In a new series of articles on a number of different topics, IMO is exactly that. My opinion. Don’t feel compelled to make life altering decisions based on the crud that flows forthwith from my diseased brain. That being said, onwards to the oblivion that is my thought process.

HeroclixHeroclix. It’s a game of wee plastic miniatures on a map. One that I play, and love, a whole bunch. It’s a turn based strategy game using characters from comic books, video games, and movies of the same basic genre. And while this is absolutely a game, clix’n is surious (yup) bidness. In addition to the collecting aspect, there are competitive tournaments, in very formal settings like GenCon, or more loosely organized locations like your neighborhood gaming store. So, with such a following, there needs to be oversight and structure, and luckily, there is. Wizkids, the company that makes these little marvels, has very comprehensive rules on how the game is designed, distributed, and played. We’re here to talk about one aspect of their rules infrastructure: the Watch List.

Click here to read the initial announcement for Heroclix’s Watch List on Wizkids’ Official Site.

And click here to see what was released after Wizkids’ deliberation.

Implemented in late 2013, the Watch List is a document that was released to fix problems with over all rules, and specific pieces. Sounds like a great idea, right? Something begins to drift out of alignment; you tap it back in place. The thing is, Wizkids has a system for that. Every year, they release a revised rule book, powers card, and other such documents, keeping everything up to date. The Watch List was implemented to take specific items, as submitted by the consumers, and fix flaws that had gotten past the play testers, or were otherwise unforeseen at the time of release. Now, let me be clear, I like most of what they did. Some of the figures and powers were damned unbalancing. My issue is the principle of it all. Firstly, that the sheer volume of changes that have been made, and need to be made, speaks of a flaw in the play testing phase. Next, there is my personal frustration, the change to an established product that I specifically paid for. Value is a concern with any collectable game when rarity is a factor. I bought a figure that had a hefty price tag specifically because it was potent. Then, the Watch List cometh, and changes how the figure works. Now, the figure has less value. Change being needed or not, that sucks. Another thing is, what warrants a change via the Watch List? Because there are some broken powers and rules that remain unmodified by the list.

 

Ultimately, I’m nowhere near giving up on the game. I really like what it offers in both complexity, as well as geek factor. And I absolutely encourage new people to give it a try. The products are designed to be easy to learn, and long to master. So, for any one thing Wizkids does “wrong”, they definitely do 3, or 10, things right, and I’ll continue to voraciously buy the products the make. But, still, the Watch List makes me wonder if somewhere, there is a play tester asleep at the keyboard.

 

This has been my opinion. You may need a chaser.