Heroscape

[Rolf]

Hi everyone, I thought I'd start off this section of the forum with links to the most popular HS utilities around.  

First up: the premier mapmaking utility, LandSCAPE.   Create maps and scenarios through a Shockwave/Flash application that lets you use virtual tiles and keeps track of how many sets you need.  Support for ruins, glyphs and other miscellany, as well as the ability to compile and print the finished scenarios, make this an indispensable tool.
Get it at http://logrey.home.mchsi.com/

Next: the love child of LandSCAPE and the 3rd dimension.  SolidSCAPE is a 3D viewer for LandSCAPE maps.  Supports ruins, glyphs, starting zones, light shadows, zoom in/out and rotate.  You need to have both, if you want to create your own maps at all.
Get it at http://parduzrpg.altervista.org/HeroScape/solidscape/solidscape.html


More to come

[Brel]

Alrighty!  Hey Howl, maybe you can upload your custom map in our File Downloads page as well.

[Kim]

Anyone got a primer for this?  Sounds interesting?

How much Are you expected to spend in order to get a playable/tourney-level army/wargroup?

Painted models?  Paint-it-yourself models?

Besides the models, what else are you expected to spend on in this game?

[@rnold]

You start off with a master set, which costs around PHP 2,700+ while expansion sets are around PHP 700-800. All the models, terrain and scenic props are prepainted. Unlike booster packs for typical card games, Heroscape expansion sets are fixed... so you get to choose characters of your liking. The cost would be a hell lot cheaper than spending for a Warhammer set

[Brel]

You can spend less than P3K to get 30 pre-painted plastic miniatures with a bunch of different interlockable plastic terrains that includes grass, rocks, sands, and water.  You also get 2 plastic Ruin pieces that can act as walls.  And lastly the thin easy to understand rulebook.  All of these are included in the Master Set which is currently available only at Toy Kingdom, Comic Alley, and Hobbes & Landes.  There are still no Expansion Sets available locally that I know of.  So I got mine online.

I highly recommend this game.  I will post more info soon in our Game Database unless somebody beat me to it... like Howl maybe.  hehe hi Howl!

[Rolf]

The models are pre-painted and are made of flexible plastic that returns to its original shape after  squeezing and pushing imho, works better than metal figures that might chip and break.  The game was designed for kids after all, and will stand up well against careless 8-year-old fingers.

Unfortunately the expansions don't seem to be available locally; they are available online, but shipping is always a concern.

You do not *have* to spend extra on the game, you can do just fine with the master set for a long time, but the game does get more fun when there are more figures to draft.

And btw, the army drafting method means you don't have to spend for your own army.  You can chuck all available units into a common pool that everyone takes turns drafting from.  So even if only one person has the heroscape stuff, there is definitely more than enough to go around.   Think of it as a board game: no one expects you to bring your own play money to a game of Monopoly at your friend's house.  It's all included in one box, for everyone's use.  Don't think of it as a game that each player has to buy their own armies for.

There are also enough units in the master set to make decently sized armies for up to 4 players.  I played a game last sunday using only the master set, with two of my brothers and a friend of mine, and we were able to draft about 400 points' worth of  units each.  

If you are concerned about playability or competitiveness of your army, don't worry.  ALL HEROSCAPE UNITS ARE PERFECTLY USABLE, unlike Magic: The Gathering cards for example - there are cards that no sane person would ever use.  The real trick to putting an army together is your strategy, and since you can go by the draft system for every game, your army will be different each time - you will draft units to counter the ones drafted by the other players, and you will have to find alternatives if someone else beat you to a unit that you wanted.  The strategy begins before the game even starts.

This game can do just fine outside of a tournament setting - it works VERY well for casual play.  Both my brothers were first-time players last sunday and I explained the rules to them in under 5 minutes.

and yes I am working on a Heroscape article - check back in a few days

[Kim]

[blockquote]The cost would be a hell lot cheaper than spending for a Warhammer set  [/blockquote]

Warhammer's insanely expensive, and even getting more expensive as time goes by.  That's the reason why it's hard for new guys to jump into the game.  But anyway, that's a can of worms that's better discussed elsewhere.  

Anyway, so it's not booster pack mentality like any of the Clix games (where spending power gets you the more powerful rares)?

+++ Don't get me wrong.  I have nothing against Clix players.  I'm one of the common dudes who have to scrimp and save for their hobby, hence the reason why I chose to play Warmachine (and still choose to play Warhammer).  I'm just not comfotable playing against a guy who has a distinct average over me just because he can buy three boxes a week, whereas I can only afford one blister a month.  And yeah, I've tried its various flavors, too (Heroclix, Mageknight, Mechwarrior).  In our seemingly expensive hobby, no, I don't have the buying power like others in the community, but I do get to save up for something that I really want and still get it in the end.  The Khadoran Behemoth maybe hella expensive, at P2760 for a hunk of unpainted and unassembled metal bits; but after I save for it, I get to play with one in the end.  ^_^

[Brel]

The two new Heroscape expansion sets Thaelenk Tundar and Raknar's Vision are now available and in-stock from HouseMouseBoardgames.

THAELENK TUNDRA

 

 Link To HMB in Ebay


RAKNAR'S VISION

 

 Link To HMB in Ebay

[Rolf]

Warhammer's insanely expensive, and even getting more expensive as time goes by. That's the reason why it's hard for new guys to jump into the game. But anyway, that's a can of worms that's better discussed elsewhere.

It's not just that - it's the perceived complexity of the rules that puts me off.  Frankly it rather intimidates me  it's true though, for the most part it is the cost.

I guess the real reason I haven't gotten into Warhammer is that I don't know people who play, and most of my friends wouldn't like to spend money to play it.  What use is a game if there's no one to play with?  I think that's the real reason M:tG kept me spending so much for so long: there was almost always someone to play with.

I know Heroscape is very much on the simplistic side, but imho that is one of its selling points.  I played a game with my brothers (both first-time players) and a friend (it was his 2nd game) last month, and it took under 5 minutes to explain the rules and get started - only slightly longer than it took to explain the rules of Bang! at the last Aegis meet.  (They wiped my armies out but no one accomplished the scenario objective within the time limit, so I won by default.  I think it was because they were having too much fun beating on each other, and on me,  instead of concentrating on the objective.)

[Rolf]

I thought it would be helpful to start a thread here for discussing the various untis that come with the master set...I'm sure the HS players here would also have something to contribute, which is why I made this a thread rather than a tutorial.  It may also prove useful for any newcomers to the game.

Please feel free to post any comments on the ROTV units, from opinions on their strengths and weaknesses to suggested team combos and strategy & tactics.

And questions are always welcome

[Rolf]

Starting off with the poster girl for Heroscape:
Raelin



Rae's main benefit is her ability to add 2 defense dice to all figures you control within 4 sight spaces of her.  "Sight spaces" means if they are within 4 spaces and she has line-of-sight to ANY part of the figure, they get the defense bonus.

With most typical figures having around 2-3 defense, an extra 2 can practically double their chances of survival.  Her move of 6 and her ability to fly also help to put her in a good position for optimal effect.

Of special note are any figures with special defense powers, such as the Izumi Samurai (and indeed any figure with the Counterstrike power), and figures with particularly low defense such as the Venoc Vipers (although having the Vipers wait for Raelin to catch up with their incredible move speed may run counter to good Viper strategy).  Raelin with counterstriking samurai could make a good defensive team, guarding a choke point or scenario objective.  Rae probably wouldn't be good with rush-attack units like the Venocs or even the Tarn Vikings when they're on a berserk charge - she'd be left behind and possibly alone, which is a bad position for her.  Other than that, she will benefit just about every unit you can team her with, except possibly the Zettians and  Deathwalkers 9000 and 8000, who already have ridiculously high defense and who will most likely be positioned far away from direct combat.

Her attack of 3 dice at a range of 1 is about average; it will suffice against low-defense units, making her a fair (but not great) attacker.  However, conventional wisdom suggests that Rae should be kept out of direct danger, and only be used to boost weaker units, as the loss of her protection could be devastating to her allies.  Units that can protect her and/or come to her aid are also a good idea.

Against Raelin:
With her decidedly average stats, Rae is weakest when she's alone (her defense power doesn't work on herself).  Isolate her as quickly as possible and engage her, although an opponent may choose to risk your parting blow in order to keep her safe.  Ranged units are useful against her, but her 3 defense and 5 life will help keep her alive for a few rounds.  The Glyph of Erland (Summoning) can also help to draw her away from her guards.

[Brel]

Good idea Howl!    I will contribute soon.

[Rolf]

I have a couple of maps in the design phase and I have a bit of writer's block

Here is the first one - my tentative name for the map is "Flight of the Innocents", for 3 players; Blue player's job is to cross the black border to escape Yellow's territory, while Yellow must stop Blue from doing so.  Red player must wait until Blue crosses over before they can intervene; until that happens, Red can't cross the black line either.

[link=http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1msflight9rr.jpg][/link]

Problem is, Blue could use a fast unit like the Vipers to rush it.  Red might also get bored waiting, and if Yellow does a good job then Red might never get to play.  I am working on a "declaration of war" special rule, but it's not perfect yet....

does anyone have any (preferably short and simple) ideas?

[Brel]

You're right.  The red team will surely get bored being just restricted within their own border.  Also, BLUE TEAM might be more at a disadvantage as two teams are against him.  Yes, we can compensate with BLUE having more points to draft his army but still I think it would be much fun if everyone is against each other.  Maybe if we give each of the team their own mission the game will be much more active.  Example of a typical basketball type of game:

OBJECT OF THE GAME
The highest remaining points collected from bringing glyphs to the center of the map is the winner.

SETUP
Each team is in their specific border at the start of the game.  There has maybe 5 glyphs within the border of each of the team.

GAME PLAY
The team are to bring the glyphs to a target location in the middle of the map to score certain number of points for each glyph brought.  Maybe 25 points per glyph brought is the score.  All points collected can be used by the corresponding team to gain more reinforcements for that them - or -  they can store the points for the collected glyph to add to their score at the end of the game.

The team may also steal glyphs from the other teams to gain more points.

[Rolf]

sorry I forgot to specify - Red player's objective is to protect Blue team once Blue reaches their territory, while Yellow can't let Blue do that.   Anyway go on and post your ideas for what to do with this map...