Heroscape
Encyclopedia
Heroscape is an expandable turn-based miniature wargaming
system originally manufactured by Milton Bradley Company
, then shifted to Wizards of the Coast
, both subsidiaries of Hasbro, Inc.
, and discontinued by Hasbro in November 2010. The game is played using pre-painted miniature figure
s on a board made from interlocking hexagonal tiles that allow for construction of a large variety of 3D
playing boards. The game is often noted and lauded by fans for the relatively high production quality of the game materials, in particular the pre-painted miniature figures as well as its interchangeable and infinitely variable landscape system.
, also developed HeroQuest
and Battle Masters
. Heroscape is designed for 2 or more players ages 8 and older, although it can easily be adapted to more players, particularly if more than one master set and expansion sets are used. There are additional expansion sets that can be purchased (see: Master Sets and Expansion Sets, below).
The game comes with two sets of rules. The basic rules allow for simpler games accessible to younger players. The advanced rules are designed for more experienced gamers but are simpler than most wargames. Each figure or group of figures has a card, called an army card, with basic game statistics printed on one side and advanced game information on the other. Advanced game information includes species, class, personality, size, special powers, and the point value of the card.
The master set that is required for play contains enough tiles to build a nearly limitless number of scenarios, but experienced players often combine sets to create larger and more elaborate playing surfaces. The master set includes grass, rock, sand, water and ruins to make the playing surface; various expansions add lava, road, trees, snow, ice, glaciers, swamp, jungle, a castle, a bridge and more.
After its move to Wizards of the Coast, it went through a short time of Dungeons and Dragons where reissued DnD figures served as new Heroscape figures. The choice was made in order to increase the profit margin, but it quickly polarized the Heroscape community. Some welcomed the “DnD Scape” as being better than no Heroscape, but others believed this heralded the imminent demise of the game. On November 3, 2010, Wizards of the Coast decided to drop the game in favor of focusing on their core games: Dungeons & Dragons
and Magic: The Gathering
. This caused an instant backlash in the Heroscape community, instigating petitions to Hasbro for them to take up the game again and causing others to vow to never buy from Wizards of the Coast again. Aside from the prominent disappointment, the Heroscape community remains resolute to keep the game alive through continued tournaments and user created content.
and fantasy
, as well as the Old West, the Roman Empire
, ancient Greece
, feudal Japan
, the Scottish highlands
, the Nordic
sagas
, American
history, medieval Europe
, and classic mythology
, among others. A single team may consist of heroes from many genres, with dragon
s, elves, robot
s, kyries, dinosaur
s and wizards fighting alongside (and against) soldier
s, viking
s, knight
s, samurai
, cowboy
s, agents
, Marvel
characters, Romans
and more, including various forms of animal life, such as wolves, spiders, and serpent-like vipers.
universe. The Marvel edition is fully compatible with the regular Heroscape figures. Another master set was released in 2010 titled "Battle for the Underdark" which was based on the Dungeons And Dragons franchise.
There are also separate smaller expansions that contain a new set of themed terrain and a new unit(s) that takes advantage of said terrain. Volcarren Wasteland contains lava and lava rock surface tiles along with obsidian guards, Thaelenk Tundra contains ice, snow and glacier surface tiles plus the dzu-teh (yeti-like creatures armed with stone clubs) miniature, and Road to the Forgotten Forest contains roads, bridge and tree surface tiles and a dumutef guard. Ticalla Jungle based on jungle and tree surface tiles with fylorg spiders was supposed to be available in early 2008, but was delayed during the transition of making Heroscape a Wizards of the Coast
product instead of a Hasbro
product. It was instead released on June 13, 2008.
A Desert based expansion, with desert tiles and repainted glaciers, was rumored to be released but it was canceled due to the fans rejecting the idea.
All basic game scenarios and some advanced game scenarios specify the units for each player. Most advanced game scenarios allow players to choose units based on the points values printed on the army card. Usually scenarios have a different amount of points that you can use to buy characters. Depending on the scenario, players may be required to place their team in a specific location, or they may randomly select where each player begins.
At the beginning of the round, each player must place order markers on his/her armies. Order markers determine which armies will be used during that round and what order they will be utilized. These markers indicate the turn in which each unit will be activated, but the numbers are hidden from the table. A fourth "dummy" marker may also be placed to add some ambiguity as to which units one will be activating. The same unit may be activated multiple times in a single round by placing multiple order markers on it.
After order markers have been placed, each player rolls a twenty-sided
initiative die. The highest roller takes the first turn and play passes to the left.
The player with the highest initiative roll begins his first turn by revealing which unit contains his first order marker. A turn usually consists of moving and then attacking. For squads, each figure in the squad is moved before any may attack. The number of hexes that each figure may move is listed on its card. Typical movement amounts range from 4 to 8 and normally moving one hex costs one point movement. Certain types of terrain are dangerous (e.g. lava), impassable (e.g. glaciers), slow you down (e.g. snow) or speed you up (e.g. roads). Moving up, but not down, in elevation also costs additional movement points. Some figures' special abilities, such as flying, may also affect movement.
After movement has been completed, each surviving figure in the unit may attack any figure within its range and line of sight. Melee units are those with a range of one, and ranged units typically have a range of four or more.
The number of dice rolled for offense is listed on the army card, but may be improved by various bonuses, including terrain bonuses, elevation bonuses, or special abilities. The attack dice contain skulls on three surfaces (in 1st edition) giving a 50% chance at scoring a hit for each die. The defender likewise calculates how many defense dice he may roll, based on his unit's natural defense value and any other bonuses (terrain, elevation, special abilities, etc.). The defense dice contain only two shields, giving a statistical advantage to the attacker. In the second edition the defense and attack dice are combined into one, with three chances for attack, two chances for defense, and one chance for a blank roll.
If the defender rolls a number of shields equal to or higher than the number of skulls rolled by the attacker, nothing happens. If the number is lower, the defender receives a number of wound markers equal to the difference. Once a unit receives a number of wound markers equal to its total life points, it is destroyed and removed from the playing surface immediately. Heroes usually have multiple life points; squads always have one life point per figure in the squad. In the basic rules version of the game the wound marker system is not used, and each unit simply has one life point; hero units usually have exaggerated defense to compensate.
Various abilities by specific units may modify these rules to some degree (e.g., the samurai
may counterattack and inflict damage while defending), but this move/attack/defense flow is typical of a turn.
Once the player has finished all of his attacks, play passes to the left, and that player then reveals his first order marker and takes his turn. Play continues in this manner until the final player has completed his first turn, and then play resumes with the first player, who reveals his second order marker and takes a turn with that unit. This process is repeated for the third order marker, and then the round is completed. Sometimes a player will lose a turn if the unit he had placed an order marker on was destroyed on a previous player's turn.
warriors (all unique but a mixture of hero and squad), cards with the stats of the different warrior figures, a large amount of interlocking hex-based tile terrain, and the rule booklets, which include battlefield plans and scenarios for both basic and master games. The master set comes with enough order markers to play a 2-4 person battle.
There are two versions of the Rise of the Valkyrie set available.
The first edition is sought by some collectors mainly because it has sparkly translucent blue water tiles rather than the solid blue ones in later runs of the first edition, and all runs of the second edition. The first edition came with two sets of six-sided dice: a set of 10 red "attack" dice (skulls) and 10 blue "defense" (shields) dice.
The second edition edition combines these into a set of 12 unified dice that are rolled for both attack and defense; 3 sides of each die are skulls, 2 are shields, and 1 is blank. The second edition is more common and also has slightly different packaging and a revised rulebook.
Multiple set purchases are common among devoted players, as the Master Set is the only way to obtain significant numbers of terrain tiles, which are generally used to build bigger battlefields.
A themed master set (labeled on the Box as Game Set "The Conflict Begins"), based on the Marvel Comics
license Hasbro
acquired, was released in 2007. Marvel Legends Heroscape includes 10 unique figures (Captain America
, Red Skull
, Silver Surfer
, Thanos
, Hulk
, Abomination
, Spider-Man
, Venom
, Iron Man
, & Dr. Doom) and urban
style terrain, and is currently available in stores. The Marvel characters follow no generals (Jandar, Utgar, Vydar, Einar, Ullar, or Aquilla). The Marvel Heroscape set IS compatible with other sets, but Marvel characters are generally higher in points in comparison to other Heroscape figures.
A second Master set, Swarm of the Marro, was released in Fall of 2007. It was revealed at Toyfair 07. Most of the figures included are from the Marro, which are an alien race designed for the game. Two remakes of figures from the Rise of the Valkyrie master set (Raelin and Sgt. Drake Alexander) and several other heroes are also included. Swarm of the Marro also features a "hive" which can rebirth fallen Marro figures and a new "swamp" terrain tile type.
The third master set, "Dungeons & Dragons: Battle for the Underdark", released January 4, 2010. Using the setting from the 'Forgotten Realms', Battle for the Underdark introduces the new dungeon tiles, along with new rules and game play dynamics. Instead of one-of type games, the new campaigns use a "dungeon crawl" experience (similar to a RPG type video game or the 'real' Dungeons and Dragons game). A game played on one map, is connected to another map, in that way the party is ultimately trying to reach the end map and survive the dungeon. 10 new figures are included, along with 50 new terrain tiles and rock outcroppings.
s, each containing 3 - 8 figures. At least one pack in each series contains unique heroes and/or squads, while the other two or three contain two common squads or one common squad and one common hero.
Most sets contain extra terrain hexes, and Wave 1 packs contain special power glyphs that grant bonuses in-game. These booster pack expansions are sometimes referred to as the wave expansions, as opposed to the expansions which come in larger boxes (Large figure sets or large terrain sets). There are 13 waves of expansions so far, the most recent being Moltenclaw's Invasion(Wave D3) which came out in November 2010.
A Marvel Heroscape master set was released, including other figures, as well as some city-themed terrain. Two five-figure expansion sets for Marvel Heroscape were displayed at the 2007 Comic-Con in San Diego. They included the following figures: Sandman, Human Torch, Beast, Bullseye, Doctor Octopus, Punisher, Black Panther, Super Skrull, Invisible Woman, and the Thing. As the Heroscape line has been cancelled, these expansions will not be released. However, a fan project known as C3G has been making army cards for both Marvel and DC Comics
characters, to be used with the Heroclix
line.
Due to the way these expansions extend the game experience, some have referred to Heroscape as a collectible miniatures game
(CMG) and compared it to games like Mage Knight
and Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game
. However, the designers of Heroscape have stressed repeatedly that the game is not collectible per se, because purchasers can see exactly what they are getting with every pack they buy. Also, Heroscape expansions were not intended to go permanently out of print, although frequent stock shortages and lapses in the availability of certain sets have made them difficult enough to obtain that sellers can often demand a premium price. This differs from the marketing tactic of CMG's, which rely on the purchaser not knowing what they have until they've already purchased and opened the package, and limited availability to drive their sales.
figures and is playtested against Marvel Heroscape figures, and Classic Customs Creators of Valhalla (C3V) which attempts to keep continuity with the official Heroscape characters, backstories, and themes that are playtested with official figures. Although fan-generated content may be posted at varius online outlets, the most prominent community of custom creators and their creations is found on forums of the official fan-site Heroscapers.com which is also the only place to get the most up-to-date rulebooks, FAQ
, and official scenarios that were created by Hasbo and Wizards-Of-the-Coast.
, or Axis & Allies, however a fan-run tournaments scene started very soon after the introduction of Heroscape. The biggest tournaments have been at major gaming convention
s such as Gen Con
or multi-genre conventions such as Comic-Con
, but various local and regional tournaments are run regularly. Starting in 2007, a grassroots movement was made to declare the 3rd Saturday of October National Heroscape Day, and various tournaments and events are run annually on that day around the country, with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast supporting events with prizes. However, other than prizes, there is no official governing board over events, so each one may be run with its own set of rules and scenarios based on the gamemaster
's discretion.
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
system originally manufactured by Milton Bradley Company
Milton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
, then shifted to Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, both subsidiaries of Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, and discontinued by Hasbro in November 2010. The game is played using pre-painted miniature figure
Miniature figure
A miniature figure is a small-scale representation of a historical or mythological entity used in miniature wargames, role-playing games, and dioramas. Miniature figures are commonly made of metal, plastic, or paper...
s on a board made from interlocking hexagonal tiles that allow for construction of a large variety of 3D
Three-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
playing boards. The game is often noted and lauded by fans for the relatively high production quality of the game materials, in particular the pre-painted miniature figures as well as its interchangeable and infinitely variable landscape system.
About the game
Heroscape was released in 2004. The game designers are Craig Van Ness, Rob Daviau, and Stephen Baker at Hasbro Games. Hasbro's subsidiary, Milton BradleyMilton Bradley Company
The Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
, also developed HeroQuest
Hero Quest
HeroQuest or Hero Quest can refer to:* HeroQuest, the revised edition of the Hero Wars role-playing game;* HeroQuest Board Game, an adventure board game by Milton Bradley and Games Workshop;...
and Battle Masters
Battle Masters
Battle Masters is a board game by Milton Bradley made in collaboration with Games Workshop in 1992. It is a game that simulates the type of battles as seen in Warhammer Fantasy Battle, but with much simpler game mechanics not based on its parent game...
. Heroscape is designed for 2 or more players ages 8 and older, although it can easily be adapted to more players, particularly if more than one master set and expansion sets are used. There are additional expansion sets that can be purchased (see: Master Sets and Expansion Sets, below).
The game comes with two sets of rules. The basic rules allow for simpler games accessible to younger players. The advanced rules are designed for more experienced gamers but are simpler than most wargames. Each figure or group of figures has a card, called an army card, with basic game statistics printed on one side and advanced game information on the other. Advanced game information includes species, class, personality, size, special powers, and the point value of the card.
The master set that is required for play contains enough tiles to build a nearly limitless number of scenarios, but experienced players often combine sets to create larger and more elaborate playing surfaces. The master set includes grass, rock, sand, water and ruins to make the playing surface; various expansions add lava, road, trees, snow, ice, glaciers, swamp, jungle, a castle, a bridge and more.
After its move to Wizards of the Coast, it went through a short time of Dungeons and Dragons where reissued DnD figures served as new Heroscape figures. The choice was made in order to increase the profit margin, but it quickly polarized the Heroscape community. Some welcomed the “DnD Scape” as being better than no Heroscape, but others believed this heralded the imminent demise of the game. On November 3, 2010, Wizards of the Coast decided to drop the game in favor of focusing on their core games: Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
and Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
. This caused an instant backlash in the Heroscape community, instigating petitions to Hasbro for them to take up the game again and causing others to vow to never buy from Wizards of the Coast again. Aside from the prominent disappointment, the Heroscape community remains resolute to keep the game alive through continued tournaments and user created content.
Gameplay
At its essence, Heroscape is an epic battle between and among characters from multiple cultures, periods, and genres, taking place on a three-dimensional gaming surface of various elevations and terrain types. Although the game manual contains ideas for scenarios, many players combine multiple sets of terrain tiles to create large playing surfaces, and develop their own house rules and custom scenarios. The heroes are inspired heavily by popular science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, as well as the Old West, the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, feudal Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the Scottish highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, the Nordic
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
sagas
Sagàs
Sagàs is a small town and municipality located in Catalonia, in the comarca of Berguedà. It is located in the geographical area of the pre-Pyrenees.-Population:...
, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
history, medieval Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and classic mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
, among others. A single team may consist of heroes from many genres, with dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s, elves, robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, kyries, dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s and wizards fighting alongside (and against) soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s, viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s, knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s, samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s, agents
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
, Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
characters, Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and more, including various forms of animal life, such as wolves, spiders, and serpent-like vipers.
Building the scenario
Heroscape requires players to construct the three-dimensional playing surface for the game. Scenarios that come in the game, in master set and some large expansions, include detailed instructions for board setups, but many players enjoy designing their own. Two new master sets were released in 2007. One called The Swarm of the Marro was released on August 2007, and the Marvel Comics Master Set called The Conflict Begins which was released on July 2007 and contains five heroes and five villains from the Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe. The Marvel edition is fully compatible with the regular Heroscape figures. Another master set was released in 2010 titled "Battle for the Underdark" which was based on the Dungeons And Dragons franchise.
There are also separate smaller expansions that contain a new set of themed terrain and a new unit(s) that takes advantage of said terrain. Volcarren Wasteland contains lava and lava rock surface tiles along with obsidian guards, Thaelenk Tundra contains ice, snow and glacier surface tiles plus the dzu-teh (yeti-like creatures armed with stone clubs) miniature, and Road to the Forgotten Forest contains roads, bridge and tree surface tiles and a dumutef guard. Ticalla Jungle based on jungle and tree surface tiles with fylorg spiders was supposed to be available in early 2008, but was delayed during the transition of making Heroscape a Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
product instead of a Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
product. It was instead released on June 13, 2008.
A Desert based expansion, with desert tiles and repainted glaciers, was rumored to be released but it was canceled due to the fans rejecting the idea.
Selecting armies
Each player selects one or more "units," where a unit may be a unique and distinct hero, or an entire squad of generic figures. "Army cards" that explain the various attributes and special abilities are packaged with each unit. There are five types of units in the game: Unique Hero, Common Hero, Uncommon Hero, Unique Squad and Common Squad. Hero cards are associated with a single figure and squad cards are associated with a set of two or more figures. A given player may only have one of a unique unit, be it hero or squad, in his army, but there is no limit on how many copies of a common unit may be selected.All basic game scenarios and some advanced game scenarios specify the units for each player. Most advanced game scenarios allow players to choose units based on the points values printed on the army card. Usually scenarios have a different amount of points that you can use to buy characters. Depending on the scenario, players may be required to place their team in a specific location, or they may randomly select where each player begins.
Structure of a round
The flow of play in Heroscape is broken up into rounds and turns. The terms are often used interchangeably in other board games, but there is a key distinction in Heroscape with each round including 3 turns for each player.At the beginning of the round, each player must place order markers on his/her armies. Order markers determine which armies will be used during that round and what order they will be utilized. These markers indicate the turn in which each unit will be activated, but the numbers are hidden from the table. A fourth "dummy" marker may also be placed to add some ambiguity as to which units one will be activating. The same unit may be activated multiple times in a single round by placing multiple order markers on it.
After order markers have been placed, each player rolls a twenty-sided
Icosahedron
In geometry, an icosahedron is a regular polyhedron with 20 identical equilateral triangular faces, 30 edges and 12 vertices. It is one of the five Platonic solids....
initiative die. The highest roller takes the first turn and play passes to the left.
The player with the highest initiative roll begins his first turn by revealing which unit contains his first order marker. A turn usually consists of moving and then attacking. For squads, each figure in the squad is moved before any may attack. The number of hexes that each figure may move is listed on its card. Typical movement amounts range from 4 to 8 and normally moving one hex costs one point movement. Certain types of terrain are dangerous (e.g. lava), impassable (e.g. glaciers), slow you down (e.g. snow) or speed you up (e.g. roads). Moving up, but not down, in elevation also costs additional movement points. Some figures' special abilities, such as flying, may also affect movement.
After movement has been completed, each surviving figure in the unit may attack any figure within its range and line of sight. Melee units are those with a range of one, and ranged units typically have a range of four or more.
The number of dice rolled for offense is listed on the army card, but may be improved by various bonuses, including terrain bonuses, elevation bonuses, or special abilities. The attack dice contain skulls on three surfaces (in 1st edition) giving a 50% chance at scoring a hit for each die. The defender likewise calculates how many defense dice he may roll, based on his unit's natural defense value and any other bonuses (terrain, elevation, special abilities, etc.). The defense dice contain only two shields, giving a statistical advantage to the attacker. In the second edition the defense and attack dice are combined into one, with three chances for attack, two chances for defense, and one chance for a blank roll.
If the defender rolls a number of shields equal to or higher than the number of skulls rolled by the attacker, nothing happens. If the number is lower, the defender receives a number of wound markers equal to the difference. Once a unit receives a number of wound markers equal to its total life points, it is destroyed and removed from the playing surface immediately. Heroes usually have multiple life points; squads always have one life point per figure in the squad. In the basic rules version of the game the wound marker system is not used, and each unit simply has one life point; hero units usually have exaggerated defense to compensate.
Various abilities by specific units may modify these rules to some degree (e.g., the samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
may counterattack and inflict damage while defending), but this move/attack/defense flow is typical of a turn.
Once the player has finished all of his attacks, play passes to the left, and that player then reveals his first order marker and takes his turn. Play continues in this manner until the final player has completed his first turn, and then play resumes with the first player, who reveals his second order marker and takes a turn with that unit. This process is repeated for the third order marker, and then the round is completed. Sometimes a player will lose a turn if the unit he had placed an order marker on was destroyed on a previous player's turn.
Victory
The conditions for victory vary with some scenarios involving quest-like goals and others simply being the last player with any surviving units. Time limits, round limits, and points for first to or holding certain locations are all common. In tournament settings, there is often a "Fractional Scoring" system used when time expires. The player with the most points at the end of the time limits wins.Generals
There are seven Valkyrie Generals on the world of Valhalla (the planet where Heroscape takes place):- Jandar's army fights to stop Utgar from misusing the wellsprings and their incredible power and to prevent him from conquering all of Valhalla, the universe, and possibly time itself. Jandar is allied with Ullar, Einar, Vydar, and Aquilla, and leads the alliance of good generals. Jandar's army is made up of the Sentinel faction of Kyrie and humans, along with a scattering of Omnicrons, Dzu-Teh and a white dragon named Nilfheim he is basically the good force.
- Utgar, whose army is fighting to take control of the mysterious wellsprings and use their incredible power to conquer all of Valhalla. Utgar's army consists of Marro and Orcs along with soulborgs, undead, the dragon Mimring, and a scattering of other creatures and beings his forces are basically evil. He is the first evil general.
- Ullar is allied with Jandar, Vydar, Einar, and Aquilla. His army consists of elves, vipers, Shaolin Monks, a giant named Jotun, a Gryphillin named Theracus, a ninja named Moriko, Ullar Kyrie Protectors, and a dragon named Charos his forces are basically elven and nature.
- Vydar, who is currently aligned with Jandar, Ullar, Aquilla, and Einar. His army consists mostly of humans and soulborgs; Dund, a Doggin; Sudema, the undead queen; and Braxas, the dragon. The former Heroscape website showed that he had been allied with Utgar, but new pages of Thormun's journal showed Sentinels going to ask for Vydar's alliance. Although Vydar is skeptical and annoyed at Jandar's alliance attempt, he seems to hate Utgar for reasons of pollution his forces are basically the futuristic armies.
- Einar, who is allied with Jandar, Ullar, Vydar, and Aquilla. His army consists almost entirely of Humans with only the exceptions of the Einar Imperium Kyrie, the dragon Zelrig, Empress Kiova (a Kyrie), and an Ogre named Gurei-Oni. Einar makes no mention of having been allied to Utgar, and has the most disciplined army. Thormun's Journal shows that Einar's warrior Shiori, who helps other heroes to infiltrate the Marro Hive, was not going on Einar's orders, but was running away because she didn't want to follow anyone's authority his forces are basically historical.
- Aquilla, who is a new (as of 2007) and mysterious general. Little is known about her except that she is allied with Jandar, Ullar, Vydar, and Einar, all fighting against Utgar. Aquilla's army is made up of squads of Fyorlag spiders, the Mohican River Tribe of Native Americans, Axegrinders of the Burning Forge who are a group of dwarf fighters and their leader, Migol Ironwill, and Sujoah, a large, flying insect. In the new Dungeons and Dragons Master set, Aquilla's forces are joined by Darrak Ambershard, a dwarf rogue who hides in the shadows his forces are basically nature.
- Valkrill, the latest evil general (as of 2010). He was turned into an Archkyrie by the drow archnomancer Estivara in Dungeon Adventure 2: River of Blood. He summons many new villains from the Dungeons and Dragons universe such as Death Knights and Demons to fight for him. His symbol is a skull and colour is a dark olive-green. He has been described by playtester Jerry Hawthorne as representing "pure, mindless chaos." At the moment, there is little description of Valkrill's stance in the war on Valhalla his forces are the evil manfestation of chaos.
Master sets
A Master Set is required to play the game. The first master set is titled Rise of the Valkyrie. This set contains 30 pre-painted miniature figureMiniature figure
A miniature figure is a small-scale representation of a historical or mythological entity used in miniature wargames, role-playing games, and dioramas. Miniature figures are commonly made of metal, plastic, or paper...
warriors (all unique but a mixture of hero and squad), cards with the stats of the different warrior figures, a large amount of interlocking hex-based tile terrain, and the rule booklets, which include battlefield plans and scenarios for both basic and master games. The master set comes with enough order markers to play a 2-4 person battle.
There are two versions of the Rise of the Valkyrie set available.
The first edition is sought by some collectors mainly because it has sparkly translucent blue water tiles rather than the solid blue ones in later runs of the first edition, and all runs of the second edition. The first edition came with two sets of six-sided dice: a set of 10 red "attack" dice (skulls) and 10 blue "defense" (shields) dice.
The second edition edition combines these into a set of 12 unified dice that are rolled for both attack and defense; 3 sides of each die are skulls, 2 are shields, and 1 is blank. The second edition is more common and also has slightly different packaging and a revised rulebook.
Multiple set purchases are common among devoted players, as the Master Set is the only way to obtain significant numbers of terrain tiles, which are generally used to build bigger battlefields.
A themed master set (labeled on the Box as Game Set "The Conflict Begins"), based on the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
license Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
acquired, was released in 2007. Marvel Legends Heroscape includes 10 unique figures (Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
, Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
, Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, Abomination
Abomination (comics)
The Abomination is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, & Dr. Doom) and urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
style terrain, and is currently available in stores. The Marvel characters follow no generals (Jandar, Utgar, Vydar, Einar, Ullar, or Aquilla). The Marvel Heroscape set IS compatible with other sets, but Marvel characters are generally higher in points in comparison to other Heroscape figures.
A second Master set, Swarm of the Marro, was released in Fall of 2007. It was revealed at Toyfair 07. Most of the figures included are from the Marro, which are an alien race designed for the game. Two remakes of figures from the Rise of the Valkyrie master set (Raelin and Sgt. Drake Alexander) and several other heroes are also included. Swarm of the Marro also features a "hive" which can rebirth fallen Marro figures and a new "swamp" terrain tile type.
The third master set, "Dungeons & Dragons: Battle for the Underdark", released January 4, 2010. Using the setting from the 'Forgotten Realms', Battle for the Underdark introduces the new dungeon tiles, along with new rules and game play dynamics. Instead of one-of type games, the new campaigns use a "dungeon crawl" experience (similar to a RPG type video game or the 'real' Dungeons and Dragons game). A game played on one map, is connected to another map, in that way the party is ultimately trying to reach the end map and survive the dungeon. 10 new figures are included, along with 50 new terrain tiles and rock outcroppings.
Expansion sets
Expansion sets have been released regularly since the game debuted. The most common expansion set releases consist of four different booster packBooster pack
In collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection....
s, each containing 3 - 8 figures. At least one pack in each series contains unique heroes and/or squads, while the other two or three contain two common squads or one common squad and one common hero.
Most sets contain extra terrain hexes, and Wave 1 packs contain special power glyphs that grant bonuses in-game. These booster pack expansions are sometimes referred to as the wave expansions, as opposed to the expansions which come in larger boxes (Large figure sets or large terrain sets). There are 13 waves of expansions so far, the most recent being Moltenclaw's Invasion(Wave D3) which came out in November 2010.
A Marvel Heroscape master set was released, including other figures, as well as some city-themed terrain. Two five-figure expansion sets for Marvel Heroscape were displayed at the 2007 Comic-Con in San Diego. They included the following figures: Sandman, Human Torch, Beast, Bullseye, Doctor Octopus, Punisher, Black Panther, Super Skrull, Invisible Woman, and the Thing. As the Heroscape line has been cancelled, these expansions will not be released. However, a fan project known as C3G has been making army cards for both Marvel and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
characters, to be used with the Heroclix
HeroClix
HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system. Originally designed and produced by WizKids, it is now owned and marketed by NECA. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, and other characters from popular video games such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo...
line.
Due to the way these expansions extend the game experience, some have referred to Heroscape as a collectible miniatures game
Collectible miniatures game
Collectible miniatures games or CMGs are a form of miniature wargaming that is also similar to collectible card games — the primary difference being that while CCGs are card-based games, CMGs feature miniature figures....
(CMG) and compared it to games like Mage Knight
Mage Knight
Mage Knight is a miniatures wargame using collectible figures, created by WizKids, Inc. The game was designed by founder Jordan Weisman along with Kevin Barrett. The game is the first to use Wizkids' Clix system, combining roleplaying and wargaming elements with aspects of collectible card games....
and Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game
Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game
The Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game is a collectible miniatures game played with pre-painted, plastic miniature figures based on characters and monsters from the Dungeons & Dragons game. The figures are 30mm in scale...
. However, the designers of Heroscape have stressed repeatedly that the game is not collectible per se, because purchasers can see exactly what they are getting with every pack they buy. Also, Heroscape expansions were not intended to go permanently out of print, although frequent stock shortages and lapses in the availability of certain sets have made them difficult enough to obtain that sellers can often demand a premium price. This differs from the marketing tactic of CMG's, which rely on the purchaser not knowing what they have until they've already purchased and opened the package, and limited availability to drive their sales.
Fan-generated content and materials
Heroscape players have created much fan-generated content and material, including custom terrain, like jungles made out of aquarium plants, battle boards, ruins, buildings, and sci-fi terrain. Also created are custom figures, which permit fans to include elements from their favorite films or stories. Groups of players have gotten together to create and playtest custom waves of figures based on miniatures from other games, such as the Comics Customs Creators Guild (C3G) which releases super-hero customs using mostly heroclixHeroClix
HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system. Originally designed and produced by WizKids, it is now owned and marketed by NECA. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, and other characters from popular video games such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo...
figures and is playtested against Marvel Heroscape figures, and Classic Customs Creators of Valhalla (C3V) which attempts to keep continuity with the official Heroscape characters, backstories, and themes that are playtested with official figures. Although fan-generated content may be posted at varius online outlets, the most prominent community of custom creators and their creations is found on forums of the official fan-site Heroscapers.com which is also the only place to get the most up-to-date rulebooks, FAQ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
, and official scenarios that were created by Hasbo and Wizards-Of-the-Coast.
Software
- Mythacle Battleplan for Heroscape is a free third-party, web-based application for viewing unit stats and designing armies.
- LandSCAPE , currently on its third version, is a free third-party software product for designing and printing battlefields and scenarios. It is web-based or downloadable (Mac OS X and Windows). This software appears to no longer be in development. It does not include data for Tundra, Castle, or any expansion newer than Collection 3.
- VirtualScape is a free third-party software product that permits fans to plan, build, and view virtual scenarios in a full three-dimensional environment. Users can use unlimited hexes and print the landscape off so they can build a 3-D battlefield. (Windows)
Tournaments and Events
Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast never held nor supported officially sanctioned events such as they had with Magic: The Gathering, PokémonPokemon organized Play
Play! Pokémon formerly known as Pokémon Organized Play, often abbreviated as POP, is a division of The Pokémon Company. This division is for the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the Pokémon Trading Figure Game and was formed by Pokémon USA in 2003 after Wizards of the Coast lost its license to the...
, or Axis & Allies, however a fan-run tournaments scene started very soon after the introduction of Heroscape. The biggest tournaments have been at major gaming convention
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
s such as Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
or multi-genre conventions such as Comic-Con
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
, but various local and regional tournaments are run regularly. Starting in 2007, a grassroots movement was made to declare the 3rd Saturday of October National Heroscape Day, and various tournaments and events are run annually on that day around the country, with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast supporting events with prizes. However, other than prizes, there is no official governing board over events, so each one may be run with its own set of rules and scenarios based on the gamemaster
Gamemaster
A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
's discretion.
External links
- Hasbro's Official Heroscape website
- Wikia's Heroscape Wiki
- Various Heroscape releases from BoardGameGeekBoardGameGeekBoardGameGeek is a website that was founded in January 2000 by Scott Alden and Derk Solko as a resource for the board gaming hobby. The database holds reviews, articles, and session reports for over 45,000 different games, expansions, and designers. BoardGameGeek includes German-style board games,...
- Official Fansite