The Heroclix mega-thread

[MikeVic]

I've seen this at my local comic book store, and a couple other places... and it looks intriguing. I've read some of the stuff on its official site, but can someone tell me whether this is a really expensive hobby? More expensive than comics? About the same?

And how fun would it be if I played the same person all the time? :) Entering tournaments, etc. would probably mean it would be more expensive to play... I can still remember why I didn't play Magic: The Gathering in tournaments (people paying $20 for a card because they REALLY needed it in their deck).

[G. Wayne]

if you're a casual for fun player, avoid tourney's. same more money spent=better figures=you lose thing going on.

as for playing the same guy, there's more than enough variety to the available figures, which does require spending a good bit of money.

pros-

it's great for comic fans to collect. especially since the miniatures are getting better in quality, sculpt/painting, etc.

the rules are relatively easy to pick up.

as long as you play for fun, you should be ok.

cons-

i used to play all the time. lost interest for a number of reasons.

the rarity boggles the mind. i can understand never having even seen some of the uniques/ultra rares (or getting multiples of the same uniques) but to have mid to high level versions of characters like doc ock being rarer than that? wth?

increased price. $7.99 for 4 figures, chances are one of which i'll only ever use? nooo thanks.

the rarity distribution has always been goofy, but it seems to have gotten worse. of the newest set, a friend has bought 4 packs, and gotten two of the same rookie/common in 2 of the packs. while it's possible to get a pack of a unique/ultra rare and 3 veterans/rares, you're more than likely to get a pack of 4 rookies/commons.

game balance was tossed out the window a few sets ago. when they started, hulk was supposed to be the standard for max damage with 5, which he had for like 1 or two levels just before he died. now characters can do around 7 at the start of the game. and 4 damage characters became waaay too common after fans apparently complained that hawkeye couldn't do any damage in melee combat. when a friend can play black adam or ultimate thor to your x-men team and you can't even scratch him, it sucks.

[DarkSoldier]

When somebody plays simply for maximum damage potential, it ruins the fun. I had to play against an Unrestricted team with V Ultron (three Energy Explosion area-effect attacks with 14 Attack Value), V Dr. Doom (Running Shot and two Energy Explosions with 13 AV), V U-Man (22 points to give adjacent characters +1 damage on ranged attacks, including EE), a Yukio (more Enhancement), and some Support figures. Two of my guys took NINE clicks of damage in one attack!

If more people would play decent theme teams, the fun would come back; I have a 400-point Ultimate Six team that I want to play against somebody who won't tear them apart in the first two rounds.

[mgs]

this game actually sounds like a lot of fun, if you have the cash and people to play with.

[Headhunter]

I just want some cool looking figures for my desk; I don't actually care about the game at all. Too bad WizKids doesn't sell any appearance-only versions. :rolleyes:

[Pedalhome]

I got rid of all my HeroClix stuff about a year ago. The game was alright, but I found that I was spending too much cash on the figures.

Head Hunter if you want some cool looking desk ornaments, I'd look elsewhere. The quality of the figures I had very was inconsistent and often quite poor. My Wolverine R figure's head was mostly flesh coloured, ie. very little black for hair, and his eyes were all wonky, one was bigger than the other. My Wasp U was like this too.

I'd stick to action figures or paint 'em yourself minis for decoration purposes.

[Gaz]

Is the game easy for newbies to pick up? And how many pieces do you need to buy to have a decent set (as in for playing)?

[macul]

Rules are very easy to learn. The difficult part comes in learning the various pieces and how to use them together. For example, if you take a character with the Charging power should you pair them up with a long range Flyer to enable the flyer to pick up the charger, fly them up, deposit them close to your opponent, and then allow the charger to move in and attack?

I don't know about a certain number of pieces. The game goes by points and you can play with various point values. I would say use about 100 points on each side to get a good feel for the game and rules. That will probably be 3-5 pieces per side. We like big battles, so we often go for 400-500 points per side.

[Gaz]

Thanx for the advice although I meant how many would I need in order to have a good pool to pick from?

[macul]

I dunno...ten maybe. Get a starter pack and a booster. That should give you around ten pieces to play with. Many game stores also sell pieces individually or you can order them online individually. Anyway, go with ten and see how you like it.

[Gaz]

Will do, a comic store owner near me runs a game session at the store on Sundays. Might check that out. One of the players is, like, 5. So, I reckon I can win after an hour or so...:o

[DarkSoldier]

One of the players is, like, 5. So, I reckon I can win after an hour or so...:o

A lot of young players are just as vicious as the LE hunters; don't let their youth fool you, or you'll be getting an Ultimate Iron Man double-targeted double-Enhanced Energy Explosion before you get your second turn.

[Anthony]

A lot of young players are just as vicious as the LE hunters; don't let their youth fool you, or you'll be getting an Ultimate Iron Man double-targeted double-Enhanced Energy Explosion before you get your second turn.

Truer words have never been spoken.

The real thing for a newbie to get into Heroclix, the venue has to be newbie friendly. Most are to be truthful. But if I played in my main venue first as opposed to learning the game then going. I would have had a much tougher time getting into it.

One thing to remember is that a lot of venues have 'house rules'. These rules are generally in response to the players and what they like and not usually overbearing.

I'll tell you though, the game can be addictive. When building a team, start with what you like. It may not be competitive, but you'll learn what is.

It's best to watch a couple of games being played. You'll get a feel for the way it's played.

[Flawless P]

I dunno I am very new at the game (played it once) but I went and bought a few Boosters and was sorta disappointed... the only really good one i got was a unique batman with some jetpack thing.

[macul]

I dunno I am very new at the game (played it once) but I went and bought a few Boosters and was sorta disappointed... the only really good one i got was a unique batman with some jetpack thing.

That's why I tend to buy individual pieces from a store if there is one I'm really after. Hunting down a particular piece via boosters is excruciating.