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HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game made by WizKids that centers on the world of superhero comic books, especially the Marvel and DC Comics universes. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, or characters from various video game series such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo and engage in a turn-by-turn battle on grid maps based on various storyline locations.


In this guide, Volunteer Squad member Ted Millikan (Tmillikan74) explains how the Heroclix line is structured and how to add Heroclix items to the hobbyDB database.



TABLE OF CONTENTS



Finding the information needed to add a Heroclix to the database


In this conversation, we will discuss how Heroclix are distributed, how to recognize the information needed to add them to the database, and where to find that information. We will also be discussing the different rarities of Heroclix.


Let's begin by looking at a standard Heroclix. All Heroclix come with a figure and a card as you can see in the image below. You can find the information you need on both the figure and the card.




Finding information on the figure


The information that you need to be able to add your Heroclix to the database is on the base of the figure. Here is an example of the top of a base and the information it provides:



There is a lot of information on the base, but there are only a few of these that you will need.

  • Name - This is the name you will put in the Name field on the database item.
  • Collector Number (number in the set) - You will use this as the Reference # on the database item.
  • Brand - Add Wizkids and Heroclix to the Brand field


The other two things that you will need here are a little more difficult. Those two things are the set symbol and the team symbol.


The set symbol is a symbol used to show all the Heroclix that belong to a particular set or series. Because the set name is not spelled out in English (it only shows the symbol), you will have to use the Internet to look up the symbol to find out what set your Heroclix belongs to. You can use the following site to match the symbols: https://www.hcrealms.com/index.php?page=units


From there you will see a slide list of the set symbols. Match the symbol on the figure's base to the symbol on that slide and click it. It will then display every single unit in that set, as well as the name of the set.


Once you have determined which set your Heroclix belongs to, you will use that set name as the database item’s Series.


The team symbol can be referenced to determine which team your Heroclix belongs to. Each team has a unique skill. Below is a list of Marvel teams as an example:

You can also find these on the Wizkids website. The team can be added to the description.


You may also see an experience ring around the base. This experience is in English and is generally one of several colors, each color representing another level of experience.


There are three colors:

  • Yellow is the Rookie version of the character, signifying the least experience.
  • Blue is the Experienced version of the character, signifying the character has a couple of years or has been through very dangerous situations and knows how to control their powers and fighting ability
  • Red is the Veteran version of the character, signifying the character is at the top of their game. These are often the strongest versions of the character in the set.


You can add this information to the description as well.



How to determine the rarity of your Heroclix


Each character has a rarity, indicated by the color of the tab around the set symbol on its base and the background on its portrait. Here are the colors listed below:

  • Common (White) - Just a good ol' common. You will usually pull more than one common figure per pack. Most Commons are worth less in value.
  • Uncommon (Green) - You will usually pull around one uncommon figure per pack. These aren't really that much harder to find on the Internet than the commons, so they are generally worth about the same as commons.
  • Rare (Silver) - You won't always pull a rare when you buy a pack. Rare figures are somewhat hard to find and are generally worth around a dollar, sometimes more.
  • Super Rare (Gold) - You will almost never pull a Super Rare figure in a pack, and it's generally more worth it to hunt online. Super Rares are much rarer than Rares, and they are usually worth anywhere from five dollars to as much as twenty.
  • Chase (Copper)
  • Ultra Chase (Metallic Blue) - You will pull an Ultra Chase even less often than a Chase. They are normally one every dozen cases or so though but not every set has one. Ultra Chases are normally more powerful at a much cheaper cost than other figures in the set. They have a much higher monetary value because they are so rare.


You can use this information to add the rarity to the database item description.



Finding information on the card


This is the front and back of a Doctor Strange card. In the top left hand corner in the black area, you will see the figure name and the real name of the character, and under the figure's name you will see some affiliations.



You can use the real name as the Alternative Name on the database item. You can also use it to ensure that you have the correct subject in Related Subjects. Since there may be several different iterations of a character, you would also add teams that the character is affiliated with to Related Subjects.


Now we'll move over to the right hand corner of the black area. Here you will see the collector number and the set symbol (some older sets may not have the set symbol here).


You will use this information as stated above for the figure.


There is generally an image in a circle on this side of the card. The background color in this picture will display the rarity color (see rarity colors above). Below the image there is a set of symbols. Each is for a power or ability that your figure has. Each symbol will be followed by a description. You can add this information to the database item’s description if you wish.


Now we'll move to the lowest area on the card. On this card it is in black, but on older cards it may not be. Here you can find the print date on the left hand side and the trademark on the right. For this card, the print date is 2016 and the trademark is Marvel. The print date can be used as the release date of the item. The trademark can be another Related Subject.


On the back side of the card, you will generally see an image of a comic book cover. Below that you will see the title of the comic book in an area called Significant Appearance. You will also see a diagram of the power scales of the dial that is inside the base of the figure. Just to the right of that you will see the team symbol again. A little further down, you will see the power value and at the bottom you will see trademarks again.


This is all the information that you can gain from the figure as well as the card.


Now that you have the information you need for the database item, you will need a photo. You can take a photo of the item that you have in your collection, or use a stock photo found on the Internet. Just be sure to remove the background from the photo if you use your own. You can do this with one of the background removers that is listed on the upload photo page. If you use a stock photo, be sure to verify that it is indeed the Heroclix that you’re adding to the database.


How Heroclix are packaged


Booster box or booster pack


In almost all cases, booster packs come with four figures and their cards as well as a game card. Sometimes this varies and they may have five figures or include a special item.


Booster brick


A booster brick is generally ten booster packs bundled together.


Case


A case is two booster bricks sold together.


Gravity feed individual packs


This is generally a single figure and card.


Gravity feed box


These are normally twenty-four single packs of figures.


Starter sets


Starter sets generally have five figures and their cards. Some include dice and tokens as well as a set of rules.



Most of these sets are random other than the starter sets. If you're adding a starter set you will need to link all of the included items together with “Part of set”/”Set contains” relationships.



Accessories


WizKids also sells Heroclix accessories such as dice and token sets. There are also special items that sometimes come with the Heroclix such as maps to play the game on, as well as token characters. These items are generally added to the set that they belong to or came with.


Remember that if you bought them as a prepackaged set you'll need to link the items with relationships.


The character tokens generally have all the information you need for the database entry on the token just like Heroclix figures.


How Heroclix are distributed


The most common way Heroclix are distributed is through major retailers and brick-and-mortar game shops. You can also find them on Internet game shops. Like all games, there is a large secondary market on sites such as eBay. Most Internet game shops also provide a secondhand market to buy your Heroclix. In general, the secondhand market gives you the ability to buy Heroclix as individuals or lots. It is the best way to avoid the randomness of buying booster packs.



In closing


Heroclix can be a fun game to play. You can play as your favorite superheroes or create a well-known team such as the X-Men, JSA, JLA, Defenders, or play as the Gotham City PD. Battle your friends one-on-one, or join a tournament. Not only a fun game to play, the figures are a wonderful small collectable. A new collector will find thousands of figures to start their collection. The best part of it all, Heroclix is still putting out new figures and sets for you to enjoy.


Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you find this information helpful in navigating your way through adding your Heroclix collection to the hobbyDB database. There are always new innovations and new methods Wizkids uses to refresh thier product, so this is subject to change.


Again thank you for taking the time to read.


Ted Millikan (Tmillikan74)


Curator for Heroclix, Magic the Gathering, and Star Trek

Coordinator for action figures, comics, and trading cards