SPIKE'S FIGHT KLUB UPDATE

Spike here -

Since my last Fight Klub post there has been a little official news...

1) We learned a little about the Fight card stack.

Tim , the game designer said, "In most cases, Fight cards have a set of 3 skirmish numbers across the top of the card. Those numbers are compared against the skirmish numbers on the opponent’s Fight card, and whoever wins the most skirmishes wins that fight and scores their Fight card. There are many ways to enhance these numbers and there are many deck building strategies in constructing your Fight stack depending on the Hero or Villain you have chosen for your deck. This is important because Fight cards cause damage to the opponent, reducing the opponent’s Life. When you reduce your opponent’s Life to zero, you win the game. (And we do have a way to count damage in the game without dice or keeping score on paper.)

"So, while there are many ways to manipulate the skirmish numbers on your Fight card to give you better fighting ability, what I want to talk about today is two types of Fight cards. We call them “global” Fight cards and “Signature” Fight cards. There’s a big difference between the two types. Global Fight cards can be used by any character (although only Heroes can use Hero Fight cards and only Villains can use Villain Fight cards). Which cards you choose to use will depend on which Hero or Villain you select and your deck strategy. Fight cards have a variety of choices in the mix of skirmish numbers, in which of the three slots the different skirmish types are located, and what type of bonuses they can provide. All of these come into play when selecting the Fight cards for your Fight stack. Obviously, with a large pool of Heroes and Villains there are many options in terms of how individual Heroes or Villains fight.

"For example, a Hero strong in Spirit Energy might want to use different kinds of Fight cards than, say, a Hero strong in Physical Energy. Specific Heroes and Villains tend to fight with characteristics that match their identity. Thus, for them to fight effectively, the player has to build a deck that maximizes the characters unique “character.” As such, there are natural strategies for building decks around a character’s skill and the type(s) of Energy they generate in the game.

"Signature Fight cards, however, are limited to one specific character. Only the Hero or Villain whose icon appears on the Fight card can use it. Each character gets a Signature Fight card. You don’t “have” to use your Hero’s or Villain’s signature card, but you will probably want to. Signature Fight cards give extra bonuses and usually provide twice the damage of a global Fight card. And in keeping with the player-friendly goals in Fight Klub, these strong Fight cards are not rare, they are uncommon, which means you can use up to 3 of them in your Fight stack (and you should get three copies for each of your Heroes and Villains with the purchase of a playset)."

So we know that we'll have a character and play card in a 'fight stack' and play cards that affect the stack. It would be great to see some of these cards, but I'm sure that will come.


2) We also learned some cards will contain an icon (a circle in a circle) that represents the word 'opponent'. This is to reduce the amount of space on the card that word occupies...

They gave the example:


So now we know more about the types of energy and that there are things called conditions.

3) The Deadline to apply to be a Founding Member has been extended. I don't know if that is due to Decipher's server having a massive failure over the weekend or if it is because they have only half as many applicants as available spots. You now have until Monday, May 5th to apply.

Later, when you want to buy cards for the first time...

... except say, Spike sent me...

See the countdown here:
Fight Klub

Two of the hotly discussed issues on the forums are what characters should go into the game and the naming of the clans. Everyone has an opinion on this. My feeling is that since the game targets people with credit cards or ebay accounts, they are targeting an audience that is above driving age and approaching drinking age.

I am sure that the character selection will include lots of R-Rated properties. Many of the most popular characters discussed fall into this category. Terminator, Aliens, Evil Dead, Predator, Dirty Harry, Blade Runner, Nightmare on Elm Street, Rambo, and Robocop are all popular choices. According to a Decipher rep, "The Fight Klub TCG is taking its Heroes and Villains from Movies and TV shows from the libraries of major Hollywood studios."

Since Set One and Two are released simultaneously, we will get 16 characters right from the start. The website currently lists 38 possible characters. These starting characters will have to be awesome to drive interest in the game.

Who do I want to see?

Heroes
Hellboy
Ripley
Deckard
Sarah Conner
Leonidas
Batman
Spider-Man
Dirty Harry

Villains
Terminator
Alien Queen
Freddy
Predator
Magneto
Doc Ock
John Capenter's Thing
King Kong

The second much discussed issues is the names for the Clans. The Founding Mentors will be deciding on the names for the 13 Clans that the players will be able to choose from when signing up to play the game. Decipher calls these 'Gangs', but a vocal group feels that calling the packs of cards 'Kilos' and the groups of players 'Gangs' is not a good idea. I am with that group. I like 'Clans' and 'Bloks'.

My favorite Clan names on the boards so far are:

First Drop Kill
Legion of Fear
Hammer
Cortex
Syndicate of the Damned
Kings of Speed
Harbingers of Dread
Brain Trust Fund (Brain Trust)
Spartans
Seekers
Dark Ones
Cabal of Fear
Legion
7 of 13
Rangers
Legend
Kaos
Thrill Kill Klub
Afterburners
Kamikazi
Dynasty
Carnage (Karnage)
Gunslingers
Wild Cards

- Spike on the Fight Klub boards -





© 2008 W. Peter Miller

Fight Klub and all related images are trademarks of Decipher, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Tannhäuser Friday - Jackal

FREELANCE OPERATIVE - The JACKAL



Jackal aka Matthäus Lang was a Fallschirmjäger (Paratrooper) in the Reich Luftwaffe until 1947, when he deserted while on a mission on the eastern border of Reich Territory. He discovered a cache of plundered art and antiquities and set off on his own at that moment. He disguised a disfigured corpse in his own uniform and left his ID behind. Of course, like most rogues, he soon blew the money on booze and dames. Lang has been a private operative and soldier of fortune ever since. The Jackal has been on Moeller's payroll for some time and has grown quite loyal. You may also play Jackal as a Freelance Operative recruited in the same way as Wolf.





Special Object
Garrotte - Max range 1. If you roll at least one Natural 10 on a Combat Roll without rolling any Natural 1s, and your target does not roll at least one Natural 10 on the corresponding Shock Roll, he is killed instantly. You may not move after using the Garrotte.

The Garrotte may only be used if you just moved onto the target's path this Sequence and never if the target shared a path on their last Sequence, unless the Jackal was hidden from its victim due to the use of Stealth.


Stealth - During his Sequence, if Matthäus ends movement on a multicolored circle, he can choose one of those colors. Only figures on that color path can see Matthäus, but he can still see all colors on his path. When they are on a path affected by smoke, figures attacking Matthäus suffer an additional -1 to their Current Combat and Stamina Values.

After attacking, the Stealth is no longer in effect.

Dexterity - Matthäus may take an additional Action Phase. He still only gets up to two Movement Phases. He may only attack one time per Sequence.

Schrotflinte 10 Gauge - This Walther Combat Shotgun has a minimum range of 2 and a maximum range of 6. If the target is exactly 2 circles away, and you roll at least one Natural 10 on a Combat Roll, and your target does not roll at least one Natural 10 on the corresponding Shock Roll, he is killed instantly.

First Aid
When you use a Victory Point to heal a wound, the First Aid Kit allows you to heal an additional wound. Discard the token after use.

Submachine Gun Pistol
Type: Automatic Weapon • Thanks to its rapid rate of fire, the M3 provides a 1-point bonus to the Current Combat Value of its firer.

Extra Ammunition
After a Combat Roll, if the results are unsatisfactory, your character may make a rapid reload in order to roll a second attack. Only the results of the second attack are taken into account.

You may not use Extra Ammunition during a Counterattack. Discard the token after use.



The figures used for the Moeller's Hermetics faction are:

Doktor Krisztov Moeller - D&D War of the Dragon Queen - Bonded Fire Summoner - 10/60 Uncommon

Lady Fürstenstein - D&D Bloodwar - Doomguard - 47/60 Common

"Jackal" aka Matthäus Lang - Star Wars Bounty Hunters - Human Blaster-for-Hire - 35/60 Common

R.U.R. 07 - Star Wars Bounty Hunters - E522 Assassin Droid - 31/60 Uncommon

Rüstung Fallhammer - D&D War of the Dragon Queen - War Ape x3 - 22/60 Common



I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 W. Peter Miller

My custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Tannhäuser Thursday - R.U.R. 07

R.U.R. 07 is Doktor Moeller's personal autonomic robot. It is the most advanced artificial intelligence outside of Area 51. Moeller' s advanced methods have achieved cutting edge results.

R.U.R. 07

Special Object - Metal Ruins - When the RUR 07 is destroyed, remove the figure from the board and place the RUR 07 rubble token in its circle.

Infrared Sensors - RUR 07 can see through smoke and darkness. Smoke Grenades do not affect RUR 07.

Crushing Grip - Type: Hand to Hand Weapon • If you roll at least one Natural 10 on a Combat Roll, and your target does not roll at least one Natural 10 on the corresponding Shock Roll, he is killed instantly.

Energy Blast - Type: Automatic Weapon. RUR 07 always uses its highest combat value. Add 1 additional hit in the event of a successful Combat Roll.


The figures used so far for the Moeller's Hermetics faction are:

R.U.R. 07 - E522 Assassin Droid - Star Wars Bounty Hunters - 31/60 Uncommon

Doktor Krisztov Moeller - D&D War of the Dragon Queen - Bonded Fire Summoner - 10/60 Uncommon

Rüstung Fallhammer - D&D War of the Dragon Queen - War Ape x3 22/60 Common

Lady Fürstenstein - D&D Bloodwar - Doomguard - 47/60 Common

Tomorrow - Jackal wraps up Tannhäuser week!!!


I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 W. Peter Miller

My custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Tannhäuser Wednesday - Lady Fürstenstein

Lady Fürstenstein is a direct descendent of Frederick Fürstenstein, legendary discoverer of the strange black rock that sputtered and glowed and gave sparks and light. Książ Castle was built in 1020 to protect the tunnels where the mysterious black rocks were dug. The discovery of those rocks - coal - made the Fürstenstein family rich, even to this day.


As a young woman she had years of training in the Eastern Dynasties. Lady Fürstenstein can perform all manner of Martial Art moves and attacks.




Special Object - Twin Daggers - HtoH - Years of training in the Eastern Dynasties allow Lady Fürstenstein to attack two adjacent figures each turn.

Shaolin Training - If there is an oponnent's figure adjacent to Lady Fürstenstein, instead of taking her normal move, she may move to any unoccupied circle adjacent to that figure. During a Combat Roll, Shaolin Training adds a 1-point bonus to the result of each die (except for Natural 1s) when making a Hand to Hand attack. This is in addition to any other Hand to Hand bonuses.

Smoke Powder - Lady Fürstenstein can throw smoke powder in any unoccupied adjacent circle. Place a smoke token on that circle. The smoke fills all paths that share a color with that circle.

Blade Reposte - Lady Fürstenstein always rolls Hand to Hand defense at her highest value and adds 1 to each die if the Twin Daggers Token is on Lady Fürstenstein's card.

Flying Blades - Lady Fürstenstein can attack a figure at a range of 4 , but you must discard this token, and place the Twin Daggers token on the circle with the target.

Lover's Rage - If Doktor Moeller is attacked in the same Pathfinding as Lady Fürstenstein, and she has not had her Sequence, she can go right now, interrupting the attackers turn. She receives 2 extra attack dice if she attacks Moeller's attacker.

Martial Arts - Lady Fürstenstein adds 1 to each die when making a Hand to Hand attack. This is in addition to any other Hand to Hand bonuses.

Flash Powder - During her Sequence, instead of taking an Action Phase, Lady Fürstenstein may discard this token. All adjacent figures may not play their Sequences this game turn.


The figures used so far for the Moeller's Hermetics faction are:

Doktor Krisztov Moeller - D&D War of the Dragon Queen - Bonded Fire Summoner - 10/60 Uncommon

Rüstung Fallhammer - D&D War of the Dragon Queen - War Ape x3 22/60 Common

Lady Fürstenstein - D&D Bloodwar - Doomguard - 47/60 Common


I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 W. Peter Miller

My custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Tannhäuser Tuesday

Tuesday - Rüstung Fallhammer

Yesterday I presented the Hermetic Scientist, Krisztov Moeller, and his backstory. Today I present some scenario ideas and the Rüstung Fallhammer card.

Use the Castle Ruins side of the board. This represents the catacombs under Ksiaz Castle. Players take turns choosing sides - Reich, Union, Matriachy, or Moeller's Hermetics. If no one picks the Hermetics then play the Doktor's forces with the solitaire rules, with the players rolling for control each Game Turn.


SET UP

If no player is controlling Moeller's forces, all the players roll a d10. The winner gets to place all of the tokens for Doktor Moeller's forces. (There will be a set of tokens - 1 for each Hermetic figure and 3 different tokens representing Moeller's Research Papers. There are also 8 dummy tokens.) Set the tokens up in the central chamber. The player putting out Hermetic tokens should not look at them, mix them up, and then place them anywhere in the central chamber, Moeller side face up.

If a player is controlling Moeller's force, then that player may choose the placement of the Hermetic characters in the central chamber at their discretion.

The remaining players roll a d10, and the winner chooses their army's entry point. Players keep rolling until all entry points necessary are determined. Use the 2 official entry points. In a 4 player game a third entry point will need to be chosen in a corner where there is no entry point. The circle closest to that corner may be used.

The Union, Reich, and Matriarch players are trying to capture the Hermetics and find Moeller's papers. The Hermetics are trying to escape.

PLAY
If a player is using Doktor Moeller's Hermetics, play proceeds as normal. If there is no player for the Hermetics, use the Solitaire rules below. The Hermetics are trying to escape capture to score Victory Points. Escaping with the papers increases their Victory Point total.

SPECIAL SCENARIO RULES

CAPTURING
Some of the Hermetics can be captured. If the Rüstung Fallhammer or the RUR 07 are injured or damaged, they can be captured. An adjacent Hero may attempt a capture. Two or more Heroes may combine their efforts.

During their sequence a Hero may use its Action Phase to attempt a capture. Other figures that have not used their Sequence this Game Turn may participate in the capture. For each additional Hero involved in the capture, add 2 dice to the roll. To succeed, the Hero needs to win a Stamina Duel against the target of the capture. If successful, the Hero or heroes may move at their minimum move score with the captured figure. All the figures that participated in the capture must maintain adjacency with the captured figure. If a figure participated in the capture, consider its Sequence used.

Each Game Turn, the Stamina Duel is repeated, although a captured figure uses its minimum Stamina value. If the captured figure wins the Duel, it is once again free and may use its Sequence immediately. Once the captured figure has been escorted off the board, your figures can return on the next Game Turn.

The RUR 07 rubble token may be captured automatically. No roll is needed.

CHARACTER DEATH
When a figure dies, place a character token in the space where they died.

VICTORY POINTS
In addition to the normal Victory Points awarded, in this scenario you may gain VPs from performing certain actions. Only the human Hermetics may score the Victory Points for Moeller's papers. The others may not pick them up.

1 VP for a Moeller figure escaping out an opponents entry point.
2 VPs per captured Rüstung Fallhammer escorted out your entry point.
3 VP for a captured RUR 07 escorted out your entry point.
1 VP per Doktor Moeller's Papers tokens (there are 3 of these).
1 VP bonus per opposing player if you have all 3 of Moeller's Papers tokens (in addition to the 3 VPs for the papers).
1 VP for RUR 07 rubble token.

SOLITAIRE PLAY
If there is no player controlling Moeller's forces, they remain face down until an active player's figure has entered a pathfinding with a Moeller Token on it. That figure stops moving immediately, and its turn is ended. The token is revealed. If it represents a figure, replace the token with the figure. The figures react as follows:

Moeller runs away. He will try to make attacks from nearby pathfindings if possible.
Lady Fürstenstein charges and attacks if possible. If given a choice, she will attack the figure with the strongest attack first.
Jackal attacks at range against figures with range attacks if possible and then hides if possible.
Rüstung Fallhammer charge the nearest figure and attack if possible.
RUR 07 Attacks and then either retreats to a new pathfinding if possible or if it can't, moves toward the figure its full move.



Rüstung Fallhammer were once simple lowland gorillas, but after being subjected to Doktor Moeller's experimentation, they are now vicious killers. There are 3 of these roaming the castle catacombs.

«Armored Bracers» - If an ape attacks the same figure it attacked the turn before, it gets to roll an extra attack die. The Bracers provide an automatic block of 1 wound from any attack, including grenades.

«Ferocity» - At the beginning of their Sequence, if on the same path as an enemy figure you must roll the die. If the result is an 6-10, the apes must charge and attack the nearest enemy. The apes may move an additional 2 circles if needed to reach that person.


I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 W. Peter Miller

My custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.

Tannhäuser Week Begins

Monday - Doktor Krisztov Moeller

Every day this week will feature a new Tannhäuser custom character!

I have created a complete custom faction with scenario guidelines for Tannhäuser. Every day I will put up a new character and their available items. I look forward to player input and to hear what people think of the faction.



MOELLER'S HERMETICS

Deep inside Reich Territory, German/Polish scientific genius Doktor Krisztov Moeller works secretly, desperately close to a treatment that would boost intelligence. He has been working with primates for years and has made good progress. The trouble is, the treatment also boosts aggression.

Doktor Moeller originally set up in Książ Castle for secrecy and security, but while clearing rubble in the forgotten catacombs beneath the castle came upon the ruins of an occult temple. Upon reading some of the arcane texts discovered there, he gained unnatural insight and began combining the Hermetic with the scientific. Moeller has swiftly made amazing strides in his research. He has recently begun using himself as a research subject. His love, Lady Fürstenstein is worried, but fully committed to him. Before meeting Moeller, spent time in the far east and has hidden skills of her own. She will fight to the death protecting him.



The Obscura corps finally caught hold of some whispers in the wind. Agents in the outre division had a visit with Doktor Moeller, but found nothing. They know he is keeping secrets from them, but even their sensitives couldn't get a good reading on him. Obscura agents have been following him for weeks and couldn't help but notice his attentions on a certain young lady at Książ Castle. Moeller would often disappear into the castle for days, only to appear again, already outside the castle, going in again.

Word has come from Obscura Headquarters to locate those secret entrances to Książ Castle and find what the good doctor has been hiding.

The Russians have also got wind of Moeller's work and the Union intelligence branch intercepted some Russian comuniques and decided there was no time to waste. The Russian and Union commanders have taken swift action, paradropping commando units into the countryside near Książ Castle.



Doktor Krisztov Moeller

Special Object - Staff of Storms - Choose an adversary located on Moeller's path. A Mental Duel is declared. If Moeller loses, there is no effect. If he wins, all the victim's Disposable Equipment is moved off the Character Sheet to the last circle of the path.

Book of Hermetic Science - The All Seeing Eye of Terror - The Eye of Terror allows Moeller to see many nearby figures and attack them.
Choose an adversary located on the Moeller’s Path or a Path connected to Moeller's Path. A Mental Duel is declared. If Moeller loses, there is no effect. If he wins, the victim is terrorized and receives as many wounds as Moeller rolled successes plus 1. However, the victim may reduce the wounds by the number of their successes.

Book of Hermetic Science - Animate Corpse - When a figure dies, place a character token in the space they died. The user of the Book of Hermetic Science, when adjacent to a figure token, forfeits their Movement Phase to attempt to Animate the Corpse. If Moeller wins a Mental Duel against the dead characters highest Mental Value, you may immediately use a Sequence with that figure (re-equipping all Disposable Equipment that is in the same circle as the figure).

Book of Hermetic Science - Spontaneous Resurrection - Discard this token immediately if Moeller would die. Moeller does not die, but his Health Indicator is placed on the last row of his Character Sheet. If he has not yet been activated this Game Turn, you can activate him and play his Sequence normally.

«Mauser C96» - Type: Close Combat Weapon • During a Combat Roll, the Mauser’s precision adds a 2-point bonus to the result of each die (except Natural 1s).

Surgeon - Discard this Token to have Moeller heal a wound on himself or on an adjacent friendly figure. You can use a Victory Point to heal an additional wound.

Robotic Repair - Instead of playing his Sequence, if Moeller is adjacent to the RUR 07 Rubble Token, you may swap the token with the RUR 07 figure. The RUR 07's Health Indicator is placed on the last row of his Character Sheet. If it has not had a sequence this Game Turn, it may take one.

Shot of Morphine - Whenever you use a Victory Point to heal a wound on Moeller, you can use the Shot of Morphine to heal an additional wound. Alternatively, Moeller may use the Shot of Morphine during his Action Phase to heal two wounds for another character, who must be on an adjacent circle on his Path. (This also costs a Victory Point.) Discard the token after either type of use.




Interested playtesters can comment here or PM me (Doc Savage) for the complete scenario pdf on Fantasy Flight's Tannhäuser Message boards:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffgforums/forums/show/27.page

I will update with new stuff as it is created. I have not made the character tokens yet. If there are any volunteers they will get done much faster.

I FEEL U-CHRONIC!!!



© 2008 W. Peter Miller

My custom additions to Tannhäuser are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Take on You, Asmodee, or Fantasy Flight. Tannhäuser and all related characters are trademarks of Take on You and © Take on You LTD. All Rights Reserved.

The Tale of Bodvär the Bold began when I saw the figure - Aspect of Moradin - previewed on the D&D site as part of the Wardrums minis set. I thought the figure was awesome and ordered Bodvär along with several other figures.



I cut Bodvär off his D&D base and put him on a custom Heroscape base. That base was made from the original traveling mold set by Matt Drake, who was kind enough to ship me a massive envelope of the things. Please visit Matt's awesome game review blog - Drake's Flames - http://www.drakesflames.blogspot.com/

I quickly made his card and posted him up on my Heroscapers customs thread. He went over really well. After just a couple of tweaks, Bodvär was done and became my first custom to enter the Halls of Valhalla. It was around that time that I created the first part of Bodvär's epic tale.

Later, while working on the Codex article for adding Artifacts to Heroscape I decided to create the end of Bodvär's time in Valhalla. I plan to finish the tale eventually. For now, here are the two parts. These are edited and modified from the originals. Further changes are likely.


The Savage Tale of Bodvär the Bold

Part 1 - Betrayal

The young Tarn warrior, Hjalti, burst into the darkened chamber. “Bodvär, the beasts have returned!” he cried. The scarred and weary King of Tarn stirred, then hearing the distant cries of battle, sat bolt upright. The young warrior assisted Bodvär the Bold in donning his massive battle armor. The King was a giant among men, eight feet tall and wider than most doorframes.

The King, clad in brass and steel, kneeled before a small shrine to his ancestors. “May Wodin protect us,” he whispered. Hjalti slid the King’s Shield on his arm. Bodvär reached onto an oaken rack for the war hammer that was the symbol of power in Tarn. The ancient weapon was handed down through the generations of his family. The hammer called Bjärkamal; but better known as The Hammer of the Gods. They did not know it would be the last time the hammer rested in Tarn. Bodvär and the young warrior rushed out of the bed-chamber and into chaos.

The Throne room was on fire. The yule trappings burned with a rage only half that of the King. Monstrous creatures, part beast, part bear, were tearing his Viking Warriors to pieces. The King rallied them, and for a time they held their ground. The Hammer of God spoke many times that day and each time the answer was death. Then the very walls turned on them, collapsing from the weight of the army of invading creatures.

As the hewn beams and quarried stone fell, Jandar intervened and at that moment pulled Bodvär to Valhalla to join his champions in the unending war against Utgar.





Part 2 - Escape From Valhalla

The battle was not going well. The massed forces of Utgar had pursued Bodvär the Bold for weeks, pushing the former King and his band of men into the Mountains of Stechavan. Thorgrim had fallen two days prior and Finn could barely stand. They staggered into the pass of Jagged Teeth, the canyon walls sheer and unclimbable. With War Beasts, Mammoths, Rhinos, and Terrible Lizards pursuing, they pushed their way into the ever narrowing canyon.

"How much farther?" barked Bodvär.

Their guide, a Kyrie named Sheralaer did not know. "One hour at the most," he said.

Ever since Bodvär had discovered the location of a powerful artifact, Utgar had sent more and more of his army after his troops. The Viking King knew that if Utgar discovered the hidden location of the fabled Altar of Living Pain the war was as good as over. He had to get news to Jandar. The Altar had to be destroyed.

The ragged army had been marching through the Jagged Teeth for fully an hour when the drumming began. From high up the sheer walls BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM sounded over and over, an unrelenting sonic assault. The Kyrie scout flew up, returning in such a panic he could not speak. The winged hero looked up in fear.

Fully four thousand filthy blue-grey archers stepped forward, lining the canyon walls. Bodvär urged his troops ever faster, rushing to reach a small crevice he could see in the rocks ahead. Above, the order boomed from the heavens and the archers fired. The sky went black and Bodvär cried out, "Onward! Sanctuary!" But his men never reached the small stone cavern. The black wall of arrows rained upon his men. The sound of it was a massive shredding of armor and flesh. Leather and bone.

Bodvär alone made it into the small cavern. Seventeen arrows pierced his body. In the unnatural quiet following the sky-smashing volume of four thousand arrows raining down, Bodvär realized he was not dead yet. He extracted arrow after arrow, pulling out stone and iron points, Bodvär sat on a rock in a cave that was larger than he realized. The entryway was narrow, but the Viking King could see a glow lighting the cavern ahead. He wearily hefted Bjärkamal,The Hammer of the Gods, and stepped around a bend into a softly glowing chamber.

The blue light came from a small pool of water no more than 6 feet across. The water inside was crystal clear and blue and inviting all at the same time. Bjärkamal slipped from his fingers as Bodvär kneeled by the Pool of Destiny to wash his wounds.

The moment the waters splashed across his face, he felt his strength returning; the gashes and punctures closed before his very eyes. "By the Gods," was all he could say before he was consumed by the blue glow of the Wellspring and was gone.

Bodvär the Bold was knee-deep in snow, looking down the mountain at the smashed ruins of his ancestral castle, and for the first time in his life, he wept. He was home.




Fiction © 2008 W. Peter Miller

My custom additions to Heroscape are not created by, distributed, or endorsed by Hasbro. HEROSCAPE and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro. © 2006 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

FIGHT KLUB

Fight Klub
Decipher Games CCG
Releases Summer/Fall 2008

Fight Klub is the game that will answer the question -

"Who would win in a fight between Sarah Conner and the Alien?"
or
Rambo vs Judge Dredd - Stallone finally finds his match - himself
King Kong vs Hellboy
Ash Williams vs Jason
Chucky vs Godzilla

The web site lists many other massive mash-ups. Terminator, Magneto, Freddy, Hannibal Lector, Dr. Evil, Blade, Van Helsing, Punisher, Catherine Trammel, the T-X, Scarface, Jigsaw, Aeon Flux, Barbarella, Kwai Chang Cain, Godfather, Green Hornet, and the Mask are all named. Whether these licenses are hoped for or already achieved is unknown.

Decipher is taking a bold chance on Fight Klub. Every aspect of a CCG is being reexamined for this release.

Packaging - Sold in 100 card packs called Kilos.

License - Multiple Studios and properties.

Sales Model - More Tupperware than Magic the Gathering, and sold through the Decipher's web site. To buy Fight Klub you will have to enter the name of a "Mentor". That person will get a quarterly payment of 10% of the sales of their buyers. Decipher calls this "10% for Life."

Play Model - 40 card decks. 1 rare, 3 uncommon, 3 common MAX per deck. With a pool of cards for each set 30 rare, 30 uncommon, and 40 common if you have folks to trade with you will only need to buy 3 packs per set. At $35 (including shipping) per pack you need to spend $90 to get enough rares to trade for a set. They say they will also be having a monthly subscription service.

Play time - 15 to 20 minutes for a game.

Set One and Two release at the same time. "The One" a special release with each pack containing 1 each of 120 cards plus a special card called "The Drop". The player that holds "The Drop" chooses who plays first in each phase of the game.

Set Two is a standard release with 10 Rares per pack, 30 uncommon, and 40 common. The standard releases have 100 different cards.

The following expansions will be released quarterly.

The players will get to vote for what characters are in the expansions. There are going to be 8 characters per expansion.

Decipher is hoping to make Fight Klub the fun first choice alternative for player's second game.

All of this sounds great to me. I have applied for Founding Mentor status to get in on voting for characters and having a say in the game play. I want to play Ripley in the Powerloader fighting The Terminator or a Predator. I love mixed universes - see Hellboy, Heroscape, and the Marvel/DC Crossovers...

Decipher has big plans, so if you decide to get in on the action, remember me, Spike, when you order.

Visit:

http://www.decipher.com/fightklub/blog/

In the Beginning...

What to Blog and why? It is here that I will post new ideas and stories.

You will read articles and reviews regarding gaming, comics, and movies.

You will learn the news of Fight Klub, the new Decipher CCG. There I am Spike, almost elsewhere else I am Doc Savage.

There will be Heroscape and Tannhauser Custom Characters and Scenarios and fan fiction. Bodvar the Bold will get his story told, for it is indeed a Savage Tale.

Welcome Friends,

Pete