D&D General Why Isn't There a D&D Table Top Miniatures War Game?

[Clint_L]

We're not arguing nobody plays GW games. Just that the more people purchase the models to paint with than play the game. I think GW is perfectly aware of this and it's one of the reasons producing quality game rules isn't a priority for them.

I'd like to see some hard numbers on that. Warhammer is very popular here, and I very much doubt most of the miniatures are going to painters. To the contrary, I think most go to players or prospective players, some of whom have little interest in ever painting them, and then there is a minority of folks who just buy them to paint, and don't buy in near the same quantities.

And I am positive that producing quality game rules is very much a priority for GW, whether or not you think they've succeeded.

 

[Stormonu]

We played:
Free Boosters Fate
Pulp City
Batman
Malifaux
Dark Age CMON
Infinity
Saga Dark Age
Beyond the Gate of Antares (ugly models, bad rules)

Interesting, I thought the rules for Gates were pretty good (though I agree, the models are ugly).

Over the years I've collected way too many tabletop battle games than I should have - a good many only got a rules read or a game or two before they were put aside. I still keep them though, in the false hope I'll get to play them down the road.

The ones I've had a decent play of are:

Mechwarrior: Dark Age
X-Wing
Battletech
Car Wars (1st-3rd edition)
Wings of Glory/War (WW1 & WW2)
40K
RuneWars

Spoiler

The others .... (for which I have at least one force)
--------------------------------------------------
Adeptus Titanicus / Epic
All Quiet on the Martian Front
AT-43
Battlefield Gothic
Battlesystem (& Battlesystem Skirmishes)
Battlestar Galactica
Beyond the Gates of Antares
Birthright Mass Battle System
Blood & Plunder
Bolt Action
Car Wars (new 6th edition)
CAV
Chainmail
Crimson Skies
Deadlands Rail Wars
Disk Wars
Dungeon Command
Dust
Flames of War
Heroes of Normandie (and Black Reach)
Heroscape
Kings of War
MageKnight
Renegade Legion
Sails of Glory
Silent Death
Star Trek Attack Wing
Star Trek FASA Combat Simulator
Star Trek Red Alert
Star Wars Armada
Star Wars Legion
Team Yankee
Tide of War
Warmachine/Hordes
Warhammer Fantasy
Warriors of Krynn
[\spoiler]

 

[The Soloist]

Interesting, I thought the rules for Gates were pretty good (though I agree, the models are ugly).

It's Bolt Action with d10s. The random die unit activation is not to my taste. Some people like that.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

legal 3D printing is slowly saving tabletop wargames.

fixed

 

[The Soloist]

fixed

Funny. Are their legal 3D STLs of 40K and WHF?

 

[MGibster]

I'd like to see some hard numbers on that. Warhammer is very popular here, and I very much doubt most of the miniatures are going to painters. To the contrary, I think most go to players or prospective players, some of whom have little interest in every painting them, and then there is a minority of folks who just buy them to paint, and don't buy in near the same quantities.

I don't know if you're going to find good hard numbers anywhere. I'm one of those people who got into painting in order to better enjoy my gaming experience rather than painting for the sake of painting, so the idea that most people who buy Games Workshop models aren't playing the game is one I would have found ridiculous a few years back. I think the number of people who purchase the models but don't play, or play very infrequently, is likely a signifcant portion of GW's customers. Warhammer is fairly popular in my neck of the woods and is hands down the most popular war game to the point where it's an oddity to see people playing something else.

 

[Stormonu]

Funny. Are their legal 3D STLs of 40K and WHF?

Yes.

 

[The Soloist]

Yes.

GW is selling STL files of their models? Link?

 

[Stormonu]

GW is selling STL files of their models? Link?

No, no more than GW are selling scratch-built or kitbashed models. But those are legal to make as well. You can make a "vampire count" STL that can be used in place of a GW Vampire Count, as long as the designer is using their own art, not GWs.

<EDIT> Heck, my own Vampire Count army is composed of a Reaper Vampire Lord, Mantic skeletons, ghouls & zombies, a plastic Reaper Necromancer, GW Hexwraiths and some Banshees & Bat Swarms that are 3D printed. Not one model is "illegal" in any sense of the word. GW could kick and scream that my army isn't 100% GW models, but they are 100% legal acquistions.

 

[Zaukrie]

I met my longest running DnD group playing DnD Miniatures. At one point I was highly ranked...and would have won the MN qualifier but my opponent "forgot the rules"....whatever. Not bitter. Much. I still play on line with two of the guys I met, even though I live far from MN now. I still own too many minis, even though I sold most of them when I moved (sure, I'm going to downsize, sure, someday).

I also met several people at Gen Con and the Chicago qualifier that I still stay in touch with some.

As for why no game? plastic is pricey and there are competitors?

Oh, and I still have all the maps from the minis game, laminated. I get so very much use out of them it is unreal.