This is a guest post I wrote for FanGirl Quirks. Click the link to check out more comics & writing from Mello & Rea!
I am fairly new to the world of geeky card games and tabletop games. I have always enjoyed playing video games, chess, and more traditional board games, but only in the last few years have I started playing some of the more niche geek games. A few years ago, Zach introduced me to Magic the Gathering and I bought a few Intro Packs and started playing casually from time to time. Magic is a good game and I still play it occasionally, but I never got a strong case of Magic fever like many gamers do.
Zach’s brother Earl is really into miniature wargaming and we made a deal: I’d play some miniature wargames with him if he would play some chess with me. This past October we headed up to one of the game shops in Louisville, KY so I could look at some of the miniature games and figure out what I would need to do to get started. The game shop had several different games to choose from. The shop carried Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40K, Warmachine/Hordes, Malifaux, X-Wing, Dreadball, and Infinity. I had no idea what any of these games were about. One of the games caught my eye, though: Warmachine/Hordes (Warmahordes)!
Now, before I rail on about how much I love Warmahordes, I want to say a few things about miniature wargaming in general. All of these games are awesome. If you’ve never played a miniature wargame before, the best analogy I have is imagine if chess and Magic the Gathering had a baby. These games have all the spacial and abstract strategy of chess with the deck building, customization, and preplanning of a collectible card game. I don’t have bones to pick with any of the miniature games or their communities; everyone I have met so far in this hobby has been awesome, helpful, and entertaining. The reason I picked the game system that I did is that I liked the fluff (the stories and “histories”/lore behind the games) of Warmahordes, it was the most popular game at the particular game shop where I wanted to play, and the price point for getting into Warmahordes vs some of the other games was a bit easier to justify since I didn’t know if I would like this style of gaming. Some of the guys at the game shop ran me through a few demo games that first day and I was hooked from the get go.
Once I settled on Warmahordes, I had to pick a faction to play. Warmachine and Hordes are compatible games that take place in the same mythical world. Warmachine is a steampunk/science fiction style game with large, powerful robots (warjacks), force shields, powerful ranged weapons, and a bit of magical prowess thrown in for good measure. Hordes is a fantasy based game with powerful mystical creatures (warbeasts), lots of magic, and occasionally a little technology thrown in to mix it up a bit. There are 11 factions to choose from in Warmahordes, 6 Warmachine factions and 5 Hordes factions. People choose factions for several reasons when picking up a wargame. Some people pick a faction because they like the strengths of a particular faction, others pick a faction because they like the models and imagery of a faction, and other players, like me, pick a faction because they like the fluff. Thankfully, the factions are pretty well balanced and you can’t go wrong picking one faction over another. The most important thing is to pick a faction that you like so that you will be excited about them!
Once you’ve picked your faction, the next thing you have to do is pick your models for your army. Each model has different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. The best thing to do is to talk with people at your local game shop and read forums online when researching which models you want. As a beginner, you are faced with the choice of building a custom army by picking your individual models from the start or you can buy a Battle Box with a premade starter army. I picked the Trollbloods Battle Box to begin with. If you decide to build a custom army as you start the game, keep in mind the total point value you want your starting army to have and then pick models so that their points add up to the total you want to arrive at. After you get your models, you probably want to pick up a copy of the Rulebook for either Warmachine/Hordes. There are some accessories like dice and tokens that you will need, as well. And don’t be worried if you feel intimidated or do not understand all of the rules, because the staff and players at your local friendly game shop will be more than happy to run you through some demo games and help you learn how to play the game.
Miniature wargaming isn’t just a game, it’s a hobby. When you buy the models for your army, you have to assemble the models. Some models are made of plastic and some are made of metal. Often your army will have some models of both plastic and metal. After you assemble your models, you are then faced with the choice of whether to paint your models or just leave them as bare plastic/metal. Most players want to have a painted army because the models look better and you can make them your own by customizing their look.
Some players don’t care about painting and the hobby aspect of miniature wargaming and just want to play as many games as they can. There are other players who don’t play that often but are more interested in painting their models and building terrain. Each gamer is different and you just have to find what you enjoy the most when getting into a game/hobby like this. I personally enjoy playing the game and painting the models equally. I am really enjoying reading the short stories, novels, and fluff for the Warmahordes universe, as well.
The thing I like best about this hobby/game is that it is never ending. There are always new models being introduced. You can always improve your strategy and playing ability, and you can always improve your painting and modeling skills, as well. You can make new friends and strengthen old friendships through wargaming. There is something for everyone here, whether you just want to play casually or whether you want to enter tournaments and make a name for yourself. And, if you choose to, you can always pick up another wargame, as well.
Many of the miniature wargamers that I know play more than one wargame. I’ve recently been thinking about picking up Malifaux, a smaller, skirmish level miniatures game. Malifaux has a gothic, steampunk look and feel, and it can be picked up for pretty cheap. If you’re interested in Malifaux, all you need is the Rulebook and a starter Box Set. I’m trying to convince Rea and Mello to pick up Malifaux with me so that I will have more people to play with. Let’s see if we can get them into wargaming, as well. Come on, Rea and Mello… join the dark side! 😉
Southern Indiana Geek 