanics, different game scenarios, etc.

Theme is your jumping off point, your inspiration. It guides your hand and serves as your compass.

However, it doesn't replace the need to fit the style of the game, nor does it replace the need to have sound mechanics.

[badgermaniac]

Originally Posted by Adam Souza

9. Do you have a ceiling on point value?
I try not to make anyone more powerfull than Hulk.

I do the same thing. I know that many people put together the card and then figure out the cost from there, but I usually work in reverse (at least with my heroes). I start with the point slotting.

So, with Hulk at 370, he is my king of the hill. The only one I have close is Thor, who checks in at 360 or 365 or something of that nature. From there, I work out the stats to at least get me in the ballpark, and then playtest to fine-tune so it fits that slotting.

All of my custom cards are in cost order and it should be an order that I am comfortable with...is Black Panther more powerful than Hawkeye...and how should they compare to the official Spider-Man or Ms. Marvel?

It all starts with Hulk.

The exception of course are my epic figures, which are designed to be in that 500+ range so that I can run some classic team vs. villain scenarios. I think my most enjoyable games are when a team of Avengers makes a mass assault against an epic Kang or Nefaria.

[NecroBlade]

1. Figure photo, since that's what the official cards use. Though, since I don't often have figures or a camera, I'll use comic art a lot.
2. I try to build in occasional synergies with official units, and other than that among my own customs, whatever genre they be.
3. Mechanics I suppose. Theme is nice, but mechanics HAVE to be clean for me in a game so simple as Heroscape.
4. I hate adding symbols/logos of any kind (except when extending a Super-Strength-like power to other universes; i.e. Jedi Symbol for Star Wars).
5. Iconic representations.
6. "Hide" I guess. Not every aspect of a character is going to translate or be able to be represent by a power (space is often an issue with "super"-level customs).
7. I try to make my wording as official as possible, but there are some shortcuts that just HAVE to be taken (20-sided die d20; I mean seriously, how do you NOT do that for D&D cards?!).
8. 4. But sometimes I break that rule with a 5th power for the "biggest" characters (someone like Galactus maybe). This also depends if SS counts.
9. 400, but again this is broken for "big" characters.
10. Mostly for translating, but I do like really "finishing" the occasional card to play (if I have/can find a mini to use).

[Matt Helm]

Originally Posted by Boromir_and_kermit

I hope you don't mind if I join the fray

Of course... EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

[Sherman Davies]

1. Figure Photo or Comic Art

Figure photos all the way. My overriding goal with my customs is to make cards that a newcomer to the game would think are official releases.

2. Compatability with Marvel, Valhalla, C3G, NM24, any comic custom, and/or other customs such as Sci Fi/Star Wars (in other words, are you concerned with your customs playing well with synergies in other genres)

I try to make my customs compatible with all official releases and all my customs, but not other people's customs. That would be impossible.

3. Theme vs. Mechanics, which one is more important to you. Would you sacrifice something on one in order to perfect the other?

Both are vital to a good custom, but if forced to choose I'll sacrifice theme in favor of playability. People will have differing ideas on what is or isn't thematic for a character, but clunky rules are clunky for everyone.

4. Custom short cuts such as Flying Symbols or other symbols like team logos, where do you draw your line.

See my answer to #1.

5. Individual Secret Identities or Iconic "Lunch Box" Representations What would your custom world include?

If I understand this question right, it's asking if I make different cards for different characters who share the same name, like the various Robins. If so, then yes. Unless the characters are so similar as to be identical in my eyes (my Flash being the only example that comes to mind), I make different cards.

6. Does your quest for theme mean that you want you specific characteristics always spelled out in the powers, or are you willing to "hide" theme in base stats for "simplicity".

Keep It Simple, Stupid.

7. Language preference. Are you strict on Heroscape "official" language or are you willing to take liberties on "house slang" such as "...powers that refer to heat, fire or flame..."

I'm a Style Nazi and proud of it.

8. Do you have a ceiling on the number of powers on a card?

Four. (Powers, not ceilings.)

9. Do you have a ceiling on point value?

I don't ever see one of my customs costing more than my 380-point Darkseid.

10. Are you into the customs to actually play in games, or are you just into the fun of translating comic characters onto cards?

I will one day be finished making superhero customs, except for the occasional new figure that Heroclix churns out, and then Heroscape will truly be (for me) The Battle For All Time.

[Matt Helm]

By the way Sherman's customs are always welcome on my battlefield.

[Sherman Davies]

Thank you, Matt.

[Griffin]

1. Figure Photo or Comic Art
I do prefer the Figure Photo, but the Comic Art is really nice to have when I don't have the exact figure that is on the card (I do a lot of customizing of figures).

2. Compatability with Marvel, Valhalla, C3G, NM24, any comic custom, and/or other customs such as Sci Fi/Star Wars (in other words, are you concerned with your customs playing well with synergies in other genres)
C3G, Marvel, and Valhalla are the only units that I know have been fully tested. Even though there are many customs that I like on this site, unless it has gone through the many hours of testing that I know C3G went through, I am just not going to risk playing with it. So, for a card to be "compatible" with any other group of cards just doesn't make sense to me, when that collection probably isn't compatible with itself.

3. Theme vs. Mechanics, which one is more important to you. Would you sacrifice something on one in order to perfect the other?
Theme is probably the most important thing a card needs when you are "looking" at it to decide if you even want to play it. On the other hand, if you do play a great "themenerdy" card and it was either way too powerful or way too weak, you probably will never play it again, at least I wouldn't. So my formula for custom cards is this: Theme is very important, but when necessary, Theme must yield to Mechanics.

4. Custom short cuts such as Flying Symbols or other symbols like team logos, where do you draw your line.
Team logos are fine, as long as it is done like the Valhalla Faction Symbols are represented and then referenced in special powers. The Flying Symbol is great because it is a very very very very very very very easy power to understand once you learn once, you never really need to think "OK, how do I fly again?". I find that normal movement is much much much much much more complicated, and it requires several pages of explanation in the rule book, but is only represented on the card with a single number. So Flying is just fine as a common power represented as a symbol.

5. Individual Secret Identities or Iconic "Lunch Box" Representations What would your custom world include?
I love the Identities, really they are just an extension of the Name, so there really isn't a fuss over it at my house.

6. Does your quest for theme mean that you want your specific characteristics always spelled out in the powers, or are you willing to "hide" theme in base stats for "simplicity".
I "usually" only hide the thematic power in the base stats if I need more room on the card for something else that is important. For me, a card/game is just not fun for me when you move pieces of plastic and just roll the number of dice the card tells you to, I have to have some tactical decisions to make for it to be fun for me. That is where unique thematic powers come into play, like C3G's Magneto's Magnetic Defense power.

7. Language preference. Are you strict on Heroscape "official" language or are you willing to take liberties on "house slang" such as "...powers that refer to heat, fire or flame..."
OH, I hate house slang. I love it when a custom's text is clear and unquestionable. I mean if the custom designer is you, or is at the table, you can always ask what something means, but should you really have to?

8. Do you have a ceiling on the number of powers on a card?
4 text powers at the most (very rare), and 2 symbol powers (flying and super strength).

9. Do you have a ceiling on point value?
I like for all heroes to stay under the C3G Superman threshold (400 points), with the exception to event level villains/heroes like Galactus, Ant-Monitor, Beyonder, and possibly even versions of the Spectre and Phoenix.

10. Are you into the customs to actually play in games, or are you just into the fun of translating comic characters onto cards?
Both are fun, but for me the whole C3G process that I am deeply involved with, is a means to an end. I am working towards the day when I can sit down with my friends and family and we can all draft our Superhero armies from a collection of hundreds of comic cards that we know are well balanced. PLAYING SUPERHERO SCAPE is what brought me to the custom world, and it is still what drives me.


Excellent thread Matt.

[whitestuff]

Interesting topic... here's my

1. Figure Photo or Comic Art
Comic art the whole way. I love how dynamic comic art can be. I'm in awe at how talented comic artist are.

2. Compatability with Marvel, Valhalla, C3G, NM24, any comic custom, and/or other customs such as Sci Fi/Star Wars (in other words, are you concerned with your customs playing well with synergies in other genres)
Compatibility is an important factor when I make customs. In fact when I worked on developing the Team Fortress 2 conversion, I gave the cards no price because I knew that they wouldn't be compatible with anything else except themselves (now I think about it; it might actually be an interesting thing to try and cost them so that they were compatible...)

3. Theme vs. Mechanics, which one is more important to you. Would you sacrifice something on one in order to perfect the other?
I try my hardest to try and keep my customs true to the character I'm trying to represent; but on the other hand the figure needs to 'work' within the game system. I'm on the divide between theme and mechanics. Would I sacrifice? Ultimately I would sacrifice theme but it would be with a heavy heart...

4. Custom short cuts such as Flying Symbols or other symbols like team logos, where do you draw your line.
I see that the official designers opened the door to symbols with the Super Strength symbol. I read the comments about how 'Flying' is such an important ability that it must be written out, but how is that different to what the designers did with Super Strength? With that in mind, I wouldn't like to see SuperHeroScape descend into Heroclix territory where you need a booklet to keep track of all the different symbols. As for team logos, I don't see them much different than the 6 different general's logos.

5. Individual Secret Identities or Iconic "Lunch Box" Representations What would your custom world include?
I like to know who I'm using so secret identities for me.

6. Does your quest for theme mean that you want your specific characteristics always spelled out in the powers, or are you willing to "hide" theme in base stats for "simplicity".
The best place for thematic powers is in the base stats.

7. Language preference. Are you strict on Heroscape "official" language or are you willing to take liberties on "house slang" such as "...powers that refer to heat, fire or flame..."
I try to be as 'official' as I can be. This is not always easy...

8. Do you have a ceiling on the number of powers on a card?
I think that if a character cannot be represented in the base stats and 4 powers then you are trying to hard to fit a circle in a square hole.

9. Do you have a ceiling on point value?
If the figure is balanced and thematically accurate, then no, I have no real ceiling. I do, however, think that 400+ point figures might be best suited to special scenarios and not for the normal draft roster.

10. Are you into the customs to actually play in games, or are you just into the fun of translating comic characters onto cards?
90% of the time I only create custom cards for figures that I have and play, but every now and then I'll see a figure and think to myself, "How would that figure fit in SuperHeroScape?". Then I'll make the card, even though I know that I'll never have a mini of that figure (I really would like a Bomb Queen mini though...).

[GreyOwl]

1. Figure Photo or Comic Art
Comic art when I make superhero customs for 2 reasons: 1) it's faster and easier for me to create, and 2) many of the customs I make don't have minis to take photos of. For other customs, it may differ. For Star Wars, I try to use movie still if possible, then comics or minis. Sometimes I have to use minis, because nothing else is available.

But that's when I make them. As far as playing other people's customs, it really doesn't matter to me as long as the artwork is done well.

2. Compatability with Marvel, Valhalla, C3G, NM24, any comic custom, and/or other customs such as Sci Fi/Star Wars (in other words, are you concerned with your customs playing well with synergies in other genres)
Compatibility as much as possible, unless it goes directly against something specific I'm trying to accomplish. I try to use the same symbols, wording, etc. as C3G and the Star Wars Customs project (that thing needs an official name, by the way!). But I do deviate at times, for example the SW project uses the Force Symbol with no powers, and mine has some.

I'm not concerned about the play testing aspect others have mentioned, because that's not the kind of compatibility I think you're referring to here. I'm more worried about synergy and wording. Plus I have certain customs that have seen more games than any C3G custom, and have been revised a LOT as a result, and I'm sure many other customizer have the same situation.

3. Theme vs. Mechanics, which one is more important to you. Would you sacrifice something on one in order to perfect the other?
Mechanics, definitely (and a year or two ago, I would have answered differently). That being said, I think too often people play the "mechanics over theme" card in situations where if they took some more time and effort, they could come up with a solution that satisfied both. I don't like it when people chant "mechanics over theme" as if it's some moral highground, when most of the time it isn't necessary to sacrifice either one.

4. Custom short cuts such as Flying Symbols or other symbols like team logos, where do you draw your line.
I use them, but I think their use should be limited. Flying symbol is okay. Other equally common, long-worded, and simple powers can have them, to. That being said, the only other one I use on Superhero customs is Super Strength. On Star Wars customs, I won't use the Flying symbol because it isn't common enough. Over there, I'll use Force Leap and the Force Symbol, and that's it. Not really a fan of other symbols, including team logos, unless it is a very unique situation (for example, if a completely different ruleset, say for spaceships, were created, I could see a symbol or two being needed for those special cases).

5. Individual Secret Identities or Iconic "Lunch Box" Representations What would your custom world include?
Individual secret identities, because otherwise you couldn't play two different Flashes in the same army, even though they are completely different people.

6. Does your quest for theme mean that you want you specific characteristics always spelled out in the powers, or are you willing to "hide" theme in base stats for "simplicity".
Hide in the base stats as much as possible.

7. Language preference. Are you strict on Heroscape "official" language or are you willing to take liberties on "house slang" such as "...powers that refer to heat, fire or flame..."
Strict as possible on official wording. I'll only deviate for new mechanics that don't exist on official cards, and will update them quickly as soon as an official card comes out with that mechanic (which it usually does).

8. Do you have a ceiling on the number of powers on a card?
For superheroes, 4 is the absolute max (plus Flying and Super Strength). But I think that should be rare. I think most commonly, there should be 2-3, plus Flying and Superstrength. For other genres like Star Wars, 4 is the absolute max including everything, with 2-3 being the norm.

9. Do you have a ceiling on point value?
No. Figures like Fin Fang Foom and Galactus break most artificial limits. But since I also strive for compatibility with other community projects, it means most "normal" figures are at or below 400, though I could see a couple that go a little higher, like to 420, because I don't believe the point cost is a complete representation of thematic power levels.

10. Are you into the customs to actually play in games, or are you just into the fun of translating comic characters onto cards?
Both. I have fun making them even if I never play them, but 90% of the ones I make, I make to play with. Unfortunately, many of them I haven't played with, but I have enjoyed playing with a lot of them.

[wulfhunter667]

1. Figure Photo or Comic Art
Figure art!!! 100%. Is more official looking, and I just don't like the way comic art looks.
2. Compatability with Marvel, Valhalla, C3G, NM24, any comic custom, and/or other customs such as Sci Fi/Star Wars (in other words, are you concerned with your customs playing well with synergies in other genres)
Hopefully compatable with all, but with Marbel more than the rest.
3. Theme vs. Mechanics, which one is more important to you. Would you sacrifice something on one in order to perfect the other?
That is a tough one. I sincerely hope it is possible to do both, but I have to go with thematic mechanics.
4. Custom short cuts such as Flying Symbols or other symbols like team logos, where do you draw your line.
Symbols, all the way!!!
5. Individual Secret Identities or Iconic "Lunch Box" Representations What would your custom world include?
Not getting the question here, but insofar as individual secret identities, I think they are unnecessary. If you want to individually id, fine, but if you don't, and you cannot id which GL it is from the picture on the card, then you might not ought to be in this forum.
6. Does your quest for theme mean that you want you specific characteristics always spelled out in the powers, or are you willing to "hide" theme in base stats for "simplicity".
I prefer to spell it out, but as I have already compromised that one one of my cards already, I guess I am willing to hide, when necessary.
7. Language preference. Are you strict on Heroscape "official" language or are you willing to take liberties on "house slang" such as "...powers that refer to heat, fire or flame..."
Oooooh, don't get me started on this one.
8. Do you have a ceiling on the number of powers on a card?
4, but mind you, I don't consider Superstrength or Flying symbols at the bottom powers, per se.
9. Do you have a ceiling on point value?
400. Already had to massively alter a card to put it in line with this philosophy.
10. Are you into the customs to actually play in games, or are you just into the fun of translating comic characters onto cards?
Both. I am a translation/conversion junkie. And as soon as I have my cards in line with MS rules, it's printing time!!!