Trashdome - Summoner Wars VS Heroscape

WELCOME TO TRASHDOME!

This is part of a series of bloody matches to the death. Show support for your favorite game so it will do better in the fight. You can support it by writing why you think its the better game and more importantly by betting on it. End your first post in this thread with the title of the game you're placing a bet on (i.e. voting for) so its clear to me when reading it later. You have until Friday when I tally the bets and declare the winner. Counting expansions or not is entirely up to you just as playing with them or not is. I will reserve my bet for any tie-breakers.

Although you should be familiar with both games, there is no rule that says you have to have played both of them. The only rule in Trashdome is this;

Two games enter! One game leaves!

Summoner Wars VS Heroscape

I made this Trashdome just so that I could vote for Summoner Wars. It takes 5 minutes to set up, and take down, and the gameplay is EXCELLENT. Much more tactical and more fun than Heroscape. The special powers in Heroscape are more thematic though, and though the different factions are... different. the abilities do feel a little like they could go into another faction without too much trouble, just by renaming the skill and unit it went on.

Still, Summoner wars keeps me gaming, what with my busy schedule, nothing beats summoner wars for that pick up and play ability.

Fun fun fun stuff.

I haven't play SW yet but I think I would like it very much and I belive there is a lot of depth there. All the same, I am actually tired of games "on the go", with short play times, two-players games (I think SW plays up to 4 but still) and fillers... With less and less time on my hands, I want more and more a games night to be an EVENT and for the games played to take more time to set up and take in. And that means, for me, Heroscape with it glorious landscape and guys, has to win this match-up.

Vote: Heroscape

The special abilities in Summoner Wars are sooo boring. All of them are like, you roll dice better. No, you roll them worse. You know? I'd have wanted to see more abilities that work outside modifying the attack roll. SW has a bigger design space, with the resource management and all, and it's a shame the game doesn't really leverage that. SW could have been great, but as it is it's a mediocre CCG stapled on to a mediocre minis game.

Anyway - Heroscape, even with just the base set, has a richer spread of special abilities, much better production values, less downtime, more fun. No contest.

Vote: Heroscape

Heroscape has great minis, landscape and lots and lots of expansions. Heroscape can also be played with a lots of people. Lots of fun.

Summoner War can be packed away in a small box so it's portable. The set up is quick. The armies, powers, spells are very unique with each set. Fun but also very tactical like a war game.

For this type of game it depends on the number of players:
With 2 players my favorite is Summoner War
With 4 players my favorite is Star Wars Epic Duels
With 6+ players and beer my favorite is Heroscape

My favorite would be Star Wars Epic Duel but since this isn't in the running. I'd have to go with the game that I've agonized over losing more. When I've lost Heroscape it kind like "I could have won if I rolled better" With Summoners war it more like "I could have won if I held this hero until later and build this unit rather than this unit".

KP's vote: Summoner Wars

Summoner Wars is ok, but as with all card-driven games suffers from getting to choose from a list of potentially cheesy-ass options. In Heroscape you get to do what you want.

Vote: Heroscape. I've blown $250 on it and don't regret one penny.

Sagrilarus wrote:

Vote: Heroscape. I've blown $250 on it and don't regret one penny.

I'm with Sag. HEROSCAPE.

Summoner Wars! For all that is tight, compact and awesome about it.

Summoner Wars. Played it twice and the buddy who brought it over sold it not long after.

His review is here :

boardgamegeek.com/thread/530232/like-man...er-and-not-very-good


I have never played HeroScape, but I can’t imagine it is as boring as Summoner Wars.

Vote: HeroScape.

Tough choice...really tough choice. I really dig Summoner Wars. But I gotta go with the game that is an absolute EVENT and creates better, longer-lasting memories.


VOTE: HEROSCAPE

Heroscape is an atomic blast. I haven't played Summoner Wars, but it can't be as good as Heroscape.

Vote: Heroscape

Nothing's as good as Heroscape. Summoner Wars is really fun, IMO, but it's not an epic game like Heroquest that people will be talking about 10 years from now, I suspect.

Plaid Hat (Colby) is releasing a new version of the print and play "Dungeon Run", complete with fucking AWESOME bits that I've seen and will never tell you about. FUCKING AWESOME. This may be the one to break Plaid Hat into a big player.

Vote Heroscape. Spent far too much on it.

(And if anyone knows where I can get a load of Swamp Water Tiles...)

Summoner Wars by a mile for me. I own a fair amount of Heroscape stuff, but haven't played in years and have zero desire to. SW may seem like a filler, but for me it's not; it packs a ton of tension and tough decision-making into a short play time, and is an infinitely more engaging tactical experience overall. Summoner Wars is deeper than Heroscape, yet players faster, which can't equate to anything other than TOTAL WIN. There's also a second-guessing element (hidden hand of cards) that I really enjoy, and which has no equivalent in Heroscape.

I've got some barebones Heroscpape stuff, but whenever I play it, I love it. But it doesn't come out very often, largely due to it's setup. Which is why I'm voting Summoner Wars. It's quick, easy to teach, and just as much, if not more fun that HS. It may not be as infinitely replayable and customizable, but I don't care. What SW does better than HS is enough to give it the edge.
Vote: Summoner Wars