Marvel Solo Heroclix: Phase 1, Region 3, Game 1

Phase 1, Region 3, Game 1: Ryker's Island ("The Prison" map)

"Attention! Attention all units in the vicinity of Ryker's Island! Breakout in progress! Repeat - breakout in progress!"

"This is Lt. Marcus Stone of Code: Blue! My men and I are on the way! Is Guardsman security still online?"

"Affirmative, but several units are reported deactivated."

"Dispatch, this is Officer Patrick Mulligan en route to Rykers. Just wanted to know if anyone would have a problem with me showing up as Toxin, the savage symbiotic offspring of the criminal psychopath Carnage?"

"Sounds righteous, Mulligan. You're not gonna eat us or anything, are you?"

"Um, what? Uh, sorry, missed that."

"I asked if you were gonna eat - "

"Sorry, you're breaking up. Mulligan out!"

POLICE
The "Red Shirts" of the Marvel Universe

VS.

THE SERPENT SOCIETY
The first supervillain labor union (for real - wiki it!)

Before I continue the scintillating point-value discussion from the previous battle report, I need to show non-Heroclix players the battlefield for this skirmish - The Prison. Trust me, it's relevant.

Of all of the Heroclix maps ever made, the Prison is undoubtedly the most restrictive for mobilizing teams, exploiting range, and having fun. Huge chunks of annoying brown indoor blocking terrain dominate most of the map, clogging it up like an American artery and forcing the action down an extremely narrow corridor. Most often, opponents meet in the middle all up in each other's grills, pummeling their way through a relentless match of attrition and little strategic nuance.

This battle was no different.

What was different about this game was the number of pieces on the battlefield. The Police were nine union-backed members strong, while the Serpent Society force had a membership size of four and a better union (two best fringe benefits: torturing your enemies, free yearly eye exam). Additionally, the total point value of the Police came in at 302, just a tad over the legal limit for a 300-point game. Did these little extras give the Police an advantage over the Serpent Society?

Not really. A "balance" within the Heroclix system is the limited allocation of actions per turn related to the total point value of the game, 1 action/100 pts. At 300 points, each force is allowed three actions per turn. Furthermore, unless a character has a special power, that character may only act on two consecutive turns at the penalty of one click of self-inflicted damage, called "pushing." Except in very rare cases, a pushed character may not act on a third consecutive turn.

All of this means that nine characters aren't going to be allowed nine shots at the enemy on each turn in a 300-point game. With a successful Leadership roll to win an extra action, they'll get 4 shots at most, and those shots will be dealing smaller amounts of damage as the overall "power level" of the team will have been widely distributed among its many members. So, in a lot of ways, the "balance" of the point-value system of Heroclix could easily come into question because of those action limitations. (What do you longtime grognards think of that?)

Of course, some would argue that with so many Police to use, fewer instances of pushing will occur than on a team such as this 4-snake iteration of the Serpent Society. Sure, that's true, but if the larger number of attackers have smaller attack and damage values, and the smaller number of opponents have larger defense values, then the situation will certainly become terribly frustrating very quickly.

Now, add to all of that the narrow, inescapable collision course that is the Prison map, and the "balance" of the game becomes a serious issue. The Police have on their hands an impending endurance test of hopeful high rolls and necessary sacrifices. Like a night of cheap gin and cheaper Chinese food, it'll get worse before it gets better.

Here's how it went down:

The Serpent Society started in their cells,
incarcerated without access to their team phasing power.

The Police mobilized quickly by using the Guardsmen to fly everyone into position.

As usual for this battlefield, the blocking terrain created an unavoidable midpoint showdown.

Viper made the first play, attacking Toxin.
Ultimately, she lost the fight, but she hurt the symbiote quite a bit.

Pretty soon, the forces met in the middle (surprise),
and the Police surrounded the escaping criminals.

"Enough is enough!
I have had it with these monkey-fightin' snakes in this Monday-to-Friday jail!"

The war of attrition went in favor of the Society. As the snakes pushed through, officers fell.
Bravely, Lt. Stone, leader of Code: Blue, stood defiantly before the villains.

But Stone was no match, and the remaining officers eventually routed.

So, 120 points of Police will move on to the next phase of play, along with 207 points of the Serpent Society. Had there not been a rout, I'm absolutely certain that the Society would have easily finished off the cops, even though Eel had been hit hard in the last few turns.

"Balance" remains a thing of myth. Best to not chase after it. Just have fun.