As loathe as I am to start today's blog with such an older person thing to say, I can find no more eloquent way.
*Full-body cringe*
In the halcyon days of the nineties, when I first began my long, long journey into miniature wargaming, the industry was very, very different. Possibly the most primary difference was the distinct lack of choice when it came to deciding what to collect, paint and play, as you had, realistically, two choices; Warhammer Fantasy, or Warhammer 40,000.
Which was odd, because it was my love of Lord of the Rings, Aliens, Final Fantasy games and other such whimsical media that drew me into gaming - the worlds of fantasy and science fiction being ripe playgrounds for my imagination. I was instantly sucked into the Old World and the Imperium of Man, and spent many, many hours playing games in those worlds, collecting and painting the miniatures and securing my place in the world of nerd forever more - but I still wanted to explore those other worlds.
How it all began...
Much like most of us middle-aged gamers, I often used my Imperial Guard and Genestealers to re-enact the siege of LV426, or substituted our D&D party with Empire swordsmen, Troll Slayers and Glade Guard, often exploring dungeons packed, coincidentally, with monsters very similar to whatever army I was collecting at the time (which is probably why my current D&D players are always raiding undead tombs, or being ambushed by capricious fey). Warhammer Fantasy and 40k became our only real method of exploring these other worlds via the medium of tabletop miniature games.
If you'd told 14 year old me that within two decades he'd be able to play a table-top game of Aliens - or X Wing, Batman, Conan, etc - the sheer excitement would have killed him. It was a dreamscape, like video-calls and instant communication with anyone throughout the world; something that could never happen, as it was just too awesome and too crazy to contemplate.
Pretty sure this could have done without the face-time. Just saying.
Yet here we are. And, much like with our apathy toward video-calls, I find myself unable to enjoy this cornucopia of games. There just isn't enough time (to buy, assemble, paint or play), and there aren't enough opponents.
Don't get me wrong; it's a golden age of gaming - and wargaming in particular - filled with a vast variety of excellent games, beautifully crafted components and a community that is not only wonderful to be a part of, and also now accepted by mainstream culture. It's just that there's a distinct difference between my longing attitude as a youngster, and my more mature "good lord; another one?" outlook.
Seriously?
There are some absolute corkers. X Wing continues to dominate the industry, along with it's spiritual successors, while the community has kept the Hobbit SBG alive and thriving with huge events such as Ardacon. But for every huge, well supported game, there seems a slew of ill-fated releases. AvP was a painful reminder that Kickstarters do not always succeed, and despite the early buzz surrounding Conan, and Dark Souls, neither seems to have taken root (at least in my meta). Let's not talk about Knight Models attempt at Marvel.
This is all just games based off of existing licences; we also have a torrent of brand new IPs, from Godtear, to Relic Knights, to Dust, to Gaslands; all phenomenal games, and all fighting in a saturated market.
So many cool games - no time to play them all!
Insanely, this all feels like a product of the last five years. Before 2012, there were only a handful of original licenses with strong tabletop miniatures games - things like Malifaux, Infinity and Bushido - now, five years later, it's difficult to find a popular franchise that hasn't at least been attempted, or a theme or setting not explored. Even more interestingly, it's all the early games that still have support - games like X Wing, BMG and the Lord of the Rings games. Is this because they are the most popular, or is it because they were the first?
I'm inclined to think the latter. Us gamers are early-adopters; and painfully fickle. In those early days when the choice was limited, X Wing the Miniatures Game seemed like a complete breath of fresh air, and a stab at giving us something we'd always wanted. Star fighter combat was represented - and we haven't seen a strong contender appear since. Similarly, with the Batman Miniatures Game, superheroes became playable; how many other superhero tabletop games are there now? How many do people still play?
With the huge rise in Kickstarted games, it seems like a new IP gets a miniatures game, or boardgame, every few weeks. With such a huge influx of games, it becomes difficult justifying buying into anything - odds are you've already got access to a similarly themed game, and odds are that after launch the support will fizzle out. We've seen it happen countless times now; I've still yet to see anyone playing Conan, AvP, Relic Knights, or the Song of Ice and Fire (which is unfair, as it hasn't even appeared yet). No one plays them - and if no one plays them, why would you? Without an opponent, you'll just have some nice miniatures to paint and store away in boxes. Do you know what I do see played across the several clubs I attend?
Those Tau will disappoint Duncan.
Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar (Warhammer Fantasy).
The same two games that really started it all (at least for me). Eight editions and thirty-odd years later, and these two are still the big kids on the block. It could be the beautifully sculpted minis (they really are), or the rich tapestries of lore (precious, precious lore), or the well-tuned game mechanics (okay, so probably not that last part), but something keeps people playing. Personally, I think it's the safe bet; you'll definitely know someone who plays 40k, so if you invest in an army, you'll have opponents.
The key to more games is... playing what everyone else is playing!
Either way, it's an interesting time for gaming. We've a vast array of choice laid out in front of us, and a growing industry with a growing pool of customers. Will we see a rise in new IP, or will the old-guard of current games continue to dominate? Will licensed games become more accepted, particularly if their studios or owners decide to invest more heavily in them? Only time can tell!
What do you think? Leave us some comments to let us know what you're playing at the moment and whether or not you think there are too many games to choose from!
Oh, and thanks for reading this article - please feel free to use the code "somanygames" to get 5% off your order at Art of War Studios as our way of saying thanks!