Too Many Minis

This may sound like a king complaining about having too many hams at his dinner table, but there are a lot of miniatures games out there. Games Workshop and Privateer Press are the big names in my circles, but I've always known that there are other games out there - World War 2 stuff, Mantic, Malifaux, Inifinity, etc. But lately it seems like everyone is coming out with miniatures games, and I know that it can't be some new phenomena.

I follow Tabletop Gaming News, a huge news blog that basically links info to any gaming info anyone could want. After following them on Facebook, it seems like I"m seeing "________ has launched a Kickstarter for their new miniatures games. Check it out!" at least once a week. I have no idea how many succeed, but the idea of so many games is a bit overwhelming.

My friend recently gave me some models from Dropzone Commander, a 10mm sci-fi game that was grabbing the spotlight for quite some time. People were doing reviews, giving away rulebooks, and chomping at the bit waiting for the game to finally release. There was a lot of fanfare for those first few weeks and then... nothing. No one on YouTube really took off with coverage, there were no "Farewell GW, I'm moving to Dropzone Commander" posts, nothing. People bought it, people enjoyed it, and then people stopped talking about it.

When I was cleaning up my overflowing "to paint" shelf I found those models and started to really look at them, admiring the detail involved in something whose smaller ships were smaller than my thumb. I hadn't kept up with any news about the game since its launch, so I decided to look around and see what people were saying about it. Cue the chorus of crickets.

It's not that the game had even remotely died, but it definitely wasn't the game that people were getting together to play every week. People still enjoyed it, but most recent discussions I found seemed to imply that groups tried it and loved it, then just went back to their game of choice. Many of these people wished they could play it more often, but they just couldn't get anyone else interested in the game.

That's really disappointing, because all signs pointed to DZC having a dominant impact in gaming. The fact that it only had a few minutes in the spotlight says a lot about the state of our gaming culture. We have a hobby that requires dedication - rules knowledge, monetary investment, terrain building, painting, getting a group of others to agree to play... it's not like a board game where one person can make a minor investment and everyone can enjoy it, then put it on the shelf and move on to a new game.

That makes me wonder how all these others games expect to survive, if they do at all. Over the last year I've seen several discussions that begin with "So I'm wanting to make my own miniatures game..." and then continues on asking for feedback on what they have so far. As far as I know these discussions never move any farther than someone talking about opening their own gaming store, but it seems like everyone is wanting to come out with the next big thing.

The problem is that many people are too entrenched in games that are still very healthy. Say what you want about GW - while they seem to hemorrhage customers with their business decisions, the game is clearly popular enough that they can shrug their shoulders and say "You'll be back." Privateer Press has picked up the competitive crowd, creating a game so loved that it recently had a worldwide championship (America took 2nd!)
That creates a playing field where game developers almost have to treat miniatures games like an iPhone game - they have to understand it won't last, so they create an experience that people can enjoy for a time, but few will stick with for the long haul. Of course this is made difficult with a $30-100 startup investment per gamer, further decreasing the likelihood that their game will gain momentum. It's incredibly unfair to them, especially those who may indeed have a fantastic game that is engulfed in a see of flash-in-the-pan games.

So what to do? I have no idea, to be honest. I admire people who spend hours and hours developing a system and designing the miniatures. Unfortunately so many people are doing it that it hurts my confidence in any game that isn't put out by a company with a strong track record. Why would I get involved with one game over the abundance of others out there, all from people who have little-to-no experience in creating and sustaining an intricate game.

It also creates a question I'd need to devote an entire post to - would you play a dead game if you enjoyed it?  Even if Dropzone Commander only has 1 or 2 more major releases, would it still be playable if I knew that the models I have are all I'll ever have? That's really the decider on whether a lot of people will get involved in a game. If it shows no signs of surviving against popular games like Warhammer, Warmachine, Malifaux, or Flames of War, how many people will risk their money on it?

Before writing this I decided to hop on Miniature Market to see how many games were doing so well that they earned a place on their Tabletop Miniatures menu. About 30 listings, with maybe 10 of them being repeats of the same company (Warmachine/Hordes, Warpath/Dreadball) or just terrain and modelling suppliers. So out of 20 games that are popular enough for a store to regularly stock, what motivation is there to try anything else?

What do you guys think? Is having a lot of options appealing? Do you give new games a chance, or do you stick with whatever tried-and-true game that is established in your group? Let me know!


See you tomorrow!

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