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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."
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.