Page 9 - spielbox 4_24 Englisch E-Paper

Created by Stephen Bak- er, Rob Daviau, and Craig Van Ness, Heroscape: Rise of the Valkyrie was first released in 2004. Van Ness was the only one of the trio involved in de- veloping the new edition. The game was originally published under the MB label, a Hasbro subsidiary like Wizards of the Coast and Avalon Hill. The idea was to create a skirmish game that was quick to learn and play. This is why the game’s basic battle rules are extremely simple. The dice-based battles can quickly deter- mine the winner. If the attacker rolls more skulls than the defender rolls shields, the attacker wins immediately and the opposing figure must be removed from the board. This version of the game is a luck-dependent but still enjoyable melee. There were other ways the game tried to appeal to a broad audience, like the pre-painted miniatures. Additionally, the puzzle-like landscape tiles were highly versatile and made it easy to create epic
battle panoramas.
The Master rules are more complex,
with each figure now gaining special abilities. The movement system is also more sophisticated. Figures cannot eas- ily climb mountains if the ascent is too steep, for example. Most characters now
require multiple hits to be
eliminated, as players might be familiar with from similar games. Terrain elevation and line of sight also play important roles in at-
tacks.
In 2007, a licensed edition of Hero­
scape was released that introduced sev- eral Marvel heroes and villains
into the game. In theory, all characters released for the sys-
tem were cross-compatible. In the advanced version, players draft characters for their armies. Scenario rules provide a point lim- it for each army, and players take turns selecting heroes for their teams.
In 2008, Hasbro transferred He­ roscape internally from Milton Bradley to Wizards of the Coast, where it remained until its demise. The decision to discon- tinue the series in 2010 seemed to have been made rather abruptly, with previ- ously announced expansion sets, includ- ing new Marvel figures, falling victim to the cancellation. The out-of-nowhere news hit the fan community hard. Peti- tions were launched and boycotts were threatened, but Hasbro was unimpressed. Until Gen Con 2022, that is, when the new edition was announced.
Hasbro and Avalon Hill underestimat- ed the game’s potential, though. The Haslab crowdfunding campaign only of- fered a large box that cost $250. Critics argued that this was completely out of touch with the market with a high price that would likely appeal only to hardcore fans and not the broader gaming audi-
ence. This was one of the first points Rene- gade addressed. Its new, $125 Master set costs half as much as the first attempt- ed reboot, with the tradeoff that the miniatures now come unpainted. Painted versions are now reserved for the limited and significantly more expensive
special edition.
The first of the new boxes were re-
leased in August, and Renegade’s plan is to market the game worldwide. (sb)
Title: Designers:
Illustration:
Miniatures: Publisher:
Players: Age: Duration: Price:
Heroscape: Age of Annihilation Stephen Baker, Kevin Daly,
Rob Daviau,
Tanner Harlow,
Ben Harris, Rod Phelps, Adam Tarr, Nathan Spear, Craig Van Ness,
Don Zimmermann
Yugin Maffioli, Pilot/Yellowfly,
Corey Rivera,
Unreal Studio Works
Max Dunbar, Volta Media Avalon Hill, Hasbro, Renegade Game Studios 2
about 14+ years
about 60 –120 minutes about 100 euros
spielbox 7