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For the first time in some years I got a chance to run the Runaways on a team, back in spring 2014:

Victor Mancha [Web of Spider-Man] 96
Nico Minoru [Hammer of Thor] 84
Xavin [Galactic Guardians] 75
Karolina Dean [Hammer of Thor] 55
Gertrude Yorkes and Old Lace [Hammer of Thor] 54
Dagger [Amazing Spider-Man 003 ] 45
Chase Stein [Hammer of Thor] 45
Molly Hayes  [Hammer of Thor] 43

= 497 points. It faced a squad right out of a Runaways comic book:

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Thunderball, Bulldozer, Piledriver and Wrecker, all from the Invincible Iron Man set and all but the first at full power. And here’s how it went.

I got map choice and picked one of the Blitzkreig maps for the elevated terrain to avoid the Crew’s Charge range. It worked out pretty well; Victor got quite a few Running Shot+P/PBlasts off, and Chase was repeatedly able to evac the team before the Crew could get in on the team.

In fact, despite Xavin being stuck in the start zone and thus fairly easy pickings for the Crew to beat up, it was looking so much like a runaway win for the Runaways that my opponent was ready to concede this friendly side game. But persuaded him to play on.

I should have taken the offer.

Wrecker started smashing the blocking terrain on the roof I was retreating along and he and Piledriver moved in for huge hits on the kids with the additional heavy objects thus created. And so the Runaways fell to the Wrecking Crew.

Tight, fun game that was only a die roll or two from maybe going the other way. It truly underscored one of Heroclixin’s mottos: Don’t ever give up, even when it looks as though the game is lost.

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Some time ago, I complained about the Avalanche Effect, where small, minor decisions I’ve made in Clix game snowball into massive setbacks and/or game loss. At the time I said it was preferable to the usual straight-up mental pratfalls I’ve documented in this blog over the years.

Unfortunately, I’ve started making THOSE again, too.

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FAIL No. 1: Here’s a +2 AV Handicap You Don’t Really Need

So I was faced with Bill’s swarm of Kuribohs in a Golden Age event. These adorable little death bombs are deadliest in close combat, where their Blades/Claws/Fangs can do the worst damage. So what do I forget to use with Swift once she’s surrounded?

BARREL ROLL OR WINGOVER?: Give Swift a free action and choose Combat Reflexes or Energy Shield/Deflection. She can use the chosen power until she chooses again.

 

You got it. Both she and her passenger Midnighter went down in one turn because I couldn’t be bothered to remember to use her stupid SP. Granted, there was almost no chance I survive this game, but I didn’t have to make it so blamed EASY.

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FAIL No. 2: Just Let the Other Team Completely Cheat

My full roster Authority team got completely steam-ironed in the first round by a Yugioh-based team using the friendly-mind-control piece Black Talon to destroy me without having to do a single attack roll against me. (I don’t want to talk about it. Suffice to say that it involved a way of getting two WATX Magnetos into my starting area by turn 2)

….

HUMANITY’S MY TRIBE TO PROTECT: Characters can’t use Mind Control as a free action or to target characters friendly to themselves. Characters using Mind Control are dealt 1 unavoidable damage after actions resolve.

 

….yeah. I flipped out after the tournament was over and I saw that I’d allowed a totally illegal action wreck my whole tournament. Neither of us had noticed.

(We replayed the match, leading to Fail No. 1)

_____

That’s all I have stomach for today. But there’s more FAIL in our future. SO MUCH FAIL

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It’s been a while, but it’s time for Heroclixin’ to resume its photographic record of how every character using Super Strength can (if at all possible) hold its own object token. 

Compared to the weaklings that populated The Flash set a few months back, Trinity War is loaded with strong guys and gals. It’s going to take more than a couple of installments this time. 

We’ll start with the first letter of the alphabet. “A” is for Aquaman [Trinity War 201]:

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His lady Mera [TW 202] also has Atlantis-born strength and a sculpt that offers a great hold on the token.

 

Back on land, Black Orchid [TW 005 and 207] can only lamely lean the object on her as shown:

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Battle-suited Lex Luthor [TW 033], on the other hand, manages to wedge it just so under his outstretched arm.

 

Look for more Trinity War Token Totin’ on Tuesday.