Over the weekend I began to play an out-of-print Hasbro game with my 8-year-old called Heroscape (generic example of play/game demo). during play my daughter asked a question that never crossed my mind, never crossed any thoughts from when I was big into the game back in the early 2000s. My daughter likes to rock climb, and I like to build very vertical battlegrounds. My daughters question “Can I climb up the cliff?” left me stunned because according to the game rules the answer was no. However, the strategic value of her managing to scale the cliff would have been amazing.
According to the rules:
Moving Up: When you move to a higher level, count the side of each higher level as one space. Of your figure can’t move enough spaces to reach the top of a ledge, then it can’t move there.
Height limit: A figure cannot move up a number of levels higher than its Height number all at once.
What does this mean? It means that my Krav Maga Agents while having a move of 6 cannot scale a 5 level high cliff due to the fact that their Height is equal to 4 levels (judging from the head).
New House Rule:
Scaling: Dedicated Action. Figure can move its entire move number up. If the figure is not on a ledge at the end of their move they can make no other actions. If attacked while Scaling the figure can make no defense rolls and player must roll the 20-sided-dice. On a roll of 15 or higher the figure falls, dealing another attack dice of damage.
It is a risky move to attempt to scale, but the rewards if successful can possibly be great.
Once again, I wish Hasbro had never abandoned this game. My daughter loves it now almost 8 years after the line was abandoned and it is a simple, (and when in production) cheap introduction to the miniature games scene.
