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.

I was an addict......

[MacBrave]

In this case it was to M:TG from 1995-1999. I can't begin to tell you how much time and money I spent on this game. The term 'Cardboard Crack' is very appropriate.

For me first it was the collectable aspect; trying to get complete sets of card. I eventually acquired several. Then it got more into the playing and strategy, acquiring those cards that could complete that 'killer' deck or combo.

But around 1999-2000 my priorities started to change so I sold most of my 'good' cards but still have a huge box left sitting in the bottom of my close. The only rare card I've kept is a Shivan Dragon signed by the artist for somewhat sentimental reasons.....

I've seen my three oldest sons go through similiar 'addictions' with Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and others. The good thing is that my wife and I hold the purse strings for their purchases.

As for the 'clix' type of games; I've played the Battletech version a time or two. It is OK but I really prefer the old map-and-miniature version (another of my gaming addictions).

Mechwarrior:Dark Age

[j0nb0y]

I play Mechwarrior pretty often. I do have a pretty large collection, but that's mostly because I buy a booster anytime I play the game at a game store (which for awhile, was often 2 - 3 times a weekend). I don't play quite as much anymore, but I still play 2 - 3 tournaments a month, plus a casual game with friends here and there.

I collect pieces solely based on playability. One of the problems plaguing all collectible games is that most figures introduced in expansions simply are not that competitive. I think much of that is just do to the nature of this type of game, but if some company can improve this somehow, I think I'd be pretty quick to hop on board. I'm sitting on a large number of not-very-good pieces that, quite frankly, no one wants.

All that being said, as a game, MW is a great one. It's much cheaper to play competitively than Magic: The Gathering (a typical competitive MtG deck costs $150 - $500). You'd be hard pressed to put together a competitive MW army which costs $150. The rules and pieces are fairly well balanced, and my friends and I continue to find new and interesting strategies. Competition is really what I enjoy about this game, which is why I'm heading to Origins for Nationals in June =]