grey_zealot's page

I've heard actual, off-line rumors about a Marvel superhero game that sounds like RISK, to an extent.

Apparently, player EACH play a villain and a hero. You try to conquer the world with your villain while attempting to disrupt your opponent's attempts to do the same.

Has Undefeated published anything on this and I keep skipping over it?

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Any internet sites out there for game, if it exists?

Main Pitch.
I would like to see WizKids and Paizo get together and publish a full-sized magazine format rulebook.

With Paizo having such a great track record with covering games in depth, they’d be perfect for this type of project.

Being a HeroClix addict (Man, I managed to stave off the “collectible gaming bug" for a decade before this damn game came along!), the Team building strategy articles in Undefeated have been some of the best out there. Issue #9’s has been the best yet in terms of layout, too; pictures of the figs, full-dial spoilers, pros/cons of each piece, diagram of a specific tactic, informative sidebars…

What WizKids needs to publish, at least once a year (IMHO) is a magazine-sized HC rulebook.

The “rules pamphlets” that come in the starter sets are hamstringed by limited space that forces some bad wordings of rules in order to conserve space. Between the rulebook’s format, the frequent introduction of new game mechanics, and tournament experience, WizKids ends up putting out a dozen FAQ updates a year.

Yes, the WK rulebooks are available on-line. Yes, so are the FAQs. But, a magazine published once a year would still be a great resource.

It needs to be full color. Show "demonstration examples" out of the Starter Sets "rules pamphlet" from each set.

They'd have plenty of space to clearly word everything. No parsing language in order to conserve print-space that results in FAQ after FAQ in order to clarify the language.

A magazine size would be perfect to “integrate” the rulebook with the FAQ. I’m after detail here. Detailed rules explanations. Detailed, graphic examples that aren’t thumbnail-sized. Undefeated is perfect for this.

The PAC info needs to be in there, too. Fully detailed.

Frequency and incentives to purchase.
Publish it once a year, prior to the convention season/summer. DON’T take over a regularly scheduled issue of Undefeated. This should be available in between regular issues.

Wizard Entertainment has apparently had so much success with “exclusive” HC mail-away offers (in Wizard and in InQuest) that Comic Book Buyer’s Guide and Scrye are trying to get in on the action with their own.

Undefeated would need this. (And, it might be wise to actually package something special WITH the mag, though. Like an exclusive map, that Paizo might’ve had a hand in designing. *hint, hint* J The exclusive clix offer would just be a coupon.)

It would be neat to see, say, single page columns with commentary on the HC scene as seen buy WK designers (a la Issue #2 of Undefeated that had a piece by a certain WK executive).

And think of the advertising space, to push not only HC but also other WK products. (The mag should still focus its content on HC. Too much diversity would lead to not enough of in-depth HC material.)

Another thing to consider: The dial spoilers. Yes, full stats are available on-line at sites like the WizKids site, or at HCRealms, or you can download the Battle Planner program (which I found out about in Undefeated, and purchased as a result), but there’s something about having them tangibly in your hands, in print.

So, pad this idea out. For starters, publish the spoilers for the retired Infinity Challenge set. Then, have a few one-page articles spring-board from that, topics on how the game has developed, why retirement was necessary, “review” of the set as a whole (in the context of what it was like when it was released, and how it holds up today), etc. Like with Undefeated #8 get commentary from WK designers.

Since a new rulebook might be needed once a year (as the main pitch states) or warrant two to four a year, set spoilers, strategy articles and design philosophizing add some “collectibility” to the mag itself.

Comparisons to other magazines.
Games Workshop publishes a magazine for Warhammer.

InQuest vs. Undefeated vs. Scrye

InQuest: They occasionally have some fun HC related stuff. Visually, the mag is a gas! (No surprise, considering they are related to Wizard Magazine.)

Love the articles they've done showing off various custom figs.

They used to have scenario ideas pulled directly from the comics. (Specifying the issue of the comic it was pulled from, suggested team construction, and special scenario rules.)

BUT, they are still all about Magic: the Gathering and the massive Price Guide of each issue. (The price guide itself chews up a lot of space each issue.) And the "visual HeroClix guides" they've been doing don't show the whole dial at once. That's annoying.

Scrye: I used to pick this up a lot. Some great articles on general HC strategy, and some good scenarios. The "stat spoilers" they used to publish for each set was cool, but in a tiny type. (And they had coverage of board games and miniatures game I'd never heard of, when I needed a "break" from HC with a small, self-contained and non-collectible gaming.)

Undefeated: This mag has had some great HC articles. So good I actually subscribed to it. They also cover TCGs, other miniatures games and board games.

Their Team Strategy articles are great, and back in issue #1, they published all the dials for DC Cosmic Justice.

The people who do Dragon Magazine do the mag. And to a former D&D player like me, it's important. (The quality and depth of strategy/tactical discussion.) And they are ulikely to fill half the damn mag up with a Price Guide!! (I can't stand spending the money on Scrye and InQuest for those price guides!)

*whew* O.K., I'll just end my little rant here.