Soldiers of Valhalla - nominations and discussion

[Lyrgard]

Also, Beam Reinforcement are done from a spaceship usually, right ? There are no spaceship (yet) in heroscape lore.

Moreover, X-ray scanner sound like a small device any sentient being could use, so why Jandar wouldn't give one to some other heroes, instead of them being trapped in pit trap glyph ? They are some technical device in Heroscape Lore, but they always are unique or rare piece of art. I don't know, I feel the making a technological device on a common squad strange. It is not an argument, just a feeling.

[Toogwick_tuk]

For your first question it depends. I mean I didn't describe that in the bio but I would say that the Isodorans could have built a teleporter on Valhalla.

For your second question I would think that the device, since it was created by the Isodorans so they might be hard for other species to use since it is high tech. Also possibly for the same reason you don't see the sentinels of jandar using the airborne elites rifles.

[Alex Karasavidis]

Quick question would you guys pass a figure that you need to glue a flag to but prepainted if without looking on the card we are making Aquilla's new flag bearer?

[MegaSilver]

Originally Posted by Alex Karasavidis

Quick question would you guys pass a figure that you need to glue a flag to but prepainted if without looking on the card we are making Aquilla's new flag bearer

Try sentence structure and punctuation before making a request. Thanks.

[caps]

Originally Posted by MegaSilver

Try sentence structure and punctuation before making a request. Thanks.

You passed up an opportunity to use this emoticon...

As to the question, Alex, I have to say that for myself I'm really not sure.

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by Alex Karasavidis

Quick question would you guys pass a figure that you need to glue a flag to but prepainted if without looking on the card we are making Aquilla's new flag bearer

Small modifications like that I'd be ok with. But I'll be honest and say you're highly unlikely to get an Aquilla flagbearer through. At the very least, the flag would have to have Aquilla's symbol, and I don't see how that is going to happen without some tricky painting work.

[machinekng]

Originally Posted by Scytale

Small modifications like that I'd be ok with. But I'll be honest and say you're highly unlikely to get an Aquilla flagbearer through. At the very least, the flag would have to have Aquilla's symbol, and I don't see how that is going to happen without some tricky painting work.

They could design a custom sticker that one could print off and stick to the flag.

[Tiranx]

Incidentally, bangerange just made a graphic for Aquila's symbol for his sweet NHSD tournament shirt.

[Alex Karasavidis]

Sorry I try to remember but it's hard especially when I'm not strong with english and it's not a habit for me but I try.

Thanks for all the helpful advice!

[caps]

The Buccaneers of the Endless Sea by Super Bogue

The Buccaneers of the Endless Sea are a fun, interesting squad with some unique abilities. Although I enjoyed playing them, I was unable to find an army build or scenario that worked well for them.

Balance
The Buccaneers of the Endless Sea did not perform well for me. They reminded me of the Grok Riders, but their opportunities for 5 attack and their ability to move 8 spaces are both more conditional than the Groks--and they do not have bonding. Since the Groks are the poster child of overpriced, under-powered squads, 90 points might seem like a good middle-ground for this unit. My testing showed that they were definitely not broken at that pricepoint; they seemed to me like a solid C at best. I would like them better at 80 or maybe even 75 points. Pass.

Theme
I understand why a Pirate would be more likely to attack someone who is unable to immediately retaliate, but why would that make his attack stronger? Still, that alone is not enough to make me say No to this design--there are less thematic powers in the canon.

Some critical eyes have pointed out that Telekinetic Charge allows them to move only 8 spaces horizontally, but an unlimited number of spaces vertically. The power could be modified based on Tul-Bak-Ra's Teleportation ability or Sgt. Drake's Grapple Arm ability, but I don't think it is actually necessary--there are flying figures that move more slowly across horizontal space with limitless vertical movement, so it is not hard to imagine nearly limitless horizontal movement with a vertical move of 8 for this squad. Telekinetic Charge is a cool, fun ability, and the best part of this design. Pass.

Creativity
The Buccaneers of the Endless Sea have some nice abilities going for them. Although Telekinetic Charge is similar to the Horned Skull Brutes' Barge Into Battle ability, it stands on its own as a fun and original power for getting the Bucs into tight spots. Pass.

Accessibility
Including eBay, I was only able to find 63 of the Gish figures and 69 of the Warrior figures. That's low, but since I was able to find 154 of the alternate sculpt, the Githyanki Mindslicer, and I was able to find 111 of the Githyanki Fighters, it is good enough for me. Pass.

Playability
As a 3/3 squad with a special movement ability they are pretty hard to justify in many builds at 90 points since Opportunist Strike is very matchup-dependent. In some matchups they are only able to use it once in a round IF they win initiative. Although it makes a little bit of sense thematically, Opportunist Strike is difficult to pull off and really hurts their playability. Although there are other units in the game who are very matchup-dependent--like the Warriors of Ashra--this unit ultimately doesn't bring anything to the table for any of the army builds that I tried and is not even effective against the builds it should be able to beat. If the Buccaneers were tougher, or if there punch were just a little more consistent then it might be another matter. As the Buccaneers are now, I think even casual players would reach the end of a game with the Buccaneers and feel like they wish they'd had more Buccaneers or a different unit altogether. Fail.

Summary
Although I like this squad and would be willing to give it an with some revisions and further testing, I think it still needs some work and I cannot pass it in its current form.

I vote NO to induct the Buccaneers of the Endless Sea into the SoV.

[Super Bogue]

Buccaneers of the Endless Sea by Super Bogue has received 2 NO votes to induct (qt.bangerang, capsocrates) and is removed from the process.

[superfrog]

Originally Posted by superfrog

I'm not sure where I saw this earlier, but I would love to see something to put on the backs of SoV cards. I see two feasible options:

1) make a card back like the back of a glyph card, but emblazoned with the SoV logo,

or

2) have the creator of the custom and/or the C3V art/fiction teams make basic stats, homeworld, set name (similar to those of GenCon exclusives), and collector number. This would be after induction, not a criteria for judging.

I like the second option better, but it would take more work to implement fully.

Thanks for your consideration!

Have you guys put any more thought into this?

1Mmirg gave an initial positive reaction, but no word since then.