Theme teams, what are they to you?

[W.I.T]

So with all the new theme team bonuses and the 'promotion' of theme etc, I just had to ask: what is your idea of theme?

[W.I.T]

I like to play theme myself, but I am not averse to people playing what they think is a theme. My buddy played an 'all red' team against me this week, they were all DC figures too BTW, but that wasn't his theme.

As far as I am concerned, a theme can be many things, but I definitely do not consider 4 OOTS Batmen to be a theme.

[RavenProject]

I didn't vote because you didn't completely capture my opinion:
It's a "theme" if the primary connection does not involve game mechanics.

Of course I love to run "comic-accurate" themes, but I've done a couple others over time which I really enjoyed. I've run all birds, all archers, all dead characters, my Martin Luther King Day team of black heroes, and many other teams that have no root in the comics but which definitely had a unifying factor.

-J

[Miraclo]

I don't really have an option that accurately fits matters for me.

The game now has strict rules for determining Theme, so that's covered. Beyond that, I generally like to have some rationale for why the assembled characters are together (obviously, not something one can always stick with in sealed events), but that doesn't mean I feel I need to craft every team after specific comics events/assemblages.

I've been reading comics for over 40 years, so if the team makes some degree of sense to me then I'd consider it, to some degree, to be "theme", though I'm not going to expect any bonus for that unless it also happens to fit the official Theme rules. This could easily include cross-universe teams. On the other hand, the keyword-driven Theme teams are sometimes interesting even when tapping into the generic words, so I wouldn't be surprised if I did a scientist, spy, warrior, etc. team even if there was little reason to think of the characters as having any opportunity or shared reason to get together -- though, really, what team-up couldn't be covered by a minute's thought? There are always special circumsances, ranging from a momentarily shared goal to some form of mind control or trickery.

[ccs]

I had to vote for the "8 figures, good enough" because it allows me to make the goofy #### that I find amusing (if not always very effective).
Granted, I'd do this anyways. But that I can now get some actual rules benifit...!

[Grumpygoat]

Yeah, I'm in the "Does this make sense?" camp.

Sure, Ambush Bug may never have teamed up with the Super Buddies, but if I'm playing rookie Mary Marvel, Booster Gold, G'Nort, and Ambush Bug, it's not like the team doesn't make any sense.

For all I know, Vandal Savage, Icicle, and Chronos may never have teamed up. But, again - they make sense.

Even a cross-universe team like Aquaman and Namor is fine by me. Or Batman, the Question, Daredevil, and Black Panther. You can see what the person is going for there and that's cool. I'm fine with that.

So long as someone can look at the team and, without knowing what the dials do, say "That makes sense to me because of X," then that's my idea of theme. The characters make sense together.

[Darth Sabre]

I don't think your choices answer the poll's question, the way I see it.

While for me, comic-accuracy is #1, in terms of a themed teams, there are several non-comic themes that I have seen played over the years. I am ok with that.

[Drunky]

I guess I should vote for the first option, but it doesn't really reflect my views.

A pure theme team comes right out of a comic book page (names accuracy is enough: any version of Wolverine can fit in a "75 X-Men relaunch team" - including Ultimate Wolvie, the only exception would be PC Wolvie, 'cause he's really too different from the regular one).

Less pure, but still theme:
- random assortment of Avengers/X-Men/JLA/etc. ... (disregarding their TAs);
- Avengers/FF/X-Men/etc. ... villains teams (Dr. Doom + Namor + Mole-Man is thematic in my book);
- teams where all members share the same characteristic (a team of gunners for example), as long as they respect a good guy/bad guy alignment.

[Nickel97]

My vote wasn't on there.
Specific comic teams or teams based on specific events are themes to me.
Teams based on colors or classes can be themes.
Teams based on all figures start with the same level/ have specific meaning to their point costs (like a Toots and the Maytals team where every figure costs either 54 or 46 points)
I consider it a theme when there is (mostly) non-mechanical connection or outside logic to the construction of a team.

There's a player at my venue that nearly always brings a non-comic based theme team, and they are usually very clever. Once he brought all Giants that had earthbound or figures with special powers that granted them Giant status: Theme "They Might Be Giants."

[Uknown352]

The choice I wanted also wasn't on there as it doesn't need to be a comic theme to be a good theme. We had a theme team contest awhile back so you can probably find some good/funny ones there.

[gawain]

I don't always play theme, but if I do I like it to be comic accurate.

Once, I played at a venue that hosted a "Make up your own theme" game. A friend of mine played a Superman, Krypto, Batman, and Robin. His theme: Super heroes and their pets.