by Amber Collins
Hi guys and welcome to the Rules Corner, an article series where we go over rulings made within the game – whether older overlooked rules or those recently made on the WIN Rules Forum – and how they affect the greater game. Today we’re going to be looking at the major changes in the brand new 2017 Rules.
The Powers and Abilities Card
The first changes we’ll be going over are found within the PAC (Powers and Abilities Card) Back in March we learned that we’d finally be getting an update to the rules. We were given a preview of many Standard powers that would be changing, powers like Hypersonic Speed, Probability Control, Mind Control and many others. However once the new rules dropped we discovered that there were other standard powers that were changed as well.
EARTHBOUND/NEUTRALIZED This character can’t use Improved Movement/Targeting abilities or Willpower.
The changes here are focused on taking away the abilities they wanted to without the pesky issue of changing a character’s size. Previously this power changed a character’s combat symbols. Now it has a more thematic flavour to it by specifying what the character can no longer use, instead of outright changing them.
PLASTICITY BREAKAWAY +2. Adjacent opposing characters get BREAKAWAY -2. Adjacent opposing characters of the same size or smaller can’t use Improved Movement: Pass or automatically break away.
At first glance it may be hard to see what has been changed about this power. Plasticity no longer causes a character to outright stop when they become adjacent to them. Instead adjacent opposing characters of the same or smaller size can’t use Improved Movement:Pass. This essentially does the same thing, keeping a character from moving around them. This acts more as a deterrent than anything else and with the changes to Hypersonic (which was covered in the March reveal) the previous way it worked is no longer necessary.
QUAKE CLOSE: KNOCKBACK. Make a close attack targeting all adjacent opposing characters. If more than one character is targeted, each hit character is dealt 2 damage instead of normal damage.
There’s a very subtle to change to this power but is definitely my favourite so far. The new wording now allows you to single target quake, dealing your full damage to a single character as well as knocking them back equal to the damage as well. This may also lead to some interesting combos as you’d be dealing your normal damage (Quaking Blades anyone?)
SMOKE CLOUD POWER: Minimum range value 4. Place up to 6 hindering markers within range, each adjacent to at least one other, and at least one marker must be within line of fire. Opposing characters occupying a marker modify attack -1. At the beginning of your next turn, (even if this is lost) remove them.
Functionally this power works exactly the way it did before, the only change that was made to it is that Characters that Ignore Hindering Terrain are no longer safe from the -1 Attack Modifier for occupying a Smoke Cloud Marker.
STEAL ENERGY When this character hits with a close attack, after resolutions heal 1 click if one or more opposing characters were damaged by that attack.
This is another minor tweak to a power. The only change made is that you can no longer stack your heals when attacking multiple characters simultaneously. This was a rare circumstance but was a valid strategy any time you were able to give a Vampire character Quake.
TELEKINESIS POWER: Minimum range value 6, Improved Targeting: Pass . Pick up an object (light or heavy) within range and line of fire, then give a RANGE Object Action at no cost or place it in a square within range and line of fire. // POWER: Minimum range value 6. Place one target single-base character within range and line of fire into another square within range and line of fire. That square must be within 6 squares and line of fire from the target’s current square. If the target is an opposing character, first make a range attack and the hit character is then placed instead of normal damage. Characters placed by this power can’t use Telekinesis this turn.
Aside from the previously revealed Power Changes, this one is the biggest. Note that Throwing an object and moving a character are now two different Power Actions. For the object attack, the range is now based on the character’s range rather than a static number. Next, once you grab an object that’s within your range and line of fire you make a RANGE Object Attack (RANGE: Minimum range value 6. If this character is holding an object, make a range attack targeting a single character that, instead of normal damage, deals 2 damage if the object is light or 3 damage if the object is heavy. Immediately after the attack resolves, KO the object.) this removes the loophole of targeting a square instead of the character and allowing you to TK an object at a character using Stealth.
When using the Power Action to move a character this basics of the original power are still there while removing some of the more complicated rules surrounding it. Like the object attack it is now based on a character’s range, however when you’re choosing where to move the character there is a static number of 6 squares. You no longer have to create six lines of fire (which was one of those unnecessary rules that required an actual square of the map to draw a line of fire) it has been simplified down to three lines of fire – The TK’er to the target, the TK’er to the destination square and the Target to the destination square. The final and possibly most game changing change is that there is no longer a size restriction to Telekinesis, you are now able to TK a Giant or a Colossal so long as they are a single based character.
IMPROVED TARGETING: BREAK THROUGH BLOCKING Once per range attack, this character can draw a line of fire through one piece of Blocking terrain. Immediately after the attack resolves, destroy that piece of Blocking terrain.
This is a very big change from how this ability used to function. You are no longer able to shoot through multiple squares of blocking terrain and are restricted to a single piece of blocking, which in most cases will be a wall of a single Barrier Token.
SWIM: Improved Movement: Water. Modify defense +1 against range attacks if this character occupies water terrain.
A small boost to the Dolphin characters giving them a defense boost while they occupy Water Terrain.
Wild Card (Some team symbols) FREE: Choose a team ability that a friendly character can use (that isn’t Uncopyable). This character can use the chosen team ability until you choose again.
This one is an interesting change but does make sense while streamlining the rules and making rules universal. Previously Wild Card characters were able to change the ability they were copying multiple times within a single turn. That part of the ability has been removed and they are now subject to the Free Action rule that prevents them from performing the same Free Action twice in a turn.
The Rule Book
The rulebook has been completely rewritten from the ground up and split in two, the basic necessary rules of the game along with a Comprehensive Rulebook that is intended to be used by Judges and Higher Level Competitive Players. Due to the extensive amount of rewritting there are many more nuanced changes that have been changed but I wanted to point out the main changes that were made.
- Sideline rules have made their first appearance in the Heroclix Rulebook specifying all the relevant rules regarding it.
- Super Senses can’t evade Critical Hits
- Free Actions now come in three different types: FREE, as FREE, at no cost. FREE is standard powers or effects that activate when given a free action (like Perplex or Outwit) As FREE allows you to use a normally costed action as a free action as changes the type of action the power is (Smoke Cloud as free would be considered a free action instead of a power action and could still be made even if the character wasn’t able to make Power Actions) At no Cost allows a character to use a normally costed action without having to token a character or remove from the action pool for it but still counts as the original action type (Charge gives a CLOSE action at no cost allowing you to still use Flurry, however an effect that keeps you from making CLOSe actions would still prevent you from activating it)
- Turns have four specific Phases: Beginning of Turn, Action Phase, End of Turn and Clear Phase. Free actions are no longer able to be activated during the Beginning or end of turn.
- The Rule of Action Tokens and Active Player were added to the Golden Rules of Heroclix.
THE RULE OF ACTION TOKENS No effect can result in more than two action tokens on a character. If an effect would cause this to happen, place action tokens on the character until it has two action tokens and ignore the rest. You can’t choose to use any effect that would cause your character to be given a third action token.
THE RULE OF THE ACTIVE PLAYER The “active player” is the player that is currently taking their turn. When order matters for effects or choices that would resolve simultaneously, the active player chooses the order in which to resolve those effects, though any simultaneous effects with “immediately” must happen before other simultaneous effects - Silver Rules were added to the Rulebook which now includes First Turn Immunity, Rule of Three and introduces Rule of Zeroes
THE RULE OF ZEROES A character with a printed range value of 0 can’t make a range attack, unless an effect replaces their range value with a number or gives them a minimum range value. A character with PASSENGER:0 can’t carry. - Three new types of Map Terrain were introduced into the game: Obscuring Terrain, Doors and Windows.
OBSCURING TERRAIN Obscuring terrain is a subset of hindering terrain that represents areas that are persistently foggy, steamy, very dark, or similarly obscured to vision. It is indicated by a white boundary line. Obscuring terrain is considered hindering terrain for line of fire purposes only. It is not considered hindering terrain or a clear square for any other effect. • Movement: Obscuring terrain does not impede movement in any way. • Line of Fire: Same as for hindering terrain
WINDOWS Windows are a subset of walls that can have a line of fire drawn through them, but can’t be moved through. Windows are indicated by dashed blue squares with a black outline. Windows are considered walls (and therefore blocking terrain) for all effects, including destroying it. • Adjacency: Same as for walls. • Movement: Same as for walls. • Line of Fire: Windows do not impede line of fire in any way.
DOORS Doors are a subset of walls that block line of fire, but can be moved through. Doors are indicated by dashed white squares with a black outline. Door are considered walls (and therefore blocking terrain) for all effects, including destroying it. • Adjacency: Same as for walls. • Movement: Doors do not impede movement in any way. • Line of Fire: Same as for walls. - Objects on your force are no longer restricted to specific types, allowing you to have 3 light or 3 heavy’s on your Force.
- Replacing a character will KO any equipment currently equipped to them
- Theme Team Probability control is now calculated 1 use for each character with the Keyword up to a maximum of 5. Characters are unable to Theme Prob themselves and can use it even if they were given an action that turn.
The Comprehensive Rulebook
Heroclix Comprehensive Rulebook
As mentioned above the Comprehensive Rulebook is a complimentary resource that contains more advanced rules and clarifications for corner cases. It is meant to be used by Judges and the more competitive of players but happens to contain one of the biggest changes made within the New Rules: ID Cards
Call in Help – Friendly characters have “POWER: If no other friendly characters have been given this same action this turn and this character is equal or more points than the ID character, place the ID character adjacent, then remove this ID card from the game and your opponent scores it. The ID character returns to your Sideline: at the beginning of your next turn, immediately if no square it occupies is within 5 squares of this character, or it is removed from the map by another effect. ID characters can’t: be carried, be equipped, be given DOUBLE POWER actions, replace, or be replaced. ID characters can be KO’d
There are two major changes with how ID Call ins now work. ID Cards are no longer called in at the beginning of the turn. They can be called in at any time during the Action Phase (though you can still only bring in one character per turn)To add to that a character no longer needs to be clear in order to call someone in. Both of this changes are huge and will greatly affect how ID cards will be used in the game.
Inspire – When the ID character is placed on the map, adjacent friendly characters can use the ID character’s Inspiration ability until your next turn.
As the Inspire effect triggers when the character is placed, friendly characters that later become adjacent do not get to use the Inspiration ability. This is a “burst”, not an “aura”, as it resolves and has a duration. Characters that are adjacent when the ID character is placed can freely move away and still use the Inspiration ability until your next turn, regardless of what happens to the ID card or the ID character
This is a more subtle change but one that will make a difference in how certain ID Cards are played. The inspiration from a called in Character is an effect give to those that were adjacent at the time they were called in. So even if they move away they can still benefit. That being said any character that become adjacent after the fact will not benefit. Great change for anyone playing that Hulk ID Card in Golden Age games.
What’s Missing?
At the end of both rule books there is a section listed as Past Rules. This calls out those game elements that are no longer Modern in the game and there are no current plan to bring them back into the game. This includes much older elements like Battlefield Conditions and Feats as well as more recent elements like ATAs and Relics along with a few surprising ones like Real Names. All of these elements still function the way they used but more or less being left in dust as the game moves forwards.
Now there is one more rule that is ‘missing’ from the Rulebook and isn’t listed in the Past Rules Section. The Damage Depletion Modifier has been completely stripped from the game. It was a rule that had been put in place during the early days of the Watch List as a way to reign in the Team Bases. With Team Bases out of modern (and thankfully no plans to have them return any time in the near future) the rule is no longer necessary and hinders characters that were never intended to be hindered by it. Hawkeye Rejoice!
In conclusion there is a lot that has actually changed, much more than I was even able to point out here though most of the changes have been made to the game language itself but not to the actual function of the game. Read the documents over and see if you can find any major changes I may have missed.
