GAMEPLAY THROUGH THE AGES
Over the years, HeroClix has grown from its original concept. What used to be a game of super heroes on a map has grown. Bystanders, Feats, Battlefield Conditions, Special Objects, Character Cards, and Event Dials are just some of the evolutions the game has had since its first release.

All of the elements that have been added to the game have brought with them their own ways of making the game more challenging and more fun. We wanted the Modern Age tournament format to have many of these elements while also returning us closer to the original idea of the game – it’s about miniatures on a map. I emphasize the word “closer” because there are certain mechanics in the game (most notably, character cards) that cannot and should not be removed from the Modern Age environment.

But many of the others can. When you see WizKids sponsoring an official Modern Age event this means that Feats (more info on Alternate Team Abilities soon!), Battlefield Conditions, and Event Dials are not included as part of your force. Bystanders and Special Objects are both consistent with the original vision – they bring something more to the battlemap that players interact with. Our addition of a ‘Trait Star’ to the bases of characters with Traits is another way in which we are bringing the focus back to the map and the characters, so everything that interacts with the game is marked on the map somehow.

To be clear, we are not stopping our support or creation of the other elements of the game like Feats or Battlefield Conditions. Especially with the “print-and-play” policy, you can look to our website for occasional surprise releases.

As you might expect, the Golden Age format allows all HeroClix game elements that have ever been made to be played – including figures from any set, as well as Feats and Battlefield Conditions. Event Dials and Scenario Cards can be played in the Golden Age as well, though they still explicitly require the permission of all players in a game.

* The 2009 Holiday set Turkey and Turducken and other similar promos are not legal in Golden Age, unless the tournament organizer indicates they are legal, or where there is no organizer, all players agree beforehand.
** Though only one version was released “recently”, all versions of Fin Fang Foom are legal because the latter versions are reprints.

TOURNAMENT PLAY

For the events that WizKids hosts (notably, a 4 day series of events at GenCon 2010) we will be clear if the format for each event is Modern Age or Golden Age. Not a promise, but a general goal of ours is to be sure that we support at least one constructed event in each Age when we are setting up schedules for any convention. GenCon features Modern Age as the primary format of the World Championships, and there is at least one Golden Age event at GenCon as well.

The policy for organized play remains the same as it has been. We will continue to send format recommendations to venues when they purchase an Organized Play Kit. Venues can choose to follow those recommendations or come up with their own format to play. Perhaps your store wants to run Modern Age tournaments with Feats but not Battlefield Conditions. That’s ok. A Golden Age event that’s figures only? That’s ok, too. The local level will remain firmly focused on the venue establishing the best gaming environment for its players. While we definitely encourage competitive venues to run a series of “practice” events in the Modern Age format before GenCon, absolutely no venue is required to do so.

Welcome to a whole new age!