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Marvel HeroClix: | ||||||||||||||
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izKid's Marvel HeroClix draws on the original rules and innovative game design of its earlier hit, MageKnight, to transform Marvel's four-color universe into tabletop miniature strategy game. The game features the headliners of the Marvel universe—the X-Men, the Avengers, Spider-Man, Captain America—and pits them against their traditional archfoes, like Hydra, the Brotherhood and the Skrulls.
In September 2002, the Marvel minions will be able to go up against their DC counterparts with the release of DC HeroClix: Hypertime. That release will include the biggest names in the DC universe—including Superman, Batman, Joker, Catwoman and the Justice League—and shares a common rule set with the Marvel edition.
In either game, a hero is represented by a figure mounted on a round base that includes a view window for its starting stats. As the hero or villain takes damage, the base is rotated one or more "clicks," revealing new stats and abilities. In most cases, this means that the character gets weaker, except the Hulk, who gets stronger as he takes more and more damage.
Also listed on the base are important facts, such as how fast the figure can move, what range attacks it has, how hard it is to hit and—most importantly—what special powers it has. Powers are broken up into four categories—defense, damage, speed and attack—and run the expected gamut of super powers.
Figures are worth a varying amount of points, from the humble Henchman (12 points) to the powerful Hulk (103). Each player in the game controls a team with an agreed-on point value, usually 100, 200 or 300 points. The number of points used determines how many actions each player gets per turn, on a 100-point-to-one-turn ratio.
Attacks are resolved by rolling two six-sided dice and adding the character's appropriate melee or range attack value. If that number's higher than the target's defense value, a hit is scored and damage is inflicted based on the number currently highlighted on the figure's base.
These rules are all but identical to WizKid's MageKnight game, but HeroClix is more than a mere spandex-clad clone. The game integrates new tricks as well, including the ability to hurl engine blocks and other debris at opponents and the chance to smash through walls and other obstructions. There's also a knock-back rule—rolling doubles on the six-siders allows figures to knock their opponents back, possibly inflicting even more damage if they slam into a wall.
The game is collectible: Players begin with a starter pack containing eight randomly inserted figures, the instructions, quick-reference sheets, dice, tokens and a two-sided battle map. Booster packs—containing four figures apiece—expand the game. In all there are 150 figures that can be collected, although among these 150 there are rookie, experienced and veteran versions of the same hero.
A faithful superhero smackdown
Fans expect superhero battles to be larger-than-life slugfests filled with death-defying feats, walls being smashed to dust and chunks of debris being hurled through the air. HeroClix delivers, transforming Marvel's universe into an easy-to-learn, fast-moving miniatures game.
Most powers are faithfully reproduced for the game: Wolverine can regenerate damage, while Hulk can smash his way angrily through buildings, hurling sinks and stoves at his enemies. A few powers required a little creative leeway—Rogue, rather than stealing another figure's super powers, is able to leech life points from them. She still has her invulnerability and flight powers, so die-hard fans shouldn't balk too much.
The game's fast-play rules theoretically let folks get playing in 20 minutes, and each game is designed to run about 50 minutes, and for the most part that theory holds up. The game mechanics are simple, and once players familiarize themselves with the rules and their figures, the game moves along quickly. The game is also very well balanced—a team of six lesser heroes taking on the likes of the Hulk and Juggernaut can actually hold their own against the brutes.
What really makes the game cool, rather than merely neat, is the prospect of a cross-universe smackdown between Marvel and DC later this year. Who's tougher—the Avengers or the Justice League? Could Superman take out a Sentinel (a stand-alone, giant game piece being released later this summer)? Could the Black Panther take down Batman? These are the questions that fanboys love to debate, and now they'll finally be able to do something about it.
There are only a few downsides. Some of the more obscure questions—like whether a "soaring" character flying high above the battlefield has his missile range cut in half like those trying to target him from the ground—aren't covered by the rules. However, most of these questions are things that only rules lawyers would obsess over. The WizKid's Web site has a frequently updated FAQ and errata for the game, so eventually even they should be sated.
The figures—all of which are pre-painted and pre-assembled—look great, but a few of them are feebly attached to their bases, particularly Juggernaut and Blade, who are in action poses and have only one foot on the ground. Since players usually turn the figure to make the base "click" to its new setting, there's a real danger of twisting the character right off. It's possible to work around this, using a fingernail to prod the base into moving, but it can be annoying. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of the figures don't have this problem.
Overall, WizKids presents a fun, challenging game that nicely combines superhero thrills with squad-level strategy gaming. Fans of MageKnight should enjoy this new version of their rule set, and those interested in comic books or miniature-based games would do well to check it out.
The preview figure we received for DC HeroClix—Batman—had my playtesters drooling. Suffice to say that the Dark Knight can hold his own against the best Marvel has to offer—I can't wait to see what Superman looks like. — Ken
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