HorrorClix is a

collectible miniatures game Collectible miniatures games (CMGs) are a form of miniatures game that is also similar to collectible card games (CCGs) — the primary difference being that while CCGs are card-based games, CMGs feature miniature figures. A popular theme for CMG ...

. Released on August 30, 2006, it uses WizKids'

Clix system Clix is a miniatures wargaming system developed by WizKids. It is characterized by the use of a dial wheel in the base of miniature figurines. The dial can be turned to reveal hidden information, representing the changing statistics of the ...

. The

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

is "wicked fun." The product was discontinued in November 2008 when WizKids' new owner

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...

shut down the compan

In September 2009, collectible toy producer National Entertainment Collectibles Association, NECA announced it had purchased WizKids'

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

from Topps, including HorrorCli

Gameplay

Similar to

HeroClix HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system that centers on the world of superhero comic books, especially the DC Comics and Marvel universes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, ...

, HorrorClix offers players the ability to construct teams of

monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

s that cross horror

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

s, allowing them to create a "dream team" of favorite characters.

Vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

werewolves In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely or ...

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

s, and

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

s are available in the game's first release, as well as a number of

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

s who fight for the side of good including a vampire hunter, ghost finders, priests and military men. HorrorClix introduces several new

game mechanics In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-shap ...

Plot twist A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a twist or surprise ending. It may change the aud ...

cards,

scenario In the performing arts, a scenario (, ; ; ) is a synoptical collage of an event or series of actions and events. In the ''commedia dell'arte'', it was an outline of entrances, exits, and action describing the plot of a play, and was literally pi ...

play,

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

, and individual

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

cards for each monster place the game's emphasis firmly on the

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

writing Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...

or directing a

horror story Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...

rather than a game of

fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

and

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

. Innocent victims play an important part of the game, with monsters protecting them, eating them, or both. HorrorClix demonstrations and special events were announced at the

Origins Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * ''The Origin'' (Buffy comic), a 1999 ''Buffy the Vampire Sl ...

game convention in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, and for the

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

game convention in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Additionally, WizKids announced at the GAMA

trade show A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, that

Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pan ...

was the premiere figure for the launch of the game.

HorrorClix releases

*HorrorClix: Released August 30, 2006, this initial release is often referred to as the Base Set and featured 96 figures. The "Buy it by the Brick" exclusives included a

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer wa ...

Limited Edition figure, a coupon for the ''AVP: Aliens'' collector's set and a coupon for the Great

colossal figure. In addition, '' Wizard'' gaming magazine had a special mail-in offer for a Morgana figur

*The Lab: ''The Lab'' was released January 31, 2007 for the U.S. and the rest of the world, mid-August 2007 for Europe, and had 96 figures. The first expansion set has a

sci-fi Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...

/ horror theme and includes

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

Greys,

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s, misshapen experiments and

zombies A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

. The By-the-Brick exclusives were an LE

Cloaking Cloaking is a search engine optimization (SEO) technique in which the content presented to the search engine spider is different from that presented to the user's browser. This is done by delivering content based on the IP addresses or the User ...

Predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

and a coupon for the second collector's set, ''AVP: Predators''. In Europe an additional BiBtB figure was made Available LE Zombie Astronaut. *Freakshow: Another 96-figure set released in May 2007, ''Freakshow'' has a strong

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

theme with

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

s, wild animals and a variety of sideshow freaks. The By-the-Brick exclusive was an LE Carousel Ghost. This set also featured the promotional Pierced Zombie, the first "New Guy Night" figure, obtained by being a new player at a venue. A first HorrorClix "Chase Figure" called ''Wacko Jacko Lantern'' was found in limited booster packs. This set featured unique names for the Veteran versions of figures and was also the last to support the original REV (rookie/experienced/veteran) setup. *Nightmares: Released March 12, 2008, ''Nightmares'' is heavily influenced by classical literary sources and the reported fears of survey participants. Originally the set was to be released on Halloween 2007 but due to production issues it was delayed several months. It includes

Grendel Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf'' (700–1000). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. Grendel is feared by a ...

, the Ancient Mariner,

Nessie NESSIE (New European Schemes for Signatures, Integrity and Encryption) was a European research project funded from 2000 to 2003 to identify secure cryptographic primitives. The project was comparable to the NIST AES process and the Japanese Gov ...

, and

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

, among others. With only 60 figures, it is the first expansion to use Wizkids' revised set structure and rarity layout, featuring a single miniature for each figure rather than the rookie/experienced/veteran versions of previous sets, and organized into common, uncommon, and rare tiers, with super-rare figures replacing the uniques. The "New Guy Night" exclusive was a

Poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...

Clix Bricks

To help "

brick-and-mortar Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases r ...

" stores compete against internet retail stores HorrorClix, like HeroClix, used the popular "buy it by the brick" configuration. A ClixBrick consisted of 12 shrink-wrapped boosters that included a special

coupon In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be redeemed for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product. Customarily, coupons are issued by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods or by retailers, to be used in r ...

for consumers who purchased HorrorClix at their local retailer. Consumers who sent in 12 UPC codes, the coupon, and the receipt from that one-time retail purchase received a special free figure, only obtainable through the ClixBrick offer, as well as another coupon that allowed the customer to purchase the Collector's Set associated with each release at a 25% discount. The first set also included a second coupon allowing the customer to purchase The Great

colossal figure for $85.

Starter sets

* HorrorClix - The base set starter included six exclusive figures (Blood Vamp, Bane Wolf, Chainsaw, Outpatient, Lynch Ghost, and Skeleton), a two-sided map of a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

and a

haunted house A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the prope ...

, 3D terrain including tombstones and a tree of the damned, two red dice, a rulebook, exclusive plot twist cards, and 12 victim tokens. * The Freddy vs. Jason Action Pack ee belowcontained "simplified" rules and new maps, and so can be seen as a revised starter of sorts.

Collector's sets and action packs

For 2006 and early 2007, licensed properties for HorrorClix were released in the form of Collector's Sets, which were direct-marketed online. After winning an online poll, '' AVP: Alien vs. Predator'' became the first movie for which WizKids acquired the rights. Licensed properties were later made available through regular commercial channels, and renamed Action Packs. Similar to the HorrorClix starter set, these packs featured a number of pre-selected figures, Plot Twist cards, and maps, from across the horror entertainment spectrum. *

Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

: Released as the Collectors' Set for the HorrorClix base set, this contains 7 figures, Plot Twist cards, victims, and a map. *

Predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

: Released with ''The Lab'' expansion set, this set contains 6 Predators and a human Apprentice Predator, as well as Plot Twist cards, victims, and a map. * AVP: Alien Queen - Released on February 21, 2007, this action pack features a two-stage Queen, usable with attached egg sack or without, as well as an exclusive Alien figure, an exclusive Predator figure, a map, Minion tokens, and Plot Twist cards. * B.P.R.D. - Released on April 4, 2007, this Action Pack features seven figures representing characters from the Dark Horse comic book series

Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers ...

and the B.P.R.D. (

Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola, founded by the United States and United Kingdom governments, charged with researching the occult, paranormal ...

Liz Sherman Elizabeth Anne "Liz" Sherman is a fictional character appearing in the ''Hellboy'' comic book series created by Mike Mignola. A firestarter, she becomes a ward of the B.P.R.D. at age 11 after burning her family to death in a traumatic acciden ...

Abe Sapien Abraham Sapien, born Langdon Everett Caul, is a fictional character introduced in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He takes his name from "''Ichthyo sapien''", the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his co ...

, Hellbaby,

Johann Kraus Johann Kraus is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He is featured in the comic book '' B.P.R.D.'', published by Dark Horse Comics. Kraus is a disembodied ectoplasmic spirit with psychic abiliti ...

Ben Daimio Benjamin Daimio is a fictional comic book character who appears in Dark Horse Comics books featuring Hellboy and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, of which Daimio is an employee. Created by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Guy Davis, D ...

, and Roger the Homunculus. This was the first officially "dual-branded" set released under the HorrorClix label, being designed for use in both

and HorrorClix. The dials feature HeroClix symbols and powers, as well as monster cards that make the figures usable in HorrorClix games. The action pack was released with numerous errors including missing numbers and Johann Kraus mistakenly having a flight stand; although WizKids eventually put forth a program for exchanging the defective Johann for a corrected version and included a new ticking clock card for HorrorClix and a new battlefield condition card for HeroClix. *

Freddy vs. Jason ''Freddy vs. Jason'' is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a crossover between the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' and ''Friday the 13th'' series, being the eighth installment i ...

- Released March 12, 2008, to coincide with the release of the Nightmares expansion set, this features

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...

, a Freddy worm creature,

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a character (arts), character from the Friday the 13th (franchise), ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th (1980 film), Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Pamel ...

, a Freddy vs. Jason double figure, and a Jason vs. Freddy double figure. It also includes one new double-sided map, four new Plot Twists, and two Special Objects (a boiler and an open grave).

Colossal figures

* The Great

- This 16" figure of Cthulhu comes packaged with a map, a set of instructions, and twenty-four Cultist Victim tokens. Cthulhu has three dials to represent himself and one dial to represent his attendant cultists. Cthulhu is playable in a 600, 1200, or 1800 point scenario where the players attempt to stop the ritual that will awaken him. This is similar to WizKids' earlier use of

Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of ...

Convention exclusives

* At Wizkids Attended Conventions for the 2007 convention season, a special dual-sided map featuring a Ruined Castle and the Stephens Bros. Carnival was available free with any purchase and a limited edition

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most imp ...

figure was available free with a $75.00 purchase.

Limited Editions

* Every series except Nightmares had four ''limited edition'' figures. These were the same as four of the uniques of the series, only their names and values were changed. The only figure with some difference from the original is Billy Stank, with a union instead of a confederation flag and a different color of uniform to reflect his side in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and he is the only one who has the same point value as the unique.

Marvel Zombie figures

* Four ultra-rare chase figures were found in 1 out of every 100

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

: ''

Supernova A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...

boosters - the

Marvel Zombies ''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Marve ...

versions of

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

, and

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

. These are technically the first dual-branded figures as they appear in a HeroClix set yet come packed with HorrorClix monster cards, making them fully compatible. ''Mutations & Monsters'', the November 2007 HeroClix release, featured new Marvel Zombies, but they are not officially compatible with HorrorClix.

Reviews

*''

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

References

{{reflist

External links

HorrorClix
(Official Site) - Contains the game's logo and some press releases concerning Topps' licensing efforts.
It's Wicked Fun
(Fan Site/Forum) - (Defunct) Contains complete information on all components of the game including monster stats/dials, Plot Twists, Victims, Minions and more. Also has a large selection of resources including monthly contests
forums
custom cards, miniatures, scenarios, conversions and more.
HorrorClix Forums
(Defunct) Was the last place left to discuss HorrorClix ideas, mods, rules and strategy until closed after December 2014.
Monster Database
(Defunct) Was an online searchable database of all the HorrorClix monsters, Plot Twist cards, and powers.
El horror de Arckham
Spain HorrorClix Fan Site Clix (miniatures) games Collectible miniatures games WizKids games