Hello mini wargamers!
We're back with post #3, and we'll be continuing to focus on a particular aspect of this hobby. This time, our focus is playing the games themselves. This topic is quite the rabbit whole as there's a lot to cover, but this we'll really only be about some of the most common. Even then, there are still several styles of gameplay to discuss, so get yourself a snack, a beer (or drink of choice), and sit back. This could take a while.
Disclaimer: Like both the posts before this, please remember this is a grossly oversimplified explanation of the most common classifications of the topic, and not an end-all-be-all list. There are other variations of mini wargaming out there that are played. So many, in fact, that this would be a book.
Kicking off the Players topic, we're going to talk about the different types of games available to the player. When it comes to miniature wargaming, the most commonly played in your nearest LGS (in my experience) are Skirmish games, Campaign games, and Company Sized wargames. I'm no expert in these things, but I do have experience with all of them. If I had to make a recommendation as to where a noob should begin, I'd have to say either a Skirmish, or Campaign game. I'll explain why in detail as we go through them. As it stands, there are so many ways to get into mini wargaming, it's enough to make the heads spin on anyone potentially interest in starting in on the hobby. Hopefully this post will help narrow down the selection to more of what interests the potential gamer. Without further adieu, lets start with the first on the list...
Skirmish Games
Skirmish Games are one of the best ways to get into the hobby of mini wargaming, so much so, a lot of the are referred to as Gateway Games. We refer to them as such because they are generally pretty easy to get into, both due to cost and rulesets. They usually require significantly fewer models to play than a Company Sized game (more on this later), and are very easy to play. There are quite a number of them that come in an all-in-one box, which gives you everything you need for 2 players to play the game. This is a good thing for 2 reasons; for one, if you find someone else who is interested in wanting to start playing a specific game that has an all-in-one box set, you can ask about splitting the cost, thereby minimizing monetary risk in case you don't like the game; and 2, giving you (as a new player) the opportunity to either start collecting a small part of an army for a full Company Sized game (or 2 armies if you keep both parts of the all-in-one box set, foregoing splitting the cost with a friend) and giving you more options for upgrading later. Noob Tip #6: Get someone to buy in with you. As explained before, this can be a very expensive hobby, and if you're not sure you want to stick with it, splitting the cost is a really good way t save some money while you decide if this is the game/hobby for you.
One of the best things about these games is the universe diversity. What I mean by that is there are so many fandom universes that have come out with miniature skirmish games, it's enough to make one's head spin. Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (formerly Warhammer Fantasy) and countless other Fantasy and Sci-Fi universes have miniature games available to play, not to mention the Historical skirmish games set in WWI, WWII, Vietnam, the Napoleonic Wars, etc., that there is bound to be something for just about everyone when it comes to getting into playing a miniature wargame.
Skirmish games also have the benefit of being quite quick to play, usually somewhere around 30-45 minutes per game, rather than the 2-3 hours of either a Campaign or Company Size game. This is a huge benefit to the noob as things move fast enough to stay interesting, but not so slow it seems dauntingly complex. As mentioned before, since they can come in an all-in-one box set, it makes sense to pick one up if you know you want to play. There are a few I'd recommend for a noob, including Warhammer 40k Kill Team, Necromunda, Warhammer Underworlds: Night Vault, Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire (point of note #1 bottom of page), Malifaux, Warmachine, Hordes, Infinity, Flames of War, Team Yankee, and Bolt Action. Check out each one to see which may interest you most.
Campaign Games
This section is a little... weird, so let me explain something real quick. the term campaign game can have a couple different connotations; being either a game that continues on a specific narrative on a large scale, or one that does it on a small scale. We'll be discussing both in this post, but this section is more on the small scale, as that tends to be a bit more common than the larger scale (again, in my own personal experience).
Campaign games area little more familiar to most people, though many wouldn't think of them as miniature wargames, and they'd be right. Campaign games (at least in this regard) are more about an individual character (per player, that is) than a true wargame. Think Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), where an individual takes control/becomes an individual character in a storyline, and in fact, you can find miniatures for D&D games. Your character goes on an adventure, grows as he/she/it/they gains experience, gains stats, etc. exactly as you'd expect from this kind of game. It's generally exceptionally narrative based, with a rich storyline and can have a very linear kind of gameplay. This gameplay is usually moved along and planned (mostly) either by some type of game controller, like a dungeon master, or through a book narrative, where if you don't pass your particular challenges, the story can progress no further. These types of games have been around since the 70's at least, and are always fun to get into.
It's hard to say if there are any I'd specifically recommend for the wargaming noob, but honestly there's a new one out from GW (point of note #2) called Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress which is currently calling my name. It's a little pricey, but looks absolutely awesome, especially since I already love the 40K universe. For the complete noob, I'd inquire with your LGS about a D&D group that plays on the tabletop. I think that'd be the best way to start this type of game, as a good, patient, dungeon master would take the time to explain the game and introduce said noob to a good campaign to try for the first time.
Company Sized Games
Proud member of the 40k Parliament prepares for battle with the sign of dude-ism
Company Sized Games are what most people think of when we talk about miniature wargames, and for a couple of really good reasons; they're the most common type of miniature wargame you are likely to come across, large scale battles with 40-100+ models (or more) on a table battling it out for tabletop supremacy, and the fact that their marketing is quite awesome in the right setting. Warhammer 40K, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Flames of War, Middle-earth, and several others fall into this category. These are games that tend to require relatively large armies (read, large monetary and time investment), several rulebooks, and a good chunk of your day to play. As I'm sure you all have gathered, I'm a bit of a Warhmmer 40k player, so most of my pics/experiences are with that particular gameset.
Knight fight in full swing, turn one
Company sized games usually involve somewhere between 20 and 100 models (totally depending on the size of the battle, sometimes more, sometimes less) and has cost both players a good little chuck of money in buying the army, painting said army (cost of which can vary, please see previous post), buying the rule book for said army, and generally not having a lot of time to do much but building, painting, and playing your game of choice. That's ok, that's what these games are designed to do. We love them anyway.
Large scale game setting up
Company sized games also give you a variety of game styles and games sizes. Though we usually think of massive games, that's not always the case. It entirely depends on the players. There are games that are very small, skirmish sized, and there area games that entail several (and I mean several) hundreds of models. It entirely depends on the players. This includes Campaign style games, that grow your army or faction's reputation and glory throughout a campaign timeline, giving your faction a better standing as time goes on in the campaign.
My Knight Titan, Spot (on the left) getting owned by a fellow Parliament member
Whatever gameplay style you choose, just remember, playing can be fun, whether you win or lose. Really. We're here to have fun. Playing these games is ridiculously fun when enjoyed with friends. Noob Tip # 7: Have fun! Tournaments, are tournament, but most games are played against friends. Hell, I haven't won a big game in over 10 years, I STILL have fun playing because of the people, and I hope you guys have just as much fun, win or lose.
This has been just a quick overview of what the gameplay side of our hobby is about, and is by no means an end-all-be-all list of any of it. This is why there's a comments section, so feel free to add your questions or comments to the comments section and I promise I'll answer ever question I can to a the best of my ability. Before we formally end this post, we'll do our usual...
Noob Tip Recap
Noob Tip #6: Get someone to buy in with you! This hobby can get really expensive really quickly. Having someone else who's interested in getting onto it as well with you, and you all split the cost of getting started with an all-in-one starter set can help out drastically with the start-up cost of this hobby.
Noob Tip #7: Have fun!! This is supposed to be a fun hobby. Don't stress too much and have fun with it!
Point of Note: I've been playing Games Workshop games for almost 15 years now, so I'm a little biased towards their games and will be for quite some time, though I'm not being paid by them (ahem, GW you really should pay me for this).
Alrighty folks, this has been another PSA by yours truly, Rexy. As always, the comment section is open for anything I missed. Thank you all so much for the support so far. I'll see you guys next week, for a little but more in depth look into your hobby station, and what you should have handy to make life easier.
Until than, thank you much and I'll see you all soon!
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