gduventree

Does anyone here play miniatures games? I'm talking stuff like Warhammer, Mageknight, Mechwarrior.

Personally I'm into Mechwarrior: Dark Ages and Crimson Skies. No time for the Warhammer stuff, although I must admit it looks very, very cool.

Anyone else out there?

diergray

I haven't played in a very long time but I was just at a comic convention and was checking out the miniatures. The Crimson Skies ones were awesome! I loved the video game and I really wish Microsoft would make a sequel.

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hulk

I'm a big Warhammer fan. I play WH40k, BFG, Mordheim and whatever other games I lay my hands on. Although Games Workshop are fucking rediculous pricers (the stockstandard troop box jumped 25% in price) it's a great game to play.

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gduventree

Crimson Skies is a great game. It's easy to get into (you only need to buy a rules pack and a squadron pack to get started) and the rules are nice and streamlined. I hear there's going to be a new Crimson Skies game for Xbox this year.

I enjoy going to the Games Workshop and check out all the meticulously painted miniatures they have on display. I've never really been introduced to the rules, though. How does each game play and what makes them different from each other, hulk?

mykockle

no, can't say that i have, but I played HeroClix a few weeks back... that was fun... but hella expensive

panzer

I used to play a lot of Warhammer 40K and a few other GW games. They were fun, but lately the company is all about the money and not about the games. The rules seem to get periodically unbalanced, and they are always foisting more must by items out. And you can't compete at cons without the latest set (or so I am told), so it became too much of a money sink.

I did love painting them, however!

Turtlez5

Playing warhammer was a blast for me and now that my son is gettign older I been tempted into starting again just so i can teach him how to paint the figs. Painting has always been my favourite part of the hobby.

Heroclix is very expensive for the quality of the figure you get. I have yet to play this game so far I've bought a booster or two trying to get a Hulk or Spiderman heroclix for my son. Lets hope the next pack is the right one. 8)

Crimson Skies sounds neat any one have any links to some pictures of the game or minitures. I would love to check it out.

Arm

I used to play 40k, but haven't recently.

Like panzer and hulk said, however, GW has become a company more and more focused on money rather than the desires of the gaming public they provide for. I don't know if any of this has been rectified since I stopped playing, but with the release of the new Codicies (most notably Chaos), everything else is subpar. GW's unofficial word is that they'll be updating all the codices to be that level, a process that WILL take years and cost gamers tons of money.

It's also kinda obvious when the price of a single 3" figure in a blister jumps from 3.49 to 7.something, equivalent to the former price of like 3 standard troops in a blister.

fameslee

I just recently got into miniatures as a way to wean myself away from playing video games. my eyes were killing me from using my computer for work AND diversions...

I started out with 40k at first, but gradually moved away after starting up about 2 armies because of the cost of the books and everything to get a good-sized army happening, and also the distastful policies of GW.

Some alternatives that I've come to like very much are Privateer Press' WarMachine and Rackham's Confrontation. The thing I like about both games is that you don't need piles of minis to get a decent one-off game going. Another nice side-benefit is that it isn't as discouraging to paint just a handful of minis for an army instead of like 20-30.

I tried to play a bit of all three games at first, but now I find myself enjoying mostly the modeling and painting aspect of the hobby.

gduventree

Gameplay's the thing for me, that's why I'm big into Wizkid's stuff; all their figures come pre-painted. Also I don't have the time to paint figures.

Turtlez5, here's a link to the official Crimson Skies webpage:

http://www.wizkidsgames.com/crimsonskies/cs_article.asp

I hope I'm not breaking any rules posting that...

As far as GW's business policies, I would have to agree that their practices in general are distasteful to me. Especially their policy of opening up GW stores in close proximity to other gaming stores that have been carrying their product successfully for many years. Just seems unethical to me.

Vyk

I used to play Warhammer 40k quite a bit. My brother has a complete marine chapter painted up (as in 10,000 pts of space marines == $1500 bucks in minis... oof...). I never got that into it though. I still enjoy playing Warhammer Quest with some friends as a "one nighter" when our usual Dungeon Master's not in town.

Games workshop games are fun, just too darn expensive.

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FunHater

I got into Warhammer about 7 years ago. I don't play it at all anymore, I have just a small army of Dark Elves kickin' around. I actually enjoy painting them more than gaming.

NeverBorn

I used to play WH40k but that shit eats at your budget fast. I picked up Ronin by Cell Games..thats pretty cool. It has customizble mecha. Used to play Mageknight too, guess I have a short attention span..lol. If you need a cheap minatures game, try diskwars. I have the legend of the 5 rings edition, its pretty badass, and I got 3 packs for 2 bucks a pop

Apokx

Warhammer is too damn expensive :/

fameslee

I have some questions for anyone who plays the wizkids stuff: Is it really expensive in the long run? How do you feel about how the 'random' nature of what's put into a package? The last time I looked into it I was a little wary of needing to go to ebay to try to find a particular figure for Mageknight and Mechwarrior. Are all of the wizkids stuff like that?

gduventree

fameslee:

The cost in the long run depends on yourself. You can spend less than $100 on any particular Wizkids game and get yourself a good size collection to play with, either through boosters or buying singles. There are plenty of shops that sell singles for reasonable prices and you can assemble a good army for playing with.

Where it starts to get expensive is if you get hooked and "gotta catch 'em all." Also, if you want to compete in tournaments you'll need to spend more money in order to be competitive, but that's the nature of the beast. If your intention is to just put together some armies and play a pick-up game once in awhile, then it's not that expensive.

Just like any other collectible game, new expansions will add new rules to the game to keep it interesting. Wizkids has done a decent job keeping "power creep" under control, at least as far as Mechwarrior is concerned. They try to keep their sets balanced with each other so as to minimize the number of old pieces that are made obsolete by the new rules. So it is possible to compete with the new stuff using old pieces. Of course if you want to play with the new stuff then you'll have to shell out more dough. Wizkids also makes it a policy to never ban a piece from tournament play.

As far as the randomness, yes this does turn some people off of the game. Me, I'm a junky so I don't mind so much Having said that Wizkids has recognized that there are people out there who prefer non-random packaging of figures. Their latest offerings (Crimson Skies and Shadowrun) are what I think of as "semi- collectible". The basic set of figures come in preconfigured blister packs and you see what you get. With these games you can buy what you want and not worry about getting stuff you won't be playing with. How they make it collectible is through the release of limited edition figures that can only be won at tournaments or through other promotions.

Radio Monk33

I'm a big warhammer 40k player. I go to regular tournaments and have a dedicated area in my basement lol. Only 2 armies though. I really like all the diffferent aspects of miniature gaming. The strategy-gameplay, the artistic modelling, and the social interaction.

I also enjoy it, because its something reliable in my life. No matter my problems in school, with friends, with relationships...my models are always there for me.

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fameslee

gduventree:

Thanks for all the wizkidz info -- I'll have to take a look at the Crimson Skies and Shadowrun stuff...

Drider_it

well I my self have spent over 5k in over 12 years on fantasy minatures from both Ral and Reaper... for just the Dungeons and Dragons game.

Ive spent about half that for WW games. Now that I have three young kids.. I had to think ahead and buy a case ..(big f*ing case) to house all my miniatures.. i have over 10k miniatures.. over half are painted now.. sigh..

my prize of my collection.. Lord Soth from dragonlace saga books/games. A death(skeletal type knight) on a his evil horse with 13 skeletal warriors.. also on horses..

I have 244 dragons, 500 orcs, 200 elves, tons of different classes.. but I mostly have undead monsters and lycanthropies. And mages 8)

I have every major char form TSR(Wizards of the Coast) books.. Forgotten Realms, DarkSun, DragonLance, RavenLoft, Greyhawk.

I even have 12 spell jammer models hehe.. find those now a days..

also I have a ton of old FASA miniatures for Star Trek.. and i mean a ton of them..

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It means only one thing, and everything: Cut. Once committed to fight, Cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resoultely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depth of his spirit. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.

monody

i have never actually played a miniatures game, but have played warhammer fantasy.

have you guys seen the D&D miniatures they're bringing out?
supposedly not for gameplay, but as 'trading cards'.
starter set to have about 16 figures.
booster sets to follow.

comments? (links appreciated, all i have is rumour!)

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Radio Monk33

D&D Miniatures? What company?

Reaper has a very nice generic fantasy line. I hear it's used for D&D alot.."Dark Heavens" or somethign?

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monody

wizards of the coast themselves.
dug through old forums and found a link:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ms/20030606a

sounds like a Magic set-up.

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-Oscar Wilde.

gduventree

I'm not sure what to make of the new D&D miniatures that WotC will be producing. While the thought of having nice pre-painted figs to play D&D with is appealing, the random aspect of buying boosters will limit the amount I buy.

I've been using my Mageknight figures to play D&D with, but they're usually not a good fit with the game. The thought of finally having a figure that match the illustrations in the source books is very appealing, but I'm afraid that I'll have to spend a fair bit of cash to get the ones I want (ie a Beholder).

Moonduck

I got into WH40k when the Rogue Trader hard cover was still fresh on the shelf. I'd recently started to seriously paint miniatures for RPG use, and the stuff they were doing in Rogue Trader was just fantastic. I didn't seriously start to play until the advent of the red book (can't remember the title, though I still have it. It had the Imperial Guard list, and I'm an Impy Guard nut).

I also played Warhammer fantasy and have owned and sold tens of thousands of dollars in lead/pewter. For a while, in college, I painted 'professionally', and by this I mean I ran a mail order custom army painting business and paid my bills solely off the income from it.

I had a blast wargaming, but was more of a painter/modeller than an avid wargamer.

As to the inflation of power in GW games, it's been that way forever, and they've not 'become' money oriented, they've been that way for better than 15 years. They still do make some of the best lead (pewter, feh) in the business though. I just wish they'd put out the stunning variety they had in the late 80's. You could pick any standard foot unit, make a block of 20 and have every miniature in a different pose from the factory. It was awesome.

Dr.Who

I play BloodBowl with 12 of my friends. We have a league going and it's blast. Not to mention not that expensive once you have your team. (I'm with Undead now.)

I played Warhammer Battle with the first rules, some 10 years and 40K. Now it's only BloodBowl. Only for the fun of it!

dimbulb

I used to be in bloodbowl in a big way, and we had our own little tournament and league going for a bit. Played Warhammer on the side. Kinda gave up after a while, since i sucked at painting my models. It's rather embarassing playing with a 'naked' army....heh....

healyk

I've been playing MW: Dark Age for a while, but I'm a little concerned at the amount of money I've been spending. I'd really like to try Crimson Skies but I'm afraid I won't be able to pay the rent if I do.

gduventree

Crimson Skies is structured so that it won't cost that much to get into, especially when compared with MW: DA. If you know of a group of players to join, then all you need is the rules pack and a squadron pack which will run you less than $30 in total. If you need enough figures for two people to play, then another squadron pack will cost an additional $20. These are Canadian prices so US$ would be less.

erion

This new game is definitely worth checking out.

I just completed my series 1 collection today, and have played on a half-dozen occaisions since it came out.

I'm also a crazy wh40k player with three armies done, a 4th being painted and a 5th in the planning stages. It's an additiction I tell you.

[Edit]

Doh! Stupid typing skills!

portwineboy

That's pretty amazing. I think half the reason I never got into the miniature games was that I can't paint very well (I've tried when I was young with plastic models) and it somehow isn't as fulfilling to buy them prepainted.

If you've got pics I'd love to see some of them. Esp. the Star Trek FASA stuff, I've seen that before and think they are pretty cool.

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healyk

Thanks, gduventree. I'll see if the guy I play MWA with is willing to give it a shot.

m0rpheus

I'm a HUGE Heroclix fan. Finally got around to getting myself a Sentinal today
Must hunt filthy Muties

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Quant

Games Workshop: too much dough, but great worlds! Love the whole Chaos idea, but can't pay to get an army together.

danka

Anyone here ever try Confrontation (http://www.rackham-store.com/index_us.htm or if you speak French www.confrontation.fr)?

The game seems skirmish oriented like Chainmail 1 and all the Wizkid stuff. And the figurines look awesome.

I'd like an opinion before I buy.

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fameslee

I have 3 small forces for Confrontation: Dirz, Devourers and Griffin. The figures really are great, and depending on what troops you get, you don't need tons of figures to play (5-30 figures for 300-500 point games).

All the rules and stats come with the figures, but there is also a set of rules for larger-scale battles, Ragnarok, that is supposed to be translated into English by the end of the year.

There are 4 rulebooks for Confrontation: Confrontation (the basic set), Incantation (magic), Divination (for priests, not available in English yet), and Incarnation (character development and RPG-style scenarios, apparently to be released in English in a few weeks).

I've tried a few games, and I think it is quite fun, but they can take a while to play with all the rules. There are couple key English sites for stats and a good yahoo group for asking questions about rules (which can come up a bit because of the translation from French to English). If you understand French then there's no problem.

If you are really into the figures, one of the nice things about Confrontation is that you can just buy the figures that you like the look of and have an okay force to play games (a nice change if you're used to building armies for WH40k).

livewirerc

I'm a HUGE gaming geek, and play a ton of stuff. I have almost every edition of all the GW games on my shelves, including all of the early rogue trader books, fantasy 3rd edition, the RoC books, and all 5 editions of bloodbowl. My favorite of the lot is Necromunda, followed by Blood Bowl, neither of which are too expensive to get into for newbies. I'm looking forward to the re-release of Necromunda here in the states (January '04) so I can dust off my figures and play. As far as armies for the big two I have over 8000 points of space marines, a HUGE IG force (almost 800 figures), a decent Chaos force, a bunch of orks, a new tau army, some eldar, and an old squat army that's been collecting dust since they phased 'em out in 2nd edition. I've also got a big undead army, a bunch of brettonians, empire, chaos, and a small but growing wood elf force. Yeah, I'm a nut.

I also play a lot of more obscure miniatures games like kill zone, Vor, Void, Confrontation, Warzone, etc. as well as some better-known ones like Battletech, Command Decision, Charley Company, Warhammer Ancients, DBM, DBA, TSaTF, etc.

So to sum it up, I have about 16ftx8ft of shelves completely full of rule books, and a closet and another 2 shelves of miniatures. Yes, I am a sick sick man.

Jason

erion

VOID is a game I wish would see a lot more play aorund here. My syntha need targets. . .

I also am getting (back) into CAV, Reaper Minis (the guys who make Dark Heaven for Fantasy) mecha combat game.

danka

Thanks Fameslee

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Drider_it

hey now that i got dsl.. ill get to it sometime this week..although the star trek ones i have never painted.. lol red white and blue.. green and black and grey are the norm for colors..

__________________
It means only one thing, and everything: Cut. Once committed to fight, Cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resoultely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depth of his spirit. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.

Stare At The Sun

I play 40k, space wolves and chaos, and black templar, going to get an eldar army soon. its a really good way to spend time, so much goes into it, lots of time and effort, i love the hobby.