Heroscape

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Heroscape
A six-man game of Heroscape using multiple Master Sets and expansion sets.
A six-man game of Heroscape using multiple Master Sets and expansion sets.
Players 2 or more
Age range 8 and up
Setup time 10-12 minutes
Playing time 1-2 hours
Random chance Medium
Skills required Dice rolling, Strategy

Heroscape (sometimes HeroScape) is an expandable turn-based miniature wargaming system manufactured by Milton Bradley Company, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. The game is played using pre-painted miniature figures 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.

Contents

[edit] About the game

Heroscape was released in 2004. The game designers are Craig Van Ness, Rob Daviau, and Stephen Baker at Hasbro Games. This is the same company and designers who released HeroQuest and Battle Masters. The game is designed for 2 to 4 players ages 8 and older, though it can easily be adapted to more players, particularly if more than one master set and expansion sets are used. Since the game's release, it has accumulated a large online fan base, which is primarily located at www.heroscapers.com.

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 still very simple compared to 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/bridge, trees, snow, ice, glaciers, and a castle.

[edit] 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 manufacture their own house rules and custom scenarios. The heroes are inspired heavily by popular science fiction 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, classic mythology, among others. A single team may consist of heroes from many genres, with dragons, elves, robots, valkyries, dinosaurs and wizards fighting alongside (and against) soldiers, vikings, knights, samurai, cowboys, agents, and more.

[edit] 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. There are also separate expansions such as Volcarren Wasteland, Thaelenk Tundra and Road to the Forgotten Forest.A new Master set, called The Swarm of the Marro will be available in August 2007. The Marvelscape is available in June 2007.

[edit] 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 four types of units in the game: Unique Hero, Common Hero, Unique Squad and Common Squad. Hero cards are associated with a single figure and squad cards are associated with a set of two to four figures. A given player may only have one "copy" 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. 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.

[edit] The structure of a round

The flow of play in Heroscape is broken up into rounds and turns. The terms are often used interchangeably in 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 turn 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.

Syvarris and Theracus command the high ground in a snowy forest atop the mountains.
Syvarris and Theracus command the high ground in a snowy forest atop the mountains.

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 7 and normally moving one hex costs one point movement. Certain types of terrain are dangerous (eg lava) or impassable (eg glaciers), or slow (eg snow) or speed (eg roads) movement. 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 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.

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 amount is lower, the defender receives a wound marker 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, but 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 actually do damage while on defense), but this move/attack/defense flow is typical of a turn.

Once the player has finished all of his attacks, play passes to whomever rolled the next-highest initiative, 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Heroscape Game Sets

===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 figure 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 advanced games.

There are three 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 solid blue ones in the second edition. The original edition came with two sets of six-sided dice: a set of red "attack" dice and blue "defense" dice. The second edition edition combine these into a set of unified dice that are rolled for both attack and defense. The second edition is more common and as well as different water and dice noted above has slightly different packaging and a revised rulebook. An exclusive Walmart edition released during the 2005 holiday season is identical to second edition but has three additional figures.

Multiple set purchases are common among keen players as the Master Set is the only way to obtain larger amounts of terrain tiles, which are generally used to build bigger battlefields.

A second Master set(labeled on the Box[1] as Game Set "The Conflict Begins" )has been announced based on the Marvel Comics license Hasbro has acquired from 2007. Marvel Legends Heroscape (Due May 2007 [2] - this release has been pushed back from January due to undisclosed reasons) will include 10 unique figures (Captain America, Red Skull, Silver Surfer, Thanos, Hulk, Abomination, Spider-Man, Venom, Iron Man, & Dr. Doom) and urban style terrain.

A third Master set, Swarm of the Marro, will be released around August 2007. It was revealed at Toyfair 07. Some of the figures include The massive Marro from Thormun's Journal, 1 or more squads of possibly regenerable wulsini type creatures with beaks, 1 or more squads of heavy Marro rifleman, 1 or more squads of Gunner Marro, two remakes of old figures (Raelin, and Sgt. Drake Alexander), a ninja with shuriken, and an elven spellcaster with a small dragon on his shoulder. It also contains what appears to be mud or quick sand terrain, and what appears to be jungle terrain. It has a new "swamp" terrain tile type.

A 4th Master set that is not final with dirt terrain and quick sand. 27 New Figures + 3 Limited Edtions. More info soon.

[edit] Expansion sets

Expansion sets have been released regularly since the game debuted. The most common expansion set releases consist of four different booster packs, each containing 4 - 7 figures. At least one pack in each series contains unique heroes and/or squads, while the other two or three contain two common army squads or one common army squad and one common hero. Most sets contain extra terrain hexes, and some 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.

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 are 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 "blind purchase" (not knowing what you have until you've already purchased and opened the package) and limited availability to drive their sales.

A list of the expansions and master sets, roughly in order of release. Wave releases as described above are noted, others are boxed releases:

Rise of the Valkyrie (2004); Wave 0

Malliddon's Prophecy (2004); Wave 1; each came with a new glyph as well as the normal contents of wave releases

Utgar's Rage (2005); Wave 2

Orm's Return (2005) Giant Wave 1

The Road to the Forgotten Forest (2005) Terrain Wave 1

  • The Road to the Forgotten Forest; 1 figure (Dumutef Guard), 5 trees, 2 stone walls, 1 five-hex road tile, 8 one-hex road tiles, 8 two-hex road tiles, 1 army card, 1 game and scenario guide. Sometimes referred to as Wave 2.5, it shipped with Orm's Return, listed above.

Jandar's Oath (2005); Wave 3

Volcarren Wasteland (2005); Terrain Wave 2; exclusively distributed through Toys "R" Us in North America.

  • Volcarren Wasteland; 3 figures (3 Obsidian Guards), 1 army card, 11 one-hex molten lava tiles, 5 one-hex lava field tiles, 5 two-hex lava field tiles, 4 seven-hex lava field tiles, 1 game and scenario guide.

Zanafor's Discovery (2006); Wave 4

  • Heroes of Trollsford; 5 hero figures (Sudema, Valguard, Morsbane, Parmenio, Major X17), terrain, 5 army cards.
  • Greeks & Vipers; 7 figures (4 Greeks, 3 Armoc Vipers), terrain, 2 army cards.
  • Lawmen & Samurai; 6 figures (Deadeye Dan, Guilty McCreech, James Murphy, 3 Tagawa Samurai), terrain, 4 army cards.
  • Soulborgs & Elves; 7 figures (4 Gladiatrons, 3 Aubrien Archers), terrain, 2 army cards.

Raknar's Vision (2006) Giant Wave 2

  • Heroes of Lindesfarme ; 5 figures (Jotun, Major Q9, Braxas, Nilfheim, Theracus), 5 army cards. Sometimes referred to as Wave 4.5, it shipped with Thaelenk Tundra, listed below.

Thaelenk Tundra (2006) Terrain Wave 3

  • Thaelenk Tundra; 3 figures (Dzu-Teh), 1 army card, 6 glaciers, 21 ice tiles, 12 single-hex and 12 double-hex snow tiles. Sometimes referred to as Wave 4.5, it shipped with Raknar's Vision, listed above.

Fortress of the Archkyrie (August 2006) Terrain Wave 4

  • Fortress of the Archkyrie; Castle and terrain, no figures. 141 pieces and new castle scenarios.

Thora's Vengeance (2006); Wave 5 [3]

  • Ninjas & Samurai; 6 figures (3 Ninjas of the Northern Wind, 3 Kozuke Samurai), snow terrain, 2 army cards.
  • Gladiators & Agents; 6 figures (3 Nakita Agents, Spartacus, Crixus, Retiarius), snow terrain, 4 army cards.
  • Warriors & Soulborgs; 7 figures (3 Warriors of Ashra, 4 Deathreavers), snow terrain, 2 army cards.
  • Soulborgs; 7 figures (3 Deathstalkers, 4 Blastatrons), snow terrain, 2 army cards.

Crest of the Valkyrie (December 2006); 5 figures exclusively distributed through Toys "R" Us.[4] Flagbearers represent each of the five Valkyrie Generals, the major factions of Heroscape. Each flagbearer includes special dice that activate some of their powers and embroidered dice bag. The five flagbearers are:

  • Jandar is represented by a Knight named Sir Gilbert. He grants extra attack and move bonuses to squad figures.
  • Utgar is represented by an Orc named Ornak. He helps orc attacks.
  • Ullar is represented by an Elf named Acolarh. He can stop other elves from dying.
  • Vydar is represented by a Primadon (an ape-like alien) named Laglor. He gives extra range.
  • Einar is represented by a Samurai named Hatamoto Taro. He helps samurai defense.

Dawn of Darkness (March 2007); Wave 6

Fields of Valor' (April 2007); Wave 7

  • Heroes of Elswin
  • Spearmen and Riflemen
  • Knights Templar
  • Fiends & Vampires

[edit] Promotional Figures

Nerak the Glacian Swog Rider (2005)

  • This was a promotional figure distributed free of charge at Gencon in August of 2005 and again later on at special Toys "R" Us events. The figure sculpt is identical to the Swog Rider from the Knights & The Swog Rider expansion, but the swog is cast in grey/white plastic. The differences between Nerak and the normal Swog Rider is that one power is changed, an additional one is granted and he costs 25 more points. He is also a unique figure.

Elite Onyx Vipers (2005)

  • This was a promotional squad that was only available bundled with Master Sets sold at Wal-Mart during the 2005 holiday season. The figure sculpts are identical to the Venoc Vipers, but were cast in black plastic. The squad is much stronger and costs more than double the amount of points as the Venocs. Their incredible power, "Evasive 8", adds 8 defense onto their existing 2 defence when defending from a ranged attack, creating a nearly impenetrable10 defense

Sir Hawthorne (2006)

  • This was a promotional figure distributed free of charge at Gencon in August of 2006. The figure sculpt is identical to one of the Knights of Weston, but is detailed in black armor instead of its original coloring. This figure, at the time of its release, is the only figure named after a fan of the game. Named after Jerry "Grungebob" Hawthorne, a long time fan, former playtester, and frequent contributor to the HeroScape community. Unlike the previous promotional figures, Sir Hawthorne's abilities bear little similarity to his original unit, but the two armies do share a synergistic bonding ability. He has a nasty tendency (5% per order counter) of switching allegiance to another player however!

[edit] News

There are plans for Heroscape in 2007. Wave 7's name is known to be Fields of Valor. Many new characters are to be in this expansion. So far it is known that there will be Spearmen(Ashigaru) and Riflemen, Knights Templar, Fiends and Vampires and the Hero pack will be called Heros of Elswin. The release date is supposedly April, but could be pushed back to late spring/ early summer. Also known is that a second Master Set, titled Swarm of the Marro, will be released. It appears that it will contain Marro warriors, Wulsinu, a giant Marro/Hivelord, and five more unique heros: an alternate Sgt. Drake Alexander (Jandar), an alternate Raelin (Jandar), an elf wizard called Sonlen (Ullar), a soulborg called major Q10 (Vydar), and a female ninja hero called Shiori (Einar). In addition, it will include swampland/swamp water tiles, and a Marro hive. A prototype game box for Swarm of the Marro was unveiled by Hasbro at the 2007 American International Toy Fair.

Hasbro is very strict about policing "leaked" information even though such information is quite easy to find for the dedicated searcher. Most statistics about upcoming products can be obtained anywhere from a few weeks to a few months before those products hit store shelves. Some have criticized Hasbro for not being as open with their fans as other types of games, a criticism that holds some degree of truth. Hasbro is very slow to update their official site or otherwise keep the fans informed and it appears this trend will continue for the forseeable future, forcing fans to obtain their info through other channels.

[edit] Fan-generated content and materials

Heroscape spawned much fan-generated content and material, including custom terrain and custom figures, which permitted fans to include elements from their favorite films, such as Space Jam, Star Wars and the xenomorph from Alien. A secondary market for such figures grew quickly, but Hasbro expressed disapproval over the market, as the reselling of unlicensed Heroscape merchandise is allegedly a violation of the intellectual property of both Hasbro and the various source materials from which the unlicensed figures were drawn, even though this actually helps to promote the game itself.

[edit] Inactive and defunct web sites

One of the most popular early fansites was Heroscape.net. Fans of the game, and even some of the game's designers, gathered in this community to discuss things such as game mechanics, new scenarios, rule variants and the latest rumors about upcoming expansions. The site closed after Hasbro complained about the distribution of unlicensed Heroscape-branded merchandise that was circulating through the fan community. Some fans also believed that the owner of the site wished to shut it down and move on. HeroscapeHQ.com became the landing point for displaced fans, and its administrators monitored copyright issues much more closely. This site featured downloadable fan-made modifications including some materials from the original heroscape.net site. Due to technical difficulties, however, the site owner shut it down. A site called HotLavaDeath.com, the name of which is an in joke by one of the designers about the volcano-terrain expansion set, has materialized but has had no recent activity and may have been abandoned by its authors.

[edit] Active fan web sites

After heroscapehq.com closed, a new fansite launched, called heroscapers.com. The site is considered the official fan site, and, due to user donations, contains an unusually small amount of advertising. Donations and resale of Heroscape merchandise through the sponsor, House Mouse Games, help fund the community site. The Heroscapers site contains discussion forums in which various nuances of the rules are discussed, and players repost official rules updates and clarifications from Hasbro. The various game manuals are also available for download as PDF documents.

The Heroscape community also produces an on-line periodical dedicated to the game, called the Heroscape Codex, or HSCodex. HeroscapeWiki at heroscape.org provides a growing Heroscape database.

[edit] Software

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)

VirtualScape is a third-party software product that permits fans to plan, build, and view virtual scenarios in a full three-dimensional environment.(Windows)

HS Manager is free third-party software for planning armies and viewing official unit stats. It allows searching on unit details like Attack, Defense, or personality. It is web-based or downloadable (Mac OS X and Windows)

[edit] External links

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