Forged in the belly of the comic world by the company WizKids, HeroClix offers game and comic enthusiasts an arena to showcase their skills when handed the reigns to some of the most legendary and powerful comic book heroes of all time.

Debuting in the gaming community in 2002, HeroClix pits wits against power as miniatures ranging from the Marvel universe all the way to the "Lord of the Rings," duke it out through their human counterparts.

Michael Travis-Shuler, owner and operator of Mount Pleasant’s Hall Of Heroes lends valuable insight explaining what HeroClix is.

“HeroClix is a combat game involving super heroes, but WizKids has also branched out into other properties that they have licenses for, like 'BioShock,' 'Halo,' 'Gears of War,' 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Star Trek,'" Travis-Shuler said.

The miniatures battle each other and keep track of player points, damage, range, experience, speed, attack value and defense value, all on a movable dial on the bottom of each figurine. This dial gives a clicking sound whenever moved to adjust for results, hence the "clix" in HeroClix.

These battles take place on maps that typically represent a location found in the comic book world. The game is accommodating to a near infinite number of players, but as long as there are two, the game can be played.

The players take turns rolling two, six-sided dice in order to determine their attacks.

Apart from a wealth of gaming knowledge, Travis-Schuler is both a willing combat participant and advocate for HeroClix, and is always happy to help out a newcomer.

“Every Saturday, when we do free play, it’s set up so that we will build you a team with store stock," Travis-Shuler said. "You will play one of our regulars and, if you enjoy that game, we will give you that team and a map."

While the thought of challenging a regular player might entice some brave warriors, Hall of Heroes and other retailers also have starter kits for the beginner who cannot make it to a Saturday free play.

“There are starter sets that are involved and are relatively cheap – they’re only about $24.99," Travis-Shuler said. "They are set up in such a way where there is enough characters to put together two equal pointed teams and there is the power and abilities card (PAC Rules), double-sided map and dice. So you can come in and buy a starter, open it and two people can play right out of the box."

It’s not unusual for Travis-Shuler to see as many as 10 or more HeroClix players on a sanctioned tournament day on Wednesdays or Saturday free-play days, when their weekly battles are held. People of all ages ranging from young teens to people in their 50s, enjoy the fun.

"People love HeroClix for the love of comic superheroes," said Norman LaBarge, owner of the Mount Pleasant gaming shop, The Frozen Orc. "People in Mount Pleasant love the game. Before I opened my shop, I back ordered all sorts of models because I knew there were players here."

With the recent surge in comic-book film franchises like, X-Men, Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, Travis-Shuler has seen an equal popularity surge in HeroClix.

“The movies brought in people that hadn’t read comic books, and it brought in girls, which was kind of a surprise," Travis-Shuler said. "If you enjoy comics, it's easy to get into HeroClix. If you play HeroClix, it generally makes people translate over to comic books.”

HeroClix tournaments, which provide a common interest for fans and players wide and far, are not typically difficult to find. HeroClix players can find tournaments ranging from a group of friends to local game shops, which are often registered as an official WizKids event system.

If you think your HeroClix is on par with the best, test your skills at the Gen Con, which is the largest, longest-running gaming convention in the world. Gen Con runs Aug. 14-17 in Indianapolis.

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