The Tease of Things I Don't Need

More from Sinister

Arkon, Maximus, Daredevil and Kraven. Click below to read, or skip to not.

I'm doing these pieces for myself, so no worries if there are scant to no comments. Aside from looking at the info up front I'm interested in looking back on these comments later, once the pieces have been added to my collection and - hopefully - I've actually gotten to have some fun working them into teams and into games. Seeing which ones I over-estimated, what major flaws and features I missed -- that sort of thing.

So... on with it, starting with the ones just posted today (Friday) in the Sinister directory, let's start with the evil genius of the Royal family of the Inhumans. Brother (and archenemy in this set) of Black Bolt, it's Maximus the Mad! (He's trying to play down that "Mad" thing these days. Maybe he's on better meds.)

Having no innate powers of his own - save his considerable intellect and a genius for invention, which has proven fairly spectacular - Maximus has managed to approximate a number of powers here and there via devices... and that is obviously what's been conceptually tapped in attempting to interpret him as a 109 point, unique clix dial.

No special movement powers, he's generally not throwing himself into the thick of things and has never been shown to be physically dynamic, so that fits. During the final three clicks of his seven-click dial he gets Mind Control... which I guess is an interesting stretch, since this enables him to get someone else to do the moving for him.

The Attack Values are erratic, which I'm taking to be a reflection of his shifting mental state. He pulls a 9 and a couple of 10s, so I'm not going to complain.

In general he's given an interesting dial.

It's biggest problem is the 6 range. Even with two targets, a 6 range is a detriment for someone who's over 100 points.

On the other hand, he's largely a support piece one can build a team around- with an opening click of Telekinesis (ideal for getting an ally or pawn up to 10 spaces out onto the map), two clicks of Outwit to turn off an opponent's power and then three of Perplex to allow him to boost or lower a stat, either power to be used on anyone he can see within 10 spaces of him.

With a 16 Defense and Invulnerability, followed by three of Toughness, he should be able to take a hit or two and still be useful. On his second through fifth click he gets Quake, so if more than one opponent bases him he can take a shot at them. His final three clicks not only have the Mind Control I mentioned above, but also have Mastermind -- allowing him to let some flunky absorb the damage if someone gets in and hits him.

Of course, with his 6 range he may be a while waiting for someone to come within range to use it. It'll largely be a matter of personal playing style, how much use one's gotten out of him and - above all else - what else is out on the map that's a threat, but having a flyer who can move him into range of a target or two at that stage is a possibility.

Some sort of TA would have been a plus, since Maximus has that Outwit/Perplex mix that would have made him a good candidate for Brilliant Tactician, which would have allowed him to use his Perplex as a Free Action on every teammate with the same TA as him within 10 spaces who he could see. Having that for three clicks in the middle of his dial could make him a spectacular battery for his team. Alas, with no Team symbol it's not to be.

Next is another ruthless ruler, albeit one of a different stripe: The lord of Polemachus (a very alternate reality Earth): Arkon.

Just one look tells you how different a type Arkon is from Maximus. Max was a product of the royal court of a fastidiously insular society, over-dressed in a high tech slant on Shakeaspearean era dress. Arkon, however, is wearing about as much as Conan, and by all indications had become ruler simply by being stronger and more cunning than his fellows. The product of an Earth timeline where men ruled and women were often literally in chains, where anything perceived as weakness in a man is seen as feminine and sneered at. No, not Texas, this is a planet called Polemachus.

What set Arkon on his initial path of conflict with the mainstream Marvel Earth was that his Earth didn't have a Sun, instead it had an energy band of some sort that orbited the planet, and it was fading. The planet slipped into darkness, and even the mightiest began to fear. A sudden re-energization of the bands brought light flooding back, but one of the elders, a scholar, informed Arkon that it was a temporary effect caused by something that happened in an alternate reality. A nuclear test explosion on the mainstream Earth had temporarily energized the bands. However, if a much greater explosion occurred there it would restore their light for ages. Well... you can see where this is going.

Arkon was equipped with bizarre technological artifacts - spears that looked like lightning bolts, spears of two varieties. One type was an explosive weapon, while the other would pierce the barrier between realities and allow him or others to pass from one world to another, or otherwise teleport from one plact to another. [Oh, as you might have suspected, he didn't blow up Earth. Iron Man (Tony Stark) whipped up a device that re-energized the band surrounding Polemachus.]

So, how did that interpret Arkon as an 80 point unique?

As you can see, they gave him eight clicks of consciousness and some solid defensive stats to show him as a wily, tough target. You don't get to be lord of Polemachus by being a milksop.

His dial starts with a single click of Teleport and ends with two of them, signifying Arkon's ability to make a sudden entrance and just as sudden an exit. His second click has running shot, which allows him to use his 8 range to hit a target up to 12 spaces from where he started. After that he gets two clicks of Charge to show that he'll plunge into close combat when necessary. A couple clicks of Force Blast after that either shows him hurling one of his bolts at the ground to throw an opponent off balance and reeling backwards, or maybe he just gave a good kick with a leather-bootied foot. Maybe it's just the repulsive effect of poor hygiene coming to the fore once he's worked up a sweat? Your choice!

The Energy Explosion from his fourth through eighth click is meant to give him the option of hurling one of his explosive bolts into a cluster of his enemies, possibly hitting all of them.

As mentioned near the star, he's given a nice Defense - 18 - to start, and has Toughness for his first three clicks, reducing any Damage he's dealt by 1. After that he gets Combat Reflexes for two clicks, showing that he can weave and dodge as an able gladiator in close combat.

Starting with an able Damage of 4, and picking up Ranged Combat Expert for two clicks on his third and fourth, Arkon is primed with a fair chance of dealing some damage to nearly anyone he can hit, and . Given that he doesn't drop below an Attack Value of 9 until his sixth click he's a very able fighter, especially by the standards of recent sets.

Two clicks of Leadership up front demonstrate that he, in part, achieved his status due to some charisma.

All in all, a good, playable representation, making me mostly question more of the game mechanics, such as how (in the game mechanics) he's unable to capture someone and teleport them someplace else, as that's something he's done on several occasions. Indeed, it's almost standard operating procedure for him when he's made the trip to Earth.

Next, possibly the final preview from Wizkids for this Friday, is Daredevil. At that link Seth provides his design notes for each level of the character as he attempted to cover as much of DD's history as he could. The gallery's continuing to have mistakes, as two targets are mentioned for the LE in the write-up (...but not for the veteran? That's bullshit.) while all versions shown indicate a single target. [Never wanting to miss an opportunity to do so, let me say once more how deeply I object to prize-only LEs.]

I like more than I don't about this REV of Daredevil, though, starting with the different paint jobs so, for the first time, we get a rookie in the yellow and red costume he had for the first seven issues. While it's actually come around to looking almost stylish, most fans have looked at the original costume as the biggest give-away that the costume was designed by a blind man -- as it was in the story.

Looking at it, it's important to recall that this is something a young Matt Murdock tailored together, selecting the fabrics by touch, using some of his father's old shirts that were in storage. The later costume's essentially the same, but all red.

The dial for the 28 point rookie is fine for the short period he was actually wearing that costume.

The 4 range is fine and the single attack... acceptable at this level. DD was a daring, acrobatic boxer at this stage, using his super senses to avoid attacks and aid in his aim. His secret training sees him able to hit hard enough to put a hole in a wall, as is seen by the Close Combat Expert on his first one and final two clicks. He's also able to stun an opponent with a precise blow, as seen with the Incapacitate on the second through fourth clicks. He runs out of steam towards the end, though he's still willing to make an attempt to stand his ground.

The 66 point experienced version is intended to cover a middle period of DD's career, though that's somewhat distorted as indicated in Seth's write-up where he pegs it as the relatively brief period where DD was wearing a partially armored costume. The range (4) is a little low given the length of time this has to stand in for. Still, it has the wildcarding Spider-man TA, which is handy not only in making his flexible but also in allowing him to blend in with either the Defenders or Avengers, both of which he's worked with at least once.

Much the same bag of tricks as the rookie, albeit with higher stats and a bit more longevity, he can deal more damage, gets some Toughness in the middle -- intended to approximate the armor, but I'm willing to see it as him just going through his grim 'n' gritty stage and doing a lot of extra crunches -- and ends with some Willpower and Outwit. A workable DD -- hell, it better be as it's the one with the best TA. The starting click of Stealth will help protect him as he gets into position for an attack, but it's going to be tricky.

The 76 point veteran is supposed to show us the DD of today, whatever that ends up being. A loner, he has no team affiliation.

This DD has Leap/Climb down most of his dial, giving way to some protective Stealth for the final two clicks. He starts his three clicks of Incapacitate up front, along with two clicks of Outwit, having fought enough battles to know it's sometimes better to try a subtler, if still firm, approach. Better stats all around, this is a fairly good DD. An opening 17 Defense with Super Senses should help keep him safe.

As with most of the pieces in this set, the late-dial Attack stats for all of the DDs have me thinking I'd like to work a medic onto the team, something I generally shy away from.

A single target - if that holds true - will be a disappointment, as DD's been bouncing his billy club off multiple opponents for a long, long time.

Backing off to yesterday, we had a Spidey villain who's another, wily athlete: Kraven the Hunter. (I know, I know, a homonym for craven is either a simple joke or a clever, built-in critique for a hunter.) Either way, Kraven lives for the hunt, and - much like General Zaroff in The Most Dangerous Game - he's hunted pretty much everything else and so is looking for a new, perhaps ultimate challenge. Kraven became obsessed with Spider-man to a point that proved his undoing... but that's the end of a story we're not exploring in clix form.

At 48, 56 and 79 points, respectively, the rookie and veteran have the Sinister Syndicate TA, while the experienced has none. (Gee... I wonder what's coming? Possibly a prize-only LE with the Sinister Syndicate TA, priced somewhere between the experienced and veteran? Hatin' the prize-onliness of the LEs. Hatin' it.) I've run the three dials together in a single graphic below -- click on it for a larger view.
A good mix here, too, with a variety of approaches, displaying not only different skill levels but approaches, too.

Unlike Maximus, the veteran Kraven has Outwit, a couple clicks of Perplex and a TA, so he's an option for Brilliant Tactician... and given most of the Attack Values we've been seeing of late his Sinister Syndicate associates could use the stat-boost.

That's as much as I'm in the mood for for this session.