I am not one of those types who classifies himself as a "gamer". That’s a whole separate lot who involve themselves with the likes of Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer and Magic the Gathering. We call them dorks. I like comic books so I’m a geek. There’s a huge difference. Nerds… well, they are a lost cause. There’s no help for them.

One magical day, however, I noticed that a lot of comic geeks were playing role playing games… with superheroes! And they weren’t just reciting passages out of a book — they were using figures against each other. No paper was needed to record hits and misses and what-nots because all the necessary stats were on the figures itself. Wait-a-minute, where did this come from? But being who I am, I quickly turned a blind eye trying not to look too interested in it. After all, a guy can only collect so many things. Besides, I thought that this was the latest fad that would quickly die down.

Or so I thought.

A month passed. Two… three… five… six. This game was going stronger than ever. After the seventh month I finally caved in and had to check it out myself. It’s the day I plunged into the madness of HeroClix and my world was never the same again (God save my soul).


Marvelous Beginnings

HeroClix is a fast-playing game of tabletop combat using collectable, painted miniatures of comic book personalities all designed by WizKids. And there was the attraction… comic book figures come to life. Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, The Hulk, and so many others jumped out of the pages. Marvel Comics got on board first as the guinea pigs and the game became an instant hit with both comic book geeks and gaming dorks alike, something that brought both sides together in one common cause: total annihilation.

Marvel HeroClix: Infinity Challenge Starter Set is needed as it contains the necessary materials in order to begin the addiction. Each starter set contains 8 figures from this series of 150 figures. You have no idea which ones are in each box for they are randomly inserted. It’s just like trading cards without the bubble gum. Also included:

• one rule book — a definite must if you don’t want to look like idiot who doesn’t know how to play the game;

• one 2-sided battle map — choose whether you want to play on an outdoor or indoor map; plus, each map is placed in a grid format so you will know how many spaces you can move;

• two 6-sided dice — probably the most unlucky pair of dice… EVER! But you can be the judge of that;

• six object tokens — 3 light objects & 3 heavy objects;

• ten 2-sided terrain markers;

• one Powers & Abilities Card (PAC) with a figures checklist; and

• 10 blank stickers — if you wish to mark your figures.

What makes this game unique is the combat dial. Each figure is placed on a base with a combat dial that tells all the stats you need to know about that particular character. The base contains information such as the character’s name, point value, team symbol (if they have one) collector’s number (in Infinity Challenge’s case ranging from #001-#150), and the combat dial stat slot that shows the five combat values: speed, attack, defense, damage and range. The combat dial is the rotating dial found under each character’s base. When a character takes a hit, rotate the disk so they take a click of damage. Your character dies once you see the KOed symbol. Hence, the name… HeroCLIX.

The object is to create an army to beat your opponent’s forces. Adding up the point values of each character makes armies to create your fighting machine. So, for example, if you were playing a 200-point game, you would need to find figures that would add up or come close to 200 points. Sometimes it’s not that easy as it seems.


Double & Triple Vision (No Clones, Though)

One thing a person notices right away is the amount of characters that are in this set. 150 to be exact. What is confusing at first is to why there is multiples of every character… three Spider-Men, three Captain Americas, three Hulks, and so on… even though they are in the same pose. The answer is simple — there are three levels to each character: Rookie, Experienced and Veteran.

There is a coloured ring on the base of each character to determine what level you are playing in your game. A yellow ring shows that character in its Rookie stage, blue symbolizing Experienced, and red for Veteran. The point value will increase as the character gets better with age. This becomes a huge factor when determining how to assemble your armies.

Rookie, Experienced and Veteran (REV’s for short) have their places but the Unique figure is the one everyone wants. They are the rare ones that pop up here and there identified by the silver ring on its base. These figures do not have duplicates like the REV’s. Sometimes they are more powerful and sometimes they are weaker. It just depends on the character.


The HeroCrack Addiction

Ever since I started I’ve been hooked onto this game. It’s become a deadly obsession at times bordering on psychotic tendencies that involve the destruction and mutilation of those who dare oppose me. Once you purchase a starter kit you then need the get booster packs to round up your collection. Booster packs contain 4 random figures in each box, and that’s when trouble takes over. You buy one, open it up, get some figures, and then go back and get more… because the madness won’t let you go! I got sucked in because my very first booster pack contained 3 Veterans and 1 Unique. Everyone hated me from that point on.

This can be an expensive game if you are not prepared to spend that much into it because it eventually adds up. However it is very fun once you learn how to play. Anyone can do it. A person can learn the basics and get ready to play within 20 minutes. It’s only after that when you start learning the intricacies and strategies to playing a successful game.

But did it end there? Not at all.

WizKids brought out DC Comics’ 120 figure set shortly after that called Hypertime. You know, the company that has Superman and Batman? Yeah, more money went into HeroCrack right after that, and so on and so on. But at least it brought the dorks and geeks closer together.

I’m not even touching the nerds.

**NOTE: Marvel has followed up with two expansion packs after Infinity Challenge called Clobberin’ Time and Xplosion. There are only 96 figures for each of these two sets which are only available in booster packs.

**DOUBLE NOTE: If you really want to see what the craze is about, check out some eBay listings and see what these figures go for, especially the Unique ones. You will be floored.


List of Infinity Challenge Figures

REV’s
#001-#003 SHIELD Agent
#004-#006 SHIELD Medic
#007-#009 Hydra Operative
#010-#012 Hydra Medic
#013-#015 Thug
#016-#018 Henchman
#019-#021 Skrull Agent
#022-#024 Skrull Warrior
#025-#027 Blade
#028-#030 Wolfsbane
#031-#033 Elektra
#034-#036 Wasp
#037-#039 Constrictor
#040-#042 Boomerang
#043-#045 Kingpin
#046-#048 Vulture
#049-#051 Jean Grey
#052-#054 Hobgoblin
#055-#057 Sabretooth
#058-#060 Hulk
#061-#063 Puppet Master
#064-#066 Annihilus
#067-#069 Captain America
#070-#072 Spider-Man
#073-#075 Wolverine
#076-#078 Professor Xavier
#079-#081 Juggernaut
#082-#084 Cyclops
#085-#087 Black Panther
#088-#090 Blizzard
#091-#093 Pyro
#094-#096 Whirlwind
#097-#099 Daredevil
#100-#102 Bullseye
#103-#105 Scarlet Witch
#106-#108 Quicksilver
#109-#111 Mr. Hyde
#112-#114 Klaw
#115-#117 Controller
#118-#120 Hercules
#121-#123 Rogue
#124-#126 Dr. Strange
#127-#129 Magneto
#130-#132 Kang
#133-#135 Ultron
#136-#138 Firelord

Uniques
#139 Vision
#140 Quasar
#141 Thanos
#142 Nightmare
#143 Wasp (smaller fig w/ different costume)
#144 Elektra (in black outfit)
#145 Professor Xavier (in hover chair)
#146 Juggernaut (w/o helmet)
#147 Cyclops (in original costume)
#148 Captain America (from 1940’s w/ original shield)
#149 Wolverine (black outfit with katana blade)
#150 Spider-Man (w/ black costume)




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens