Reply To: Too many games with miniatures in it?

[phaidknott 7023xp 1]

Not sure on that one, after all BattleTech looks fine with the minis and has a good visual aspect even though it’s played on a hex board.

I think it’s more of an issue over the past decade and the advent of the Kickstarter that many of these games designers seem to focus on the miniatures and world first, and the rules become more of an after thought.

BT has a GREAT set of rules (although many players these days might say they are too complex), and it’s the rules that have added to the longevity of the game over the “look” of the Mechs themselves. There’s been MANY mecha games come out over the years (some with better looking Mechs, take Dream Pod 9’s Heavy Gear for example), but for some reason BT still proves to be the main one.

I think it’s the drive to make rules “casual friendly” perhaps, or simple that removes all character from the game (indeed if you look at many of the historical skirmish level rules, you could use them for any period…just change the equipment).

It’s only when you get up beyond a skirmish level game where the period starts to affect things, Blackpowder and ACW for ranked volley fire, WW2 for the advent of massed tanks, Moderns for wider CinC elements and airpower. When you get up to operational level the changes in period and theatre become more evident and gives the rules more differential aspects from other sets of rules at the same operational level but covering different periods.

To me it’s all about the rules, the minis are nice but it’s the rules that have me playing a game again and again. Nice minis just means they go on a shelf or not. Rules means how often they come off that shelf and onto a table.