Happy holiday American FASERIP fans! We are one month away from Gencon and our kick off event is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
FASERIP Tactics Kick Off Event!
The beta rules are nearly complete and will be hosted at a dedicated blog. We are adding some additional examples and hopefully some pictures and custom icons. Our initial set of 42 (!) Figures is complete. Here is a look at the first set, Marvel Takes Manhattan!
Our first team is Marvel Knights. They represent the core heroes that at some point have defended the good people of New York City. They range from the street smart duo of Cloak & Dagger to the good Doctor residing at 177 Bleecker St who protects our dimension from the horrors of the dark!
Spider-Man <> Friendly Neighborhood, Heroic
Daredevil <> Blind Justice, Heroic
Luke Cage <> Power Man, Heroic
Iron Fist <> Danny Rand, Heroic
Black Panther <> King of Wakanda, Heroic
Dagger <> Shining Light, Bold
Cloak <> Heart of Darkness, Bold
Doctor Strange <> Sorcerer Supreme, Legendary
Marvel Knights have a core of mobile figures with good fighting skills. The pickings at Bold level, are Cloak and Dagger a transporter and . Through our testing we learned that we made a pretty good Spider-Man, but ... we decided if your tactical Marvel miniatures game had a bad Spider-Man it probably sucks anyway
The challenge became balancing out the other Heroic level figures. Take the Daredevil posted above. Through play test it became apparent he was just a bad Spider-Man. In the abstract any seasoned comic reader understands Spider-Man is more powerful than Daredevil, the design challenge is to make Daredevil a reasonable choice in some situations. Or to give Daredevil some great synergy or matchup. So we changed Daredevil into his final iteration.
So our revised Daredevil acts like Daredevil! He lays an absolute beating on lower Renown enemies, knocking out Minions in one shot. He's nearly impossible to shoot with his Radar Sense constantly alerting him to danger. Dodge for other Figures is an Attack action. Daredevil can bound across the map, constantly dodging, closing with Swingline and Stunning back line shooters or utility Figures.
The next team is Sinister Syndicate. They represent the pool of wackos harassing Spider-Man and other heroes of New York over the years. The Syndicate are the only team without a Legendary renown Figure. They have a number of manipulators, a few jack of all trades, a dedicated blaster in Electro and good over all mobility.
Doctor Octopus <> Man of Science, Heroic
Kingpin <> Crimelord, Heroic
Rhino <> Hard Charger, Heroic
Hobgoblin <> Roderick Kingsley, Heroic
Electro <> High Voltage, Heroic
Kraven <> Manhunter, Heroic
Vulture <> Adrian Toomes, Bold
Mysterio <> Master of Illusion, Bold
Nobody rules the streets like the Kingpin of Crime!
The Kingpin is a master at manipulating heroes and villains alike. He can hold his own in combat, but works best when he sets the stage and the terms of the conflict. He breaks the rules of team building, allowing for the addition of a lackey.
Next up we have the heroes the world hates and fears, the astonishing X-Men! The children of the atom are a formidable group. They have good mobility, an elite bruiser in Colossus, two shooters in Storm and Cyclops, finally for Epic play they have the legendary Professor X!
Beast <> Gentleman and Scholar, Heroic
Cyclops <> Fearless Leader, Heroic
Storm <> Nature's Fury, Heroic
Wolverine <> Logan, Heroic
Colossus <> Loyal Comrade, Heroic
Professor X <> Charles Xavier, Legendary
Iceman <> Frosty Friend, Bold
Angel <> Warren Worthington III, Bold
Cyclops combines an elite shooter with tactical experience as the field leader of the X-Men. He has an effective range of 14, and can operate in close quarters with his Danger Room Training Special. Additionally X-Men Allies who can hear Cyclops barking out orders can benefit from his leadership and use him as a Karma battery.
What would the X-Men be without their heart, their rock Colossus. Colossus pushes the boundaries for a Heroic bruiser. He's got great armor and his damage output is fantastic. He is slow, and lacks Karma but position him well and get him in close combat and very few Heroic figures can stand up to the flurry of organic steel.
Our last team serves as a foil for the X-Men, they are the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood has a varied lineup, only really lacking a good Heroic level shooter. Fortunately their Legendary leader and founder Magneto is a howitzer.
Sabretooth <> Bloodlust, Heroic
Quicksilver <> Hot Temper, Heroic
Scarlet Witch <> Wanda Maximoff, Heroic
Mystique <> Super Spy, Heroic
Magneto <> Magnus, Legendary
Mastermind <> Dreamweaver, Bold
Pyro <> Firestarter, Bold
Blob <> Large and in Charge, Bold
Magneto is a founder of the Brotherhood but inside the team there is the bones of Freedom Force led by Mystique.
A true manipulator, Mystique allows you a better chance at winning Initiative. She is a master at advancing plots, and can still move or attack after doing so. If you allow Mystique to get behind your front line you are going to be in a world of hurt!
Finally we have a number of unaffiliated Figures. They may or may not have allegiances that can be brought out during team building. These Figures are mostly enigmatic, they are anti-heroes. They range from the Black Cat all the way to the world breaker The Hulk.
Punisher <> Frank Castle, Bold
Black Cat <> Better Lucky Than Good, Bold
Elektra <> Assassin, Heroic
Ghost Rider <> Johnny Blaze, Heroic
Morbius <> The Living Vampire, Heroic
Hulk <> Gamma Born, Legendary
Sub-Mariner <> Namor, Legendary
Atlantean <> Minion, Minion
Thug <> Minion, Minion
Police <> Minion, Minion
One Figure who has straddled the line of evil, and good, and has been a fixture in New York is the Punisher.
Punisher pushes the boundries of the Bold Renown level. He's a great sniper, and an hold his own up close. Pair him with a soldier he respects and he'll fall in line (but maybe not in this set
).
Finally a character who defines enigmatic we have the Avenging Son! The Sub-Mariner ... he has fought the Nazis, teamed up with Doom, invaded our shores, been an Avenger, saved our planet from Skrulls and redefined the X-Men.
Sub-Mariner is an absolute house. During testing, the combination of a decent Charge attack and Flight is a brutal combination. His shifting loyalties have been reflected in his specials. If he stands with Atlantis he brings along fodder and activations otherwise he gains the affiliations of his teammates. He is also a member of the Illuminati, a trait we hope to leverage for higher powered game levels.