So being smart is an unfair advantage in a strategy game?

I'm reminded of a Tosh bit:

"I love when people say 'I'm not a good test taker.' You mean you're stupid. Oh, you're not good at the part of the class where you have to prove what you learned during the class?"

In all seriousness, critical thinking works in English Lit, Philosophy, etc.

Science, Math, etc.? Sorry, time to bone up and learn the material. If you need to sit at the test table using a textbook as a crutch, you probably aren't going to magically "get it" on the day of.

In real life situation ? certainly not. Especially math and science.
True scientifics and ingeneers use documentation and books in their daily work all the time.
In my experience, school tend to promote cramming over thinking.
Being brilliant, and finding the solutions has nothing to do with cramming for an exam.

Okay sorry for that. Will try to post in the right section next time...

But you're kind of assuming that kids are just ready to "be brilliant" when they walk through the elementary school gates. You don't just walk up to the bunsen burner in Chem 101 and start "sciencing" like a qualified engineer or scientist.

I'll agree that memorization doesn't serve much of a purpose in later life for certain things (not for others - If someone is operating on my heart, I'd like to think they read about/studied all the appropriate parts before slicing even a MANNEQUIN open), but in the early stages it instills discipline.

As are people with a high intelligence and people with a lot of money. I'd say the biggest failure of the game to imitate life is that intelligence is more important than money in HeroClix.

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Well, it would be hard to see the figure's range if the dial was translucent. : - )

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Depends on how well you lose. My last game of HeroClix began with several horrible die rolls leaving me crippled and I spent the rest of the game trying to lose in the most spectacular fashion possible. It was fun.

True, but there would be other ways to display that.
Apparently you're not "some people" then.

No. I was talking about *students*
In my view, students are in college, they are not kids anymore.

You're talking Pupils and schoolchild ? then yes, you're right and memorisation is part of the skills we would like them to learn.

But perhaps it's me being non native and badly using words. In my native language, there are two really distinct terms for people studying (higher education) and school (elementary or secondary) so If that's what creates the confusion i'm sorry.

How many brilliant HeroClix players do you know that do not have a very good grasp of the rules? And of all the people who know the rules, how many of them retained all of this information after reading everything once?

I believe that to play HeroClix well you need to know the rules. Some people need to place more effort into knowing the rules than others, just because people retain information differently. This game does require effort to learn the rules and the mechanics if you hope to play it well. The question is, how much effort do you want to place in learning a game?

This specific instance of recalling dial information is something that requires more than just knowing the rules. Since the rules specifically prohibit viewing a dial other than the current click showing, a knowledge of character dials is an investment in learning the game mechanics.

Knowing that Flurry grants two Close Combat Attacks is knowledge of a game rule. Knowing what other Powers Flurry can be used with is a knowledge of a game mechanic. Is it an unfair advantage if I study the PAC and commit to memory which powers can be used with other powers? Should I be surprised if I try to use Ranged Combat Expert during a HyperSonic Speed action to find out it doesn't work?

Comprehending the game mechanics beyond the Core Rulebook is not an unfair advantage. All of this information is available to everyone. It just comes down to how much each player is willing to invest, and players that invest more time in learning these details will, generally, have an advantage over those that don't. But how is it unfair? It is simply something that some people choose to do, and others choose not to.

i think dial memorizing is cheating imho....and i'll explain why.

just like card counters in vegas....same kinda thing to me. they get booted from the casino.

if you can memorize, then i got an app for that fair is fair. in the real world you wouldn't know the outcome of an action BEFORE you committed to it, unless you had time travel. (in SOME cases, not all)

so if i could travel in time (which by the way, i can...chicks dig it ) then i would technically be cheating. but why?! if i am smart enough to build the time machine, then i should be allowed to use it right?

i mean it's impressive that these people can memorize dials (yet on the flip side, they forget to shower. so it balances out) note: some days i come to play straight from work and i am ripe. so i feel bad for my opponent, but that's life...i work hard and sometimes i stink. lol

if you can memorize the dials, good for you. but if you forget the rules, i'm supposed to remind you?!!?! ummm....no. yet THAT is considered cheating?!?! double standard. might wanna spend more time remembering the rules there bigshot

i'm really just sort of joking here......and to be fair, i just started blurting nonsense. some of what i post here is how i feel, but i really don't care at all who remembers what dials. but if they remember more dials than rules.....we have a problem, and they have their priorities mixed up. just my HO.

I really don't have to try very hard to memorize dials. Though I don't memorize every power on every click, its really easy for me to have a good idea of when they have certain powers.

I also memorize all the rules very easily. Its gotten to the point where if the judge at my venue isn't sure one something, he asks me before he makes his judgement.

Even with my great memory (seriously, i pretty much remember everything I read) I hardly win every game I play. The game is way more than just memorizing dials and rules.

Remembering dials is just one was to prepare and give yourself a better chance of winning. Decision making in game, identifying the best way to use a figure, building balanced teams, etc all come together. Luck is involved too.


Bottom line, there isn't really a valid argument to say why allowing people to look down the dial is good for the game.

Because it's more beginner friendly to do so ?

Training wheels have to come off sooner or later.
Also, hardcore competitive gamers can abuse a policy like that in a way that far outweighs the benefits of making the game easier for beginners.

I'd say it is not beginner friendly to hand them a crutch rather than to have them learn the real rules.

It's always better in the long run to not develop bad habits when learning to play.

Not really... Most beginners don't even know what the powers on their pieces do, why should they be worrying about what is coming up?

I learned the game by focusing on what I had on the map and how to use it. I got better at the game (months later) by learning how to play certain pieces once I had a general knowledge of their dial.


If turning the dial is going to influence a decision, like whether or not to push, that is most definitely cheating and most definitely not the right way to teach a beginner.