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55-508: The HeroClix game utilizes the "combat dial system" originally created for the Mage Knight game. The Combat Dial keeps track of a figure's game statistics via a rotating dial in the base. As the figure suffers damage, the dial is turned a required number of "clicks" to reveal new stats and possibly special abilities. HeroClix was designed to appeal to comic book fans and players of wargames and subsequently also became collector items due to

110-533: A "Buy it By the Brick" promotion for a number of their series. A ClixBrick consisted of 12 shrink-wrapped boosters that included a special coupon for consumers who purchased HeroClix at their local retailer. Consumers who sent in 12 UPC codes, the coupon, and the receipt from that one-time retail purchase received a special free figure, only obtainable through the ClixBrick offer, as well another coupon that allowed

165-565: A certificate that could be redeemed for an exclusive figure of Maren'Kar, one of the characters in the comic book. The Mage Knight Board Game was designed by Vlaada Chvátil and released in December 2011. There were also three distinct expansions and one collection released for Mage Knight Board Game . The land of Mage Knight is split among several factions. Several of these factions split from Tezla's original empire, and others have organized and grown since Tezla's death. Based on

220-600: A character's Character Card. A Character Card is a card specific to a particular HeroClix character. If for some reason you do not have the corresponding Character Card for your miniature, it is available through the Print and Play System on the WizKids Website. Character cards outline which abilities the character will have on its dial, but does not say where they will be on the dial. Also, it shows special traits and abilities would otherwise be too complex to communicate on

275-426: A dial that serves as the base for the miniature. When a piece takes "damage", its base is turned a number of "clicks" clockwise, revealing altered stats to correspond to the damage it has taken from an attack. Most damage weakens characters, although some actually get stronger when wounded, to represent a transformation or rage. Pieces have an overall point value assigned, representing how powerful they are. Team creation

330-550: A full scale dungeon. In November 2003, WizKids released a new "base" set (their third, after Rebellion and Unlimited ), colloquially referred to as " Mage Knight 2.0 ," with many rules overhauled or expanded, which introduced new strategic possibilities to the game, including capabilities to customize Unique warriors and battles via styrene cards called Items, Domains, and Constructed Terrain. Later expansions introduced more options via Spellbooks, Spells, and Adventuring Companies. The two "versions" can be distinguished by their logos;

385-473: A large number of distinctive figures. The system, called the combat dial , has proved to be highly popular and is used in WizKids 's other games, including HeroClix and MechWarrior . The dial allows a figure's displayed statistics to change as it takes damage. All miniatures, called warriors , come pre-painted and are pre-assigned point costs based on their abilities. These costs range from 3 points (only

440-573: A limited number and at a higher price and at times only sold at gaming or comic book conventions In 2013 HeroClix introduced the concept of a "Team Base", a larger base where figures can be slotted into for team play. These will be available as part of the "Teen Titans" line and feature a base for the Teen Titans (Robin, Wonder Girl, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, Changeling and Kid Flash) and "Teen Titans: Villains for Hire" (Deathstroke, Cheshire, Cinder, Tattooed Man and Osiris). Each base comes with some of

495-439: A limited release, but was never distributed nationwide. The Topps Company announced on November 10, 2008, that it intended to close WizKids and discontinue product lines including HeroClix. In the statement announcing the close of WizKids, Topps also indicated that it was pursuing alternatives to discontinuing brands so that brands such as HeroClix could continue on without any noticeable disruption in future product offerings. At

550-422: A month to play in an event that built up to a grand finale. Players are typically rewarded for attending multiple events before the finale. Storyline Organized Play themes have included No Man's Land for DC, Fear Itself for Marvel, The Dominion War for Star Trek, and others. WizKids continues to implement tweaks to their Storyline Organized Play programs. WizKids produces both licensed and first-party games. Many of

605-499: A new product category with the release of their first constructible strategy game (or CSG), Pirates of the Spanish Main , featuring miniature ships assembled from pieces punched out of styrene cards. Their next CSG was a science fiction game called Rocketmen , released in the summer of 2005, followed by a NASCAR CSG called RaceDay later that year, though these last two games were discontinued shortly after. By 2007, WizKids

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660-486: A number of characters, as well as maps and cards related to the theme of the pack. The Infinity Challenge, Hypertime and Indy starter sets all contained random characters from the full set. The Premiere sets contained specific figures. Starting with the "Universe" series, Starter sets contained figures not found in regular booster packs. Some of the HeroClix figures were only released in limited quantities, which meant that

715-457: A specific faction. In addition, the Unlimited set released a special "Painter's Edition" which featured miniatures which were unpainted and removed from the bases for customizing purposes. The expansions are (in order of release): Mage Knight: Apocalypse Mage Knight: Destiny's Soldier There are five novels listed by Del Rey/Ballantine books. However, there is only evidence of

770-410: Is best known for its collectible miniatures games (CMGs) Mage Knight , HeroClix , MechWarrior , and HorrorClix , all of which make use of the company's Clix system, in which the changing combat statistics and abilities of each figure were indicated by a turnable dial inside the base underneath the figure. The company was founded in 2000 by Jordan Weisman , a veteran of the game company FASA . It

825-482: Is necessary to align our efforts more closely with Topps' current sports and entertainment offerings which are being developed within our New York office. The HeroClix property was expected to be sold off to a 3rd party in May 2009, but the two parties were unable to come to an agreement. While a Marvel license "to manufacture figures and card games" had been acquired by Upper Deck Company , that license specifically excluded

880-422: Is restricted to a predetermined total point value for the HeroClix figures, which is usually in multiples of 100. The Range value indicates how far away a character can attack another character and if they are able to attack multiple characters at once, generally defined based on the powers of each figure. Originally, characters would appear in multiple rarities with altered statistics. These altered stats represented

935-560: Is the first to use WizKids' Clix system , combining roleplaying and wargaming elements with aspects of collectible card games . Mage Knight achieved success after it was introduced in 2000. In October 2010 Wizkids relaunched the Mage Knight brand with Mage Knight Board Game , a cooperative board game designed by Vlaada Chvátil . In February 2013, WizKids announced that it would release Mage Knight: Resurrection , which utilizes its SwitchClix bases to be compatible with both Mage Knight 2.0 and HeroClix rules. The release date

990-489: The Dungeons expansion was released in starters and boosters, which featured a new type of gameplay more akin to traditional RPG "dungeon-crawl" adventures. Instead of players each amassing armies to go head-to-head, Dungeons had players select a team of Hero characters, and enter a dungeon map filled with wandering monsters and treasure chests. During each player's turn, the opponent controlled any monsters encountered, and

1045-417: The "Experience" of the character, ranging from "Rookie" (yellow ring on base) over "Experienced" (blue ring) to "Veteran" (red ring), (although this is no longer used) the more experienced a character is the higher the stats usually are. As a result, the point value would also be higher. Some characters have multiple point values, and have multiple corresponding starting positions. The trait symbol corresponds to

1100-592: The Apocalypse Horsemen in Sinister or the glow-in-the-dark variants from Minions . Finally, Wiz Kids also sold larger figures individually. The figures, which included dragons, chariots, war machines and giants, had multiple combat dials that applied to each side of the figure to make them harder to kill and allow them multiple attacks. Some of these larger, individual figures cost so many points that they could be utilized only in large armies. In 2002,

1155-808: The Atlantis Guild, the Elemental League, the Black Powder Rebels, the Draconum, The Knights Immortal, the Orc Raiders, and the Necropolis Sect. Other factions were added later. Each faction had its own strengths and weaknesses; for example the Atlantis Guild had many figures with powerful ranged attacks, but it lacked healers. A player could combine figures of different factions in their army at will, but only figures of

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1210-751: The Brick" retail promotion returned with the Marvel HeroClix: Hammer of Thor set. Unlike previous offerings, the promotional figure ( Ragnarok Surtur ) was available with the 10-pack brick purchase at retail locations, rather than through mail-in redemption. With the following set DC HeroClix: Brave and the Bold the promotional figure (a Batman and Catwoman duo-figure) returned to redemption through WizKids/NECA, though this time done online. Beginning with The Infinity Gauntlet in 2012, WizKids began to implement Storyline Organized Play programs. These programs would let gamers go to their local store once

1265-533: The Combat Dial. Many of these abilities are completely unique to the characters that possess them. The HeroClix game can be played by arbitrarily many players in principle, although the HeroClix rulebook recommends two to four players in practice. The Battles are played out on maps, overlaid with a grid of 35 mm x 35 mm squares. These maps generally come in two different sizes 3 ft by 3 ft (36" by 36") or 2 ft by 3 ft (36" by 24") (with

1320-493: The HeroClix game and concept. Topps owned all the rights and licenses for all versions of HeroClix, giving them the rights to sell the license to a third party. There were three companies known to be interested in acquiring the WizKids properties: Catalyst Game Labs , which works primarily on print role playing games; Piñata Games, formed by HeroClix fans and former Wizkids employees with the primary purpose of buying and continuing

1375-701: The HeroClix line; and a newly formed third company. However, Catalyst withdrew from the bids, Justin Ziran of Piñata joined Topps instead and the third company failed to get funding. NECA announced that it had purchased the majority of the Wizkids properties, including HeroClix, on September 15, 2009. Beginning on July 28, 2009, NECA began selling the " Thor's Mighty Chariot " large figure at conventions in North America. Since this game piece had not been released by Wizkids, it came as no surprise that NECA had purchased

1430-546: The July 2009 San Diego Comic-Con , National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) displayed a Thor figure for Heroclix, indicating that they might be the new parent company for WizKids. On September 14, 2009, NECA announced that they had purchased the assets of WizKids from The Topps Company and will continue the HeroClix family of games under the WizKids brand. The WizKids assets sold did not include Shadowrun and Battletech, which were retained by Topps Inc. The "Buy It By

1485-629: The WWE miniatures released with their own ruleset and powers-and-abilities card. They can be played in their own universe games with modern age Heroclix rules, or even alongside Marvel or DC in "Multiverse games" where the rules are changed a bit to help buff the WWE superstars. At times, the HeroClix producers have introduced additional figures and maps to either coincide with an event or to further enhance an existing HeroClix series. These have been promoted under names such as "Action Pack", "Fast Forces", "Battle Packs" or "Starter Set". Most of these packs include

1540-506: The board game market with a board game called Tsuro in 2005, followed in 2006 by Oshi and Pirates: Quest For Davy Jones' Gold , a board game based on the Pirates constructible strategy game . The company also owned the rights to the role-playing games Shadowrun and Classic Battletech , which they licensed to FanPro in 2001. A game created by the company called Zypods , with a physical structure similar to Matryoshka dolls , had

1595-578: The brand. The relaunch of HeroClix occurred with the release of the "Hammer of Thor" series in November 2009, the first series under the management of NECA. Each HeroClix figurine is modeled in the approximate equivalence of the O scale for model train sets with a figure based on the design of the comic book character and a dial base that contains all statistics for the specific figure, such as Point Value, Range, Experience, Speed, Attack Value, Defense Value, and Damage. These statistics are all printed on

1650-456: The current owners of the HeroClix rights, resumed this practice in 2009. WizKids, the company behind the HeroClix game, was acquired by The Topps Company in 2003. Topps later announced that as of November 10, 2008, Wizkids was ceasing production of all its product lines, including HeroClix. Scott Silverstein, CEO of Topps, said: This was an extremely difficult decision. While the company will still actively pursue gaming initiatives, we feel it

1705-477: The customer to purchase the Collector's Set associated with each release at a 25% discount. The ClixBrick promotion was discontinued but WizKids do offer special "store exclusive" offers that retailers can use as game prizes for purchase incentives. HeroClix produced a limited number of large based figures, normally four times the size of a regular figure, but even larger bases exist. These figures are produced in

HeroClix - Misplaced Pages Continue

1760-632: The disastrous Mage Knight 2.0 experience. Mage Knight saw a total of 14 expansions in booster packs, as well as prepackaged sets of figures in the Heroic Quests , Conquest , and Titans supplements, and special holiday-themed figures ("Santa Claus" and "Frosty the Snow-Minion") released in 2001 and 2003. The Conquest version had a number of large castle wall and fortification pieces, including 2 unique figures. Several Army Packs were released, with one random figure and 8 fixed figures from

1815-624: The exception of the Marvel Universe Starter Map which was 13 by 13 squares). The maps used are of different locations found in a typical comic book story, often related to the "theme" of the HeroClix series the map was produced for. The older maps were generic places but recently the maps have taken on more comic-book-specific places, such as the Justice Society Museum. Participants take turn moving or attacking other players, using 2 six-sided dice to determine

1870-490: The figures while the rest will have to be purchased separately. HeroClix has published modified rules for the use of the team bases. Mage Knight Mage Knight is a miniatures wargame using collectible figures, created by WizKids , Inc, and is the earliest example of what is now known as a collectible miniatures game (or CMG). The game was designed by founder Jordan Weisman along with Kevin Barrett. The game

1925-659: The game beyond the addition of new characters. The Original HeroClix won three awards at the 2002 Origins Awards including Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Game Board Game for Marvel HeroClix: Infinity Challenge , "Best Board Game Expansion Or Supplement" and "Best Science Fiction Or Fantasy Miniature" for the Sentinel Figure. WizKids had a prize support system for organized tournaments at comic book and hobby shops, as well as regionally and nationally, consisting of special limited edition variant figures given to winners. National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA),

1980-565: The game, a player making his army would have to balance the advantages of formation movement and formation combat against the desire to have the versatility of figures from different factions. Mage Knight figures were sold in Starter Packs (which historically contained eight or nine figures along with rules and dice) and Booster Packs (four or five figures). Figures were sold in base sets, as well as expansion sets, and distributed with seven rarity levels. Levels 1 through 5 were assigned to

2035-716: The goal was to defeat the monsters and escape with the most gold from the treasure chests. Adventures could be played individually or as a collective campaign, with the Hero figures having 5 "levels" that were attained with experience from adventuring. All figures (Heroes and Mage Spawn monsters) were still fully compatible with regular Mage Knight rules. The Dungeons format featured two expansions of its own, Pyramid and Dragon's Gate , and two fixed 5-figure sets with special characters, maps and scenarios titled Heroic Quests . In addition, WizKids released 3-dimensional plastic floor tiles, walls, doors, and objects which could purchased to build

2090-528: The innovative deals bringing together the Marvel and DC comics character universes into the HeroClix line. Though they proved less successful, WizKids also produced the short-lived CMGs Crimson Skies , Shadowrun Duels , and Creepy Freaks , as well as a baseball-themed CMG called MLB SportsClix . A CMG called ToonClix was announced in March 2006, but canceled before it was released. In July 2004, WizKids created

2145-539: The limited edition goblin volunteer Podo has achieved a point value this low) to over 500 points (for the tanks and the Apocalypse Dragon). To play a game, players will generally agree upon a point cost total, and then design their armies to maximize their strategic capabilities within the specified point cost total. Each player is allowed to take a number of actions per turn equal to the point cost total divided by 100. These actions include movement, combat, or

2200-451: The non-Unique figures in the sets as prizes for tournaments in comic and game shops. These figures are not generally available for retail sale, and have different statistics and point costs than the regular figures. This novel prize policy was in part responsible for Mage Knight' s success. Some expansions had ultra-rare "chase" figures, listed as rarity level 7, which were produced in limited quantities and found randomly in boosters, such as

2255-561: The number of figures produced was significantly less than the rest of the figure series, making the odds of finding a figure lower, or they are produced for a special event only and not for general retail. The limited numbers often result in the figures gaining a higher value in the resale market. These limited number figures can be referred to as "Chases" if they can be found through general purchase or simply "LE" for limited edition if they are event specific. To help " brick-and-mortar " stores compete against internet retail stores HeroClix used

HeroClix - Misplaced Pages Continue

2310-570: The original Mage Knight sets feature a straight short sword through the logo while "2.0" and its subsequent expansions have a curved scimitar. This change also made all original series character redundant as they were no longer tournament legal, this meant that loyal followers abandon the game and sales and popularity plummeted. As a matter of interest the current owners of the D&;D franchise also own Mage Knights and current proposed changes to D&D by these owners seems to show they learnt nothing from

2365-504: The outcomes of various official storyline tournaments held at comics and gaming shops and major gaming conventions, when 2.0 was released most of the major factions were renamed, and also further divided into one or more subfactions, each of which possesses its own unique ability. WizKids NECA/WizKids, LLC (commonly known as simply WizKids ) is an American company based in New Jersey that produces tabletop games . WizKids

2420-577: The publication of the first two books. Books 3 to 5 have never been made available to the public in either physical or eBook format. Published by IDW beginning in 2002, the Mage Knight comic book series was written by Todd Dezago based on a story by Jordan Weisman. The covers were illustrated by J. Scott Campbell and Alex Garner ( Danger Girl ) and the interiors were illustrated by Dave Cabrera. Issue #1, released in October 2002, came with

2475-497: The quality of detail in the HeroClix figures. The first game set, Marvel's Infinity Challenge , was released in 2002 and included figures and maps. The original HeroClix figures were all from comic books printed by Marvel Comics , but later expanded to include sets from DC Comics and from various independent comic book publishers such as Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics . Later expansions also added new card-based mechanics such as "Feats" and "Battlefield Conditions", expanding

2530-427: The same faction could move in a formation together. Using formation rules, a player could move three to five adjacent figures while using only one action. A formation combat action could also be taken, in which multiple adjacent figures of the same faction attack and increase the chances of successfully hitting the target. Since the limited number of actions per turn is one of the most important strategic considerations in

2585-633: The ships from Star Trek HeroClix, (the figures from the Away Team pack are compatible as normal). These compatible figures can be played in the same game under the "Golden Age" rules. None of these sets, nor any sets released under the Indy brand, can be played in Modern Age tournaments as the rules exclude anything not under the DC, Marvel or Street Fighter brands, as of the rule update of April 26, 2012. However

2640-424: The standard "infantry" figures, each of which was available in 3 power levels: Weak, Standard and Tough. Low power and cost figure were of 1-2-3 rarity, middle range figures were 2-3-4, and stronger army figures were 3-4-5. Level 6 figures were Uniques, which carried the stipulation that only one of any individual Unique could appear in a player's army. In addition, WizKids gave away limited edition, Unique versions of

2695-736: The success or failure or of their attacks. Games can be time limited or played until all other teams are eliminated. As part of their promotional efforts WizKids holds a number of events throughout the year, focusing on month-spanning tournament events that play out like a comic book storyline called "Storyline Organized Play". Stores participate in tournaments and receive exclusive figures and promotional items to offer their players for each month's Storyline Organized Play tournament(s). The events can span up to six months and have an overall, across all stores leaderboard that tallies all officially participating stores. HeroClix normally releases their figure sets in series, often including maps that are specific to

2750-645: The theme of the series. All series are product specific. The series often include starter packs, boosters, limited editions and individual figures. HeroClix's longest and most prominent runs include characters from Marvel Comics and DC Comics , as well as Mirage Studios ' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . HeroClix has also featured smaller runs of figures for various other franchises or series, including Assassin's Creed , BioShock , Dota 2 , Gears of War , Halo , Iron Maiden , Lone Ranger , Mage Knight , Middle-earth , Pacific Rim , Star Trek , Street Fighter , and WWE . All figures are mutually compatible, except for

2805-402: The use of special abilities such as Regeneration and Necromancy. Game play is typically rapid, but often highly strategic, both in terms of traditional maneuvering and combat common to miniatures games and because of the unusual combinations of unit special abilities that make every army unique. Each Mage Knight figure belongs to a specific faction. The factions in the initial release included

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2860-484: Was Fall 2013. Unlike many other miniatures war-games, Mage Knight eliminates the need for reference to rule books and tables by integrating a dial into each figure that contains its current combat statistics - movement rate, attack and defense values, combat damage, and special abilities. While this system lacks the versatility of other miniatures games, mainly because players cannot customize their figures, it makes up for this by facilitating rapid gameplay and by having

2915-477: Was also calling some of their releases involving CSG elements "PocketModel" games, beginning with the Star Wars PocketModel game. In 2005, WizKids released their first collectible card game , High Stakes Drifter, which was discontinued after its initial set. In May 2006, they released their second CCG, a licensed game based on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica TV series . WizKids entered

2970-571: Was in charge of marketing. In 2001 the company went from being "virtual" to having its own office in Bellevue, Washington. Employees had previously been spread through Washington, Illinois, and Missouri. Mage Knight was selling as fast as it could be made, and the company moved into the hobby's list of 10 largest publishers. The employee count went up to over 30, including Don Gorski, COO; Tom Virgin, CFO; Martin A. Stever, Executive V.P; and Marc Sachnoff, President of WizKids Licensing and Media, who made

3025-585: Was purchased by sports-card manufacturer Topps , Inc. in 2003. WizKids was acquired by NECA in September 2009. WizKids was founded in 2000 by Jordan Weisman, previously of FASA , to publish Mage Knight . Mage Knight was the first collectible miniatures game. Early employees joining Jordan in this endeavor were his wife Dawne, who led the company's graphic design; his father Mort, who ran international sales; his brother-in-law Ray Wehrs, who ran domestic sales; and Jenny (Trisko) Berg, previously of Bungie, who

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