New Marvel Battle Dice Game

We first told you about the New Marvel Battle Dice game from Playmates toys during our Fall Toy Fair Coverage. The fine folks from Playmates have set over more information for us on this brand new product line that will be launching in the spring of 2006.

The new Marvel Hero’s Battle Dice game will be a expandable and collectible gaming platform that will feature more than 65 iconic heroes and villains torn from the pages of Marvel Comics.

Battle Dice’s comic-book-inspired game board combines patented “pop dice” with action figure role-playing, featuring a wide array of hugely-popular characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four and more. Encouraging players to create an unstoppable army based on the powers of each hero or villain, the action figures play an integral role in a player’s battle strength; with varying degrees of rarity, the characters allow for depth, interactivity and unlimited collectability in a classic “war game.”

“Battle Dice is a novel take on battling action figures that is made even more exciting by the universal appeal of Marvel’s classic stable of characters,” said Pat Linden, director of marketing for Playmates Toys. “This unique concept encourages imaginative play as well as collecting, both of which kids love.”

Battle Dice consists of “pop dice” that open to reveal themed dynamically posed action figures making up six different armies. Each figure has six different attributes including speed, strength, durability, intelligence, energy projection and fighting skills, plus symbols and numbers signifying the strength of their power.

Players battle by loading their dice with action figures, then rolling simultaneously with their opponents. The player with the lowest number selects the attribute to be used and the battle begins! Each battle can involve one, two or many characters in a player’s army and victory depends on each character’s strengths versus those of the opposing forces, meaning figures must be strategically selected before each battle. With every roll of the dice, the lives of your characters are at stake because defeat means surrendering your figure to the opponent’s army.

The first player to collect all of the opponents’ figures wins the war and the game. Game extensions included in the instructions make the game more complex and intriguing.

Battle Dice will be offered in a Starter Pack with six dice and six action figures: Captain America, Spider-Man, Doc Ock, Wolverine and two mystery figures, one from each of the following armies:
· X-Men
· X-Men Villains
· Fantastic Four and Avengers
· Fantastic Four and Avengers Villains
· Spider-Man and Marvel Knights
· Spider-Man and Marvel Knights Villains

The Starter Pack also includes two arena cards to show where to place the figures and dice during a battle, a carrying case and an instruction booklet that includes a character breakdown of each army. Each starter pack will come complete with a miniature comic book jam-packed with storylines featuring Marvel character favorites who actually engage in playing Battle Dice.

Four series of booster packs will be launched throughout the year. The first booster series will have 60 randomly chosen figures with varying degrees of rarity from each of the six different armies and the subsequent series will consist of seven new figures for each of the six armies, bringing the count to more than 190 characters. A chart is included to allow players to identify the rarity of each figure. Each booster pack also includes a collectible Battle Dice.

Dice Launchers in the form of five-inch The Hulk and The Thing diorama’s will also be introduced in the spring of 2006. The launchers have a mechanical feature capable of throwing one battle dice at a time and come with their own exclusive game play figure and Battle Dice.

Playmates will support the launch of Battle Dice with national television and print advertising, a comprehensive public relations campaign and a dedicated website showcasing all of the armies, individual characters and instructions for advanced game play.