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Columns > Unplugged > #48: Itﾒs a game of miniatures, not a miniature game!
The world of miniature games just got a whole lot larger....  Beyond some truly classic abstract games such as Go, Chess, and various games of dice, one of the oldest genre of board games began in the late eighteenth century when a man named Helwig, working for the Duke of Brunswick came up with The King's Game. It was, basically, a miniature war game. Wargames tended to stay within the confines of the military until H.G. Wells published Little Wars - a mass produced rulebook for playing with little miniature army men. We've come a long way from the early days of wargaming with little lead figures... now most of the figures are plastic!!! Actually, plastic has been the norm in the miniature game industry for some time now. However, there have been some new developments in the field, worthy of note. First off, let's take a look at the big contenders of miniature wargames (for the sake of this article, we'll avoid the massively detailed and involved games requiring a large manual for a rulebook, such as Warhammer 40K, etc... and focus on miniature games that are a bit easier to get into. Those other games tend to be more complex and typically require players to paint their own miniatures, adding yet another barrier to entry for newcomers.) Two of the biggest names in the pre-painted miniatures business today are Wizkids with their MechWarrior and HeroClix lines of "combat dial" games, and Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast with their collectible miniatures games themed around Axis & Allies, Dungeons and Dragons, and Star Wars. Unfortunately, both Wizkids and Wizards release their miniatures in a collectible format, which is not my personal preference. This means the basic game can be picked up as a starter set, but fans of the game will then want to go on and buy booster packs filled with a semi-random assortment of new figures. This makes it very difficult for collectors to buy complete sets of the figures or for interested players to purchase only one or two specific figures in a set. As a result, in tournament play, participants have often spent quite a large sum of cash in putting together their armies. However, for casual play among friends, the random distribution of pieces can lend a fun sort of challenge to making the best of one's starting material and new purchases provide (hopefully) a pleasant surprise when the contents of a new booster is opened.  Unique to Wizkids miniatures, their line of figures are placed on top of a combat dial that is rotated as the figure takes damage in the game. The dial displays the vital statistics for that figure, as well as powers and abilities that can change as the figure takes damage during the game. Several of these lines of games were reviewed way back in Gamerdad Unplugged #4 and they are still going strong. The Mechwarrior line of giant robot combat is currently selling in a recent base release entitled Age of Destruction. The starter set for this series has a nice balanced set of two large robots with some smaller supporting infantry and artillery for each side, enough for a small two player game. The starter set comes with a manual, a fold-out map with printed terrain, and a few other extras to make learning the game fairly easy. In May of 2006, the Mechwarrior: Vanguard expansion will be released. Included in the expansion is R.I.S.C. gear which can be powerful weapons, but may also bite the hand that feeds them...  Arguably Wizkids' highest-profile combat dial line is their line of HeroClix combat based off popular Marvel and DC Comics superheroes and villains. Soon to be released (June 2006) is the Marvel HeroClix: X-Men Danger Room Game. It contains six X-Men figurines along with rules, maps, and all the assorted bits required for new players to pick up the game. At an MSRP of $15, it is a very reasonable way to check out the game.
 Slightly newer to the realm of collectible miniature wargames, Wizards of the Coast has come out in force with three strong lines of miniatures: Star Wars, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), and Axis and Allies. Based off of their respective role-playing game licenses, the Star Wars and D&D miniatures can be used within the role playing games or played as a separate wargame with an emphasis on combat between squads and armies. Wizards' figures come with and accompanying card displaying the unit's statistics for the combat wargame on one side and statistics useful for their use in a role playing game on the other. A common theme to both lines is a slow tendency for the figures to become larger and larger. Starting with the Giants of Legends set for D&D, miniatures were released in the "huge" category that can tower two or three times the height of other basic miniatures on the field of battle. This is continued in June of 2006 when the War of the Dragon Queen expansion is released, again containing a number of "huge" scale figures.
 Not to be outdone in size, the Star Wars Miniatures side of Wizards of the Coast released the "miniature" AT-AT Imperial Walker. At a towering height of over one foot tall, it is only a miniature when compared to the normal one to two inch miniatures representing more standard people and aliens on the field of battle. Both series of miniatures (Star Wars and D&D) have starter games available to get players familiar with the rules with a minimal cash outlay. However, as with any collectible game, be prepared to spend considerably more if you become hooked on the game. The last to be mentioned from Wizards is the Axis and Allies collectible miniatures game. Based on World War II units, never before has a mass-marketed wargame had such detailed and well made units. Released with much fanfare back at GenCon 2005, the game is going strong with two basic sets released in addition to the Contested Skies expansion released at the end of March of 2006. The Contested Skies expansion adds Airplanes, Anti-aircraft units, and forward observers to the mix of available units. While many wargamers turn their noses up at a collectible modern warfare miniatures game, others have taken to it with relish, and some just use the figures in games of their own preference. Unfortunately, as the game is based off modern warfare, don't expect "huge-sized" figures coming out for the Axis and Allies line of miniatures any time soon ﾖ although I suppose they could try to sell giant battleships and landing craft for amphibious invasions... who knows? Next week, we'll take a look at the very newest fad in miniatures games... miniatures games that don't look like your standard miniatures at all! Kid Factor: All of the games mentioned today are suitable for beginners to the art of wargaming. However, they do require a pretty good grasp of rules and planning, making them most appropriate for ages 10 and up. Since they're collectible as well, parents should be sure to help younger kids use good judgment when they prioritize where to spend their hard earned (or not so hard earned) cash. Playing army men is a big attraction for younger players, whether those army men are wearing chain mail or are driving giant robots, there is still a big thrill in maneuvering one's niftily painted pieces around the field of combat.
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