500 points of shut down

Today I want to share with you a 500 point team that may just be too much cheese to even be fair. You can play it sort of like a tent pole team and just frustrated the beejeezus out of your opponent. Will you win? Maybe. It all depends on how you play it out. Do it right and you'll stop your opponent cold while you shoot him to pieces.

The players:

Maelstrom, Starboy, Harry Leland, Leech, Dirk Anger, and Cypher.

If not already obvious, the point of this team is to shut down your opponents movement ability, hinder power use, force them to deal with lesser figures in order to free up that movement and shoot the snot out of them while they try. As you will be able to see from the pictures, the right locations on the map will cut movement in half twice and then give it a -2 to boot. That's while shutting down three move and attack powers. It comes to exactly 500 points too.

Cypher is a great back up piece to this and should stay back so everyone gets as much use of a good team ability as possible. Just think if the opponent is using mystics... so are you. Also having Dirk shut down their team abilities so you are the only one using them is priceless. And so what if some of your own powers are shut down with Leech. He's temporary at best. Use him to force your opponents hand.

The only thing that can help your opponent against this team is range, and that can run out quickly. Check out the pictures.

In this first one you can see how I have Starboy carry Leech out and get him into hindering.(click on pics for larger view) I don't have any objects but you will want to position one so Dirk walks into stealth. You should keep Maelstrom so he's just out of range of Leech's ability but within the 8 spaces for his own. That way he can still incap at 10 spaces. But then, incap doesn't require a power action so go to town. Perplex and outwit can also still be used with Leech. The most important things shut down by Leech are Close and Ranged combat experts. He also stops regeneration, support, duo attack, and telekinesis. It's okay, you won't need them near as much as your opponent will. Leech dies first.

In the second pic you can see how figure start maneuvering to get that coverage of spaces for their abilities. On this map you might think of going through the back office but that would be a mistake. Since all the abilities work through walls, they'll just move in and lock you down. You might also think that Maelstrom doesn't deal enough damage to be the near tentpole of this group. But add perplex and all that incapacitate and you have 3 or 4 damage from at least two sources and the shutdown stops the rest. Even outwit won't help the opponent because you can't outwit traits.

That twin field of cross coverage is a great place to position Maelstrom, forcing attackers to deal with them or come between them to get the big guy.

I haven't had the opportunity to play this and see what the dice say yet, but I intend to! If you play it, post how it went!

Playing Superman!

Now that we have this awesome 300/150 point Superman to punish people with, let's look at great ways to play him.

Playing the 300 point level is pretty obvious for high point games. To fit better in standard 300 and 400 point games, you're better off with the 150 point version.

In looking at keywords, I found that playing Kryptonian is expensive on points. You can play a classic duo for 250 with 150 pt Supes plus 100 pt Supergirl. You can make this duo work at 400 even by using Supes at 300 and Supergirl at 100. Kind of lopsided on that last idea though.

400 pt Kryptonian Trio: Superman (150), Supergirl (100) and a Kryptonian soldier to make a total of 387.

500 pt Kyrptonians: Superman (150), Supergirl (100), Earth One Supes (chase), and Eradicator for 492.

Here's a idea I call "Faces of Superman": Superman (150), Earth One, and Project Superman for 397.

Metropolis is much easier to work with:

300 pt "Men of Steel" is a duo with Superman (150) and Steel for a total of 280.

400 pt "Love Story: is a duo with Superman (300) and Lois Lane for 389. Hey, he needs to be full power to protect his lady right?

Metropolis has quite a few small point pieces you can fill in with for other teams, but I'm working mainly with the direct set and staying with Hero vs Villain. Both of these duos for Metropolis can carry their own. But how about this:

500 pt "Super Ladies' Man": Superman (150), Supergirl (100), Lois Lane, Lucy Lane (75) and a Kryptonian Infiltrator for a total of 492.

Now we can mix sets and that's where playing Superman can get deadly.

400 pt "Reporting LIVE!" uses Reporter keyword and give you Superman (150), Lois Lane, Black Spidey from Web of Spiderman, and Johnny Quick for 384 points. Yes, I know this doesn't make "theme legal" because it's not six figures with the reporter keyword. Well, check out the team possibilities for yourself. This becomes one more example of why the new ruling doesn't work.

Now for the best of the best. A Facebook friend showed me this idea and I love it. It's definitely cheese. There are quite a few ways to pull this off, but what you need at the midst of it is Superman and Professor X. Make sure the Prof. has a coupld of Researchers with him to boost his damage and get in the way of attacks (that make it that far!). Yep, it's the Scientist keyword and since the new Superman has it, flaunt it! Here's my 500 point version of this masterpiece:

Superman (150), Prof. X, 2 Researchers, Mr. Fantastic, and the Black suit Spiderman from Web. It's six pieces and theme legal at 498. I plan to play it soon!

Here's to hoping you're enjoying your Superman! Keep clicking!

Heroclix Wild Kingdom (On the Attack!)

So, last time we looked at what kind of movement powers certain animals would have. Now it's time to get to attack powers and this looks pretty exciting! First, lets take a look at the attack types like Duo and Sharpshooter.

Sharpshooter allows for ranged attacks to be used in base contact. I have a great suggestion for that one; the spitting cobra. The spitting cobra has a knack for launching venom into the eyes of anything that threatens it, even right up close. For that matter, the closer you are, the better a target you are.

Duos are good for any animals that will kick your butt in mated pairs. Mess with any animals young and you risk that one if both are around. And not just mates, but pack animals too. Good figures to make for this would be a pride of lions (try taking on two lionesses at once!) or a pack of wolves. Yeah they would only be two per duo fig, but isn't that enough? I personally think a pack of wolves would be awesome as minions to begin with.

Naturally, anything else would have the standard attack symbol. Now for the powers.

BLADES, CLAWS AND FANGS: If you can't see how obvious this one is, have someone bounce a dice off your head. Ripping, tearing, clawing, and biting are the primary weapons of the animal world. It would likely be the most common power of them all. The name of the power pretty much spells it out. Cats have sharp teeth and claws, dogs and pack animals have powerful jaws and big incisors. Crocodiles and Alligators have super sized teeth too! Even primates could have this for their huge sharp teeth. They aren't just for looks you know.

ENERGY EXPLOSION: The first thing that comes to mind when I think of animals or insects with this, is the bombadier beetle. It launches a stinky attack at enemies to include things like ants. However, you won't see one of those taking on a pack of wolves right? Well, apply this to the old "monkey flings poo" and you'll see any group on the receiving end duly affected. Splash damage anyone? I think so. It's laughable, but you have to admit it would work.

PULSE WAVE: The ability to hit every target in half range for one damage regardless of powers like stealth is given to the skunk and honey badger. The musk power of these animals can clear any area as of right now. For that matter, if you are too close, you might get the affect of the next power:

QUAKE: Take two damage and knockback (forced away by two spaces) if you are in base contact. I could see large charging animals use this power too, like a bull elephant. Watch them smash through a small village and tell me there wasn't a quake involved. In the water, this power (and pulsewave) could be granted to the electric eel. Short ranged, but you know how electricity and water mix right?

SUPER STRENGTH: Lifting big objects and throwing them around? Elephants can do that and so can most apes. Need help to see just how strong? Check this out:



INCAPACITATE: The ability to hold something in place, giving it an extra action token is a power good for big snakes, giant squid, or an octopus. Spiders use webbing for this as well. Good for insect levels of clix games.

PSYCHIC BLAST: Basically this is a ranged attack that does penetrating damage (ignores defensive powers that reduce damage). Once again the spitting cobra could have this one because of it's awesome aim. Skunks could take it again too because who ever gets hit by the mainstream of that musk shot is going to suffer.

SMOKE CLOUD: Creating hindering terrain as a defense goes right to the squid and octopus for those mass ink jets. Skunks could have it too. No one likes going through musk clouds. Some large animals can kick up a lot of dust just by stomping around.

POISON: Lots of snakes would have this one. The longer you stay near them, the more you get bit and poisoned, right? Various insect swarms would work the same way.

TELEKINESIS: Okay, so consider this, an elephant picks up an orangutan and throws it out to some other target. It could also throw objects at a greater distance than some other animals. Telekinesis is really just moving objects and characters around at a greater distance. Yeah, it's not really telekinesis like the super heroes, but it's as close as an animal is going to get. Basically it's animals that can throw other animals.

So, what did you think of this set? Any power ideas of your own for what's listed so far?

Thor and Green Lantern: Double Review

Yes, I'm doing a double review; two for the price of one. First I want to talk about the Thor movie that made major record sellouts across the country and earned raving reviews. Mine is really no different. If you haven't seen Thor yet and it's not longer in the theater near you, you've missed out. You need to see this movie. It's brilliantly made with fantastic special effects and views that make Asgard worthy of... well... ASGARD. The Ice giants looked awesome, the battle scenes were all incredible. One of the feelings I look for when I go to a comic related movie is that I am definitely looking at the character in question. I want to feel like "Oh Yeah! That's definitely Spider-man, Cap, Thor" or who ever I went to see. Thor delivered that in spades. Props to giving Hawkeye a speaking part for the short time he was in the movie. Even that felt very accurate. Loki was diabolical too, big props on that. When you see it, remember to wait through the credits for the teaser at the end. One of the villains is suggested for the Avengers movie and it promises to be awesome already. I saw a hint of TWO villains in it.. how about you?

Now the only problem I had, and it really didn't bother me that much, was Odin's eye. The movie makes it look like he lost it in combat with the giants. Even the comics continuity, however, follows the original legend that Odin gave his eye in payment for ultimate wisdom. The eye is never specified in legend, but most often drawn as his left eye. In the movie it's his right eye. Now, because it doesn't specify, they could claim that he went in search of ultimate wisdom because of the war with the giants (that still wouldn't be accurate though). Legend says his gaining the wisdom happened before those wars. But it's not something that made me dislike the movie in any way. It's just technical fact jargon that I happen to know. If that's all I could find "wrong" then they did a fantastical job. And they did.

Now, let's take a look at the new Green Lantern Fast Forces pack. I have to say that this is a well made set that does allow for new players to get involved quickly and easily. Points are carefully set to make for quick team building in even hundreds. It even says so right on the back of the package. All six together make a nice even 600 points, so you can pit two sets against each other right off the bat, or make two 300 point teams out of one. That's instant game play with map and dice included. For all it has in the package, meant for new players, there's just one thing missing.

A RULEBOOK, PEOPLE! Seriously? No rules of any kind? Hang on a second. You have a great marketing strategy to get new players by using venues like Toys R Us, Target, Walmart, etc.... and there's NOTHING that says HOW TO PLAY? OOPS! Were we assuming that the only people who would buy know someone in heroclix? That would be folly if so. People may buy this set out of interest in the movie... then go, "This is cool, but what do I do with it?". People who are in the game aren't going to care, but there's a lost connection, lost opportunity for those who get this to get started as the package suggests: "Fast forces are the quickest way for you to get in the game".

The figures look pretty cool and click nicely. I only had to fix two of them and they were very minor fixes. Plastic quality.. a little cheaper than most, but usable. Hal's head doesn't seem quite right, that angle in mass production makes him look like he broke his neck. Modders could make a heck of a zombie out of Hal in this set!

Still, I suggest picking up this set, because it's way cool and has Kilowog and Tomar Re. You can't get those two without shelling out some bucks for the originals. Enjoy some clicking today with Green Lantern, we are!

Great ways to play Juggernaut

Juggernaut is by far one of my favorite X-men villains and I've been waiting a long time for a good accurate rendition of him to play in my favorite game. Giant Size X-men delivered on that I sat down and checked out his keywords. Good ol Juggs is playable in several formats and I hope you enjoy these remarkable ideas. These are only from the new set. Naturally you can reach back and make a really cool team that way too.

Excalibur: Juggernaut, Cypher, Lockheed, and Psylocke for 352 points. For the 400 point format this little team can pack a punch. Cypher gives them your opponent's team ability (if any) and Lockheed makes for some versatile combat support. Use him to bodyguard Cypher, or have him follow Juggs on his path of destruction. I like having him back up Psylocke who's telekinesis can also come in handy. You want to go ahead and push Cypher to his perplex too.

Exiles: You take your chances anytime you use only two people, but in a 300 point match, Juggs and Psylocke could possibly pull it off. Probably best to pull in Morph or Mimic from past sets to get your Exiles going.

Mystical: Pair Juggs up with Elsa Bloodstone and a Mindless one for 366. Mindless ones are getting underestimated, but hey, 100 points for Mystics, psychic blast, range of 8, and impervious? I think that's a great deal myself, but that could just be me. Juggs and Elsa pretty much need to be in someone's face, but having that Mindless one go point with range and Mystics damage is a great way to start opening wounds that Juggs and Elsa will definitely make worse.

Brutes: Now this is expensive, but you play Juggs in a minion style combat with two ore more Mindless ones moving ahead of him for 393 points on up. Once again, the idea is to use Mystics as a front shield, opening the way for Juggernaut to come in and do some finishing pounding. Interesting, but probably not a big tournament winner. Could be fun though.

X-MEN!!

Here are some ideas for playing Juggernaut with the Xmen keyword:

"Half Brothers": Juggernaut, Prof. X and Lockheed for 363. This has a really mean edge to it with the Prof. since he can reach through others with his powers. That makes everyone on the team with him a double threat. Juggernauts smash through power with the reach of the Prof.... yikes. Even if they are outnumbered, they could definitely do some serious damage.

"Brutality": Put him with Archangel in a duo team for 292 and add Wolverine for 395 total points. Archangel can make for some vicious air support and Wolverine still having that heal a click trick makes for a nice edge too (pun intended). As Wolverine once said "We're about to go the throw down city for the stomping marathon."

"Repentant": Put him with Cyclops and Emma Frost for 384. This is based on his first work with the X-men when he tried to learn what being a "hero" was about. There's some good damage capability with this team up. Cyclops ability to deliver psychic blast in the face is a fine addition too.

"Dual Allegiances": Since both Juggernaut and Rogue have connections with Brotherhood, why not team them up for 321? Again, a risky prospect since most good teams have three or more people for such high points, but could be interesting.

"Rivals": Iceman was about the most against Juggernaut of the whole team, constantly challenging him on missions. So put them together in a risky duo for 297 or add Storm (who also didn't like him much better) for 383. Storm is a power house in her own right so added with Juggernaut, I could see a bad forecast for your opponent.

For 500 play: Put him with Archangel, Storm, Psylocke and Lockheed for 499 points. This matching just looks like tabletop murder to me and I like it! This team has great range, great damage capability, and awesome powers. It's flexible and dangerous. Give it a try!

BROTHERHOOD: This is a bit more difficult. In a 300 point format you will ONLY get two players on the table. Your best bet for that is to go with Sabretooth since they're both indomitable. You can make an interesting paring with Mystique too. Blob is just too outwitable but would make a good forward meat shield, I guess. In four hundred you can add another member easily or go with another duo with Magneto. All six of the Brotherhood will cost 765 points. To me, that says Juggernaut plays better with the X-men for this set, naturally you can make plenty of good plays by reaching back too.

For reaching back I say go Mystical or Excalibur. Put him with Nightcrawler for some annoying fun! Great possibilities for a great game figure. Way to go Juggernaut!

My Giant Sized X-men Review!

I have a lot to say about this set. You know, what makes a set truly great is when the good so outweighs anything remotely “bad” that you just don’t care. Giant Sized Xmen brings that point home very well. This set is truly great. As we usually do, my son and I had a nice pack party with a case + a brick and one extra super booster. Sheboygan area sold out in less than 24 hours.

I have to say that we completed the commons almost twice over which is very good for distribution. It was interesting to get two Elixirs in the same booster and one booster had some broken pieces that I glued. Right now, I’m only missing the Captain, Phoenix, Cable/Deadpool, Pyro, Hulk, Apocalypse and the Mark V. I may have been very lucky, but I think they really are trying to make sure your chances are better by the brick. We were very happy and a great time opening packs. So I have to give prompts on distribution from what I’ve seen and heard from other local players. Hey, out of four super boosters, we got four different figures. That’s awesome.

The figure quality is also very good. They are certainly pushing the envelope to create more dynamic poses and appearances. Storm, Magneto and Juggernaut really show how much work they are putting into it. Yes, there are some cookie cutter figures (the Hellions), but that may have been necessary to get you the super cool poses molded for the rest. Some finer details are lost, but again, there’s plenty of way cool to appreciate. I really like them. Juggernaut’s new look really shows his imposing size compared to his last incarnation from Fantastic Forces. Of course, there are sharper small details on the previous sculpt, but it makes up for the difference.

Sculpt/manufacturing drawbacks: The new pioneering on figure poses and energy bolts have one flaw that I noted, Storm. She’s rather fragile and the way she sits makes turning her dial a little troublesome. It’s not easy to get a grip on the sloped base. My fingers just slide up to the feet and I worry that I’ll break her. Her hand came loose as I got her out of the package. I glued that, but still, worth noting guys. Bases are pretty good but I still had to do some doctoring to turn about 30% of them. There are two things making it hard to turn these dials. One that was more prevalent in Hammer of Thor and Web of Spiderman, was the notch that stands up inside the dial (the cause of the clicking noise) being too high, making the dial stick. A pair of fingernail clippers fixes that easily. The second and more of a problem for this set is a bit of plastic sticking out from the edge (side) of the inner dial that catches and stops turning. I used a pair of reverse curve toenail clippers to correct that problem. Most of the dials came apart easily enough to let me fix them. This isn’t a show stopping problem and I must also note that it is impossible to correct completely. It’s a problem of manufacturing. Sculpts are a lot more solid on their bases, but jamming is a big threat to the pieces that are on skinny little feet or small centers to grasp with the fingers. That brings me to the one thing that I am going to have to make mention of and I hope it’s considered with seriousness.

I have shed blood for heroclix.

The culprit: Horseman Wolverine. There are some small pointed plastic bits that stick up right at his feet (where players will put their fingers) and it’s all black. I went to turn the dial and one of the little pieces stabbed into my thumb. Yes, they came out very sharp and I corrected this with the trusty toe nail clippers. I got two of that Wolverine and both needed the adjustment, especially since one goes to my nine year old son. Wolvie isn’t the only culprit for being too sharp either. Vulcan’s flame job is also sharp and could cut through a piece of paper. This is not an alarm issue, but one that the company should take into careful consideration. I love the sculpting that they are doing, but they need to keep in mind two things; one is where peoples fingers are going to go in order to turn the dial and two is that small children will be touching these. I looked through my significant collection and found pieces that flirted with this, but these are the first I’ve ever seen that warrant a mention. Please, guys, correct this for future sets.

As for the colossal’s, AWESOME. Need I say more?

Game mechanics: I have to say that the point values are much much better than in DC 75th. The keywords cross and allow for some great team building. The set really goes over the top with the traits and special powers. They rule the set but some may be tricky in supporting on your team. Leech and Leland could be devastation on table control (especially together) but they are huge bullseyes and range will ace them if you aren’t careful. Half of the Hellions have the same problem, especially Tarot. Sure, she might do something really cool, but it’s a big ol toss up on if it will be when you really need it. That takes a major area of control out of your hands. Points though, love the points. Very few pieces in this set go over 200 in the standard size dials. I found 300 point possibilities for about every keyword in there.

Selection: I’ve knocked on this before and I’m going to do it again. There are some pieces that were more iconic to this area of the Xmen storylines that we are missing. So, I will take off my hat and give a moment of silence to: Mr. Sinister, Havok (why not have all three brothers?), Lady Deathstrike, Shadowcat (though Lockheed is awesome), Donald Pierce, Sebastian Shaw (though you can make a Hellfire club team still), Banshee and maybe Mastermind. While I realize there are only so many slots, I can’t help but think there are some characters here who could have stepped aside for one or two of them to step in. Who? Gatecrasher (who rocks by the way, but still), Ch’od (most of the other Starjammers were a long time ago), and certainly Gideon who is the loneliest figure of the whole set.

Finally, I’m going to pick on just two areas of comic book accuracy. 1) Cannonball: He should have the Xmen team ability as well as the Brotherhood. He was part of at least three X groups (New Mutants, X-Force, and even X-men for a while). Also, he could have the Externals keyword and then Gideon wouldn’t be so lonely. Cannonball is an immortal. In the Xforce story that this was discovered, Sauron killed him and he regenerated (albeit slowly- Feral also ripped out his intestines once and he grew them back). Go check it out at Marvel under his powers HERE. 2) Nemesis: Will someone please, please show me the storyline that he was colossal sized in? I can’t find it. Marvel.com lists him as only six foot, eight. Yeah, his armor has shapeshifting abilities, but so does Mystique and she’s not colossal (and she’s turned into monsters thank you). If someone can show me where he went giganto, I’ll happily stand corrected.

All that being said, I love this set… love it.

Giant X-men: Likes and Dislikes

Are you fired up and ready for your X-men? I know I am. I do plan to write a review after I get my case of X-men goodness (which may be all I can get my hands on) but before that, I thought I would toss out some of my likes and dislikes so far. You may be surprised and I'm sure opinions will vary.

Likes are fun, let's do those first.

-HORSEMEN keywords: For that matter, I like how most of the keywords are playing out in this set. You can actually play a full 300 point Horsemen set and be fully themed with two, also totally possible to play. I don't know how easy it will be to get my hands on them, but I really like they way they are working out.

-Reavers: What can I say? I like the Reavers and they are classic to X-men being over 20 years old. I like the mechanics with them and can't wait to annoy an opponent with some of the Reaver's skills.

-Collosals: Not just giants, but colossal figures, six of them is my understanding. I just hope it's easier to get all of them than it looks. I don't like the looming supply problem. It's an interesting marketing strategy and I like that you can at least get one with a brick, giving you a chance of some kind.

-Cool new power mechanics: Full length charge isn't really anything new, but it's nice to see and so are a lot of the new and cool white powers that I've seen so far. Angel looks particularly good. It's really nice to take the carry penalty away from him but it would be easier if being a transporter did that anyhow. Sorry, it just makes more sense to me that someone who is supposed to be good at "TRANSPORTING" people would have that kind of bonus regardless of what they do with the watered down hypersonic thing. I've said that before and will again.

Okay, now the dislikes:

-Chase figures: Ugh. Well, I do have to say that the distribution has gotten better so long as they at least do it like they did with the White Lantern chases. They're too hard to get and that makes them cost way too much money. Honestly, most of them cost more than what their power scale makes them worth. I've only seen a handful of chase figures that really and honestly do anything that most uncommon pieces can't do. So you wind up being gouged in the secondary market for nothing more than "rarity" and a name. I'd rather spend my hundred bucks on booster packs and get a whole bunch of things I or my players could use than just one single figure. Then I would have a wafer thin chance of getting the figure anyway. Sorry, but I find their "value" highly inflated too quickly to make them financially viable.

-Shadowcat: What's that you say, there is no Shadowcat? Well, that's the problem. I love that Lockheed is in the set, but he loses some of the spirit of being from Giant sized X-men days without the first X-man he ever bonded with. I'll take him, of course, but missing Shadowcat is a disappointment. It's like selling Robin without Batman. Think about it.

-3 Angels: Huh? Why do we have three forms of Angel in the set? Isn't two enough? Couldn't we have put a missing character in to fill out other themes? Shadowcat? Donald Pierce? Sebastian Shaw? Why do we need a third Angel form? Is it because of a suit and a couple clicks of hypersonic? I'm sorry, but whoopty doo. And if this is a chase figure it's a perfect example of the problem with chase figs mentioned above. It's not that it's a bad fig, really. It's that it's redundant. That slot would have been far better used with some other character and this one could have been done later one where it would have fit better.

-Deadpool: Okay, this isn't as bad as having three Angel's taking up space, but hang on a sec. Didn't we just see Deadpool, a better version of him, in the last Marvel set? I know he's got the keywords, but once again, there are characters that should be here and aren't in my humble opinion. Yes, I know there's a Deadpool movie looming out there, but that's not enough of a reason for me. A new Soulsword Shadowcat would have fit the theme better and been just as cool. I just think that filling out the Hellfire club inner circle or another missing classic Xman, like Banshee to match up with his daughter would be better. Heck, even remaking Mastermind or Arcade would be better. Mastermind was instrumental in the Hellfire club for triggering Dark Phoenix! How would that not fit?

And for a couple things I'm not too sure about though they sound cool:

-Gatecrasher: This depends on her keywords. If she's the only one with them, she won't get much play time. Hey look! More missing characters that could have been better to use than and extra Angel or Deadpool!

-Removable pieces: Hmmm, that sounds cool and I like some of the sculpting with that. But what does it really mean for game play? How does it affect cost? Yeah, it sounds cool, but is it really necessary? I could see some cool homegame things to do with a removable shield or hammer, but past that, I really don't know. Take the removable burning Wolverine. What else am I going to do with that? Yeah, it's cool, but I guess I'll have to get in my hot little hands first to really see.

Our great big collections

So, how many figures are in your Heroclix collection? I've been playing and collecting from the very beginning and have a good couple thousand of those old pieces stored away in boxes. So you don't see those in the photo, this is my current collection not counting what's been stored. Suffice to say, Heroclix takes up a lot of room in my gaming library.

I've changed how I store them a few times over the years. It seems like I just can't find a way that I can really stick with as new sets come out and adjustments have to be made. I've seen pretty cool ideas though.

Lots of people use tackle boxes, tool boxes, and various forms of tool storage bins. Those work nice, but you will wind up with a lot of what ever you use for storage as you run out of room.

I currently have mine in bins by keywords as I would most likely use them. I have a small portable carrier that I use for all my tokens, objects, and any teams I take to a tournament. I prefer to build my team before I even go anywhere because of all the pieces I have. It's just too much to carry all at once (ha ha).

Some of the highlights of my collection include the original Galactus, Dark Phoenix, and the World's Finest brick mail away (Superman and Batman). I also have one of the original Sentinels, three of the updated ones, the Sinestro Corps Anti-Monitor, and yeah, Purple Pants Fin Fang Foom (useless against the others).

I have lots of the old uniques to include Clobberin Time's Nightcrawler and Spiral. I have a purple ring Thanos and Gladiator. I also have metallic Silver Surfer and Nova. Remember the first LE Superman from Hypertime? Yep, got him too. It sure gets hard to keep track after all this time and all these sets and pieces. How can our collections do anything but get huge? I wonder how many of you have had to put old pieces away in storage? I'm sure there's plenty of you. And the highlights change with the current collections; the chase figures, White Lanterns, Cosmic Spiderman, etc. I don't have a lot of the chase's these days because I just can't afford to dump as much money into it as would be required for a good chance. But I do have a decent collection to draw upon for play. I think that's more important than the chase figures.

So, how do you contain your bursting collection?

Click on above image for larger view.

Modders concerned over new dial type

Recently a new "oreo style" dial base was announced by Wiz Kids and I have to say it looks pretty sharp. You can see it at Heroclix World (<--click).

I was looking through comments on the article and the Wizkids facebook page and noted that there were two essential concerns with the new dial.

1: Will the cost of boosters go up?

2: How will modders do their thing?

While I understand the first one, I had to double-take on the second. As for the first one, it's been stated that the current intention is for price to remain the same. This may take some negotiation in manufacturing, but it's the intent as of now. I don't know how they'll do that if the dial costs more, but all we can do is wait and see.

Now for the second issue. I've done my own fair share of modding and have even done some figures that friends really enjoyed. Even so, with my own hobby in mind, I have to mention something.

Heroclix was never made with the intent of anyone cutting up figures to make their own figures. It's never been in the rule books or any advertisements. When you read the box it does not say " and you can chop them up to make other people out of them". Nope, that's never been an openly supported venue in any way (advertisement wise). Granted, they haven't said "hey, don't do that!" and I'm sure they've gotten a few sculpt ideas or set ideas from watching. And they have to be watching, it would be silly not to.

Yes, the facebook page allows you to share pics of your mods and there are pages and people selling them, but.... this is the land of copyrights and licensing issues. Modding is being tolerated and shouldn't be pushed.

I guarantee you that new sets are not formed with the idea of "Oooo this will be easy to hack up!" in any way.

So modders, I suggest we wait until we get our hot little hands on them and figure it out then. I suggest we not cry about it before we have all the facts. This is not a function owed to us in the least. It's not what we are paying for or what it's marketed for. Keep it reasonable and don't worry so much, let's just enjoy our game.

Photo is my easy mod of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Giant size X-men poster hits web

So this poster was recently released on the internet and is creating quite a drooling stir for the upcoming Heroclix set: Giant sized X-men. HCRealms sports page after page of excited dialogue in the forums and there's talk at the Wizkids facebook page too.

I was surprised to see such a spoiler released this early but I don't think it's going to hurt sales at all from the reactions. I'm pretty excited about this set too. There are certainly pieces coming out that have never been made before. Amongst these are Lockheed the dragon, Gatecrasher, and Ch'od. I do hope that keywords don't leave any of these newbies lacking for good team play.

Ch'od has a chance in golden age open formats if anyone has any of the older figures. Sadly, I find most of them unable to survive in current formats.

We've needed a new Magneto for a long time and having his original Brotherhood crew isn't shabby either. But where's Toad? Oh well, so long as this incarnation of Blob is better than the last, I can do without Toad thanks to having the rest.

I also don't see a few other key players for X-men or one for Hellfire Club. It's nice to have Siryn, but Banshee was a key player in the old X title this set is based on. Siryn is Banshee's daughter for those who don't know. And where's Shadowcat? I also realize that there are incarnations in recent sets, but what about Colossus? He was also a key figure in the Giant sized. It's also been mentioned that Strife will be a bit lonely without Cable to pick on. And how about Mr. Sinister? As for the missing man from Hellfire club, I'm talking about Sebastian Shaw. Yes, he's in an old set too, but he needs a revamp badly. There are plenty of figures who've seen way more remakes.

I will also be glad to have my hands on a new Juggernaut and Phoenix, I have to say.

Now, I note that we also don't see any of the giant pieces on this poster, like Apocalypse or the rumored new Sentinel. So what else are we not seeing? Makes you wonder doesn't it? Oh, and just click on the image to see it larger.

DC 75th, least favorite five

So, I've done my top ten favorites of DC 75th and now I'm going to show my top five choices for greatest disappointments of the set. This doesn't mean I think they're totally unplayable or gawd awful trash. Just that they were the least of the set for me and some of you may agree. I'm certain opinions may vary. So, without further ado, here they are from "best to worst".

5: The Wonder Twins: They are actually a cool collector's piece and I'm glad to see them get made. Still, it's unlikely that I'll ever play them. My first problem with them is keywords. They get just one keyword and that's "teen". Sure, that makes for plenty of teams they can play in, but how often were they actually teamed up with teens in the stories? Usually they were hanging out with the JLA as junior members. I think they should have had the keyword for JLA at least, if not the team ability. The second problem I have with them is the same issue I have with any dual figure. The duo attack ability is horribly watered down. For having two figures take a swing, it's a weak power. This may depend on the figures in some cases (and it should), but in this case it's a good example. The duo attack ability is a power action and cannot be used with most powers. It also weakens on the second attack with a nice minus one to damage. So, while there's plenty of cool powers for the twins to use, a dual figure is usually just as slow as a single figure and you won't see accurate team usage of those powers thanks to how dual attack works. That's why very few dual figures see gameplay. Two pieces are usually better than one every time.

4: Wonder Woman: I know, she's actually more useful than the twins, but still a disappointment to me for one major reason. Her defense power. I think she should have had defend as a trait. It would have had better strategic use and she wouldn't have the risk of getting knocked right past her invulnerability on the first hit she takes. Wonder Woman is a front line fighter, always has been. She needs her hardened defense first. If she lends anyone defense, it should be a secondary issue. On top of that, an 18 defense just isn't that hard to hit anymore, so you really can't count on it in opening combat. Another good power for her to have had for up close would have been combat reflexes. She is an Amazon warrior after all and one of the best. Sorry, but her defense just isn't character accurate. What are some other tactics that could be arranged for Wonder Woman? Well, for one, give her a power for that lasso that allows her to pull someone to her from about 6 range or so. That's what lassos have been used for with people you know. With Wonder Woman's strength that would be a cinch power. It could also be used for limited telekinesis to grab an object and whip it at someone.

3: Superman: Poor sad Superman. He looks like Lois turned him down for a date with Aquaman or the Flash. But really, he has good reason to look sad and worried because his chances of standing up to his main nemesis in this set is practically zilch. Who's that, you ask? Why Doomsday of course! I'm not the first person to mention this either, it's a pretty common opinion. While Superman's dial is "good", it's not Superman accurate at all. All he has on Doomsday is movement. He still has to hit a 19 defense with a 10 attack. Good luck, Supes, you'll need it. So what else is wrong with this figure? How about NO hypersonic speed? A Superman without hypersonic is like a Hershey bar without any chocolate in it. Just an empty wrapper. As for what he doesn't have, it's little use to have him using flurry or defend. His defense drops badly in that area and he has to stay up close and personal. At this point on his dial he's in desperate shape, for being Superman that is. As for defend, he does have a 17 defense for it, but again, not hard to hit at all. When you consider his points versus what size of a team he'll likely be in, Superman needs major back up and that's not accurate either. Just two hits from Doomsday is "bye bye" for Superman. Heck, most of the Green Lanterns are tougher than he is.

2: Aquaman: The one from the Brightest Day set is pretty cool. The one from the 75th... not so much. I gotta give props though, it's hard to make a good Aquaman. In this case, he should have had most of the powers from Supes' dial. Charge, super strength and flurry are all good ones for him. He should also start with invulnerability and go to toughness after that. He is, at least that strong. Past that, for all his tricks, his usefulness is limited. He needs to be in the water and against other Atlantis characters to be of the most use. Yes, he has the transporter ability, but let me tell you how much I value that. Not very much. First of all, a "transporter" (especially one that can fly) should not suffer the minus 2 penalty for carrying someone. It just doesn't sound right. Also, the minus two on attack with the move and attack ability isn't strategically sound when it drops your attack below a 9. I only use this ability out of desperation or to try and get in an early hit at a distance. Yes, it's a nice option, but just doesn't do much for me. A minus one for the attack value makes more sense than 2, honestly. Yes, it is cool that he can transport while he's grounded, but it's not enough for this piece in my opinion.

1: Ganthet: I know what you're thinking; "why are you bagging on Ganthet? He's awesome!" Sure he is. Except if he's in a 300 point match, he's alone. In a 400 point match he can have cheapo minions. A good 300 or 400 point team will annihilate him. In a bigger match, he gets better, but it takes a lot. And his Green Lantern team ability is virtually useless in those low point tournies that almost no one will play him in anyway. Now, he is powerful, I'll give him that. He can't be outwitted and has built in willpower, also very nice. But he's also slow. Putting him in range to do anything makes him and instant target. For his kind of power, an 18 defense is too easy to hit. It's another matter of accuracy in a way. For the kind of cosmic power we are talking about and to be worthy of a 299 point value, his stats need to be better. To me, he's worth 200 points and no more. Even with regen mid dial. One five click punch from Doomsday takes him right past that. So, too point heavy for the arrangement of his dial, his stats, and accuracy, puts Ganthet at number one for my least favorite, and least likely to use pieces of 75th.

Now I will give honorable mention to the one figure I've given the most credit in this posting, Doomsday. Why bag on Doomsday? For his six space opening movement, that's why. He can leap like the Hulk but only for six spaces? Well, I will give him this after playing him against Supes and Ganthet; he's still deadly. I guess the six space opener can be forgiven.

Heroclix spotlight: The White Queen

I have to say that Giant Sized X-men is looking like a very promising set. I like the look of the new Cyclops and love that he has sharpshooter. It makes perfect sense to me with his powerful optic blasts and capability of using them in the face and up close. But, this isn't about Cyke, it's about Emma Frost aka, the White Queen.

First of all, she gets two team abilities. X-men and Brotherhood makes sense because she's been on both sides of the fence. I think the free movement of Brotherhood gets underestimated at times, but it can really help to get a piece into position for a future move. It allows her to play both sides and she has always done that well.

Her dial is interesting to me. Opening with running shot and psychic blast makes her a more mobile attacker than she has been in the past. While this works for her very well, I think her mind control has been cut down a little too much. It comes late in the dial. With the cost of mind control (a click of damage for each hundred points of the target), her use of the power could be a suicide gambit. That's not like her at all. I think having mind control as a trait would have been super and certainly fitting to the new formats. Cool traits have been a great strategic add to lots of pieces.

She's not a useless piece though, far from it. And if you prefer her in mind controlling zeal, there is a very good piece from Mutants and Monsters that you can use. So there is a nice option. It may come to depend on what pieces are legal to use in what tournaments, but that goes without saying. And, of course, I have to mention the loss of her invulnerability from her diamond form.

So I like her, I just feel she could be better with how the environment of the game has changed.

Why players quit games

If not for general information, then certainly for marketing, it's important to understand what makes players walk away from a game. There are several reasons that this happens and mostly it involves finances. The recent economy has been hard on players no doubt. It makes it so they have to be choosy about what they buy and play. Games that require keeping a collection can really suffer when prices go above ability or finances drop below. What are other reasons?

Well, trivially speaking, 1% of any business is lost because the customer dies. That's just trivia, but it's true to marketing so noteworthy.

About 15% of customers are lost because they move away. This holds true for gaming too. Moving to places where there are no players for some games can put a kabosh on that customers buying habits. It can shelf a game fast and for a long time.

I don't know a percentage off hand, but I have seen lots of gamers for both Hero Clix and Magic the Gathering, throw up their hands and walk away over rules changes. Too many rule changes, especially in a short time, can frustrate players. Key note, games are meant to be fun. Frustration is the opposite of fun.

Bad luck. Even if you don't believe in it, some people just aren't meant to play some games, especially in competition. When it comes to games of chance, I can tell you I'm not meant to be a gambler. I lose, it's as simple as that. So I don't gamble. I don't have good luck with Magic the Gathering either except in friendly, non-tournament play. It doesn't matter how well I put my deck together, if I enter a tournament, I lose. I can't tell you how many times I've lost horribly to have the master player across from me tell me to build a better deck. I hand him my cards. He looks through them and takes his harsh words back. Face it, it's no fun when you always lose. And there's no marketing in the world to save from that one.

None of these are avoidable by the market. They're going to happen. Players will come and players will go. Still, there are plenty of bad choices that could be avoided with some forethought. Here's to hoping you don't have to give up your favorite game this year.

A giant X-Men fan

Heroclix is coming out with Giant Sized X-men in the new year and it may be early to talk about it, but I can't help myself. I'm a big X-men fan.

I've been hoping for a better Cyclops and updates to all the X-men who showed up in X-plosion. It would be great to see a new Banshee and Storm too. I will be watching with great anticipation for this set. There almost isn't anything I don't know about classic X-men.

I know their powers in and out. I've seen a lot of inaccuracies (by my own opinion I realize) but I have high hopes for the new way they've been assigning powers. Traits and white powers could open up the X-pages in a whole new way. If 75th is any sign of how that will be, we have a lot to look forward to.

I already know of some we get to see if you check out the report at Heroclixworld.com, you can see them too. What I wonder about is how many giant figures will be made in this set for the giant boosters. I know Apocalypse will be there and likely sentinels, but who or what else? Maybe the Living Monolith? Well, who do you think will make an appearance. Giant size and classic have more than enough characters to work with.

My DC 75th TOP TEN

Okay, this is info that's going to vary depending on your own personal interests and play style, so bear with me. But I want to get one more good post in on 75th before I take off for handling the holidays. Hope you enjoy this.

Qualifications for my top ten (what I considered):

1: Nothing over 200 points because I'm looking for playability in the 300 to 400 point formats. Something that absorbs over 50% of your team doesn't make the cut for me.

2: Tactics: What do they bring to the table and how does it weigh versus need for a themed team? Is it supportable or could it support a win condition? Or is it just too broken not to use (like Nightcrawler)?

3: Point cost versus what they do, comparable to the 200 point rule, but you get the idea.

4: No chase figures. I'm interested in listing figures you can reasonably get your hands on.

As I said, you may not agree with me, but I have my reasons and you have yours, so smile.

10: WARLORD: Surprised already? Warlord is an old favorite of mine from the comics and I'm really glad to finally see a figure for him. I once read a team up with him and Green Arrow, awesome. So why does he make my list? At fifty points, he's simple with an old school combo of charge and blades with a nice 11 attack. Combat Reflexes gives him an 18 up close for defense and might just keep him around long enough to do some nice damage. The only thing that would really make him better for his points is toughness. Sadly, one good hit can take him out. I see him going down easily from high damage, but used right he can soften up a heavy for you or play some great interception on other pieces. So he's simple in application, old school, good damage and attack, and his points make him fit very very well in your warrior themes.

9: ANIMAL MAN: Remember that combo I mentioned with Warlord? Animal Man has it even better with greater movement to make up a bit for the one point lower in attack. And he starts with even better defense. His trait makes him an excellent centerpiece for a big keyword for this set, ANIMAL. Team him up with Beast Boy or all the gorillas and duplicate their powers in Animal Man. The only drawback is that he can't use the power you name until the beginning of your next turn, but it still makes him an excellent tactical wild card. If you think ahead on your plays at all, you can make great use of Animal Man and he's only 79 points. He fits well with all the low cost animals.

8: BEAST BOY: For even less points than Animal Man (60) you get another wild card. Two of the interchangeable forms of Beast Boy are commons and I got extras in my case. Hypersonic speed in the cheetah or more charge blades combo in the bear? Super. Here comes more combo with Animal Man already. I also like that Beast Boy carries the Outsiders team ability for his low cost. There's some awesome tactical ability in being able to pop up and lock down someones stats so they can't be increased or decreased by any power or effect. Beast Boy rocks.

7: ISIS: Now why would Isis (granted she's under a hundred points) beat out Beast Boy and the animal theme? How about Charge, flight, telekinesis AND quake locked at 3 damage? Normal quake is 2 damage to all opponents in base contact with knockback for those who don't know. Raise it to three and surround her with animals for all I care. If she doesn't hit one for three damage, she'll hit them all for three damage. Very nice. And she doesn't stop there for her points with Probability control on the same place in the dial as her special quake, she has mid-dial regeneration and then higher defense with willpower and a jump in damage to 4. Isis also has the "mystical" keyword, another big one with this set. You want tactics that fit in small teams? Isis has that in spades.

6: DEADSHOT: Lets face it, sharpshooter as a tactic RULES. Ranged combat expert directly in the face is a beautiful thing. Deadshot gains the ability to use that and have it be penetrating damage. You don't want to let him sit anywhere for long, but getting up close won't help you. His 12 attack with all that make him a deadly threat. Never mind finally being able to fill out the vaunted Secret Six teams people have been wanting for so long.

5: GREEN ARROW: He only beats Deadshot for place on this list by 9 points and one tactic that I love. Running shot to the face. Green Arrow's sharpshooter ability allows him to pull off running shot on his second click right into base contact. Then his defense increases by 2 for up close (giving him an 18) to make him a deadly tie up piece. And he keeps Ranged combat expert for most of his dial, so he starts doing four damage at a time to that close up target. His range is one better than Deadshot too. I have to say I find the 9 range weird and rare since most go right to 10, but I hardly care for what I get. Awesome tactics.

4: BART ALLEN: Kid Flash is back and better than ever! You gotta love hypersonic that ignores figures and hindering completely. But it can't be countered? Really? Yeah! That means NO outwit and no powers that would shut down his speed. It's not even listed as Hypersonic speed officially so it's fantastic. He has a decent attack value at 10 and a 19 defense against ranged combat. His speed allows him to stay out of reach and maybe even out of direct range. His damage isn't enough to take down heavies, but he can sure run interference on everything else. And since his points fit so well (like the rest of the Teen Titans in this set) it's not long before he can be the finisher for a piece softened up by one of his buddies. And he's a common! That's why he's number four!

3: OSIRIS: This member of the Shazam family starts out with a combo that's been a win condition in a lot of tournaments. I'm talking about the mix of Hypersonic speed with Super strength. He's mystical and I really don't care about his 3 range. Put him with other mysticals or his sister, Isis and get ready for some beat down. Starting out with Impervious in defense isn't shabby either. Even when he loses hypersonic (yeah, he only has one click of it) he remains a warrior. He's also themed for Teen Titans, though he doesn't get the team ability. I see mean possibilities for a hypersonic Teen Titans arrangement that could make opponents dizzy. Three of them are one this list and together they are still under 300 points.

2: BARRY ALLEN: One of the best Flash figures yet. He comes to the table with 14 movement (hypersonic), 11 attack, 18 defense (super senses) and a whopping 3 damage for a speeder of his type. Worried about not having that phasing trick one of the last incarnations had? Why? Later in his dial you get to put him anywhere on the whole freaking map to pull a double swing attack with flurry. That's better than phasing could ever be. Tired of that pesky medic and it's out of reach? Not any more. There's no where to hide from the Flash. You want to know a sick team up? Nightcrawler and this Flash. Need I say more? Throw in Bart, still be under 300 and I don't care if its themed or not.

So it's time for NUMBER ONE: GREEN LANTERN: Surprised? Green Lantern of All Star Squadron, carrying the JSA team ability is totally, totally awesome. Let me tell you why. First off, he KILLS stealth. He ignores stealth for his attacks and when he hits someone with stealth, he turns it off so all his buddies can shoot at the target too! That's a TRAIT so it never goes away. He's mystical too and starts out with a combo power of psychic blast and telekinesis. He's got Idomitable so auto-will power, push him with abandon and impervious. His opening click alone make him a jack of all trades and all purpose tool. At 145 points, he's about the best costed Green Lantern you can get. He's going to fit that All Star Squadron team all too well. He'll make it deadly too. Yeah, he's a super rare, but if you get your hands on him, hold on tight. He's worth it! Did I forget to mention his Running shot and 8 range? Probably because they're just icing on the cake. Oh, let me mention a nice built in wicked combo on Green Lantern. Pulse wave later in his dial, versus a slew of stealth targets. He hits them all for one damage that they can't avoid and they all lose stealth for that round.

So I hope you enjoyed my little top ten list and that you got lots of clicky goodness for your holidays and the one to come.

DC 75th case review

So I got my case of DC 75th today and after school my son and I had a little pack party. I have to say that the claim of getting "at least" one white lantern per brick held true. Two bricks are in a case and we did indeed get two white lanterns. We got White Lantern Wonder Woman and Bart Allen. Not bad. As for the rest of the pulls we got:

COMMONS: All of them, yep, all of the commons nearly twice over. That's good for my son's collection.
Easy Company Soldier x 4
Zamaron
Dominator x 2
Gorilla City Warrior x3
Deadshot
Donna Troy
Ice
Crimson Avenger
Bart Allen
Johnny Quick
Mr. Terrific
The Atom
Green Arrow
Beast Boy with Cheetah and Bear versions

UNCOMMONS: Got all of these too with a few extras nearly completing my son's set once again.
SGT Rock
Queen Aga'Po
Ruling Caste Dominator
Solovar
Warlord
Nightmaster
Osiris
Detective Chimp
Sargon the Sorcerer
Superboy
Ocean Master
Mera
Aquaman
Wonder Woman
Batman
Superman

RARES: Missing a few yet but,
Isis
Animal Man
Captain Comet
Kyle Rayner
Guy Gardner
Saint Walker
Indigo-1
Atrocitus
Larfleeze
Mongul
Scar
John Stewart
Carol Ferris
Ganthet

SUPER RARES: Got seven of them with no duplicates.
Green Lantern
Batman
Hal Jordan
Barry Allen
Doomsday
Wonder Twins
Sinestro

I see three great theme teams in this that are easily built in the 300 to 400 point circuits; All Star Squadron, Teen Titans, and Mystical. Those are pretty much the most flexible and I think strongest teams that can be made from this set. The Animal keyword gets honorable mention thanks to Beast Boy, lots of Gorillas, and Animal Man.

The rest are pretty much power pieces that only fit themes for this set in 400 or better without looking at recent sets that help with filling out. Not to say I'm not impressed with the powers and arrangements in this set because I am. I can get to some opinions on those pieces a bit later right now I'm going to address something else.

Game mechanics do get a "A" because of how many stand alone teams are doable in this set within reasonable points.

Next lets look at the sculpts. There are some great sculpts in this and manufacturing managed not to destroy that on most of them. Unfortunately there are some downright shoddy sculpts too. Take Ice for example. Her face and detail just don't match up to the other pieces. Details aren't as sharp as they were in Web of Spiderman overall. I've seen them change how pieces are made to shave costs in the past and the result is typically a minus in craftsmanship. Carol Ferris has the same problem. Figures that turned out awesome are Doomsday and Sinestro. At least mine were. Zamaron and her Queen counterpart are the absolute worst. You can't even turn her dial without almost twisting the figure off. You have to be too careful.

Fortunately, I had only one or two dials that didn't want to turn and those were of Wonder Woman. she's also a very thin figure and bends too easily. You shouldn't have to try and grasp that moon shaped base they stand on with your knuckles to turn the dial. It's not as easy as it looks. I'm more critical on manufacturing than almost anything because it directly affects how long pieces will last, how well they can handle just being played for that matter. I'm paying top dollar for my game and if I can't count on the piece to hold together it's not worth the money. C- toward a D+ for sculpts and manufacturing. It looks like we pay more for the flashy laminated cards than the figures we twist and tug on and actually play with.

Packaging is my next area of fun and games. The way they keep coming up with extra shapes on figures makes it a real puzzle to get them out of the plastic holders. Yeah, I know, not that big a deal, but still. The plastic holder is built for the ease of packing the figures, not unpacking them. That's for sure. I realize there may not be much of a solution for this, but if they are going to keep getting crazy with the shapes, capes and poses; they may want to think about it. I hate most commercial packaging anyway.

In a final note, while I am happy with my pieces and will play them assuredly, why does Superman look so freaking sad? He looks seriously depressed, people. Just look at him. He looks like he wants to take a giant leap and hug some kryptonite on the way. Even his shoulders are drooping. Oh well. Hope you all enjoy your pulls!

Scenario: Blizzard Attack!

As I sit here, looking out the window at the snow from blizzard Aiden that's buried us, I think of a scenario. Is that they way of a true heroclix addict? I think so. Anyway, this is my suggestion for scenario: Blizzard Attack:

Special rules: All ranges are reduced to 6 on all powers and attacks, even outwit and probability control and perplex. All clear terrain is hindering terrain. All terrain that started out as hindering is now blocking terrain.

Icy grounds: All attacks result in knockback though combat reflexes still applies. No save applies to doubles. All move and attack powers are affected by slippage. When ever charge, running shot, or hypersonic speed are used to make an attack by a figure that does not fly, roll one dice (six sider). On a 5 or 6, the attack misses and the attacking figure must move two extra spaces past the target in the direction it was originally headed. The move is over for that figure, even with hypersonic speed.

Windblown: At the beginning of the game decide on one direction on the map (agree on directions such as North, South, etc). At the beginning of each turn, each player rolls one dice. On a 5 or 6, move each figure with flying two spaces in that direction.

Optional rule: Freezing Temperatures: Applies to all figures that don't have damage reducers. At the beginning of each turn, each player rolls one dice. On a 6, all figures that player controls that don't have a damage reducing power take one unavoidable click of damage.

Naturally, if you have a map with partial indoors terrain, indoors is protected from all the rules. Past that, it would be NO fun to play on indoor terrain would it?

So, enjoy this musing and I hope you are save and warm where ever you are! Enjoy!

Talking about Barry Allen

In the new upcoming set, DC75, just days away; we have some nice pieces coming. I have to say that the newest Flash, Barry Allen, gives more justice to the character than any dial they have made yet. That's even if you do have to wait until later in the dial to get the cool power.

Let's take a look at this power they are calling, "Around the World". It allows for Flash to us flurry, but before he does, you can just put him next to any opposing figure on the whole map. That has killer possibilities.

Getting tired of that stupid medic your opponent keeps running off to? No problem, land next to that Valkyrie or Nurse and start swinging. Just need one more good hit on a fig but it ran away, like Nightcrawler? No problem, Flash can keep up without breaking a sweat.

I also like that he starts out with 3 damage now, much like his Blue Lantern version. I mean, seriously, a 750+ mph fist should always do more than just one on openers. At least this way it has a chance at a minimum of one against big defense powers.

I still think that they could round off their point values more as the odd numbers just aren't necessary and make fitting some teams difficult. But then, they are doing my son a world of good on his math practice.

All the same, I'm looking forward to the new set. I hope you are too.

Scenario: The Magnificent Seven

I've been wanting to post this scenario idea for some time and I hope you enjoy it. I think it's a great way to play a higher point game without worry of someone landing a Phoenix or other wild powered fig on you.

In 700 points there must be 7 figures (no more and no less) and they must be themed. Custom key words are allowed, but must make sense. I've done circus performers and archers for example. The 10% feat rule applies and battlefield conditions are allowed.

Each player gets four moves and play continues until one person is totally wiped out. You can play time limit if you like, however. To enrich the play you can try adding some special rules as below. You may have difficulty keeping to theme if you do it that way. It seems to me that most of these "heroe's gathered" films have a few things in common and the ideas with special rules are:

The Leader: Must start with Leadership and will always have leadership. So long as it shows on the dial, his leadership counts for two extra actions instead of one.

The Rookie: Must have the teen or kid keyword. If a friendly figure within 3 squares of the rookie would take damage from a ranged combat attack, you may move the rookie in the path of that attack and he must take the full damage instead.

Explosives expert: Must have Energy Explosion and will always have energy explosion. So long as it shows on the dial, damage from energy explosion is penetrating.

The Sniper: Must have Ranged Combat Expert and always will. So long as it shows on the dial, the Sniper has free Trick Shot.

The Sneak: Must have stealth and always will. So long as it shows on the dial, this figure ignores hindering terrain for movement.

And then movies have a tendency to shake it up with different stuff like computers experts and disguise experts, you can fill it in from there. Have fun with this scenario. Got ideas that you would add? Put them in comments!

Gathering new players

Maybe you live in an area that doesn't have much support for heroclix. Maybe your local shop doesn't want to pay for prize support, or when they do, they charge you to play (not totally unfair depending on the charge). Maybe your area store doesn't even have tournaments. What do you do?

Well, you may have to do some recruiting on your own. In order to do this, you may have to make some over the top adjustments to appeal to new audiences. You may have to offer your own scale of prize support from your own box of extra pieces.

In my area there has been a loss of players and venues that have lost tournaments. They just fizzled out and never came back. Even back in my home town, it's not often that anyone shows up for tournaments. If they do, it's only two or three people. So how can you get new players to jump in and try out your game? I have a couple ideas.

Seek out public places where people gather that will allow for some game play. Playing heroclix in public will get attention. People get curious and you'd be amazed at how many will step up and ask what you're doing. Be ready to preach the gospel of heroclix and how cool it is. Remember to mention strong points of the game for kids such as math, strategy, and map reading as well as social interaction. And play characters that have been recently seen in movies. That gets attention too. I've had people ask where they can get some. Tell them, but be ready for them to balk at the price a bit. Still, there's more you can do. If you do the following, you can invite them to a gathering.

Host a heroclix gathering or event. Expect new players, maybe people who saw you in public and try to have some prize support or giveaway items. If you have a ton of extras taking up space in your closet, get generous. You may gain a new and permanent player for the act. Put together a few 300 point teams in plastic ziplock bags. Make them giveaways for the first "x" number of people to join in, who don't have any clix. It's like giving out free samples.

Where and how to get the word out? Try your public library and tout the positive aspects of the game to them. They often take up on special interest events that are positive in nature for kids and the public. Anything that brings people to the library past that is cake for them. They may let you host a monthly, bi-weekly, or even weekly event. Better yet, they may put it in their calendar that goes out to people in some newspapers and is posted on their websites. That's publicity and it's free for you! Voila! New players.

In all of that, start a fan club. You can collect dues and maybe even get your hands on some pieces that are exclusive to your club. I haven't talked to Wizkids/Neca about this myself, but hey, it's an idea and could create publicity for them and the game. Members of a fan club could split the cost of cases of heroclix for pack parties and gaming events. Pieces for everyone and a good time too. Even if you have to pay for a prize package, you could make that part of fan club dues. And anyone can start up a fan club. It's how much you can market the name that makes a difference. Even a personal and local deal can net new players and keep the game going. It can keep you playing too.

Feel free to post your own ideas in comments!