I'm... frustrated. Keep in mind I am not frustrated at anyone in particular (or general), I am frustrated at miniature gaming in general. The short answer would appear to be that I'm a sucker, that I'm prone to buy something because it's "neat". The long answer?
1. Games Workshop. The models aren't cheap, the rules keep on getting revamped every year, and by time your codex comes out and you upgrade, boom, the rules change. I started collecting my 40K stuff at 3rd edition, and yes, that was roughly ten years ago, but at the same time, here we are, embracing 8th. I've found that I don't buy the models to play any more, but simply for the models... and quite frankly, the costs are ridiculous; I've turned to the likes of eBay to get my stuff, and have found some pretty good deals, but still it seems like it's money being wasted.
2. Privateer Press. What a mess they have become. They're on their 3rd edition right now, which really isn't a bother, but... it'd be better if it wasn't being followed by tons of errata and changes and modifications and adjustments and then more errata followed by additional adjustments. Some have been for the better, most have not. And again, every time I learn the game and prepare, something new happens. PP was great when GW did the same, but right now it seems that GW is where PP was once at, and vice versa.
3. The same goes for any other miniature gaming system. They're time consuming and costly. Time consuming in the sense that we have to figuratively and literally build our forces, and then we have to try to coordinate some play time. Why are we beating ourselves up over that? Then there's the cost factor. Dear lord, have you sat down to see just how much we've spent in this hobby? It's downright scary, is what it is! Even if you're hunting for that special deal on eBay, over time it's a lot of money to be throwing away. Oh, and what about priorities? Most of you have young ones at home, not to mention the unexpected bills to pay (or hell, the expected).
I know, I know, some might not see it as a waste. And perhaps I'm looking at this from the perspective that I've got boxes of figures and kits to still assemble and paint, and then find places to store them.
Anyway, as much as I enjoy these games, they're becoming almost impossible to play. Sure, I still buy some kits, but I know I'll probably never play them. And I am getting to the point where I just want to say "forget it". But then I thought of skirmish games.
Just like full sized battles, a skirmish game usually consists of a small number of figures, around 5 or so. There's plenty out there, some cheap, others not so much. The figures are pre-assembled, pre-painted, and the rules aren't lengthy. With that said, I want to introduce you guys to Heroclix, and maybe convince a couple of you to give this a try.
1. First and foremost, Walmart sells them. Truly! I recall seeing some boosters on the shelves, or at least I think I recall... but even if our store doesn't, Walmart carries them online. Don't believe me? Click
this link to see more. Note the costs... $1.35 on up for a figure. $5.00 on up for a booster.
Free shipping / pickup at your particular store.
2. You might not get the figure you want... these are blind boosters, after all. In my searches to collect the various Punisher figures, I have found that I can usually find what I want starting at $1.00 (and working up) with online retailers. There have been a couple that cost be somewhere near the $50 range (+/-), but those have been limited edition convention releases, not available in stores.
3. According to this
Wiki link, some sets are compatible with others, such as Dc vs Marvel, Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Iron Maiden, TMNT, Star Trek, and so on. I'm not able to check all known crossovers or compatibility due to IT blocking some gaming networks, but at least we know this much, that there is some. You don't have to make a Marvel theme, or a Street Fighter theme... you can mix and match characters from different realities and play them.
4. Rules are online and free. Power and Ability cards are online and free. You can download and print maps for free.
5. In watching various "how to" videos, the game itself seems easy enough to play, without being too simplified. There's still some thinking and strategy involved, and with each figure gaining / losing abilities based on the number of their wounds, the game is always evolving.
6. With all the information you need being right there on the figure, there's no need to flip through two different books trying to figure something out. Look at your figure, look at his card, done.
I'll write more in a bit, got some stuff to do.
