I’d heard that my Marvel Heroes Battle Dice game was doing well in Europe, but I didn’t know for sure what that meant. Malakai at PopDice.com dropped me a recent comment, though, that pointed out that the game is now selling in France. Apparently, there are some extra figures in the European set, which seem to be from Series 2, which was unreleased in North America.
I’m glad to see the game having a second life. Here’s hoping it keeps rolling!
As posted at MarvelBattleDice.com, Playmates has decided to cancel its Battle Dice game line. I’ve known about this for some time but been unable to say anything publicly until Playmates made its official announcement. It’s always sad when a game line goes away, but just because we won’t see any more Battle Dice supplements doesn’t mean we can’t keep playing with the figures and dice we have.
For those of us who prefer to keep playing, there are other, nonofficial sites out there. The best I know of is PopDice.com, run by the mighty Malakai. If you hear of others, be sure to let me know.
Since I last mentioned the Marvel Heroes Battle Dice website back on June 8, they’ve added:
Be sure to stop by and check them all out. I like the new wallpapers a lot, although my favorite is still the one with Dr. Doom clutching a pop-die in his outstretched fist. “This game will be won by DOOM!”
A company called Illektron—which made a collectible card game called Battlez—has filed suit against Playmates Toys over the trademark for Battle Dice. I’m still poring through the PDFs of the court documents to see exactly what this is all about. (You can get these and the original press release about the lawsuit by clicking on the “News Wire” running scroll in the lower left corner of the Battlez site.)
No comment until then. As I might be called as a witness by either side, I’ll probably have little comment either way.
I just wanted to let you know that I do know about the situation. Also, since it seems to be over the trademarks for the games, it shouldn’t affect me directly. (Let’s hope!)
Over at MarvelBattleDice.com, the fine folks at Playmates Toys have posted the latest in their series of computer desktop wallpapers. This one features the Thing and Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four!
To cap off the week of Battle Dice previews, we have one more from the upcoming DC version of the game: Starro the Conqueror. If you thought MODOK was weird, he has nothing on the giant starfish alien who controls the minds of his victims via miniature, face-hugging versions of itself. Better yet, Starro takes the blame for the discovery of Earth-C, home to Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!
You just can’t get much more trippy than that. Still, I enjoy Starro stories, and I read lots of Captain Carrot as a kid. I can only hope the influences don’t show too often.
This time around, we have our first preview figure from the upcoming DC Battle Dice game. Starfire was one of the founding members of the Teen Titans, and she’s been with the group through many of its incarnations. She became even more popular as one of the lineup for the Teen Titans animated series on Cartoon Network. Nothing like a scantily clad alien princess with glowing green eyes to add an exotic dash to a superhero team.
The fine folks at Playmates Toys are running a third contest with a case of Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Series 2 as the loot. Be sure to check in to see if you can come up with the winning answer!
For the third (and final) preview of Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Series 2, we have Modok. As the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, MODOK is one strange, big-headed baddy. Thematically, he fits well with an army of AIM Agents, as they created him.
MODOK’s sheer absurdity is amazing. The audacity of a massive, flying, super-intelligent head that shoots mind beams at his foes and throws tantrums when things go wrong just stuns me. Apparently I’m not alone, as some fans took it upon themselves to publish The Journal of MODOK Studies to offer their full appreciation of this classic villain.
Next up: a pair of previews from the upcoming DC Battle Dice Series 1!
For the next preview of Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Series 2, we have Araña. One of Marvel’s newer heroes, Araña’s powers are rooted in the developing mythos surrounding Spider-Man. She makes a fine addition to any team that needs a bit more arachnid goodness in it.
The fine people at Playmates Toys have given me five exclusive shots of figures from upcoming Battle Dice sets. I’ll post one every few days, just to give you a taste of what’s coming soon.
First up, we have Mephisto, dread schemer and lord of one of Marvel’s realms of hell. This Cosmic Level villain stands ready to make a deal with you to join your team. All you have to do is find him in Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Series 2, which hits stores in July.
I’ve been remiss in keeping up with the developments on the Marvel Heroes Battle Dice site. To make up for that, I’m going to cover a lot of ground fast. Since I last posted on the subject, the site has added:
Whew! That’s a ton of stuff for you Battle Dice fans out there, and there’s more on the way. Check back soon for some exclusive details about upcoming sets!
The latest issues of Games Quarterly and Game Trade magazines feature the Marvel Heroes Battle Dice game. GQM has an article I wrote on how I came to design the game, along with some insight on the design process. GTM doesn’t have much to say on the game this issue, but it comes with a promotional Stealth Wolverine figure bagged with it!
Bill Bodden reviews Marvel Heroes Battle Dice in the latest issue of Scrye Magazine. Bill does a fine job of encapsulating how the game works and has some kind things to say about it too. If you spot a copy in your friendly local gaming store, be sure to check it out.
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