What HEROSCAPE should I buy?

For many years now I have used my station as an internet tastemaker to help guide you all to smart game purchasing decisions. I'm sure many of you look at your game shelves every day and think "Thank god Barnes was there to convince me to buy that game".

Now it is your turn to help me.

So yes, I want to get some Heroscape for River and Scarlett. I don't think Scarlett will get into it due to a distinct lack of hairbows, glitter and baby animals, but it will be available if she wants to play with it. It's a forgone conclusion that I need Rise of the Valkyrie and I'll be getting the Marvel set by hook or by crook...but what else are the "essential" purchases? There's so damn much of it, so many sets, little expansions, big expansions...I'm not really looking to seriously build specific armies or whatever, just want huge variety and lots of fun pieces. I'm also not particularly interested in any of the ultra-rare/scarce stuff that's just too expensive. Like, I want the D&D stuff but it seems like that's skyrocketed in value.

Based on recent sales (well, since about 9am this morning) I'll likely have $200-$300 to spend. I know that Timster or whatever it is guy is a good source to buy, I'll likely hit him up.

Of course if YOU are selling, let me know.

Having recently gone through this myself, allow me....

Rise of the Valkrie - a Must.

Marvel - a good buy. Having the hero figs is fun for the kids. They're also a bit overpowered which is nice as having the kids use them sort of builds in a handicap for them. I really don't like the solid color terrain in this set though. I usually use it's pieces at the very bottom so I don't see them in play.

Heroes of Laur - this is a set of 5 large figs that goes for the cheapest. Get one of these for about $20 new most places. It's nice to have a few more large figs in the mix.

Road to the Forgotten Forest - nice to have the trees and bridge. I bought two of these cheap off a guy from Heroscapers. Something like $40 for the pair.

The above is a great way to start.

For the little figs, last year a happened upon a complete set of wave 1 and the final non-D&D wave (I have none of the D&D). Defenders of Kinsland is the name if it. Wave 1 is great because there's a lot of orks. So, with wave 1's orks and the Marro we have two 'horde' factions as it were. The Defenders of Kinsland you can probably do without.

Beyond Wave 1, I'd just check out the sellers at Heroscapers and include only the type of figs you're interested in (stats, rarity, etc. be damned). My son is into the marro, ninja's, and robots so I've picked up a few of them. I dig more the revolutionary war/wild west era guys so bought a few of those.

Also, my daughter is 4 and she loves to 'play' with us. She gravitates to the winged characters (which out of what we have are mostly female) and simply likes to fly them around from place to place on her turn. I usually don't attack them, but sometimes their benefits tend to help my son's army out...We have fun with the game.

EDIT: I didn't dump all of our collection on the kids at once. It can be a lot. So, even though I had it all, we got RotV for Christmas last year. The Big fig Heroes of Laur set, I gave to my son on his birthday. Marvel was an end of the school year surprise. OR just dump it all under the tree at your house and go nuts...

One or two of the fortresses is a good pick-up. That's a fun addition.

I just remembered I have a copy of Orm's Return/Heroes of Laur leftover from the last batch of Heroscape I sold on eBay. It never sold after a few auctions so you can have it for the price of shipping.

Just get all you can. It's all good.

Also, go check out your Dollar Stores. They should be getting Christmas scenery soon. Buy all their trees. They work great on Heroscape maps.

No love for Swarm of the Marro?

I'll sell you my sweet sweet Star Wars set for.......ALL YOUR MONIES!!!

Swarm of the Marro and any/all of the packs with cool terrain: ice, lava, trees, jungle.

Giant ass heroes are always fun. Squads aren't that great unless you get two each so that might be expensive.

The go-to answer -- it all depends on what River likes.

If he's into toy soldiers go with the Red Coats or the Romans or the like. If he likes Cowboys get them instead. Heroscape pretty much hit all the standard genres so there's plenty to choose from.

I personally like the Red Coats and the Massachusetts Revolutionary Insurgents. My oldest son likes the "tin cans" -- they guys in armor and Sir Denrick and the other guys in that ilk. My youngest likes the dragons, his twin brother anything that flies.

Nobody likes the Marro. They're nasty to look at and have no personality. I don't mind playing against them, but they're snoozers to play, because they have no story. When your boy asks "what are these Daddy?" you're stuck answering, "no clue son. They're ugly as sin though, I'll tell you that."

Make sure you have a few women on the board for Scarlet to play make-believe with.

This is part of the reason I'm saying the Heroscape isn't as expensive as people make it out to be. Your initial slug of materials is somewhere between $60 and $100 (more or less a base set or its equivalent) and then you buy a couple here and a couple there for maybe $10 apiece or $15 a squad. Plenty out there if you keep your eyes open. You ain't gonna buy "complete" Heroscape and it's stupid to even if you can, so you end up with about $150 in for a set you and yours like, and you add pieces on birthdays or Christmas. Money you would have spent on something else anyway.

You'll use it with your Grandkids 25 years from now. I got four kids -- I may have a dozen Grandkids in a battle on Thanksgiving Day in 2035, and I guarandamntee you I'm not passing this stuff down until my will is executed.

Given your current position in life, I'm guessing we'll see a review around Christmas time, you'll call out about how good it is for kids and dads, and I'll get the opportunity to trot out the phrase "damn near perfect game" in one more reply column. I did not recognize how good the game was until my oldest boy hit about ten years old.

S.

It's heroscape. Design some glittery baby animals.

Michael Barnes wrote:
Of course if YOU are selling, let me know.

ZTimster is decent, but they're still higher than eBay. Wait until the week after Christmas or the Black Friday to start looking at eBay lots. Everyone's broke, so you can get screaming deals. I've gotten shit for way under "market" using that strategy.

Speaking of that, I'd sell you a lot of my Heroscape stuff, Michael. Hell, if you had cash+games I'd move the whole fucking lot to you, including the Plano boxes and the glued-together wall-mountable map so you can play without having to set shit up.

PMed you. Let's talk business.

Brewmiester wrote: No love for Swarm of the Marro?

The Stingers won 3/4 of the last HS national tournaments. Can't fuck with the Stingers, yo.

SuperflyTNT wrote:

Brewmiester wrote: No love for Swarm of the Marro?

The Stingers won 3/4 of the last HS national tournaments. Can't fuck with the Stingers, yo.

I love the Marro. With the exception of the stingers, they may not be the most competitive "faction." But they are a hell of a lot of fun to play. I love the hounds giving off plague, I love the warriors spawning, I love Ne-Gok-Sa mind shackling. What I mean is, I love rolling high on D20s. Go Marro!

Yeah, my son loves the Marro. Particularly that damn Ne-Gok-Sa. I've found out that if you're facing Ne-Gok-Sa frequently, he will mindshackle you more than you think...

Anyway, who cares of the Marro don't have a built in narrative like, say, orks or cowboys. Make your own!

The boy, for some reason, has the Marro out to be treasure hunters and if he can have more marro on glyphs than you have your guys, then Ne-Gok-Sa is pleased. I dunno. Those Omicron Snipers always seem to be Ne-Gok-Sa's body guards as well.

Is this all 'perfect builds' or 'sound strategy'. Nah, but the boy has a lot of fun.