I actually have the opposite problem. I get defeated very easily by my players.

Hmm, yes more details on how you are running a normal combat might help... I have found just the opposite to be true... I have run 3 Games, and I feel great fear that the Consul may not be able to ever win.

I think maybe we're rolling really terribly. I'll post feedback after we next get a chance to play.

The players were slaughtered in the 16-bit games we played. I think it is a combination of not knowing the game and it could be their choice of heroes. I think I'll stick with 16-bit until we have an idea of which heroes work well together and how to play.

Yes, any character can take the potion from a trashed Loot or Treasure card.

Paladin can apply two units of healing to other models, and can (found nothing in the book to the contrary) even split them up should he desire giving one heart to two Heroes.

Matt - the Paladin also has Healer, which doubles all the Hearts gained that he rolls on blue or green dice. Damned invaluable when you're in a pinch, just give him lots of blue dice equipment and watch him heal your party in one of his activations... hopefully.

And I'm starting to think that 8-bit isn't balanced properly at all; the game is better at 16-bit where you have three heroes (and the loss of one doesn't mean you're totally hosed), but for now I prefer Super over all the others. More heroes means more fun.

Clarifications I've noticed:

The Consul gets 4 skulls to spawn from EACH spawn point, unless he has extra Skulls from racking up the kill meter. This means he can't spawn, say, two Ironscales and a Priest from one point, making it a bit slower at first.


Some basic tips:

ALWAYS bring the healing heroes, the ones that heal with potions - either the Ember Mage or the Paladin, quite possibly both. Save the potions for desperate moments (just before a hero gets killed), but you need those potions. The Paladin is probably better because his Healer and the amount of blue dice he rolls gives him an edge healing other heroes, but the Ember Mage also has her AOE Flame Wave - see below. Don't forget that the Paladin can split the hearts he gets from his Healer between multiple heroes.

ALWAYS bring AOE heroes - heroes that can affect more than one square with their attack. I was tearing up an 8-bit dungeon with the Druid and the Ranger until I (foolishly, in retrospect) transformed into Angry Bear and lost the Druid's AOE attack. The Fighter is probably one of the better ones because he can swing his AOE 3 times and the Dangerous part of Cleave hardly matters. The Ranger is good too because she can remove Burn with her ability and Sparkle Burst is a decent AOE. I'd count the Barbarian's ability as an AOE because she can attack 6 times with it!

Don't be afraid to turn Loot into potions when the Loot is of marginal benefit (only two heroes benefit from Dex, for example, and there's a lot of Dex Loot!)

Save the Rogue and the Hexcast Sorceress for Super games, where the Rogue's Luck can swing a great Treasure for you, and the Sorceress can put a hurt on Rex and the Dragon from a distance with Weak and Fragile - not that either are BAD in lower games, mind you; I've seen a Rogue pick up a Treasure chest turn 1 in an 8-bit game and have it be that Backlash-granting shield, talk about an early-game changer.

If you have Candy & Cola, they're incredible in Super games, fueling the whole party with potions.


Playing as the Consul most often, I can tell you that the Paladin is the most annoying character, followed closely by the Hearthsworn Fighter. Once that pally gets some extra blues to play with he can heal a LOT, and the Dwarf can cut down an entire horde by himself with Cleave, as well as tanking unexpectedly with his potion - plus the Dwarf is the only hero with 6 hearts on his card. It doesn't hurt that both of them are the tougher characters.