i.e. of which heroes do you like the character/deck, but would you like to see a different base power? Personally I'm not a big fan of most base powers that deal damage (I <3 Redeemer Fanatic, even though she's probably a bit less good), but I really like everything else about Haka. In addition, I love Absolute Zero, but I really think his base power is.. kind of stupid. Even with the right set-up, it's at best `heal 2' or a crappy version of `deal 2 damage' (and that's not even the same basic set-up!). The only good thing about his base power is that it tells a new player that `this guy is kinda weird'.
So, for me, the heroes that I'd love to see a promo for are
-Haka, for a non-damaging base power. Perhaps even something passive that reflects how he gets stronger from every wound, which is one of the really awesome things about Haka, but not actually in any of his cards.
I think AZ would be an excellent candidate for an alt power, particularly if it dealt damage. I see you found an old thread of mine, I posted this general concept a while back, and played several test games with it. The feedback on the forum was rather mixed. Some people felt as I do and that a power that helps Zero be "faster" would be a good buff to a character whose style is one dimensional and slow, but apparently some people actually like his base power, and feel it is somehow essential to his character -I'm not exactly sure how.
Ketigid, I feel your numbers might need some tweaking. The idea isn't a bad one, but you basically just made his power worse, as Zero can often heal 2 damage with his base power (occaisionally 3) and you basically just turned it into 1. I suppose you could stack it, but still rather weak imo. Also, healing powers are a bit boring, and so similar to what his current power is used for, I'm not sure if a healing power -even if it was something crazy, like heal 5 damage- would really make Zero more exciting.
Because Haka has a lot of damage options in his deck, a non-damaging power for him would be kind of cool. I'm not sure what I'd want, maybe like "search your deck for a for a Haka of X card and put it into your hand" that might work.
Beyond that, I'd like to see a Bunker promo. Bunker has good games and he has not so good ones. I'd like to see a power that encouraged the use of his Modes more. Right now the best plan seems to be to get out 2 powers and go into Turret Mode, with Upgrade Mode and Recharge Mode being used only rarely. Maybe his power could be like "play a Mode card". I'm not sure if that would help, but it might.
Agree that numbers need tweaking. I’m thinking of a base power that is useful from turn 1, unlike the current power which sometimes cannot be used for the first few turns.
With AZ, I think the most interesting alternative base powers would be either something that makes him set up easier, or something that makes set up less crucial (like a decent damaging base power). Downside: either version is probably better than the original :P In that respect, something like what ketigid suggested is interesting, but a bit to situational. Perhaps something more like an alternative of The Wraith's power: either increase or reduce the next damage dealt to Absolute Zero by 1 (which you could even limit to fire and cold damage for a nice twist)
With Haka, I agree that it's hard to think of what would be a nice alternative power. He'd probably still be playable without a power at all :D (which is why I mentioned a passive power). Perhaps something that makes him more of a support/protector character, like 'until the start of your next turn, whenever another hero target would be damaged, you may redirect that damage to Haka' (and perhaps limit that to one redirect per turn or round, didn't think it through that much).
I see your point about Bunker. In a way, a tweak to how modes work would be more interesting than just a different base power. Like taking the modes out of his deck and making them part of his set up character cards (and making them indestructible), with the following text on bunker: `at the start of your turn, you must choose one mode to be in effect until the start of your next turn.'
As a huge Haka fan, I'd love to see a promo card for the ageless warrior. Perhaps a alternate hero card befitting the title The Savage Haka (quotation marks purposefully removed)! It could very well be a non-damage-dealing base power. For example:
Intimidation - Until the start of your next turn, decrease damage dealt by villain targets by 1.
Kind of the flip side of Legacy's base power. Rather than inspiring his fellow heroes to deal greater damage, Haka so terrifies the villain targets with his savage rage that they're will to fight shrivels in his very presence! I'm imagining the wide-eyed look Hydra or A.I.M. minions get when a raging Hulk enters the fight.
Basically, "The Savage" Haka is the Thing; The Savage Haka is the Hulk.
I'd also be very much in favor of a more offense-minded Bunker, a War Machine to his current Iron Man, that starts out with a damage-dealing base power. I, too, like the idea of an unstable Absolute Zero - perhaps his base power could be destroying his own equipment to deal decent, straight-forward cold damage. That said, I haven't played either Bunker or Absolute Zero to the card-by-memory extent of Haka.
Tangentially, a promo hero deck I would love to see is an archer character in the Green Arrow/Hawkeye mold. I'd love for his/her hand to become a quiver of one-shot trick arrows and his/her aim to be represented as irreducible damage. Bonus points if the hero was more control/support-minded than a straight-up damage dealer.
Strike: Discard as many cards from your hand as your choose. Deal 1 target X melee damage, where X = the number of cards discarded.
It would allow him to deal more damage when he needed, but less consistently. He could still always deal 0 damage and (with the right stances/tools/Harmony) still deal small damage. It would also solve a common problem I have with him, which is having a huge hand and no way to play more than one card a turn (I still wouldn't be able to play more than 1 card, but at least I could turn all those cards into something). It would also provide a new functionality for Salvage Yard, and make Riveting Crane Stance more useful, since you could punch through DR when you really needed to, thus removing it for allies.
Realistically, for the next Expansion, I think Visionary is the most likely promo, though an earlier incarnation of Bunker could work too.
This is funny, I just stareted an "alternate cards" word file at work to entertain myself while bored. I'm really thrilled about doing villain cards since there is a lot more to sink your teeth into. Also hero cards that are not a power, but instead an ongoing or something... "Alloy Bunker: if a source would do 2 or less damage to bunker, prevent 1 point of damage".
Mecha-Bunker: Personally I'm leaning to a japanese-mecha version of Bunker that has a transform mechanic a la "power: destroy one of your ongoing or equipment cards, play a card". This should help transition from one mode to another but also have him (flavor wise) constantly sprout weapons and pull out what he needs in the moment.
El Technico: A hispanic mechanic wearing a luchador mask, imagine that Fixer is Stick, he would be Daredevil.. the apprentice. In spanish a Technico is a technician, but also the term for a "goodguy" wrestler who wins through technique rather than cheating. Discard a card, El Technico deals 2 melee damage. Unfortunately his cards really depend on him dealing damage so that limits options... but that would make him less reliant on tools and more on "mano a mano".
I think Bunker needs a new base power, hopefully something a little more hard core. For one thing, his power is called "Initialize" and yet you will probably use it multiple times throughout the game. If you need to initialize your tech over and over during a fight, that's some busted tech (which is why I call the power "radar sweep" instead on my custom oversized Bunker hero card).
Secondly, he's supposed to be the "Indestructible Bunker" and yet I find he's often the "Highly Destructible Bunker". I wouldn't mind seeing a power that makes him a little more armor-ey. Or at least give the poor guy a gun to start with.
Yeah, actually, my friend pointed out that Bunker isn't quite as "Indestructable" as his name might imply. I feel like it'd be good for him to have a promo where he has something similar to Wraith's normal power, like "prevent the next 2-3 damage" or just a straight up "reduce damage taken by 1 for one turn"
If Mister Fixer ever gets a promo card, it'd probably be him as "Black Fist".
I'd love for AZ to get a new power, since I can't stand playing him due to the complexity of his base power. I've never been able to understand his usefulness. I know he can absorb and redirect his damage a lot, but I'm still not a fan.
I'd love for Tachyon to get a promo, but I have no idea what her new power could be.
lol we already have the art for a "snack attack" card.
Are we brain storming on alternate villains as well?
Voss, Mad Geneticist
HP 80
At the start of the game, put Grand Warlord Voss's Villain character card and this card into play, "Mad Geneticist" side up. Shuffle the Villain deck and draw cards until H-1 Minions are revealed. Put them into play. Shuffle the Villain Deck.
If there is a minion at the top of the villain trash, Voss deals the same type of damage and has the same damage immunities.
At the end of the villain turn Voss deals H+1 damage to the Hero target with the most hp and Minion target with the lowest hp.
At the start of Voss, Mad Geneticists turn turn flip him if he has 5 or more minions in his trash.
/ Flip
Voss, Genbound Abomination
When Voss flips to this side destroy all minions in play and he regains (H) hp per each minion in his trash.
At the end of the villain turn Voss deals X damage to the hero with the highest HP, where X are the number of cards in Voss trash. Then put the top 4 cards from the villain trash on the bottom of the villain deck.
At the start of the villain turn, if there is no cards in the villain trash Flip Voss.
Snack Attack is brilliant and I love it. As is promo Voss. I would love to be able to play a Tachyon where I can actually tell my friends "Okay, for my power phase, I'm gonna grab something to eat."
I love this concept. I've been trying to develop a good alternate for the voss deck to be a Grand Warlord Dall'ton alternate reality villain. This is on eof the few villain decks with no direct text reference to Voss so its doable. But this is way better then anything I've come up with. Awesome!
What about his advanced mode?
Does he do no damage at all then if there is not a minion on top of the deck?
What type of damage does he do on the Genebound side? or should the minion on top text apply to both sides?
Really? I almost always go through several modes if I can and one of my favorite Bunker moves is "Recharge Mode, Heavy Plating, Omnicannon" I very rarely spend much time in Turret Mode, between the usefulness of Omnicannon (which you need an Ammo Drop against a Minion-y Villain to make any use of in Turret Mode) and the utility you can get with Bunker, I don't play the Turret Mode Turn 3 game.
(Granted, I like playing Tanks, so my second favorite Bunker Set Up is Heavy Plating, Maintenance Unit, Maintenance Unit)
That's one thing I find interesting about this game: Everyone interprets how a specific hero plays just a little differently. Our own preferences are obviously at play in this, but some of it is how we individually view the usefulness/effectiveness of the each card, and our views are going to be different if we're looking at them in different ways.
Personally, I love all the modes, but I'll use them differently depending on the specific situation. In a game against Mad Bomber Blade, we knew we needed to do as much damage as we could as quickly as possible, so I didn't even go into a mode; I skipped setting up altogether and just started hitting for damage every turn. In other games, Bunker can take time to build, so if he gets an appropriate mode I'll use it. If he doesn't… I work with what I get.
Our own preferences are obviously at play in this, but some of it is how we individually view the usefulness/effectiveness of the each card, and our views are going to be different if we're looking at them in different ways.