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Battle Dice Previews: MODOK

May 242006

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!

Battle Dice Previews: Arana

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May 232006

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.

Battle Dice Previews: Mephisto

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May 222006

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.

HUGE Battle Dice Update

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May 192006

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!

Battle Dice in Magazines

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May 192006

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!

New Battle Dice Review in Print

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May 092006

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.

Battle Dice Contest

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Apr 252006

SuperHeroTimes.com is running a Marvel Heroes Battle Dice contest. To sign up, you just have to register in their forums and post a note saying you’d like to win. Those who do win get a free starter pack and a dice chucker to go with it.

Loaded Battle Dice

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Apr 202006

On Marvel Heroes Battle Dice, Squashua asks:

Hey Matt; I’ve seen these things on the shelves at Wal-Mart. If you stuff a figure into a die, doesn’t that unbalance (load) it?

Good question, and it’s one I gave a lot of thought to while designing the game. Because of that, the rules are such that it doesn’t benefit you much to roll one particular number, or low or high. High numbers are good because you get to add them to your stats, but the low numbers allow you to choose which stat to battle over. All numbers have their benefits. This makes it harder to justify loading a die.

The figures are light enough that I don’t think they’d put the dice too far off true, no matter how you loaded them. I set the rules this way they are to help allay any concerns about cheating. After all, it would be easy to glue a coin to the bottom of the inside of a pop-die—even if that would clearly be wrong—and that would load the die far more than any figure.

Battle Dice News

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Apr 182006

Playmates Toys has announced that Marvel Heroes Battle Dice Series 2 will be in stores by July 1. Also, DC Battle Dice should be in stores by November 1, just in time for the holidays.

In the meantime, Web of Webhead has a kind review of the original game.

Also, MarvelBattleDice.com updated its figure gallery to include game stats for each character. Better yet, they also have a full checklist of the rules inside the game’s pop-dice.

GamingReport.com Reviews Battle Dice

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Apr 102006

GamingReport.com has a review of Marvel Heroes Battle Dice. The reviewer glosses over the depth of play that the various powers and dice rules give the game, but I’ll take the free publicity.