Cult Of Games XLBS: What Attracts You To A Tabletop Game?
August 20, 2023 by avernos
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Happy Sunday CoGs and OTTers!
It’s the XLBS SHow………Happy Sunday Fellow CoGs!
This is turning into a “stay indoors and hobby in the AC” kind of weekend here in Central Kansas. Local temp readings from around town were reported at 109f and tomorrow is expected to hit 110f.
I know my birthday celebration this weekend was supposed to be a “Hot time in the ol’town” but this is ridiculous.
As far as the question of the day, “What Attracts you to a tabletop game”……. It is usually the minis first, the potential for terrain modeling a great board and last the subject matter. Rules sometimes are not super important as there are usually other rule sets that can be used with most minis and terrain. YMMV
With skirmish games it’s often the minis that tempt me… plus the perceived value of the box contents.
With an RPG it’s the setting and or art/layout of the rules. If the art, or layout look amateurish than I won’t buy it. Same principle with food… if it looks offputting you don’t want it.
I didn’t ghink we would start with looking at Ben’s wood slapped down on a table
He’s not called sexy & furious for nothing…
1. Happy Sunday!
2. Can we get Ben a community-awarded golden button for his golden demon army? I know the crew aren’t usually eligible, but that project is the epitome of golden buttonness!! Idea, execution, achievability – it’s just great.
3. What draws me to a game? All of what each of you said could draw me to a game in that any of those things could catch my eye and draw me in. But what would actually then make me invest in it? If I think hard about it then I think for me, it’s an IP that is bigger than the game itself. So that means i am naturally drawn to existing IPs that have games (e.g. Star Wars, Fallout) but even for game-specific IPs, I want more to consume than just the game (e.g. 40k). So novels, stories, videos, whatever. I want immersion in the game even when I’m not gaming.
Many times I’ve bought into a game based on the miniatures but if the game is crap then I’m not really likely to even paint them let alone use them (e.g. Human Interface). Intellectually I agree with Gerry – there are all sorts of games you can use the miniatures with, but in my experience I am far less likely to do it. One exception – Five Parsecs. The storytelling of that game is strong enough to get me looking for miniatures to use in it.
Hah thanks for the vote
Happy Sunday OTTers.
It burns it burns.
Justin has a female to appease no remember guy’s.
It’s one of the Kardashian sisters asses?
I haven’t seen the show yet, but BEST cover image E-V-E-R-!
It did come together very well haha
If that was a cat the hole would be way closer @lloyd.
Start the clock ⏰
Yay Ben will be able to lift Thor’s hammer.
The traffic lights?
Death or glory pig’s.
? That’s Gerry coming out of the wax salon.? @avernos ??
They all look cracking Justin.
What attracts me to a game system is generally interesting game mechanics and creativity to create my own thing, either completely my own thing or within the setting if that is a setting I enjoy. Settings can be historical or a fictional world with a deep lore that I can really get along with. The amount of players in my area is also something that also matters, but since there are barely any wargamers near me, it is difficult to find anything but Warhammer. So I need to draw people in as well and if I can’t, just having something I can create my own thing with is a part of the hobby I do really enjoy.
I do prefer physical books and rules that just don’t change that much over time.
I am definitely the Gerry in my gaming group….
The soups on ? @dignity Lol.
They do that water act in the film Sahara? I think to the Germans.
Plastic crack dealer’s.
Gerry in Kindergarten II.
Valley of death.
Great topic today.
For myself, I am primarily a rules focused gamer. I want to find something unique and engaging in a ruleset to capture my attention. Miniatures are gaming pieces and I can live with almost anything, and if a game system allows me to easily use basically anything then that is even better as I can use multiple miniatures in the many games which economizes hobby time significantly.
Occasionally an IP or aesthetic is enough for me to play a game regardless e.g. anything Batman or Lovecraft, but this is definitely the exception rather than the rule.
I am definitely a gaming advocate for my local club and I am happier playing many different gaming experiences rather than going all in on one companies game and playing this system week in and week out.
King squirrel is the adlib master.
Meeple people.
Brilliant show guy’s.
Happy Sunday.
I once had that old metal bloodthursers. I remember there was definitely blood drawn cleaning up those wings as they are covered in spikes. I’ve also currently got the old metal demon prince space marine. It weighs a ton and it’s a great miniature.
Hurray for another multi-award winning Moonstone player. It still makes me laugh the idea of Dug being painted as a hairless cat.
I’m attracted to new games for a variety of reasons. The setting for one. I love high fantasy, particularly whimsical and that’s one of the reasons I’ve picked up some stuff recently for Arcworlde.
If I like the rules or the miniatures, that will get me to dive in deeper. Most of my miniatures see several different games so I’m not too fussed on how the official minis are for a game. Generally the game has to have a low skirmish models count and be fairly rules light and more in favour of story telling and scenario based rather than focused on competitive play.
Certainly an interesting topic.
HAPPY SUNDAY…..YEAH I WOULD BE ONE OF THE TEAM WHO IS ATTRACTED TO THE LOOK OF THE MINIS FIRST THEN THE RULES, BUT SAYING THAT I ONLY PLAY CERTAIN SETS OF RULES DUE TO ME BEING A SOLO GAMER SO I JUST BUY MY MINIS FOR THEM GAMES, BUT I DO LOVE MASSED RANKS WHEN IT COMES TO FANTASY.
Oh no. What a Thumbnail…
00:00 More enthusiasm!
02:00 cleaning rooms… naaah
07:00 Woof woof
09:30 For the hoard(er)!
16:45 Sounds of crickets
31:00 Fold it! Bend it!
33:15 MAW Moonstone!
36:30 ribbit!
40:00 Hairless pug OMG
41:00 And now we wait.
46:00 MattleBech!
50:45 He’s taking my soul!
54:00 Sand… it gets everywhere
57:45 I don’t want blood on my games!
1:03:00 Hills with googly eyes
1:04:00 The answer dear @brennon is zero. I just had some beer, whisky and chat. 8)
1:07:30 BIN?!
1:28:00 What draws me to a new game (or product for that matter)? Looks. If anything draws me in visually then I’ll take a second look. Or if someone who knows me recommends me stuff. Or if I stumble across a video/podcast that shows of something shiny.
Also Ben, #WhatAboutOurTrerrainChallenge ? 😉
I shall reveal all next week haha – got four buildings done, four fields and a bunch of fences. Trying to make forests but I’m a bit stuck at the moment
I agree with Lloyd that, as a casual player who doesn’t get time to play often, I’d rather the rules didn’t change. Unfortunately Saga isn’t an example of this as they issue a fairly major FAQ each year and some core mechanics can change markedly (Javelins for example). The battle boards for Age of Hannibal changed significantly and each board had things they needed to be printed out and stuck over the original version to ensure you are playing the “correct” version.
The push for change comes from communities of dedicated competative players. Clearly ones group can agree to freeze a rule set at a particular point where everyone is familiar, but our group has people who play more regularly against players from other groups and therefore need to be playing the current version.
Most of the time it’s a combo of Lore and Minis that get me into a game. Originally with 40k Rogue Trader, it was the lore for Space Wolves with gorgeous minis of warriors that were Viking barbarians in SPAAAAAAACE! They been kinda ruined in recent years. My Eldar are the same without being watered down. That’s why the army is so big.
Legion, it’s again the lore for the Separatists along with the awesome, awesome minis. Gotta get back to finishing new units for my project.
Crisis Protocol, I’m a Marvel nerd and the minis are awesome. Nuff said.
Dropfleet Commander, I joined the Kickstarter due to the look of the minis and the coverage you guys used to do on it.
Battletech, I’m a fan of Giant Stompy Robots, and the minis are gorgeous. Trying that out and I like the sound of House Davion’s lore and have still to explore the Clans.
Cheers,
Grim
What Attracts me To A Table top Game……….
The miniatures, or on the odd occasion a single mini. With me the game does not come in to it, i see a miniature or miniatures i liked the look of i then look in to the game and the background. If i like what i see i will invest in the game, if not then it`s forgotten about. Take Bloodbowl for instance, the first time i come across it was when i saw the Undead box set. Picked them up and later on got the box game, and i have never looked back.
Well, here’s my Holy Grail for a tabletop game! Obviously, not everyone’s looking for the same features.
* Uses my existing miniatures: Ends up being generic fantasy.
* Solo play: Give me time to interrupt the game and paint miniatures.
* Campaign narrative: Five Leagues from the Borderlands is as close as I’m getting.
* Magic: Sellswords and Spellslingers is looking good, although Fireballs dominate the game.
* Create your own units: Song of Gold and Darkness lets you create your own units, using a point system.
* AI: Sellswords and Spellslingers cheats (: by having Event cards throw bad guys from out of nowhere, so there’s no AI that you can outsmart.