Midnight Dawns
First Post
I recently decided I wanted to tryout wargaming but am not sure where to start. Does anyone have a suggestion on what system/game to go with? What are your experiences?
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Minis
- Thread starter Midnight Dawns
- Start date
Asmor
First Post
Speaking as someone who is absolutely not a wargamer, I'd recommend either Battle Lore or Command & Colors: Ancients.
They use the same system (the Command & Colors system), but the games are a bit different. I don't know enough wargamers to say how they feel about it, but the general consensus from gamers at large is fairly positive.
C&C: Ancients is considered the stronger game; Battle Lore has the stronger theme, IMHO. Battle Lore also has the advantages of better presentation (Ancients looks fairly plain, but then again that's a major reason I never got into wargamers in the first place, they all tend to look pretty dry) and also Battle Lore is ready to play out of the box. For C&C Ancients, you need to apply hundreds of stickers to little, two-sided wooden blocks.
C&C Ancients is set in the ancient world-- Romans & such. Battle Lore is medieval and also has a touch of magic added to it.
Regardless, they're both very well-respected and highly-rated games, so just pick whichever appeals to you and I think you'll be happy.
They use the same system (the Command & Colors system), but the games are a bit different. I don't know enough wargamers to say how they feel about it, but the general consensus from gamers at large is fairly positive.
C&C: Ancients is considered the stronger game; Battle Lore has the stronger theme, IMHO. Battle Lore also has the advantages of better presentation (Ancients looks fairly plain, but then again that's a major reason I never got into wargamers in the first place, they all tend to look pretty dry) and also Battle Lore is ready to play out of the box. For C&C Ancients, you need to apply hundreds of stickers to little, two-sided wooden blocks.
C&C Ancients is set in the ancient world-- Romans & such. Battle Lore is medieval and also has a touch of magic added to it.
Regardless, they're both very well-respected and highly-rated games, so just pick whichever appeals to you and I think you'll be happy.
JiffyPopTart
Bree-Yark
Battle Cry by Avalon Hill and Memoir 44 by Days of Wonder are pretty fun intro-to-wargaming choices.
They both use the same basic rules system as follows...
1. The board is a blank board filled with blank hexes. You build the map using tiles to fill the hexes (for example a tile might have a building on it which makes the hex a building hex). You can have infinitely different boards as long as you have enough tiles to build what you want.
2. Units are plastic pieces, not counters. A unit of cavalry might consist of 3 horse pieces. If that unit gets hit it loses a horse piece, until the last piece is gone which destroys the unit.
3. You have a hand of some cards that all represent orders to take on your turn (for example "Move two units on the right flank"). On your turn you draw a card and play a card.
4. Combat is done by rolling special 6 sided die, which can result in destroying one or more pieces in a unit, or making the unit retreat.
The main difference between the two games is that Memoir 44 is set in WWII and has a lot of expansions whereas BattleCry is set in the Civil War and is a standalone game.
DS
They both use the same basic rules system as follows...
1. The board is a blank board filled with blank hexes. You build the map using tiles to fill the hexes (for example a tile might have a building on it which makes the hex a building hex). You can have infinitely different boards as long as you have enough tiles to build what you want.
2. Units are plastic pieces, not counters. A unit of cavalry might consist of 3 horse pieces. If that unit gets hit it loses a horse piece, until the last piece is gone which destroys the unit.
3. You have a hand of some cards that all represent orders to take on your turn (for example "Move two units on the right flank"). On your turn you draw a card and play a card.
4. Combat is done by rolling special 6 sided die, which can result in destroying one or more pieces in a unit, or making the unit retreat.
The main difference between the two games is that Memoir 44 is set in WWII and has a lot of expansions whereas BattleCry is set in the Civil War and is a standalone game.
DS
Dire Bare
Legend
Since your thread title says "minis", I'm assuming you are interested in miniature wargaming like Warhammer or Warmachine. I think the two posters above are suggesting board games, but I'm not sure as I'm unfamiliar with what they suggest.
If you have friends who play a specific game, start with that one! If not, the next step is to see if your local FLGS runs game nights for any specific games. It's best to start with games where it is easy to find local players and a place to play!
If you are entirely on your own, I would recommend starting with Warhammer 40K, which is a space fantasy miniatures wargame. To my knowledge, it's currently the most popular miniature wargame out there! Here's a link:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/landing.jsp?catId=cat210004&rootCatGameStyle=wh40k
The starter set, which is a good deal, is here:
Warhammer 40,000: Assault on Black Reach | Games Workshop
There are other great games out there too:
Warhammer Fantasy:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/landing.jsp?catId=cat210002&rootCatGameStyle=wh
Warmachine:
WARMACHINE | Privateer Press
Good luck!
Asmor
First Post
In fact, they use the same basic system as the two games I suggested, C&C Ancients and Battle Lore.
It's my understanding that Battle Cry is long out of print and difficult to find, but I definitely spaced on Memoir '44. So yeah, add those two to the list as well.
There are a few different strands of wargaming.
Miniature Wargaming is best typified by games such as Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. These games use plastic and metal miniatures to fight out the battles. WH and WH40K are probably the two most popular miniature wargames currently available, and there are many places around you can play them. They are also moderately expensive to get into. There are other miniature wargames out there that deal with other genres or eras - Napoleonics and World War II for example - but they don't have the same market penetration.
I do not play Miniature Wargames, although I have several friends that do.
I'm far more involved with playing games that don't use miniatures - such as Combat Commander, Advanced Squad Leader, Conflict of Heroes - or that use miniatures in a very rudimentary way such as Memoir '44.
The games I play regularly:
Combat Commander: Europe - WW2. Cardboard counters represents squads, leaders and weapons; played on paper hex-maps with the terrain; uses a deck of special cards to initiate orders, resolve combat and trigger special events.
Advanced Squad Leader - WW2. Similar to CC:E, cardboard counters represent squads, weapons, leaders, tanks, guns. Handles almost any squad-based action of WW2 and has a lot of support. Uses dice to resolve combat and special events. Lots of rules. (Very complex; not recommended for beginners).
Memoir '44 - WW2. Plastic miniatures represent units, with the number of miniatures representing the "hit points" of the units. Played on a board overlaid with terrain hexes, using special cards to determine which units you can activate, and special dice to resolve combat. (Simple, very easily approached).
SPQR - Roman Republic. Cardboard counters represent the troops; you use a hex-overlaid mapsheet for the terrain. Use a d10 to resolve combat. (Moderate complexity).
Command and Colours: Ancients - Ancient Greek and Roman battles, using a similar system to Memoir '44 - although slightly more complicated. Instead of miniatures, uses wooden blocks with stickers for units.
There are a lot more of these games that I play (if not regularly) and there are others that are good for beginners, but I suspect you're primarily interested in miniature wargaming and I don't know much about the field.
Cheers!
Miniature Wargaming is best typified by games such as Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. These games use plastic and metal miniatures to fight out the battles. WH and WH40K are probably the two most popular miniature wargames currently available, and there are many places around you can play them. They are also moderately expensive to get into. There are other miniature wargames out there that deal with other genres or eras - Napoleonics and World War II for example - but they don't have the same market penetration.
I do not play Miniature Wargames, although I have several friends that do.
I'm far more involved with playing games that don't use miniatures - such as Combat Commander, Advanced Squad Leader, Conflict of Heroes - or that use miniatures in a very rudimentary way such as Memoir '44.
The games I play regularly:
Combat Commander: Europe - WW2. Cardboard counters represents squads, leaders and weapons; played on paper hex-maps with the terrain; uses a deck of special cards to initiate orders, resolve combat and trigger special events.
Advanced Squad Leader - WW2. Similar to CC:E, cardboard counters represent squads, weapons, leaders, tanks, guns. Handles almost any squad-based action of WW2 and has a lot of support. Uses dice to resolve combat and special events. Lots of rules. (Very complex; not recommended for beginners).
Memoir '44 - WW2. Plastic miniatures represent units, with the number of miniatures representing the "hit points" of the units. Played on a board overlaid with terrain hexes, using special cards to determine which units you can activate, and special dice to resolve combat. (Simple, very easily approached).
SPQR - Roman Republic. Cardboard counters represent the troops; you use a hex-overlaid mapsheet for the terrain. Use a d10 to resolve combat. (Moderate complexity).
Command and Colours: Ancients - Ancient Greek and Roman battles, using a similar system to Memoir '44 - although slightly more complicated. Instead of miniatures, uses wooden blocks with stickers for units.
There are a lot more of these games that I play (if not regularly) and there are others that are good for beginners, but I suspect you're primarily interested in miniature wargaming and I don't know much about the field.
Cheers!
frankthedm
First Post
Painting minis and minis based games generally require patience and the spare time to have patience with. Make sure you have the time to paint and play. Painting figs can eat time like nobody’s business and once you start a game, it is pretty rude to your opponent if your cell phone has you on a short leash. You might even find that what you thought of as spare time, your family and friends considered “Their time with you”.
How do you feel you handle defeat? Most minis games are head to head so you have to be ready to accept a 50%/50% win loss ratio, and a game might take a whole evening. So if losing bums you out, minis might not be the best gaming choice since losing one game might be a long process.
Also minis take a modest investment. If you live check to check, you probably need to set up some savings before letting minis gut your wallet.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/art-ga...ainting/133078-painting-miniatures-guide.html
How to make a miniature storage bin. - EN World D&D / RPG News
[TMP] The Miniatures Page
TerraGenesis: Forum Index
I'd reccomend looking into war gaming ruleset not tied to a single miniatures line.
Here is one.
Hordes of the Things (wargame) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I recall hearing about another fantasy ruleset called "Bones" while over at Games plus.
Mark of Creative Mountain Games is working on a fantasy ruleset as well. [sneak peak]
How do you feel you handle defeat? Most minis games are head to head so you have to be ready to accept a 50%/50% win loss ratio, and a game might take a whole evening. So if losing bums you out, minis might not be the best gaming choice since losing one game might be a long process.
Also minis take a modest investment. If you live check to check, you probably need to set up some savings before letting minis gut your wallet.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/art-ga...ainting/133078-painting-miniatures-guide.html
How to make a miniature storage bin. - EN World D&D / RPG News
[TMP] The Miniatures Page
TerraGenesis: Forum Index
I'd reccomend looking into war gaming ruleset not tied to a single miniatures line.
Here is one.
Hordes of the Things (wargame) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I recall hearing about another fantasy ruleset called "Bones" while over at Games plus.
Mark of Creative Mountain Games is working on a fantasy ruleset as well. [sneak peak]
Last edited:
frankthedm
First Post
Metal prices are painful nowadays. Lots of lovely figures out there, but you’ll see your disposable income fly away really fast.
Plastics generally have better prices. You might encounter some “Metal Snobs” in some wargaming circles, but plastics can put minis on the table very efficiently.
Check both Google shopping and Ebay listings to get an idea how much a fig should run you, then check to see if you can get free shipping. Indeed, beware the Etailer who offers a seemingly good price, yet tries to gouge for shipping
Twilight creation's ZOMBIES!!! would probably be the cheapest source of minis right now, they are closer to true 25 MM, but they will do in a pinch.
Bag o Zombies [100 figs @ $10]
Bag o Zombies Dog [100 figs @ $10] Zombie Puppies TBH
Bag o Zombie babes [100 figs @ $10]
Bag o Zombie clowns [50 figs @ $10] (clowns are much heftier than others)
Fantasy flight games recently released a Bag of Cthulhu statues. 6 ogre sized and 24 goblin sized.
Bag of Cthulhu - Google Product Search retail $15
Here are some sellers for cheap minis I use, always check to see the requirements for free or cheap shipping. Prices have been climbing on plastics of late, but sometimes you can find a nice unit of figs for super cheap.
Welcome to eM4 Miniatures Online Store
Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce
Closeout Deals
http://www.ddgamezone.com small place but decent prices & free shipping on orders over $8
Auggies Games Home Page shipping is lower than at his ebay starefront eBay Store - Auggie's Games n Movies: Core Set, Spoils of War, Legendary Evils
eBay Store - Lee's Clix Comix and Games: FAQ free shipping on 10 auction wins
>>>>>>>>>>>>caution!
Strike Zone Online
>>>>>>>>>>>>caution! Good supply, but brutal on shipping and limits the number of a specific fig per sale. Note the free shipping offer states “There is a 2 lb package weight limit when doing minis” so getting free shipping might not be feasible.
Bases
My preferred bases are metal washers. IME the best retail price is found at the Menards home improvement stores [large bags]. Home depot, Lowes and Ace had their washer’s prices climb too high due to metal market upheavals.
The Gale Force Nine Store these are good bases as well. Plus, if you have a steady hand, you can use an Xacto blade to slice the base down the side, making two bases [maybe more if your hand is really steady]
Plastics generally have better prices. You might encounter some “Metal Snobs” in some wargaming circles, but plastics can put minis on the table very efficiently.
Check both Google shopping and Ebay listings to get an idea how much a fig should run you, then check to see if you can get free shipping. Indeed, beware the Etailer who offers a seemingly good price, yet tries to gouge for shipping
Twilight creation's ZOMBIES!!! would probably be the cheapest source of minis right now, they are closer to true 25 MM, but they will do in a pinch.
Bag o Zombies [100 figs @ $10]
Bag o Zombies Dog [100 figs @ $10] Zombie Puppies TBH
Bag o Zombie babes [100 figs @ $10]
Bag o Zombie clowns [50 figs @ $10] (clowns are much heftier than others)
Fantasy flight games recently released a Bag of Cthulhu statues. 6 ogre sized and 24 goblin sized.
Bag of Cthulhu - Google Product Search retail $15
Here are some sellers for cheap minis I use, always check to see the requirements for free or cheap shipping. Prices have been climbing on plastics of late, but sometimes you can find a nice unit of figs for super cheap.
Welcome to eM4 Miniatures Online Store
Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce
Closeout Deals
http://www.ddgamezone.com small place but decent prices & free shipping on orders over $8
Auggies Games Home Page shipping is lower than at his ebay starefront eBay Store - Auggie's Games n Movies: Core Set, Spoils of War, Legendary Evils
eBay Store - Lee's Clix Comix and Games: FAQ free shipping on 10 auction wins
>>>>>>>>>>>>caution!
Strike Zone Online
>>>>>>>>>>>>caution! Good supply, but brutal on shipping and limits the number of a specific fig per sale. Note the free shipping offer states “There is a 2 lb package weight limit when doing minis” so getting free shipping might not be feasible.
Bases
My preferred bases are metal washers. IME the best retail price is found at the Menards home improvement stores [large bags]. Home depot, Lowes and Ace had their washer’s prices climb too high due to metal market upheavals.
The Gale Force Nine Store these are good bases as well. Plus, if you have a steady hand, you can use an Xacto blade to slice the base down the side, making two bases [maybe more if your hand is really steady]
Last edited:
Thanee
First Post
Here's a bit of a differing advice.
If you want to get into miniature wargaming, what you need the most is...
Someone to play against.
So, take a look into what clubs or other meeting places are in your vincinity and see if you can find some suitable folks there. That will most likely also give you a good idea what games to look into.
Bye
Thanee
If you want to get into miniature wargaming, what you need the most is...
Someone to play against.
So, take a look into what clubs or other meeting places are in your vincinity and see if you can find some suitable folks there. That will most likely also give you a good idea what games to look into.
Bye
Thanee
JiffyPopTart
Bree-Yark
Another bit of advice...
If you decide to pick up and start playing Warhammer or Warhammer 40K....plan on getting a second job to support your hobby.
You can get the fun of WH and WH40K without quite the price by picking up and playing Mordheim (as a sub for WH) or Necromunda (as a sub for WH40K). Both basically let you control a small gang instead of a giant army.
DS
If you decide to pick up and start playing Warhammer or Warhammer 40K....plan on getting a second job to support your hobby.
You can get the fun of WH and WH40K without quite the price by picking up and playing Mordheim (as a sub for WH) or Necromunda (as a sub for WH40K). Both basically let you control a small gang instead of a giant army.
DS
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