HeroClix Not Dead Yet
"I don't want to go on the cart."
Things have been looking grim for HeroClix fans after the deal between Topps and Catalyst games fell through last month, leaving the former Wizkids property languishing. Now, rumors are swirling that the completed-then-shelved Hammer of Thor expansion will be released this summer, and you might be surprised who’ll be putting it out.
Over at HCRealms, former Wizkids executive Justin Ziran posted some hopeful news: Topps themselves are working on a way to get Hammer of Thor released as soon as possible.
We’re looking into the feasibility of releasing HeroClix product this summer given the extended hiatus. That, in and of itself, is a tough proposition as there are many obstacles to overcome. The good news is that we’ve started that process and we are working with our vendors and some key former WizKids employees. Yesterday, in a conference call, we kicked the plan into a higher gear. We’re not out of the woods yet (in terms of a release), but we are starting to see some clearing. I will provide updates on hcrealms as we move down that path.
Later, he added more concrete details:
Just a quick follow up to my earlier post. All in all, things are moving surprisingly fast given everything that needs to go into restarting a product line. We’ve made significant progress on the product dev front and are expecting our first samples from China within a week. A set of samples is also being sent to Marvel for approval and we expect they’ll be as impressed as we are (fingers crossed).
What’s going on here? I have a pretty good guess. Topps still wants to sell HeroClix, but once the first proposed deal bombed, they realized it was going to be months before they could get another one worked out (if they could get another one worked out). Meanwhile, the value of the HeroClix franchise diminishes with each day that goes by without a new expansion. Fan sites fold up shop, players turn to other games and learn to live without their favorite collectible miniatures game.
It’s long been rumored that Hammer of Thor was completed (sculpts, dials and all), but Topps shut Wizkids down before it could be released. They’re likely rushing to get it onto store shelves as a stop-gap measure meant to boost interest in the game and raise the price for a potential future sale. I strongly doubt that Topps has any long-term interest in the game, though that is merely an inference based on their past actions.
Incidentally, here’s the rumored set list for Hammer of Thor.
01 Bug
02 Kingpin
03 Asgardian Warrior
04 Valkyrie
05 Hand Ninja
06 Rock Troll
07 Jimmy Woo
08 Fire Demon
09 Pip the Troll
10 Malekith
11 Marvel Boy
12 Enchantress
13 Thor
14 Bi-Beast
15 Phalanx Soldier
16 M-11
17 Baldar
18 Fandral
19 Chase
20 Karnilla
21 Ulik
22 Moonstone
23 Beta Ray Bill
24 Namora
25 Star Lord
26 Pluto
27 Moondragon
28 Rocket Racoon
29 Gorilla Man
30 Owl
31 Ronan the Accuser
32 Daredevil
33 Sif
34 Hogun
35 Loki
36 Heimdall
37 Songbird
38 Venom
39 Surtur
40 Captain America
41 Molly
42 Quasar
43 Pennace
44 Air-Walker
45 Karolina
46 Fenris Wolf
47 Nico
48 Spider-Man
49 Ultron
50 Hela
51 Odin
52 Venus
53 Seth
54 Loki
55 Valkyrie
56 Destroyer
57 Thor and Loki
58 Gert and Old Lace
59 Volstagg
60 Kurse
BITB: Thor’s Mighty Chariot
June 2nd, 2009 1:52 AM
Bi-Beast.
That is all.
June 2nd, 2009 7:23 AM
You know, I played this a few times with a friend who runs tournaments, back before I had gotten back into comics– fond memories of my Joker Gang & me screaming (as I shot at him) “Who the hell is Booster Gold?” Which, when I learned who Booster Gold IS, was all the more appropriate.
June 2nd, 2009 10:35 AM
Shouting “Who is Booster Gold?”
Hilariously appropriate!
June 2nd, 2009 11:48 AM
one thing I’ve always wanted to know is if you can cross universes. Can Hellboy and plastic man team up against Galactus and Darkseid?
June 2nd, 2009 12:11 PM
ggodo: absolutely. The rules, powers, and point values are equivalent across the universes. With a little adjustment, you can use HorrorClix with HeroClix too. Team up a bunch of superheroes against Cthulhu…now that’s awesome.
June 2nd, 2009 12:27 PM
NICE! I remember we tried to mix Mechwarrior and Mageknight once. Didn’t end well, turns out one game rolls more dice than the other. We decided that giant robots trump magical medieval anyday.
June 3rd, 2009 8:01 AM
Hellboy & Plastic Man versus Galactus & Darkseid? Don’t even say such mean things about Anung Un Rama & Eel; those poor, poor dead souls. A better match might be Odoru Jagahad versus Galactus; & well personally I pity ANYTHING that opposes allmighty Darkseid & his Anti-Life Equation.
June 3rd, 2009 9:58 AM
Anung Un Rama could just go nuclear if it was getting hopeless. Darkseid, Cthullu. Cthullu, Darseid. No you two play nice. . .
Besides, Plastic Man is one of the most powerful DC guys around. He’s Plastic!