Greetings HeroClix Masterminds!
Last time we discussed how the design team brought Vibranium to HeroClix, and today we’re digging into one of Marvel HeroClix: Black Panther’s subthemes: Deities! Choosing subthemes for a HeroClix set can be a bit tricky; a good subtheme feels like it has some connection to the theme the set is named for, but is different enough to broaden the set’s appeal. For Black Panther, one of the persistent themes was how heroes related to the divine. Sometimes T’Challa was the avatar of Bast, at another point he was married to Storm, he’s fought alongside Thor, and more than once he’s had to fight a deity. With Bast’s inclusion in the set a shoo-in, it was easy to broaden the set’s focus to include some of Marvel’s other deities and their champions.
Different Pantheons, Different Approaches
Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve clix’d Deities; this time last year we showed off Chthon from Wheels of Vengeance and discussed using him as a sort of pseudo-equipment. In Next Phase, that idea was refined and used for the Egyptian gods. Now, in Black Panther, the design team brought those ideas home. To start, we broke down the god characters we were looking to include into four basic groups: Ennead, Elder, Olympian, and Other.
Choose Your Avatar
The Ennead (Egyptian gods) and Elder Gods are both returning themes, each with variations on the theme of “empowering an avatar”. There are differences between them, though; Ennead characters can empower any character for a point cost. Additionally, if run on your starting force alongside their avatar, when KO’d, Ennead characters give a permanent boost to that character. The Elder Gods are slightly more restrictive in how they distribute power. Each of them can only select avatars from among a specific keyword or two, and their gifts come at a cost. Tapping an Elder God’s power wears on a character, causing them to periodically take damage. Still, the Elder God’s boons are often stronger, and each Elder God can generate once their avatar is KO’d if their player is willing to accept a potentially game-ending drawback.
Unlike the previous two categories of Deities, Olympians didn’t have an existing theme to draw on when we sat down to sketch out Black Panther. Keeping them in line with the Ennead and Elder Gods picking an Avatar felt like a good direction for play, but a poor fit flavorwise. Greek myths often painted the Olympians as being more “hands on” than that, so rather than empowering a single champion, the design team decided to take them in a slightly different direction.
Coming Down Olympus
“From Olympus” was the answer to the Olympic gods. Each one cares about a certain power or action, augmenting it with a divine boost. For example, Zeus looks for characters using Energy Explosion. Once per game when any friendly character uses it, including Zeus, they may do so with three targets. If Zeus is on the map the boost goes further, exploding out to zap anyone within three squares of the original targets. With the Olympic gods able to supercharge their own actions, there is a meaningful decision point to them when team building. Do you sideline them for a small one-time boost? Or do you field them on the map to unfurl the full force of their divine glory?
“From Olympus” comes in a couple different varieties in Black Panther, and it’s a trait the design team is excited to build on in the future. Speaking of the future, this might be the end of our Black Panther previews, but there is more Wakanda on the horizon. Check back next time for a look into the new HeroClix 400: Warriors of Wakanda.
Until next time!
Sincerely,
