And Now, The Obligatory Nutshell Description!
Marvel HeroClix: Infinity Challenge is a Collectible Miniatures Game. The miniatures represent a number of superheroes and villains from the Marvel Comics universe. You can engage in colossal comic-book slugfests, or pursue more goal-oriented missions – like the protection (or capture) of a gifted scientist.
What’s In The Box?
The Starter Set comes with the rulebook, a Quick-Start rulesheet, 8 randomly determined miniatures, 2 six-sided dice, a large 2-sided map (one side is an outdoor scene, the other represents a building interior), 12 counters (used to represent obstacles, barriers, and special items), a reference card (detailing the effects of Super-Powers and Team Abilities in the game), 8 stickers (used to tell your Miniatures from those belonging to others), and a Figure Checklist.
The Premier Edition Starter Set is similar in nature to the Starter set. What’s different? First, the figures are pre-determined instead of randomly selected. You get Spider-Man, Wolverine, Elektra, Wolfsbane, Wasp, Hobgoblin, Sabretooth, Boomerang, Scarlet Witch, and Kingpin. An extra map is included as well. The rest is identical to the Starter Set.
A Booster Box contains 4 randomly determined Miniatures, along with stickers to mark them.
Meet The Merry Marvel Miniatures!
There are 150 miniatures in Infinity Challenge. A caveat: of that 150, there are 50 Marvel characters represented. The remaining 100 miniatures are variants of those characters. These minis differ from the baseline figure in one of two ways –
Experience Level:
Most figures have a Rookie, Experienced, and Veteran version, representing the character at different stages of his/her career. Though these minis share the same figure, their skills, powers, etc. are different. As you’ve probably deduced, the figures get generally tougher as they grow in “experience”.
Unique Variants:
Some of the characters have a Unique variant – Spider-Man in his black costume, the WWII era Captain America, etc. In addition to being very rare, they are also of a different power level than the ‘regular’ miniatures.
Most of the popular Marvel characters are present in Infinity Challenge. Notable characters not present include the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Mighty Thor, and supreme villain Doctor Doom. One suspects a future expansion will contain these characters, no?
The miniatures are pre-assembled and pre-painted. This is a boon to many gamers who do not have, as some say, the “painting gene”. If the prospect of painting a ton of figures turns you off of miniatures gaming, this may be the game for you.
Those of you with the painting gene may be reaching for your paints and brushes after you open your packs. While many of the figures are painted well, some are a bit off. Certainly nothing to scream about, unless you demand perfection.
All About The Combat Dial
MageKnight fans will recognize the Combat Dial system used in the game. For the uninitiated, each miniature has a small round base marked with data applicable to gameplay. Each mini’s base tells the player the following:
The character’s name
The character’s team affiliation (more on this later)
The point value of the character (keep reading)
How far the figure can move
How accurate the figure is in battle
How resistant the figure is to damage
How much damage the figure delivers
The range of the figure’s attacks
What super powers (if any) the figure possesses.
Collector information
Some of the data is printed on the base itself; a small slot in the base reveals the rest of the data below. The base is rotated or ‘clicked’ to keep track of damage taken by the figure during play. When you see the letters KO through the slot – your mini is (you guessed it) Knocked Out.
When Titans Clash!
Gameplay is quite smooth and fast-paced. If you want to jump right in, grab some minis, read the Quick-Start rules, and go to it. The Rulebook itself is neither thick nor complex; old wargaming hands will pick the rules up in five minutes, and newbies will be right behind them. Games take from 15 minutes to an hour to play.
Before play, the players agree on a point total – how many points each can spend on miniatures to send into the fray. A lowly Thug costs 8 points, where the mighty Thanos will set you back 185 points. Point totals must be in increments of 100; 200 points is a good starting level.
Though it seems odd, you can mix and match miniatures from your force as you see fit. Think Spider-Man would work well with Magneto? Go for it. Fancy an X-Men/Avengers team up? No problem. The only exception to this is the arch-enemy rule: heroes and villains that are arch-foes cannot work together on a team. Miniatures with arch-enemys have different colored bases to set them apart. So, no Wolverine-Sabretooth team-ups. Sorry.
After each player selects their forces, the dice are rolled to determine who goes first. When that’s out of the way, the high-roller gets to pick a map edge to start from. Everyone else sets up their figures along a map-edge, and the battle begins.
Players receive an Action for every 100 points in their force. An Action can be used to make a figure in your force move, attack at range, attack in close combat, or use super-powers. A figure can only take two Actions in a row. The second Action taken is called “pushing”, and exerts the character – this is represented by giving the character a ‘click’ of damage. If a figure is pushed, it must pass in the following turn. Of course you can elect to have that figure Pass after one action, so as to avoid such exertion.
Each figure you eliminate from the battle earns you that figure’s cost in Victory Points. Scenarios have additional victory conditions. If you happen to eliminate an arch-enemy figure with that figure’s foe, you’ll score double victory points.
That covers the basics of gameplay. Here comes the fun stuff.
With Great Power...
Infinity Challenge does a fine job representing the various superpowers of the heroes and villains of Marveldom. Fanboys take note: several characters do not have all of their powers represented. Repeat after me: this is not a bad thing. In most cases, the character’s core powers are covered. And really, how much fun would the game be if Ultron’s indestructible adamantium bod was properly represented?
The powers of heroes and villains will often change as the character is injured. In many cases, the character is diminished; the toll of the battle causes the powers to fade or cease to function. In some cases, the change is for the better! A prime example is the Incredible Hulk. As he takes hits, he gets mad...and we all know what happens when Hulk gets mad, right?
Complimenting the superpowers in the game are Team Abilities. These represent the tactics and talents picked up by members of a super-team over the years, and can play a significant role in gameplay. For example, members of the X-Men are able to exchange hits of damage between one another. Members of the villain group Hydra can increase the to-hit roll of friendly characters.
Observations From The Field
All in all, my experiences with the game so far have been pleasant. I feel Infinity Challenge does a great job of capturing the fast-paced, high powered action found in Marvel Comics. Here are a few things I’ve noticed...
Medic!
Having the SHIELD or Hydra Medic units available to heal injured characters has been crucial in many fights. The units are cheap and fairly common, and can improve your chances in ranged combat thanks to their team abilities. Don’t leave Avengers Mansion without one.
Long Live The Scarlet Witch
Miz Scarlet’s power over probability allows you to reroll a die – and to cause an opponent to reroll as well. Dice are often the bane of a gamer, so if you’d like a chance at better odds, add the Witch to your ranks.
Ranged Combat Rocks
Characters especially adept at ranged combat – Cyclops and Bullseye, for example – often wear down enemy members before they can blink. Back them up with characters that enhance ranged attacks (like Hydra or SHIELD agents), and you’re cooking with gas.
Speed Kills
Speedy units like Quicksilver and Whirlwind can ruin a Ranged attacker’s day. They can close the gap quickly, and lock a ranged attacker into close combat. Ranged units usually aren’t as good up close...where speedsters often excel.
Mind Over Matter...Matters
Telekinesis is a very useful power. You can use it to move otherwise slow units at great rates. The “Magneto-Juggernaut One-Two”, in where Magneto uses TK to get the otherwise slow Juggernaut into battle quickly, is a popular tactic in our group. TK can also be used to chuck heavy things at annoying enemy units from a considerable range.
Sink Your Claws
Units with sharp weaponry – Wolverine, Blade, Elektra – can be very potent. Their blades do 1D6 clicks of damage in battle; six clicks is often enough to cripple or finish low-end units, and even powerhouses like Juggernaut will take a 6 click hit seriously. Be advised...you could get a 1 on that d6 too...and old Juggernaut laughs at 1 click of damage. Usually right before he slaps the white out of your teeth.
The Trouble With Soaring
Characters who can fly can be at one of two flight levels – hovering or soaring. Hovering keeps you close to ground-level, where soaring has you up in the clouds. Soaring has been controversial, because Soaring characters can only attack other soaring units. However, hovering and ground-based units can attack Soaring units with ranged attacks! The only plus for the Soaring unit is that enemy units must halve their range when attacking. Small consolation for not being able to shoot back. This ruling appears to be in the interest of play balance – soaring characters would have a big advantage otherwise – but doesn’t represent flying combat in Marvel very well.
In closing, I highly recommend the game to anyone who loves superheroes and miniature gaming. The figures have the value-added bonus of being great minis, especially if you’re into pen-and-paper Superhero RPG’s. Those of you out there who enjoy the various Marvel RPG’s that have came out over the years will find the minis a good addition to your collection.
In the words of Smilin’ Stan Lee...
Excelsior!
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