You will find much agreement on these points, I'm sure. I enjoy more options rather than fewer, so while generic keywords can have their irritating points, I don't particularly mind them being there. I wish the designers had simply been freer with handing out keywords to figures. It isn't as if they cost anything to give, and I would prefer maximum flexibility - while still keeping the comics association - in constructing the theme teams.

I much prefer the approach done with Justice League set's Batman, where a broad range of affiliations were given, or the Avengers' set's Wonder Man, where he's compatible for associations over his entire career despite being the veteran version. Also from the Avengers set is Giant-Man, who while clearly the rookie version was still, happily, given the West Coast Avengers association, too, even though the incarnation shown was years (even in Marvel time) before the West Coast team was formed.

This is the reason I despise Generic Keywords. I thought the whole purpose that WizKids released Keywords was to reward people for actually playing non-cheese theme teams, like I have played since 2003. But is what they actually did was reward the cheese players for building even cheesier teams, and now they get rewarded with PC rolls and First Player modifier to their dice roll.

Not only that, when assigning keywords, I wonder if the person(s) in charge even reads comics. I can give hundreds of examples of this, but I'll only give one glaring example to keep it concise: Why the hell does the Silver Centurion Iron Man figure NOT have the West Coast Avengers Keyword, but he has the Avengers keyword??? Even the Riddler wouldn't have come with that bad of a joke. The first appearance of the Silver Centurion Iron Man was West Coast Avengers #1 (some mistakingly say it was in Secret Wars, but that is actually the second appearance, check the dates). When Iron Man was wearing the Silver Centurion armor, he was pretty much exclusively a WC Avenger, so he shouldn't even have the Avengers keyword, but definitely the WCA keyword.

If I could choose one rule to change in all of HeroClix, it would be to abolish Generic Keywords, one of the most broken rules of all time.

Don't forget that 'theme' means more than comic accurate theme. I can see the frustration in keywords, mainly when it comes to incorrect or lacking keywords. However, this is a fairly small occurance in terms of percentage when you consider the 2000+ figures and multiple keyword options.

I do think that a Spy theme is just as viable in Heroclix as Avengers. That's why we stopped seperating DC and Marvel long ago. It makes the game way more versatile.

This is truth. I've been playing theme teams since I started too (2005), but my definition of "theme" is much broader -- and more fun -- than such comic-accurate teams. For example, one of my first HC goals was to build a "theme team" of all-Black characters. Another idea was a "Bright Yellow Boots" squad (think Black Adam, Shazam and Power Man). And, before there was ever a keyword for them: a "Smells Like Teenagers" team. So I'm a fan of generic keywords.

The only thing that really irritates me is the number of missing and flat-out incorrect keywords. Half the Marvel Family lacking "Fawcett City" or "Kid" or "Teen." Martian Manhunter missing "JLA." The spotty appearance of "Society." And a few dozen more.

Black Adam, Shazaam, and Power Man? I would consider cheese. But one man's theme is another man's cheese. Which is why I hate Generic Keywords. But this philosophic debate could continue for eons, so I'll leave my two cents at that.