Heroclix Returns: Will the Players?

Growing Back The Clix Community

Heroclix is back!!! But, many people who once played the game may not be. The player base is smaller. To me, Heroclix has once again become a grass roots game reminiscent of the Jordan Weisman years. Neca is a new company, and I get the feeling that there is going be quite a bit of ‘testing the waters’ with the release of HoT. We must get out there and get new players, ensuring long term sustainability and growth of the game we all love. To this end, we can empower ourselves to act as envoys. We can be the driving force that really grows the game to keep our heroes on the shelf, long after HoT. So, what can we as players do?

Tell A Friend!
There are friends who have left the game, sold their collections and picked up other interests. It is not their fault that they are not as hard-core as the rest of us. But, if Clix is to survive, we need to get these people back! The best chance we have at growing the game quickly is by filling its ranks with players already familiar with Heroclix. So, build a spare team, call them up, and get them back to the game! Then, branch out and talk to other people. Strike up a conversation at work. Keep a couple of cool sculpts on your desk. Geek is the new Jock! So, don’t be ashamed to tell your friends, you might be surprised by who is interested.


Friendly Venues
Neca has made available venue prize support, and given the community the control to essentially run the game ourselves. This is going to make the tournament scene so much better. Gone for now are the floorced events and constant sealed tourney‘s. Gone too, are a lot of the power gamers and prize sharks. We are what is left, the true fans of the game. As venue prize support kits seem simple to attain (as of this writing), prize sharks and power gamers should be few and far between, as there should be enough prizes to go around. Really, what this means is each venue should pretty much be fun and relaxed. This is the atmosphere needed to attract new players. I am not saying there isn’t room for competition, but let’s foster a friendly atmosphere first. If the venue has stopped Heroclix tourneys, now is the time to see what we can do to get games back up and running again. For established venues: Run demos. Play Clix during high traffic times, take the time to talk to bystanders, bring some cool Clix to display, but most importantly, keep it fun! Other people will notice your laughter.

Advertise!
Although this has been mentioned many times, it is important to stress again: each event should be accompanied by a nice, full color flyer with a detailed description of the event, posted in the front window of the venue, well in advance of the game. If you can talk with your venue owner, ask to rubber-band some extra flyers onto the first few boosters of Heroclix lining the shelf. The new Wizkidsgames website might not be fully operational for awhile. And posting on HCRealms only works for those already in the choir. Really, even with a nifty website, this is a job we can take on ourselves with each independent venue. The best form of advertisement is still word of mouth.

This article was originally posted on the front page of http://hcrealms.com/ Many thanks!

Axis and Allies: The Early Years

I don't know how WoTC are going to pull the next set of Axis and Allies miniatures off. Granted, I haven't been on any of the forums for a while to get the thinking behind this set. But, superficially, it doesn't make much sense.

This expansion focuses on the early war. but, let's not forget that the war started at different times for different countries. Japan was involved in its conflicts in China long before 1939. Italy would have been a powerhouse when Mussolini rebuilt Italy's armed forces from scratch and invaded Africa. By the time Hitler recruited him, Italy's military was antiquated. So, it is surprising that the set designers have deigned 1939-1941, the early war period. I assume that means there will not be any U.S. units in the set? A bold move.

Another thing to consider: Powercreep. With each set that is released, it is not uncommon to find a more powerful unit that comes at a cheaper cost. Powercreep keeps people interested in the new stuff, and competitive at the tournament scene. It's a way to sell boosters. Hypothetically, this newest set would also contain some powercreep. So, it will be interesting to see a set based on early war weapons potentiality being more powerful than some of the more advanced weaponry of earlier sets.

I guess I'll have to wait till December 15th to figure this one out.

No Autographs, Please

I fail to see the need to get every cover or story done signed by the artist. When I'm in line with my favorite book by the author, it kills me to see someone ahead dump a library on the author's lap. I don't see why people do it. Even more surprisingly, I don't know why the artist will sit there, smiling, signing every last one of them. Maybe they are happy that they are selling that many books. Maybe they are hoping for a case of carpal tunnel so they can collect the insurance money and retire. Maybe that's why I always worry that their wrists are going to lock-up just as they get to me. Sorry sir, thanks for waiting 3 1/2 hours in line, but I'm all out of autographs.

I usually only bring at most, a couple of different things to be signed. It'll be something that is sentimental, and I usually ask them to sign it to my name. I know people get things signed just to resale it. That thought is against the concept of autograph seeking to me. If it's not important to you, don't waste their time (0r mine, if I'm in line behind you!). That's why, when I was in line for Robert Kirkman at the recent Baltimore Comic-Con, I got him to sign my Invincible Heroclix figure! Now that, is an autograph.

Baltimore Comic-Con

While not miniature game related, I spent Saturday in Baltimore at Comic-Con. Between the Comic-con, the Baltimore marathon, and an Aerobics function also at the convention center, I have never seen so much spandex before in my life. I have loads of pictures. Too bad they are all stuck in my phone, with no apparent means of escape (I lost my phone software). I spent my time trolling booths, looking for the odd thing. I did manage to scrounge a few generics for assorted Heroclix armies. Apparently, I'm told that I missed a Hellfire guard.

While a enjoy comics, I am not an aficionado. I don't have any rare Neil Adams Batman covers. I had to re-buy copies of Crises of Infinite earths, just so I'd have something for George Perez to sign for me. Really, I actually had more fun hanging out with the likes of Greg Horn, Matt Fraction, Georges Jeanty, and Jo Chen. The lines were shorter and the conversation, longer. Oh, and for the Whedonverse fans out there: look for a graphic novel about Shepard Book. It'll probably be there inside a bowl of soup (inside joke, sorry). Also, there was a guy dressed as Dr. Horrible pulling it off to a 10. No pic yet. Stupid phone thingy.

Anyone else that made it out want to share?