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watchmen

Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen 005) 276
Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen 011) 105
Comedian (Watchmen Fast Forces 006) 100 + Not So Special 3
Silk Spectre (Watchmen Fast Forces 002) 75
Nite Owl (Watchmen Fast Forces 003) 75 + Utility Belt 13
Ozymandias (Watchmen Fast Forces 004) 75 + Brilliant Tactician 20
Rorschach (Watchmen 001) 57
799 points.

Ran this last summer.

FIRST vs. Lenny with Supergirl (Fast Forces), Eradicator and Superman (Superman 001) among others from Metropolis I can’t recall on the Days of Future Past map. I had to work very hard to get shots on big Supes and Supergirl and Eradicator, having to bust walls and sacrifice Rorschach to do so. Alas, I was not able to take out either before running out of time.

SECOND vs. Stephen’s Haunted Tank, David Cain and other Soldiers on the Dr. Manhattan’s Lab map. The tall Dr. got an early long-range Running Shot on a target that I almost chased down for the win — but I wound up having to win on a roll-off. The sitting Dr. M. resisted all attempts to hit him — narrowly.

FINALLY against Henry on the Bridge: Iron Spider, Hawkeye (Chaos War) Mockingbird (Chaos War) and more. Still a new player, he moved too aggressively and I made him pay for it. A more seasoned opponent would have made it much harder for me and I probably would not have won. I lost Rorschach, Silk Spectre and Comedian but KOd Hawkeye, Mockingbird and Iron Spider for the advantage.

By piece:
Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen 005)
Lotus-position Dr. M spent too time TKing and not enough time shooting. His lack of Willpower is also a liability. But it’s nice knowing he’s a potent piece of backup for the rest of the team.

Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen 011) 105
The tall Doc, OTOH, was a real workhorse. He was the most mobile shooter of the team, a second taxi, a barrier builder (instrumental in my last win) and a boon to other shooters through his Enhancement. Oh, and there’s that 2x Energy Explosion thing, too.

Comedian (Watchmen Fast Forces 006) 100 + Not So Special 3
Despite his great AV, he never quite had the effect on the game I expected. I used him over the longer-ranged, double-targeted original for the damage boost. Perhaps I should consider the older piece in the future and use an additional feat card to make up the points difference.

Silk Spectre (Watchmen Fast Forces 002) 75
With both her boyfriends on the team, SS is a legit melee threat well worth the extra point cost, even though she took a lot of fire.

Nite Owl (Watchmen Fast Forces 003) 75 + Utility Belt 13
Definitely a linchpin of the team due to his ability to carry Silk Spectre, Ozymandias, Comedian and, most importantly, sitting Dr. Manhattan into position for next-round attacks. The Utility Belt is VERY thematic on the Watchmen universe’s Batman analogue. The Willpower helps a lot, too. Today, with the release of the Batman Cowl, I’d add that costume for Stealth action.

Ozymandias (Watchmen Fast Forces 004) 75 + Brilliant Tactician 20
He’s a bit tricky to use because you want to have him carted about by Nite Owl, but his LOF to the rest of the team tends to get blocked that way. But of course Brilliant Tactician makes him superb for the team.

Rorschach (Watchmen 001) 57
He’s a needed Stealth wall and Leap/Climb tie-up for the rest of the team. With the boost to CCE, maybe he’s a potential fighter, too.

I like running the Watchmen more than ever with the superior Fast Forces versions. This team will see the map again.

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Continuing this photographic record of figures hefting objects, this time starting a multi-week look at figs from the new Wolverine and the X-Men full set. First up? Colossus (Wolverine and The X-Men 002 and 202) .

ColossusWAXM

Just nudge the big Russian back a bit and the token fits fine under his left wrist.

A surprise is Toad 006, who can get any attack power on his late dial:

The hold is quite bad, as only the newer, thicker objects found in starter sets since 2012 can wedge between his butt and calves…barely.

Another: Shi’ar Guard 206 from the countertop primer set:

He can hold it well as shown.

_____

Thursdays for a while will feature pix from Fear Itself, with Tuesdays continuing the coverage of Wolverine +The X-Men. Tomorrow, read about a F.U.N. Fight.

And Friday? It’s all about DragonCon in Atlanta on Friday.

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Continuing the series recounting how I added art to DC cards to make ’em prettier.

Last time, I promised another feat from 2007’s Justice League set. But the remaining feats of the set were either too laden with text to work — such as Contingency Plan — or are outright banned, like the Alternate Team Ability feats. So we’re moving on to cards from the next DC set, 2008’s Crisis.

CR_BF001_Skyscrapers

When I read the issue of Starman that this excellent art came from, I knew it was the best choice to illustrate this battlefield condition — one which could not be used at all on a lot of the more recent maps in the game, according to this Player’s Guide ruling:

This card can‘t be played if any of the starting areas is made up exclusively of elevated terrain.

Next week, more BFCs from Crisis.

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Continuing this photographic record of figures hefting objects, this time starting an overdue look at figs from the Fear Itself event. First up?

“A” is for Asgardian Troll 002 who, at his 25 point cost, supplants Aquaman (Hypertime ) as the least expensive Super Strength non-bystander in the game. The Troll’s hold on the token is a wedge between the club and his right heel.

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Valtrauta_cool_from_Thor_313

Years ago, when HeroClix’s rebirth was in its infancy, I wrote about this  theme. Now, with a new Valkyrie figure, it’s time to cue up the Wagner and field the choosers of the slain again!

RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES

Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 055) 145 + Not So Special 3
Valkyrie (Fear Itself 005) 130
Mirage (Wolverine and The X-Men 004) 75 + Camouflage 8
Valkyrie (Sinister 048) 71 + Not So Special 3
Brunnhilde (Sinister 204) 69  + Not So Special 3
Valkyrie (Sinister 047) 60
Samantha arrington Hammer of Thor 101) 55
Mirage (Fantastic Forces 007) 55
Valkyrie (Sinister 046) 44
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
+ Defenders ATA 20

= 800 points. EDIT: I must’ve been falling asleep at the desk, because this in no way adds up to 800. Here’s the REAL team:

Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 055) 145 + Not So Special 3
Valkyrie (Fear Itself 005) 130 + Contingency Plan 12
Mirage (Wolverine and The X-Men 004) 75 + Camouflage 8
Valkyrie (Sinister 048) 71 + Not So Special 3
Brunnhilde (Sinister 204) 69  + Not So Special 3
Valkyrie (Sinister 047) 60
Samantha Parrington (Hammer of Thor 101) 55
Mirage (Fantastic Forces 007) 55
Valkyrie (Sinister 046) 44
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
Valkyrie (Hammer of Thor 012) 38
+ Defenders ATA 24
+ Black Lantern 0
+ Generator 0
+Mjolnir 0

= 900 points is more like it. EDIT: Except that IT’S NOT 900 POINTS. I keep screwing up the math on this. Either drop the C.Plan feat or Camouflage + a Not So Special card to make the team fit.

The last time the Valkyries rode, the team was able to take advantage of some tricks that no longer work (such as transporter Move And Attack being a move action). But it has some new ones that might work better.

  • Big Hammer of Thor Valkyrie is no longer the sole tentpole of the force. Before, the Contingency Plan feat was all but required, to allow the strong but soft-skinned horsewoman to make safe hit-and-run attacks with a decent AV. But now she has help from two more sources…
  • No-cape Fear Itself Valkyrie, who shares the high damage potential and excellent AV of horse Val — and can field the C.Plan for more clicks than Horse Val…
  • The Defenders ATA allows both these Vals to chain their stellar AVs to their three sister Defender-keyworded sisters from Sinister, making for a solid front line of melee offense.

Then there are the curious mortal inductees to the cadre.

  • Samantha, whose low AV was always reason enough to hold her off the team before, finds that weakness addressed by the ATA.
  • Mirage of the upcoming WATX set adds a bit of ranged ability with her -range and Incap (with Sidestep to add even more swing).
  • Finally, there’s Mirage from Fantastic Forces. Though very weak stats-wise, her Running Shot and Penetrating/Psychic Blast could land a light shot against weakened foes. More important still is her taxi ability to carry the less-mobile of the Valkyrior.

A team of Charging Super Strength figs can make good use of the Generator. The Black Lantern, though from DC, is highly thematic for valkyries. And Mjolnir is quite fitting.

I obviously can’t run this team yet because Wolverine and The X-Men is still a few days away from release (AND I no longer own a Samantha Parrington LE). But one day, the Valkyries will descend upon a HeroClix battlefield!

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Concluding the photographic record of clix from the Teen Titans set with Super Strength that can hold the game’s cardboard object tokens. Today, let’s look at this last pair:

 

Despite being the standard burly brute character, Mammoth (011) can just barely tote his token. One must carefully balance it under his left wrist brace and against his right knee. But Heroclixin’ has not been able to reproduce this hold on any tokens other than its well-worn ones — the new ones just roll right off with the slightest touch. So your mileage may vary.

And this (foot)hold is just going to be better all around:

IMG_20130815_022434

It’s one of the few that work better with the newer, thicker card stock.

And a final teen titan fig with a grip: Skitter (048)

It’s almost more fitting to ask “how DOESN’T she tote a token?” This intricate sculpt has no issue with a number of solid holds.

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OK, that’s more than enough Teen Titans toting tokens. Next week, TTT begins a long-overdue look at Fear Itself. Tomorrow, check out a F.U.N. Force for Heroclixin.’

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So I got to a venue too late and too broke to get in the scheduled Fear Itself event and instead joined a battle royale with this team:

Clark Kent (Man of Steel 009) 115
Lois Lane (Man of Steel 00) 39
Harve Bullock (Streets of Gotham 016) 32
Roy Raymond, Jr. (Batman 026) 74
Miranda Tate (Dark Knight Rises 012) 70
Pepper Potts (Iron Man 3 007) 70
= 400 points of plainclothed clix…no costumes, no weapons, nothin.’ I had a few pieces running for the first time.

VERSUS three others in a battle royale:
MATT with Superboy (Teen Titans 026)+Belt, Kid Flash (Teen Titans 039), and something I can’t recall. Solstice, maybe?
DOMINIQUE’s Thanos (Galactic Guardians 045) and Terraxia.
JASON fielding Superman (Man of Steel 101) and Superboy (Teen Titans 026). And I think that’s all.

I knew that Thanos was the big threat, but Matt & Jason went at it first anyway because they’re noobs. I crept about toward Thanos, using Stealth (thanks, Harvey for giving it to yourself and fellow detective Roy) for cover. Eventually, I made my move:

  1. Based Thanos with Roy Raymond Jr. for the -1 DV trick
  2. Knocked down T’s DV further with PD TA
  3. Perplexed it down one more time with Miranda…
  4. …so she could Mind Control him to kill Terraxia nearby!

But Thanos himself missed, leaving me with Miranda taking MC damage and Roy all set to just get one-shot by Thanos. 🙁

Fortunately, 5 damage is not enough to one-shot Roy, so he lived to use Outsiders TA for many more rounds to come. That proved key to dealing with Matt’s Superboy’s Belt-fed modifications.

In the end, it was only Lois Lane and Kid Flash. A late misplay cost me a shot at a most unlikely victory for the overachieving star reporter.

By piece:
Clark Kent (Man of Steel 009)
Traited Stealth and SP Willpower made him the solid core of my team’s offense. I happily landed on his second such click, with HSS and Perplex. Maybe I erred in healing him off it (though with only a natural 8 AV, who could blame me). Great piece that literally flies under the radar.

Lois Lane (Man of Steel 007)
Amy Adams, as noted above, nearly won the whole shebang with her nosy reporting ways. A fine use of 39 points.

Harvey Bullock (Streets of Gotham 016)
Key for his ability to Stealth fellow cops and detectives. His TA also came into play. All told, he was worth way more than his cost.

Roy Raymond, Jr. (Batman 026)
Been wanting to get this unusual figure on the field. He’s tricky to use because his Outsiders and maxxed-Outwit beg for him to stay away from the fight. But his Combat Reflexes and ability to -1 adjacent DV means he ought to be in foes’ faces. With no Stealth or other defense against range, his 16 DV is an easy target. Use with care…but do use him on plainclothes teams like this one.

Miranda Tate (Dark Knight Rises 012)
Still one of my faves, she had so many ways to mess with the team (Perplex. Outwit. Mind Control). Both underestimated and a priority target, she always served her purpose on this force. On a future build, I’ll want to couple her with Bruce Wayne 003 from her set to gain Batman Ally TA and a Defense boost.

Pepper Potts (Iron Man 3 007)
Great for drawing fire early on — as she need not fear being one-shot — then for fighting after taking the big hit. Gwyneth is a winner for this theme. On a Golden Age team, I’ll run her with Loner for the DV boost.

That is, if I can still fit her on after adding the ultimate plainclothes clix piece: 

crispus

Crispus Allen (Arkham Asylum 101).

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Tomorrow, one more installment of “Token Totin’ Titans,” and I think I’m done with the set (minus a few whose high rarity have kept me from readily getting pix: Wonder Girl 065, Wonder Woman 068 and Zookeeer). Then on Friday, a look at a F.U.N. Force I’d like to run.

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Continuing the photographic record of clix from the Teen Titans set with Super Strength that can hold the game’s cardboard object tokens. Today, let’s look at this pair:

One can bend Changeling’s forearm a tad to reveal a gap between it and the clear green tiger form for a solid and appealing hold. Meanwhile, his sometime fellow Osiris has a less secure hold under his raised arm.

Over on the Ravagers side of things, the OTHER Beast Boy manages:

It’s actually under his right knee. This is an OK hold, but there’s another, more dynamic one available:

The balance is precarious, but it works as pictured.

___

Back on Thursday for another teen titan fig with a grip.

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I added art to DC cards to make ’em prettier. Here’s the latest, another feat from Justice League:

JL_F006_Unstoppable

From Final Crisis #6. Doug Manke draws a fighting-mad Superman smashing walls like they’re not there.

Next week, more feats from JL.