A little more chatter about wings and beaks
I'll have a more comprehensive post on Origin sometime later today, but before that I want to take a moment to do a quick look at the Carter Hall LE Hypertime brought us and the one Origin will be bringing. Highlander's mention about me skipping it left me feeling almost guilty about the omission, so I decided to give it a few moments. I know he'll be making his own, likely far more detailed, comments, and I'll point you to them. (And here they are.)
Here's an at-a-glance Carter Hall comparison:
I have the Carter Hall LE from Hypertime (the one on the left), and as far as what was offered for a Hawkman back then, it's definitely the best. We get a couple leading clicks of 9 AV and 3 Damage, along with Leadership and Charge with a 10 Speed. The first four clicks are functional, though the poor guy is not only easy to hit he starts to fold easily, with nary a bit of color on any of his Defense slots. This isn't a version that can physically lead his team into battle and expect to receive any fate aside from being plucked and placed as savory points for an opponent. Oh, his dial's deep enough to force them to spend some time and effort killing him. Still, one good hit and he's not good for much.
What surprised me most about the Carter Hall from the upcoming Origin set is that it was given the TA for the JLA. I'd expected that part of the appeal would be in making a mid-cost JSA piece, making him more sought after by all the JSA fans who were looking for something that was effective and reasonably representative, while being easier to fit onto teams than the new 135 pt veteran I discussed this past Friday.
Secondarily I was surprised to see that Seth had saved at least some of the points on this one by making him the only version in the new set without some Super Strength on his dial. The REV each had a little of it somewhere on the dial, attributing it to some characteristic of the Nth Metal he's wearing, be it a partial gravity-nullifying effect or, in the case of the vet, the metal actually imbuing Hawkman with the strength. Yet, Seth decided to simply omit that from this version. As he didn't comment on it via any designer's notes, whether this is intended to represent a Carter Hall who's simply been retconned out of existence or it was simply Seth's way of saving points while making other changes, I can't say for certain.
The new LE brings an older school approach to the character, and gives the Justice League a less expensive (by 20 points) alternative that captures some of the aggression seen in the new rookie and veteran pieces that is somewhat lacking in the experienced, mostly by bringing some Flurry into the dial.
Certainly, I'd like to have the new Carter Hall - though not as much as I would have had he been given the JSA TA - but as Highlander and I have each noted at points, we resent how it's being made (un)available. The Wizkids Approved (Competitive) Play system strikes again.
I'll have a more comprehensive post on Origin sometime later today, but before that I want to take a moment to do a quick look at the Carter Hall LE Hypertime brought us and the one Origin will be bringing. Highlander's mention about me skipping it left me feeling almost guilty about the omission, so I decided to give it a few moments. I know he'll be making his own, likely far more detailed, comments, and I'll point you to them. (And here they are.)
Here's an at-a-glance Carter Hall comparison:
I have the Carter Hall LE from Hypertime (the one on the left), and as far as what was offered for a Hawkman back then, it's definitely the best. We get a couple leading clicks of 9 AV and 3 Damage, along with Leadership and Charge with a 10 Speed. The first four clicks are functional, though the poor guy is not only easy to hit he starts to fold easily, with nary a bit of color on any of his Defense slots. This isn't a version that can physically lead his team into battle and expect to receive any fate aside from being plucked and placed as savory points for an opponent. Oh, his dial's deep enough to force them to spend some time and effort killing him. Still, one good hit and he's not good for much.
What surprised me most about the Carter Hall from the upcoming Origin set is that it was given the TA for the JLA. I'd expected that part of the appeal would be in making a mid-cost JSA piece, making him more sought after by all the JSA fans who were looking for something that was effective and reasonably representative, while being easier to fit onto teams than the new 135 pt veteran I discussed this past Friday.
Secondarily I was surprised to see that Seth had saved at least some of the points on this one by making him the only version in the new set without some Super Strength on his dial. The REV each had a little of it somewhere on the dial, attributing it to some characteristic of the Nth Metal he's wearing, be it a partial gravity-nullifying effect or, in the case of the vet, the metal actually imbuing Hawkman with the strength. Yet, Seth decided to simply omit that from this version. As he didn't comment on it via any designer's notes, whether this is intended to represent a Carter Hall who's simply been retconned out of existence or it was simply Seth's way of saving points while making other changes, I can't say for certain.
The new LE brings an older school approach to the character, and gives the Justice League a less expensive (by 20 points) alternative that captures some of the aggression seen in the new rookie and veteran pieces that is somewhat lacking in the experienced, mostly by bringing some Flurry into the dial.
Certainly, I'd like to have the new Carter Hall - though not as much as I would have had he been given the JSA TA - but as Highlander and I have each noted at points, we resent how it's being made (un)available. The Wizkids Approved (Competitive) Play system strikes again.
Comments
As I mentioned on my own blog, I really like the new Carter Hall LE. Hopefully I'll be able to snare one without too much trouble or expense.
Yeah, I'd like one, too. I'm pleased that it was done the way it was, because it's one of those cases where I don't believe it'll be a game-breaking piece, so the price on it should cool off without having to wait very long.