Attack Of The Miniature Clickies

Thanks to GamerDad for its 'Unplugged' column discussing the phenomenon of 'clickies', miniature collectible RPG figurines with stats included in the figure's base. The article argues of traditional tabletop wargaming: "With the high entrance cost in time and money, it is difficult to bring new people into the hobby. Younger gamers suffer from a lack of cash, while older gamers suffer from a lack of time." These easier, supposedly cheaper alternatives are then evaluated, including lines such as Mage Knight ("As the first 'clicky' game released, it has grown into the largest"), Heroclix ("a decent game with a great theme"), and Lord Of The Rings (praised "for its 'large, messy battle' feel.") But the article ends with a caveat: "My gut instinct is to warn any kid away from all collectible games. Children (and adults) are too easily sucked into a cycle of buying 'just one more' booster pack and hoping they find something great inside."

Comments

Ah, WizKids...

[Anonymous Coward]

The incredibly high prices of a miniatures game with the endless buying spree of a collectible card game. Either branch of gaming is a money sink, but when you combine the two...

After selling off my Magic collection 10 years ago I swore never to buy another collectible game ever again, no matter how good it was. It's amazing how many games you can afford to get when you're only buying them once.

Oddly enough, the same philosophy fits computer games (MMPORGS) perfectly as well.

Online RPGs are a service, not just a game.

[Psychochild]

Oddly enough, the same philosophy fits computer games (MMPORGS) perfectly as well.

As an administrator of an online RPG and a former M:tG player, I think this is a bit of an unfair comparison.

The most obvious thing is price. My own game, Meridian 59 costs $10.95 per month with no boxes or expansions to buy. That's the equivalent of, what, 3-4 boosters? Who do you know that only bought 3-4 boosters per month while playing Magic?

Further, consider what you get for your payment. In M:tG, I'm getting printed pieces of cardboard that I hope will improve my deck or be worth enough for me to sell at a profit. I still have to find people to play with.

In an online RPG, on the other hand, you are getting a lot more. You get a dynamic world that is expanded on a regular basis. You get a group of ready players interested in the same game that you can interact with. You get a service that maintains the game and polices it for undesirable behavior, such as cheating.

If I could have remained competitive at M:tG by only buying 3-4 booster packs per month, and I would have had a guaranteed group of honest players from the publisher to play with, then I'd probably still be playing M:tG today. Admittedly, not all online games are as good a deal as Meridian, but that doesn't mean they're not worth the monthly fee if you appreciate the service.

My view on things,