My bit of advice to a newbiew looking to get into wargames is to ask around the local game shops to find out what is being played. You can watch vidoes online about a cool game, buy, build, and paint an army only to find nobody nearby plays it. Which you can maybe fix by being a game ambassador, but is an extra barrier to entry that a new player probably isn't up to.
Not to mention, is it also being supported? GW especially is super guilty of putting out a lot of hype around new releases, and many people might buy in. They may soon quit after finding everything is almost always sold out till the items just quietly disappear from the website.
There are a lot of options for paper minis and terrain too. Free ones are kinda scattered online but paid content is available on places like wargamevault. The things available can be for all sorts of themes or rulesets.
Printable cardstock miniatures are a great way to inexpensively explore the hobby. If the OPR miniatures aren't to your taste, or you need figures they don't offer, there are several other excellent artists creating printable minis on both DriveThruRPG and Patreon.
Battletech is an incredibly scalable game from 1 on 1 duels to Interstellar campaigns The rules have more or less state the same since the 80s. And the learning curve is not too steep as the rules themselves are scalable. While catalyst game labs does make and sell plastic miniatures metal miniatures are also available. But the best thing about the game is that you don't need miniatures at all if you don't have any.
To bounce off of this, there's also Alpha Strike. It uses the same minis as BATTLETECH but is intended for larger scale battles so the rules are more streamlined.
I just saw new Battletech minis boxed sets at a local convention today, the vendor had 5 different sets with him. They're not painted, but you certainly can play the game with them that way if you decide to get involved. It surprised me because I remember Battletech from the late 1980s and I didn't know they were still going. I actually still have an old rule book from back then.
Battletech is still around? I apologize for my ignorance. I haven't gotten into actual table top wargamming yet. mostly novels and video games and honestly it was seeming like Battletech was about dead. I used to love that property and now Warhammer has replaced it, at least for lore and characters.
I have three tips. First, be goal oriented and start with small goals. It's a big hobby and not all aspects of it appeal to people the same. Find what you like and do that. Second, if your goal is to learn to paint, get a kit that is a basic squad of dudes. It's gonna be your garbage squad. Seriously, you're never gonna use them to game, they're for testing and learning how to play with the paint. Eat the cost, now you're painting with house money. I want to stress that word though so I'll say it again. Learn how to PLAY with the paint. You're doing it for fun, so have fun. It will be SOOOOO much easier to paint when you've figured out what the capabilities of the paint are. It's not JUST about your own talent, it's about what the paints can physically do as well. You want to find that out sooner rather than later. This leads directly into... Tip three, learn how to strip a model. You're going to mess up. You're going to be unhappy with a paint job. You're going to want to start over. Way better to get that out of the way up front than halfway through a project and decide to learn then. Or worse, to never learn and saddle yourself with being unable to fix a mistake or start over.
My wife and I recently got a 3d resin printer and didn't know about one-page rules. Both the rule sets and models seem like a great start for us! thank you for highlighting this!
I'm 40 and just getting into wargaming. While I've been on the periphery for a while (all the 40k videogames and books) I was never in a position to actually buy in as the models were crazy expensive and all the supplies to paint them / etc even more so. Plus I lacked a friend group that was interested in that sort of thing. 3d Printing has changed that for me. The hobby is finally within my price range and I love it. I found a local game shop that is friendly to OPR / 3d printed stuff and suddenly I have a reason to buy paints and brushes. It feels fantastic to finally be able to get into wargaming proper.
When I was a kid, a citadel miniature would cost £1.50 (maybe 99p, cant remember, so long ago) or something like that. I would walk down to the local toy shop each week and buy one miniature with my pocket money. I think the prices today are a disgrace, they're not even metal anymore.
@@StormcastMarine you’re forgetting the more important issue than inflation: wages in the US and UK have stagnated (moreso in the US). The dollar and pound are worth 8X less, but people are not making more to counterbalance that. People literally don’t have the money they used to have. It’s despicable what GW is doing.
Best advice I can give, though it may be obvious to us already in the hobby, is to see what games your friends would recommend! Any game where you already have a playgroup willing to help you get in to it will be a smoother on-ramp than solo
Best advice I could give: steer clear of 40K/Warhammer. What many players won’t tell you is that it’s a deeply unsatisfying game. So many better systems out there!
@@sirrathersplendid4825 This on its face is not especially good advice to someone brand new to war gaming. Largely because everyone has their own tastes. many new people might be fine with the idiosyncrasies and pit falls of games workshop games (they should absolutely be warned about them before they cannon ball into it). and as others discussed, if they don't have other friends to try out games with and and GW games are the only ones being played locally except on rare occasion, then maybe it is the what they should steer to until they get enough experience and contacts to be able to bonce to a different option.
@@iankirkland8245 - Well sure, the priority should always be play what your friends are willing to play. No point turning up to a store or club to find that no one wants to play with you! I wonder, though, how many people get put off by the ridiculous stupidity and overcomplexity of Warhammer? They spend three months painting up figures and the first time they’re deploy them on the table they don’t survive long enough even to return fire! How much more satisfying to play a rules system that is simple, actually works and is fun?
Historical rule sets have been in development for over 60 years, so they tend to produce a far more satisfying game than, say, 40K, which as a rule set is not driven by the player base but by a corporation that uses it to suck money from its punters.
For sure. Went back to historicals after 15 years playing 40K and later, AOS with my kid. Figures are typically a fraction of the cost of GW. A lot of the Victrix line is literally an army in a box for a lot of rulesets. Average ~$40 US.
Great video as always. As the resident middle aged gamer, I'm obliged to mention that Bolt Action from Warlord Games has excellent rules and a good value starter set. Also for historical skirmish games, companies such as Grey for Now games have great value starter sets with some of the best rulesets around. Both are also easy to play, and if you want 'lore' there's always history books, YT history videos and museums too!
Bolt Action is awesome, 40k looked expensive, and I like the historical aspect. They will be releasing the 3rd edition of rule book soon - the 2nd came out in 2015 maybe, so the meta doesn't change every month and they won't nerf your expensive army so you have to buy more 😅
You build two forces (skirmish games are easier for this, or course) and then convince friends, family, or whomever to try it out with you. Thanks for watching!
@@tabletopminions And the easiest and cheapest way to try them out is to make two forces using the printable 2D miniatures from OnePageRules, which are apparently now free, and made specifically to be used to represent the factions in the OPR games--although you could use them to play other games as well, of course.
I picked up all the books for Killteam 2018 for £10 off ebay, some I might not use as much as others but it's now a full self-enclosed game which isn't going to be messed about with balance pat patches etc and I can use random assortments of cool 40k or 40k proxy miniatures that I may have picked up because they're cool or maybe 3d print.
I miss that edition and wish they applied it's approach to Combat Patrol, where only sensible units could be taken for smaller games. Its also annoying that despite launching in 2021, we've only recently got Banshees for the current edition...
I just don't fancy modern killteam at all, it seems far too set in stone that you essentially just take a squad. I like warband creation so the older killteam format suits me far far more! If I want a devastator providing covering fire whilst a Terminator leads some assault marines into combat I should be able to do it.
One thing to add on the $5 rulebooks from OPR - the $5 tier of their Patreon gets you all of the main games for the same price, including the updates when they change the rules. Plus they have an early release for their paper minis as well as scenarios for their main games. (Their most recent scenarios included one where the two opposing forces are protecting each other - I am working that one into a narrative campaign.) That said, if you DO have a 3D printer, their $10 tier is insanely good.
I would have to include Mantic's Deadzone Starter Boxes as the perfect, value for money, place to start if a SciFi setting/game is what you're looking for. Great gameplay and no measuring tape required.
Seconded, deadzone is really easy to learn and the grid positioning system makes for well paced exciting games. In fact, every mantic game I have played so far has been excellently paced and exciting.
Osprey's series of wargaming rules is also a great place to start as well. They tend to be more historical focused, but there are sci-fi and fantasy rules as well. Xeno Rampant is a great, easy to play rule set for sci-fi and lets you port whatever figures you have into the system.
Have you talked about standees? There's games where you can use standees before committing to big plastic spending. Like the Multi-Award-Winning game Moonstone. Some games even go as far as flat tokens! (Side note it's a like colourful sparkle if I hit like)
Space Wierdos is the best. A fantastic rules light skirmish game with enough tactical depth to keep things interesting. It is model agnostic too so you can use whatever models you like. It has a great warband builder online and best of all it cost $5 on wargame vault. 5 stars
Adam, sir. You forgot to mention Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. GW's actual best rule set ;) Maybe not, but still, it is a great option for people who love the LOTR and Hobbit franchise, both books and movies and want to bring that experience to the table top. GW has made a great gaming system that is easy to learn, hard to master and plays well in both small scale skirmish style encounters as well as massive battles. One rule book to rule them all. Additionally, MESBG offers really great game play with the best terrain rules in wargaming IMO. Full disclosure, a lot of the GW sculpts are hard to find or often out of stock. But as you mentioned, 3D printing is alive and well. "And the Printing Goes Ever On" has a great collection of Middle-Earth inspired models that fit nicely into the existing model lineup. I know you like skirmish games. If you haven't explored MESBG, and for you, I'd say Battle Companies would be a great place to start. Maybe even do a video on what you think of the game? Thank you again for all your great content. :D
I’d like to quickly shout out a tabletop game that is inexpensive to get into but doesn’t get mentioned much on this channel: BattleTech You can pick up The Game of Armored Combat Box Set and have everything you need for long time. Lots of nice plastic minis & extra standees, maps, dice, the rule book, etc. Great value.
Buying a board game like zombicide is a great way to get a large quantity of higher quality minis to practice painting. The price per mini is excellent and the box is easy to obtain with no assembly
My advice for people thinking about getting into this hobby? DON’T! For god’s sake, save your money, invest wisely, retire early! I’m 66 and working a part time job to support my addiction to tiny plastic soldiers. It’s too late for me, but you can still save yourself! When you see that Warhammer sign... turn and run. That way leads to financial ruin!
@danacoleman4007 I had a holiday from wargaming where I played once a year and painted for a few weeks before it. Then a holiday when WHFB was Squatted (when GW kill something then bring it back cos they realise your wallet closed). Now I have got my kids into Necromunda and I'm planning on playing some Linehammer vs Dragonhammer. I know you were probably mostly kidding, but wargaming is fun as long as you have the ability to stop playing and do other stuff. My key advice is "Don't let wargaming be your ONLY hobby".
Or or..... maybe you could develop self control at a reasonable age and get financially stable for your situations and then you'd have no issues with the passions you have.... but I could be wrong too.. 🙃
You don’t have to buy Warhammer to be a wargamer. There are dozens of cheaper options out there. I’ve been a wargamer my entire long life and never bought a single GW model! Buy second hand; go to thrift stores; play historical and skirmish games!
I liked your Innsmouth U shirt so much I tracked it down and bought one for myself. And then I also treated myself to a lovely Pa-Chow! shirt because how could I not?
Great video, really appreciate the good work your doing to bring people to the table (literally). Personally, despite being a 40k fan boy since '87, I tend to direct people away from GW to start, simply because its the most expensive way to get into wargames and that puts them off once the initial hook buzz wears off. Mantic, Warlord Games, One Page Rules, all great options. If you START with the idea in your head that "everything comes from one company and this is expensive" it's very off putting, but if you start with "I can buy what I want from where I want and budget how I choose to" you are more likely to stick arround BUT it CAN be overwhelming at the same time!
Like stompy robots? BattleTech starter box is $60. Comes with 13 unpainted units and everything you need to play right out of the box hour 1. There are two tiers of starter boxes even cheaper and still contains everything you need to go from square one. In depth lore and universe info all free online. 40 years of heavy metal mayhem baby.
Battletech. It's a pretty good gateway for beginners, prices to get started range between $20-$80, the rules are hyper modular so you can start with super simple rules (a fan even made a 12 page rulebook for beginners) or play with every possible rule for mass galactic conquest, minis are preassembled but there are options for you to build as well, and the lore is extensive and varied which lends itself well to players coming from RPG backgrounds, and if you're concerned about all this taking up space then you can rest easy because the hex maps that come with it take up a small footprint and when you're done it all can fit back in the box!
Go straight for two most fun, accessible versions of historical wargaming out there - What A Cowboy & What A Tanker, by Two Fat Lardies, using 28mm mins from a variety of sources
The Lardies are great. Flames of War 15mm tanks are great for Tanker. And if you want a great WW2 platoon level rule set check out Chain of Command. A much better club/casual ruleset than Bolt Action.
@@danitenotes Yes, they’re great - none other so subtle and inventive without being too mechanical, too tricksy. I just like 28s myself, the painting of them, and the way they count as individuals somehow, especially for skirmish games. I only mentioned those two sets ‘cos they are such fun, I think they would encourage beginners, and C of C is really quite a deep dive. Am thankful that I began in the era of Don Featherstone and Charles Grant, ideal to begin with, but now we have all these wonders of rules, and mins …..
If I were staying in 2024, I'd stop immediately, or go 100% 3d printing. The cost of almost everything is ridiculous. $0.56 of plastic goes for $170. No thank you.
I am getting away from WM40k/WHF I have not played in a long time BUT the OPR sounds like a way I can use my old armies. Keep up the good work you do Sir.
One Page Rules is 100% a fantastic way to start. I also really like Relicblade by Metal King Studios. Super characterful sculpts, a really simple and fun ruleset, low model count (4-5 models per side) and a 2 foot by 2 foot play area. And anybody coming from RPGs finds a lot of familiar things to like combined with new things to explore. Thanks for the vidya Uncle Atom
Thanks for this! Really been loving all the info I've found online since coming back to the hobby. I appreciate that your channel isn't just about painting/making minis, but also being inspired to work on things and ways to get into the hobby at a good pace. Been trying to take your advice of not buying tons of minis and resisting the urge to Necron all over the place lol. But I have spent a decent amount on paints (curse you army painter speed paints and certain technical paints from Citadel and AK terrain paints for being so fun) and some tools (but feel at least those are good long-term investments) as well as some DnD minis to practice and get better with (found a sweet box on Amazon with 36 various DnD type minis for $30). Definitely going to hit up the stuff you talked about here! Thanks again Atom :)
If someone is coming into wargaming from TTRPGs, especially D&D, I'd recommend starting out with Frostgrave and/or Rangers of Shadowdeep. Both games are by the same author, and use essentially the same mechanics. Frostgrave pits players against one another in skirmishes between 10-figure warbands, while Rangers is a solo or cooperative game with a strong roleplay/campaign aspect. Both games are model agnostic, and can be played with your existing D&D figure collection. If you've been playing D&D without miniatures, you can use the inexpensive WizKids models made for D&D, as well as the excellent and very reasonably-priced Frostgrave miniatures from North Star Miniatures. And of course you can play either game with 3D printed miniatures as well. The rules for creating warbands in both games are specific about the equipment each figure carries, but vague about what species the figures represent, so you can make your warband all human, all dwarves or elves, or whatever floats your boat. I played Frostgrave a couple of weeks ago against a warband made up of GW Skaven (ratmen). Bottom line, Frostgrave and Rangers of Shadowdeep are both excellent bridge games to help a TTRPG player move into wargaming with minimal stress over rules, play styles, or miniatures.
Id have to disagree on the 3D printing. I print a lot of resin stuff for myself and unless you are going to do it yourself or you know someone who is going to charge you close to cost, then buying 3D printed models online tends to be way more expensive per model than buying even a gw plastic box
And if you're doing it yourself, prepare for frustration. Even pre supported minis fail at a rate that is too damn high, wasting both time and money. People act like 3d printing is going to be the end of plastic minis. It won't be. It's like claiming home depot will be the end of professional craftsmen.
I've been buying 3d printed models off etsy for Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game and they are way cheaper than buying from GW. I buy printed Trolls for 15 bucks that GW charges 50 for. Maybe 40k proxies are more expensive but I see stuff that would be a proxy for the fantasy rules and they aren't 60-80 bucks for a few models.
@@DanielKling Sure, though I have friends who print a lot and are not having all kinds of issues. But the printers are just going to get better and better.
I’ve not found that to be true - there are plenty of single figures on Only Games that are less then ten dollars. GW hasn’t sold a single figure at that price in YEARS. Thanks for watching!
A couple of my friends are thinking about getting back into tabletop miniature games so I’m trying to convince them to try out Forbidden Psalm (as opposed to them getting back into 40k 🤢). FP is a pretty simple game with a good bit of grim humour and it’s miniature agnostic. Need very little to actually get into the game as you can proxy the enemies and your warbands are only 5 models. My favourite game of recent years (coming from a 30+ years hobby veteran and I played 40k for over 20 years).
Me and my buddies played x-wing for about 5-6 years and most of us got out of it right before the pandemic. We still reminisce about those days and wish there was something like that today. The biggest upside was we didn't have to build or paint them. Now that the game is officially dead, what other types of miniature games would you suggest might fill that hole where there's little to none building and painting?
OPR is really great. I started for the kids, I wasn't a wargamer, but now I've got printers, miniatures, and paints everywhere. Very relaxing hobby and Speed Paints are great for the less skilled.
I think a cool follow up video would be "what kind of gamer will you be?" Now that you've got some models and you've played a game how will you interact with the hobby? Will you be a tournament player? A pick-up game player? A narrative player? What scale will you play in regards to warband size or in regards to physical figure scale? What do these terms mean? What games fit well into these categories?
From my experience, the most important step is finding a club or group of friends who you like gaming with. Your hobby time is precious. Spend it with gamers who's company you enjoy. The game system is secondary.
I like heroscape. The old version comes with painted minis and interlocking hextiles to build different kinds of maps. The rules are also extremely light and comprehensible but still have enough depht to keep you engaged
Check if you can afford the hobby before doing ANYTHING. Then check if what game you like is actualy played where you live , assuming you want to play.
I started years ago with Frostgrave and D&D and board game minis. Now with 3D printing the possibilities are nearly endless for minis. The "sad" thing is that I ended playing Warhammer (both AoS and 40K) because all my friends and other groups in nearby town played Warhammer so it was easier to find players. But I still wish we would play some of those indie skirmish games that are less "crunchy" and more casual. At least Warcry does that for me and I also think it is the best ruleset from GW.
Check out their Mordheim or Necromunda 1E rules. Mordheim was the best thing GW ever made. Warcry is a solid ruleset. It actually inspired me to finish building the 2000 pts Slaves to Darkness army as well as my 2000 pts Stormcast Eternal Sacrosanct chamber army.
I played Battletech video game and it looks fun....but it seems to me the miniature rules are too complicated. And I'd like to try Mordheim, everyone who tried it says it is the best. Maybe I'll convince my friends to play some of those games.
I love D&D and have started a a little hoard of terrain and miniatures that I create/paint. Wargaming is something that I have wanted to get into but have not really had a lot of luck. I bought 5 factions for an Oop wargame to host games for my friends and it always fell through. That sucked. There are a few stores that are like 45 minutes away but they are very Warhammer heavy.
Splintered light miniaturea does 15mm D&D compatible minis (orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls). For rules, try either AD&D 2E battle system or its cousin Skirmish - both give a workable rules. You will need army lists though so you'll have to draw on your D&D campaign.
I think painting puts me off quite a lot with having a family now and other various adult responsibility things that sap my time. I love tabletop so find myself drawn to ready made painted games. Got very into x-wing and attack wing for that reason. Simply set up and play. Love your videos man, thank you for the insights - some very useful stuff here, as always.
Just finished my first proxy game of Grimdark Future Firefight ( just a bunch of 15mm cardboard circles with names on a 2x2) and i had fun yet i feel like wargaming is not for me mostly because here in Puerto Rico theres not many places to play( i still enjoy watching battle Reports tho...)
players.. friends, and good habits. Each time I play a game, it gave me purpose on the next hobby session. Even if 80% of my time spent tabletop gaming is the "'hobby" side. Each game motivate my next painting session.
I think a good bit of beginner advice is: wargaming is at its heart, a social hobby (unless you go the solo-gaming only route). So find local players/playing locations, or friends interested in gaming and see what common interests you have. You're more likely to get something off the ground of you're not the only one carrying the torch.
Godtear. If I was starting wargaming in 2024 I would be looking at Godtear. Choice and interest are massive factors though, and as others have said, depending on what your friends/FLGS are playing and what your interests are (medieval, fantasy, sci-fi, modern warfare, ect.) then you are spoilt for choice.
I love your advice about 3d printing. Definitely the best route to go price-wise. However, the whole reason I got into Warhammer 40k in the first place was because I discovered Kit-bashing videos on TH-cam and went down a rabbit hole. Kit-bashing touches that tinkerer/creative itch for me in a way that 3d printing doesn't. And, depending on where you get your bits and pieces, can also be an affordable way to create miniatures. But if scrounging through garage sales, thrift stores, and the Dollar Tree for toys and other items that you can use to cobble together a figure or craft or weapon, then definitely give 3d printing a try. Or try both. Why not?
The games I would recommend for a new player for fantasy are frostgrave oathmark and warcry for sci-fi based games I would recommend infinity x-wing and the one page rules for 40k. stargrave is also ok but it's not as balanced as it's frostgrave counterpart. Also anyone getting into RPG games I would highly recommend castles and crusades
You covered this topic well. Start small, play often, grow your collection with the energy and excitement that you get from being with friends at the table. Thx!
For people looking at AoS, i would recommend the Harbinger set. Comes with 400 points worth of Stormcast Vs Orruks, a Mat, set of the core rules, set of die. All the basics. You can also combine it with the smaller 'Warrior' set for 600 point armies. Definitely the most approachable jumping off point for AoS at the moment. Though 4th edition will likely bring some revisions soon.
@@tabletopminions- Well, to my mind there is only one main genre - historical - and then comes all the rest, namely all the made-up stuff: chiefly sci-fi and fantasy. All tabletop gaming sprang out of historical, which was and still is the granddaddy of it all.
Interesting, from the title I thought this was going to be about counter(chit) based wargames but this is more on the minis side of wargames; good to hear about that too. If you can find a game that has everything in the box, that would be the easiest to start. The 1-page rules + buying a small set of minis also sounds like a good place to start. Getting a 3D printer sounds like the next level. Painting can be time-consuming. For War of the Ring (200 pieces) it took me a month. More manageable if you start with a small set. When picking a game, I also consider my gaming group as to what can actually make it to the table.
100% agree with the Warcry recommendation. Its also nice in that if want to do various types of models you can purchase very few of them and do lots of different types that you can field for a game.
There are some amazing printed figures around of figures that aren't even available from the big companies. Space ratmen are a typical case, i love these figures but GW never have made them sadly.
Magic word in all of this: Proxy. Every mini on the table is a token to represent a unit/model in the rules. Helps bells, you could use dollar store army men to represent terminators if your just getting started.
I did this and got married twice. Also divorced twice. Learn from me and the majority of men today. Don't follow your heart, follow uncle Adam! More hobbies is a good thing!😂 but, yes I do follow my heart now. Live on the beach and ride motorcycles
I did this and got married twice. Also divorced twice. Learn from me and the majority of men today. Don't follow your heart, follow uncle Adam! More hobbies is a good thing!😂 but, yes I do follow my heart now. Live on the beach and ride motorcycles
A Song of Ice and Fire is a decent way to go. The starter sets come with an army large enough you don't need anything else and the plastic is pre-colored which is sufficient for folks who don't want to get into painting right away. You can have fun with starter vs starter and if you can find a lannister vs stark box, it's usually cheaper than a regular starter and it plays great by itself. Since everything comes with cards, you can play with the rules and points as is and not worry about keeping up with the current state unless you want to.
Excellent video detailing starting options for new/returning players. There are a lot of great options for miniatures and rule sets out there these days and having a good starting point for research will help those not familiar with the current gaming landscape.
There is also the books by Osprey that covers historical periods (skirmish to platoon to big battle designs), but also fantasy and sci-fi. Design tend to be towards the streamlined and simple spectrum (but not all designs), but IMHO there are some excellent designs from the Rampant series, to Frostgrave designs to games like Gaslands. I would also say you basically need to chose between GW and not-GW. You might have more people to play GW games with in your area. Generally speaking, it is expensive, have mostly poor designs and organised play can be very competively orientated. I have left the GW universe (had three big Aos and 40k armies) and have never looked back. Not only do other systems offer more streamlined, innovative and fun designs (from Atomic Mass Games, to Warlord to Mantic, to Last Argument of Kings, Malifaux and ASOIF) but the whole world of indie games, affordable historicals etc open up - allowing you to play multiple systems and have different experiences - for less than it takes to have a competitive GW army. Some of this works great with 3D printing as well. To give you an idea, I just finished painting my 3D printed crew for Silver Bayonet (gothic horror Napoleonics skirmish game - how cool is that - wait till you see the models!), this is after I played a cool cowboy game (we still deciding between three rulesets - all easy to get free) and finished my Confederate Army for some skirmish Rebels & Patriots (rampant systems) - but also works with Sharp Practice (another popular skirmish Black Powder era system) and Muskets and Tomahawks. In between I also played two Saga days with my Anglo-Danes made out of 2 boxes of minis that cost less than it is going to cost you to buy 20 Space Marines...I have Bolt Action armies, which cost so cheap and the meta barely changes, including rulesets, which makes it a great beer & pretzel game to pickup when I feel like some WW2 fun - no anxiety about keeping up, competing and buying more for any of these systems. Legion and Shatterpoint come the closest to GW - but again, it is way slower release schedule, slower meta and much cheaper to play competitively.
Have you seen the newly announced Spearhead boxes for AOS? looks like they are preparing for those Combat Patrol equivalents ahead of 4th edition already!
I think we all thought the same about Vanguard, and again with Dawnbringers (but maybe that was more similar to Boarding Patrol and the Arks of Omens?). After seeing the popularity of CP in 40k, seems silly to ignore something similar in AoS.
My advice would be to get pre-assembled miniatures you don’t have to GLUE as much! My first minis, unfortunately, were Deus Vult minis from Fireforge Games, and, let me tell you, if you’re just starting, the gluing can be pretty frustrating. So I would advise someone to get, say, any of the units from Joseph McCullough’s the Silver Bayonet. Otherwise, Warlord Games has some EXCELLENT French and Indian War minis. The thing is, Napoleonics feature some of the fanciest uniforms in history, so if you don’t feel up to starting with that, start with Warlord Games’ French and Indian War line. They, like North Star’s Silver Bayonet line, are pre-assembled metal minis. Also, if you’re nervous about painting them, and messing them up, my advice would be to start by painting your minis all one color. I painted Fireforge’s Foot Knights box for Deus Vult gold, painted their Templar Infantry white, and Warlord Games’ Imperial Roman Veterans red. And, once you feel comfortable enough with painting, don’t try wet blending, or washes, or edge highlighting right away: just prime your minis and put a nice base coat on them, and get to the other stuff once you feel comfortable. This is a FUN hobby, and I would very much like to see more people enter it. So, give Uncle Atom’s tips a try, as well as my own, if you’re so inclined! 😁
Hi Adam, I think you missed some genres that might appeal to people other than sci-fi, and fantasy. - There's sports based (Blood Bowl, Dreadball, and possibly a resurging Guild Ball for skirmish level sports that have small mini counts. - Also "modern" or alternate modern history like Team Yankee or Bolt Action. - Finally there are major licensed IPs like Marvel or Star Wars. Getting people into the hobby can work well if you find a game that already meets their interests.
I just got started with Warhammer 40K over the holidays after lookig from afar for about 2 decades, and I started with the Introductory Box (comes with 5 Space Marines, 11 Tyranids, some paint, a brush, and little intro book) as well as an Army Painter intro set (paints, glue, snips, etc.). There was some overlap between the 2 boxes, but it was a good jumping off point. However, I just managed to get my hands on a Kill Team: Salvation box, which I think if I had to go back, I would've rather had started with than the intro box. The price isn't too outrageous (and 10% less at my local hobby shop), and having the models as well as a full-on game that can be played with them seems like an ideal place to start. The Intro Box I got has instructions for a little game with the minis it came with, too, but it doesn't seem nearly as comprehensive as the Kill Team game. Other than that, I've been definitely going with the build an army piece by piece, route. As for 3D printing, I'm really kinda on the fence about it. Apart from the cost, set-up, noxious fumes/chemicals, etc., one of the things that really interested me in this hobby was also the modeling side of it and not just the painting and game side of it. And I get the impression that 3D painting is more for the painting enthusiast than the model enthusiast (but I could be completely wrong on this). I can see the value of having something that can print extra pieces or custom bits *for* models, but that by itself doesn't justify a 3D printer to me. I'd rather keep practicing and experimenting with green stuff/epoxy sculpting.
If you want to get into war gaming, find what your local gaming groups are doing. Visit with them during a play session and get a view of the expieriance. When you decide to take the plunge and invest some of that hard earned green stuff, start small with a rules set for a game your interested in and maybe some literary fluff about the world it takes place in. Miniatures are not even needed in the beginning but when you do take that miniature plunge, expect to invest in more products to support it. Keep everything budget friendly and over time meaning years, you will have lots of miniature games with various rules to play, tons of minis, terrain, maps, ect, and most importantly friends that you enjoy spending time with.
I would get into Pulp Alley. It's the most fun set of rules I've played in 30+ years. And one doesn't need to paint masses of figures. Beyond that, maybe a WW1 naval wargame like Fleet Action Imminent. I use laser cut MDF buildings and ships, and some diecast or plastic toys.
Good stuff. Staying away from GW is the best idea. Saw they are now shorting retailers as policy now. Why does GW get to steal stuff from everyone, but if someone gets close to them every one defends GW? Never understood that. As for getting into wargames now, first decide on the Setting and Size of Forces. This will lead to what minis you need an how many. For those cresting 40, and WWII is starting to cause an itch, Too Fat Lardies Chain of Command, using Flame of War Minis. Great scale, good rules that help show non perfect command. Has the best setup phase of any game I have played. If you want a Massive Army with fliers, naval, tanks, infantry and all else? Polyversal 1/300 or so, SciFi game. Has very easy to use and versatile Unit Builder, so you can use any mini you want. Old Epic stuff, New Mantic stuff, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 15mm, what you will, I like it at 6mm -10mm it allows full armies to fight. Good one Dice roll system similar to the old Silent Death. Fantasy has lots to offer, main one is Rank and File, or Skirmish. AoS from GW looks Ok, yet it is up for the 3 year scrap it all again so would avoid. Old World is well, I think a money grab as the models are way to costly for 20 year old sculpts, I suspect releases will be less than 2 a year after 2024. One Page Rules is fine. Hobgoblin looks to have a bit more meat to it, worth looking at. For 28-3Xmm SciFi, every few years they gain a bit more but I think most are just under 40mm now. Price and Policy makes me say no to GW. Ravaged Star is in development atm. Has some solid ideas, rules are up to test, they are making changes based on those testing. These rules when ready can be played with their mini line as well. Fast paced yet not simple, and rules cause some exciting moments to occur. Again One Page Rules covers this. Plus there are at least another 1000 other rule sets to look at. Wild West, Weird Wild West, Steampunk Wild West, Wild West in Space, Fantasy Wild West, Post Apoc Wild West. To give the idea. Fuzzy Heroes is a great "mini" war game for kids to play with adultish folks. It uses the stuffed animals they have, stats are based on number of pointy bits, color, size and so on. Teaches a little math, measuring, control (rolling dice), counting and so on. Also a fun little game. If there is a setting you want to play in, someone has written or adapted a rule set for it.
Loved your video thank you for informing me of so many different things I never knew and also I found out that my best way of being able to do World War II miniature tabletop wargaming is by just getting regular plastic army men from like when you got when you were a child and just painting them it's like a fraction of the price and you get so much more and so much variety and my best websites to get them or Amazon and BMC toys❤
From a general perspective, historical games are going to get you the most bang for your buck.... An m3 tank is an m3 tank, and a French hussar from the Napoleonic wars is a French Hussar... so the minature prices have to stay down because of competition... also, their are tons or rules for any given period... and lots of fun doing research. If you want something more scifi, I agree with the notion of Battletech... or for a cost perspective there is Mobile Frame Zero... it stays relatively affordable because it's conceit is that you make mechs out of legos or similar building blocks and then fight them.
This was great. I can see where a gameshop could own some 3d printers and print out units to a couple of miniatures systems, whatever is popular, and run events for it.
I would suggest the Rampant series from Osprey. One of the appeals of Whammer etc is the rules are similar to each other so you can easily learn. The same goes for the Rampant series but they are miniature agnostic and have a great system for fielding any models you like.
I always wanted to play WH40k as a child but couldn’t because we had no money for that. Fast forward to 2023 my friends and I realized we’re adults (in our 30s)and can buy stuff. We decided to get into war gaming. Went to a warhammer store and they explained to us how to play but it seemed SO overwhelming for a beginner. Lost hope. Then was introduced to OPR and have been hooked for a year now. Now im interested in revisiting WH so I reread the rules and it’s not as overwhelming as the first time.
Dan Carlin is the reason I’m here. This is the first piece of media I’ve listened/ read on wargaming. I’m sure everyone else has noticed but this dude needs to narrate audiobooks. Silky smooth voice
So many great rulesets both simple and complex with a plethora of amazing model companies that sell both box sets and individual models I don't understand why there are any but a few conversations about GW.
The last part you said, about there being other valid options to use instead is the only one that made me pause and consider not downloading stl, appealing to me through gamesworkshop not wanting me to fell on deaf ears. The artist thing I don't know games workshop's not paying them basic per model they create, but the fact that I can find model similar but not quite the same and all it takes is a tiny bit of extra work is enough reason to not use them
Great Video! I think a person new to tabletop miniature gaming needs to look for a game that appeals to their interests. That could be a game derived from a book, a movie, a TV show, or something else entirely. If you already have a friend or two who shares that interest, then all the better. And if you have local hobby or game store that has game tables and an existing group that plays games like the ones you like, that's an added bonus - one that will keep you working on getting your miniatures ready for the tabletop. It also helps to have kindred spirits to bounce your ideas off of, and to get their input, as you do the same for them. I doubt that I would have improved my hobby skills working on my own, and learning about all of the different products being made around the world is so much easier if you aren't doing it all alone! Two companies that I would add to the list of plastic kit manufacturers would be Fireforge Games and Renedra Ltd. Great stuff from both of these companies over the past few years, Fireforge for miniatures, and Renedra for terrain.
i just want to say, as a hex and counter player that loves watching others playing miniature games, boy do i feel your pain, guys... i mean, some boxes have become quite absurdly expensive *for us* these days (the divine right rerelease for 90bucks already was a shock, but burning banners for 120? get outta here!), i shudder to imagine what i'd need to go through to build a 40k army... and i don't paint, either, i'd need someone to do it for me :P
For me, the first thing I’d recommend is finding your local club or meetup space and see what they are playing. There’s few things more frustrating than getting all hyped up for a game, buying everything you need, getting it table ready, then finding out that nobody really plays it or that you don’t enjoy playing with the ones who do. For fantasy style games keep an eye out for a group that plays something like the A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures Game. Due to the popular IP you’re more likely to have a diverse group of players and talking about the books and/or show with them will be fun too. There is a Tactics game, skirmish style, that is coming out later this year with any luck which gives you two games for the same figures. The figures are also great for One Page Rules, SAGA: Age of Magic, and fantasy RPGs like D&D. Lastly, you don’t need to build the minis, or even paint them, before you start playing games with them. Everything comes pre assembled and in color coded plastic. So the barrier of entry is very low. Just read the short rulebook, open the card decks, and you are set. For Sci-Fi wargames I’d keep an eye out for a group of Battletech players. Minis come pre-assembled in plastic, and you don’t need many of them, so the barrier of entry is extremely low. But there is plenty of room to grow your collection and play style as you get more used to the game. The lore is older and, in my opinion, richer than GW’s lore. You can play Classic for an extremely low model count game that is high on strategy. Or, you can play Alpha Strike for a higher model count and lower levels of granularity.
Forgot to mention that the Tactics game for ASoIaF is bringing in House of Dragons material with is so you’ll get those people on board as well when it officially releases.
For historical games the two I’d keen an eye out for would be Flames of war. Their starter sets are phenomenal! Keeping to 15mm keep an eye on Warlord Game’s Epic Battles. They have American Civil War, Napoleonics, and Pike and Shotte. Rumor has it that a 15mm Hail Caesar is on the way this year as well. If you want historical and 28mm then Bolt Action is great in and of itself. Konflict 47 uses the same minis and similar rules to play semi-futuristic games of super science verses monsters. Think zombie Nazis vs jet pack paratroopers. The minis can also be easily used for One Page Rules Grimdark Future if you want to try something different later.
I have to shout out War Council free app for ASOIAF miniature game. List building super easy and you can download a pdf with all the unit stats to play with. Also the game itself super accessible, $100 for a starter and often over 50 models.
Two things come to mind when it comes to drawing in and retaining newcomers in tabletop wargaming: community and spectacle. Community Just by the very nature of a tabletop miniatures game, there is a big social element to the hobby if you intend on playing, be it competitive, casual, or somewhere in between. Whilst it's easy to say "pick up [insert warband skirmish game here] to start", that won't do you any good if there's no one to play that particular game with. For my own part, I likely wouldn't have gotten into Blood & Plunder, SPQR, Black Seas, Victory at Sea, or even Star Wars Legion if not for other people expressing similar interest in playing. Spectacle With the plethora of tabletop miniatures games out there, ranging from the Bronze Age to the far future and a myriad of time periods and beloved IPs in between, you're practically spoiled for choice at this point. If there's a particular setting that appeals to you, there's likely a tabletop game for it, and that alone may be enough to invite friends over to play and get them started in kind (calling back to what I said regarding community). Star Wars is always an easy one to point to (what with Shatterpoint, Legion, X-Wing, and Armada), but you can also look at Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Pirates, Westerns, Napoleonic era, and the World Wars among others.
Step 1: Find a friend who is willing to start with you. Even better, find a group of friends who are willing to start with you. Decide on a game and then support and encourage each other.
As a stingy hobbyist who’s amassed a huge collection for very cheap, i can recommend playing games in smaller scales. There is an absolute wealth of indie games that work in most scales, and the price difference from 15mm minis and 28mm is immense
My bit of advice to a newbiew looking to get into wargames is to ask around the local game shops to find out what is being played. You can watch vidoes online about a cool game, buy, build, and paint an army only to find nobody nearby plays it. Which you can maybe fix by being a game ambassador, but is an extra barrier to entry that a new player probably isn't up to.
An *excellent* point.
Buy 2 armies and recruit players
@@mikebaker6804 or make your own players aka kids
Not to mention, is it also being supported? GW especially is super guilty of putting out a lot of hype around new releases, and many people might buy in. They may soon quit after finding everything is almost always sold out till the items just quietly disappear from the website.
@3Xero3 GW is great at making aspiring gamers. People who buy a bunch, plan a bunch, maybe even paint a bit... but never play 😔
OPR have recently made all of their paper mini army bundles free for all. What a great way to get people into this hobby.
Which is an amazing move from the guy who made the best ruleset
Yep the paper minis are a great easy way to try minis gaming, as long as you have a way to print them!
There are a lot of options for paper minis and terrain too. Free ones are kinda scattered online but paid content is available on places like wargamevault. The things available can be for all sorts of themes or rulesets.
Printable cardstock miniatures are a great way to inexpensively explore the hobby. If the OPR miniatures aren't to your taste, or you need figures they don't offer, there are several other excellent artists creating printable minis on both DriveThruRPG and Patreon.
I'm trying to push as many people to OPR as possible. I'm in love with it, just need to recruit people to play with you!
Battletech is an incredibly scalable game from 1 on 1 duels to Interstellar campaigns
The rules have more or less state the same since the 80s. And the learning curve is not too steep as the rules themselves are scalable. While catalyst game labs does make and sell plastic miniatures metal miniatures are also available. But the best thing about the game is that you don't need miniatures at all if you don't have any.
To bounce off of this, there's also Alpha Strike. It uses the same minis as BATTLETECH but is intended for larger scale battles so the rules are more streamlined.
I absolutely love Battletech and have been considering getting into the wargame after buying a couple books from DriveThruRPG on the RPG system!
I just saw new Battletech minis boxed sets at a local convention today, the vendor had 5 different sets with him. They're not painted, but you certainly can play the game with them that way if you decide to get involved.
It surprised me because I remember Battletech from the late 1980s and I didn't know they were still going. I actually still have an old rule book from back then.
In 2024, I would go straight to Battletech.
Battletech is still around? I apologize for my ignorance. I haven't gotten into actual table top wargamming yet. mostly novels and video games and honestly it was seeming like Battletech was about dead. I used to love that property and now Warhammer has replaced it, at least for lore and characters.
I have three tips.
First, be goal oriented and start with small goals. It's a big hobby and not all aspects of it appeal to people the same. Find what you like and do that.
Second, if your goal is to learn to paint, get a kit that is a basic squad of dudes. It's gonna be your garbage squad. Seriously, you're never gonna use them to game, they're for testing and learning how to play with the paint. Eat the cost, now you're painting with house money. I want to stress that word though so I'll say it again. Learn how to PLAY with the paint. You're doing it for fun, so have fun. It will be SOOOOO much easier to paint when you've figured out what the capabilities of the paint are. It's not JUST about your own talent, it's about what the paints can physically do as well. You want to find that out sooner rather than later. This leads directly into...
Tip three, learn how to strip a model. You're going to mess up. You're going to be unhappy with a paint job. You're going to want to start over. Way better to get that out of the way up front than halfway through a project and decide to learn then. Or worse, to never learn and saddle yourself with being unable to fix a mistake or start over.
Start small is definitely the best piece of advice one can get. It’s going to be overwhelming otherwise.
My wife and I recently got a 3d resin printer and didn't know about one-page rules. Both the rule sets and models seem like a great start for us! thank you for highlighting this!
I'm 40 and just getting into wargaming. While I've been on the periphery for a while (all the 40k videogames and books) I was never in a position to actually buy in as the models were crazy expensive and all the supplies to paint them / etc even more so. Plus I lacked a friend group that was interested in that sort of thing.
3d Printing has changed that for me. The hobby is finally within my price range and I love it. I found a local game shop that is friendly to OPR / 3d printed stuff and suddenly I have a reason to buy paints and brushes. It feels fantastic to finally be able to get into wargaming proper.
When I was a kid, a citadel miniature would cost £1.50 (maybe 99p, cant remember, so long ago) or something like that. I would walk down to the local toy shop each week and buy one miniature with my pocket money. I think the prices today are a disgrace, they're not even metal anymore.
@@RoastLambShanks £1.50 in 1980 is worth £8.06 today. A box of 10 infiltrators today is £37.50, £3.75 each.
And thank F they are not metal anymore.
@@StormcastMarine you’re forgetting the more important issue than inflation: wages in the US and UK have stagnated (moreso in the US). The dollar and pound are worth 8X less, but people are not making more to counterbalance that. People literally don’t have the money they used to have. It’s despicable what GW is doing.
Best advice I can give, though it may be obvious to us already in the hobby, is to see what games your friends would recommend! Any game where you already have a playgroup willing to help you get in to it will be a smoother on-ramp than solo
Especially if they can run you through a couple of games before you buy any models. Just because lots of people play it, doesn't mean you'll enjoy it.
Best advice I could give: steer clear of 40K/Warhammer.
What many players won’t tell you is that it’s a deeply unsatisfying game. So many better systems out there!
@@sirrathersplendid4825 This on its face is not especially good advice to someone brand new to war gaming. Largely because everyone has their own tastes. many new people might be fine with the idiosyncrasies and pit falls of games workshop games (they should absolutely be warned about them before they cannon ball into it). and as others discussed, if they don't have other friends to try out games with and and GW games are the only ones being played locally except on rare occasion, then maybe it is the what they should steer to until they get enough experience and contacts to be able to bonce to a different option.
@@iankirkland8245 - Well sure, the priority should always be play what your friends are willing to play. No point turning up to a store or club to find that no one wants to play with you!
I wonder, though, how many people get put off by the ridiculous stupidity and overcomplexity of Warhammer? They spend three months painting up figures and the first time they’re deploy them on the table they don’t survive long enough even to return fire! How much more satisfying to play a rules system that is simple, actually works and is fun?
If I was getting into wargaming today, I'd tell myself to stick with Historicals. You don't have a figure limitation by manufacturer.
Historical rule sets have been in development for over 60 years, so they tend to produce a far more satisfying game than, say, 40K, which as a rule set is not driven by the player base but by a corporation that uses it to suck money from its punters.
For sure. Went back to historicals after 15 years playing 40K and later, AOS with my kid. Figures are typically a fraction of the cost of GW. A lot of the Victrix line is literally an army in a box for a lot of rulesets. Average ~$40 US.
What would you recommend?
@@jameshill8493 what history period do you like best?
@@jefferyzimmerman6892 bro are there cool Rome ones!?
Great video as always. As the resident middle aged gamer, I'm obliged to mention that Bolt Action from Warlord Games has excellent rules and a good value starter set. Also for historical skirmish games, companies such as Grey for Now games have great value starter sets with some of the best rulesets around. Both are also easy to play, and if you want 'lore' there's always history books, YT history videos and museums too!
Bolt Action is awesome, 40k looked expensive, and I like the historical aspect. They will be releasing the 3rd edition of rule book soon - the 2nd came out in 2015 maybe, so the meta doesn't change every month and they won't nerf your expensive army so you have to buy more 😅
One advantage to having a cold is I'm awake when the new video dropped. Maybe a follow up video about where to find people to play these indie games.
I just dont have a healthy sleep schedule
To get others to play, you need 2 or 3 forces and champion the game.@@Half_a_bosco
You build two forces (skirmish games are easier for this, or course) and then convince friends, family, or whomever to try it out with you. Thanks for watching!
@@tabletopminions Ha! "Convince" them to play. I see what you did there. ;)
@@tabletopminions And the easiest and cheapest way to try them out is to make two forces using the printable 2D miniatures from OnePageRules, which are apparently now free, and made specifically to be used to represent the factions in the OPR games--although you could use them to play other games as well, of course.
I picked up all the books for Killteam 2018 for £10 off ebay, some I might not use as much as others but it's now a full self-enclosed game which isn't going to be messed about with balance pat patches etc and I can use random assortments of cool 40k or 40k proxy miniatures that I may have picked up because they're cool or maybe 3d print.
I miss that edition and wish they applied it's approach to Combat Patrol, where only sensible units could be taken for smaller games. Its also annoying that despite launching in 2021, we've only recently got Banshees for the current edition...
I just don't fancy modern killteam at all, it seems far too set in stone that you essentially just take a squad. I like warband creation so the older killteam format suits me far far more! If I want a devastator providing covering fire whilst a Terminator leads some assault marines into combat I should be able to do it.
One thing to add on the $5 rulebooks from OPR - the $5 tier of their Patreon gets you all of the main games for the same price, including the updates when they change the rules. Plus they have an early release for their paper minis as well as scenarios for their main games. (Their most recent scenarios included one where the two opposing forces are protecting each other - I am working that one into a narrative campaign.)
That said, if you DO have a 3D printer, their $10 tier is insanely good.
I would have to include Mantic's Deadzone Starter Boxes as the perfect, value for money, place to start if a SciFi setting/game is what you're looking for. Great gameplay and no measuring tape required.
Seconded, deadzone is really easy to learn and the grid positioning system makes for well paced exciting games. In fact, every mantic game I have played so far has been excellently paced and exciting.
@@basstedson Yes. I'm backing their Epic-Scale Warpath Kickstarter that's running at the moment, purely because I trust Mantic games to be good fun.
Osprey's series of wargaming rules is also a great place to start as well. They tend to be more historical focused, but there are sci-fi and fantasy rules as well. Xeno Rampant is a great, easy to play rule set for sci-fi and lets you port whatever figures you have into the system.
Agreed. Frostgrave and Horizon Wars got me back into the hobby in 2017 and still playing them.
Absolutely, Lion Rampant is great fun. I'm looking forward to trying Xenos Rapant soon.
Have you talked about standees? There's games where you can use standees before committing to big plastic spending. Like the Multi-Award-Winning game Moonstone. Some games even go as far as flat tokens! (Side note it's a like colourful sparkle if I hit like)
Space Wierdos is the best. A fantastic rules light skirmish game with enough tactical depth to keep things interesting. It is model agnostic too so you can use whatever models you like. It has a great warband builder online and best of all it cost $5 on wargame vault. 5 stars
I really can't wait to give it a try sometime, there's even a handy warband builder tool online
Second space weirdos, it's fantastic!
Adam, sir. You forgot to mention Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. GW's actual best rule set ;) Maybe not, but still, it is a great option for people who love the LOTR and Hobbit franchise, both books and movies and want to bring that experience to the table top. GW has made a great gaming system that is easy to learn, hard to master and plays well in both small scale skirmish style encounters as well as massive battles. One rule book to rule them all. Additionally, MESBG offers really great game play with the best terrain rules in wargaming IMO. Full disclosure, a lot of the GW sculpts are hard to find or often out of stock. But as you mentioned, 3D printing is alive and well. "And the Printing Goes Ever On" has a great collection of Middle-Earth inspired models that fit nicely into the existing model lineup. I know you like skirmish games. If you haven't explored MESBG, and for you, I'd say Battle Companies would be a great place to start. Maybe even do a video on what you think of the game? Thank you again for all your great content. :D
I’d like to quickly shout out a tabletop game that is inexpensive to get into but doesn’t get mentioned much on this channel: BattleTech
You can pick up The Game of Armored Combat Box Set and have everything you need for long time. Lots of nice plastic minis & extra standees, maps, dice, the rule book, etc. Great value.
Agreed! Great all in one starter with enough Mechs to keep you playing at a low price.
Another great game.
Buying a board game like zombicide is a great way to get a large quantity of higher quality minis to practice painting. The price per mini is excellent and the box is easy to obtain with no assembly
I could not have thought of a better more inclusive video. Great job! I might suggest part 2: Where to start with terrain/battle mats.
My advice for people thinking about getting into this hobby? DON’T! For god’s sake, save your money, invest wisely, retire early! I’m 66 and working a part time job to support my addiction to tiny plastic soldiers. It’s too late for me, but you can still save yourself! When you see that Warhammer sign... turn and run. That way leads to financial ruin!
YES!!!! This is correct.
@danacoleman4007 I had a holiday from wargaming where I played once a year and painted for a few weeks before it. Then a holiday when WHFB was Squatted (when GW kill something then bring it back cos they realise your wallet closed).
Now I have got my kids into Necromunda and I'm planning on playing some Linehammer vs Dragonhammer.
I know you were probably mostly kidding, but wargaming is fun as long as you have the ability to stop playing and do other stuff.
My key advice is "Don't let wargaming be your ONLY hobby".
@@W1DO I wasn't kidding. I completely agree with the original poster. It's nice that you've had a good experience, though.
Or or..... maybe you could develop self control at a reasonable age and get financially stable for your situations and then you'd have no issues with the passions you have.... but I could be wrong too.. 🙃
You don’t have to buy Warhammer to be a wargamer. There are dozens of cheaper options out there. I’ve been a wargamer my entire long life and never bought a single GW model!
Buy second hand; go to thrift stores; play historical and skirmish games!
I liked your Innsmouth U shirt so much I tracked it down and bought one for myself. And then I also treated myself to a lovely Pa-Chow! shirt because how could I not?
where did you find the shirt?
Great video, really appreciate the good work your doing to bring people to the table (literally).
Personally, despite being a 40k fan boy since '87, I tend to direct people away from GW to start, simply because its the most expensive way to get into wargames and that puts them off once the initial hook buzz wears off.
Mantic, Warlord Games, One Page Rules, all great options.
If you START with the idea in your head that "everything comes from one company and this is expensive" it's very off putting, but if you start with "I can buy what I want from where I want and budget how I choose to" you are more likely to stick arround BUT it CAN be overwhelming at the same time!
Like stompy robots? BattleTech starter box is $60. Comes with 13 unpainted units and everything you need to play right out of the box hour 1. There are two tiers of starter boxes even cheaper and still contains everything you need to go from square one. In depth lore and universe info all free online. 40 years of heavy metal mayhem baby.
These also come with cardboard cutout mechs
Lending my voice to the growing crew of Mantic recommeders. Great company, great games, and now great models also.
Epic Warpath on KS right now looks great!
Battletech.
It's a pretty good gateway for beginners, prices to get started range between $20-$80, the rules are hyper modular so you can start with super simple rules (a fan even made a 12 page rulebook for beginners) or play with every possible rule for mass galactic conquest, minis are preassembled but there are options for you to build as well, and the lore is extensive and varied which lends itself well to players coming from RPG backgrounds, and if you're concerned about all this taking up space then you can rest easy because the hex maps that come with it take up a small footprint and when you're done it all can fit back in the box!
Go straight for two most fun, accessible versions of historical wargaming out there - What A Cowboy & What A Tanker, by Two Fat Lardies, using 28mm mins from a variety of sources
The Lardies are great. Flames of War 15mm tanks are great for Tanker. And if you want a great WW2 platoon level rule set check out Chain of Command. A much better club/casual ruleset than Bolt Action.
#spreadthelard
I play all of their rulesets in 15mm and they are some of the best rulesets!
@@danitenotes Yes, they’re great - none other so subtle and inventive without being too mechanical, too tricksy. I just like 28s myself, the painting of them, and the way they count as individuals somehow, especially for skirmish games. I only mentioned those two sets ‘cos they are such fun, I think they would encourage beginners, and C of C is really quite a deep dive. Am thankful that I began in the era of Don Featherstone and Charles Grant, ideal to begin with, but now we have all these wonders of rules, and mins …..
@@darklingeraeld-ridge7946 love it. I'm just getting into What a Tanker and I'm excited.
If I were staying in 2024, I'd stop immediately, or go 100% 3d printing. The cost of almost everything is ridiculous. $0.56 of plastic goes for $170. No thank you.
3d printing is the way if you have the space and time for 3d printing.
I am getting away from WM40k/WHF I have not played in a long time BUT the OPR sounds like a way I can use my old armies. Keep up the good work you do Sir.
One Page Rules is 100% a fantastic way to start.
I also really like Relicblade by Metal King Studios. Super characterful sculpts, a really simple and fun ruleset, low model count (4-5 models per side) and a 2 foot by 2 foot play area. And anybody coming from RPGs finds a lot of familiar things to like combined with new things to explore.
Thanks for the vidya Uncle Atom
Thanks for this! Really been loving all the info I've found online since coming back to the hobby. I appreciate that your channel isn't just about painting/making minis, but also being inspired to work on things and ways to get into the hobby at a good pace. Been trying to take your advice of not buying tons of minis and resisting the urge to Necron all over the place lol. But I have spent a decent amount on paints (curse you army painter speed paints and certain technical paints from Citadel and AK terrain paints for being so fun) and some tools (but feel at least those are good long-term investments) as well as some DnD minis to practice and get better with (found a sweet box on Amazon with 36 various DnD type minis for $30). Definitely going to hit up the stuff you talked about here! Thanks again Atom :)
If someone is coming into wargaming from TTRPGs, especially D&D, I'd recommend starting out with Frostgrave and/or Rangers of Shadowdeep. Both games are by the same author, and use essentially the same mechanics. Frostgrave pits players against one another in skirmishes between 10-figure warbands, while Rangers is a solo or cooperative game with a strong roleplay/campaign aspect. Both games are model agnostic, and can be played with your existing D&D figure collection. If you've been playing D&D without miniatures, you can use the inexpensive WizKids models made for D&D, as well as the excellent and very reasonably-priced Frostgrave miniatures from North Star Miniatures. And of course you can play either game with 3D printed miniatures as well. The rules for creating warbands in both games are specific about the equipment each figure carries, but vague about what species the figures represent, so you can make your warband all human, all dwarves or elves, or whatever floats your boat. I played Frostgrave a couple of weeks ago against a warband made up of GW Skaven (ratmen). Bottom line, Frostgrave and Rangers of Shadowdeep are both excellent bridge games to help a TTRPG player move into wargaming with minimal stress over rules, play styles, or miniatures.
You're right - Frostgrave and Rangers of Shadowdeep ARE great gateways from TTRPGs. Thanks for watching!
Id have to disagree on the 3D printing. I print a lot of resin stuff for myself and unless you are going to do it yourself or you know someone who is going to charge you close to cost, then buying 3D printed models online tends to be way more expensive per model than buying even a gw plastic box
And if you're doing it yourself, prepare for frustration. Even pre supported minis fail at a rate that is too damn high, wasting both time and money.
People act like 3d printing is going to be the end of plastic minis. It won't be.
It's like claiming home depot will be the end of professional craftsmen.
I've been buying 3d printed models off etsy for Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game and they are way cheaper than buying from GW. I buy printed Trolls for 15 bucks that GW charges 50 for. Maybe 40k proxies are more expensive but I see stuff that would be a proxy for the fantasy rules and they aren't 60-80 bucks for a few models.
@@DanielKling Sure, though I have friends who print a lot and are not having all kinds of issues. But the printers are just going to get better and better.
I’ve not found that to be true - there are plenty of single figures on Only Games that are less then ten dollars. GW hasn’t sold a single figure at that price in YEARS. Thanks for watching!
A couple of my friends are thinking about getting back into tabletop miniature games so I’m trying to convince them to try out Forbidden Psalm (as opposed to them getting back into 40k 🤢). FP is a pretty simple game with a good bit of grim humour and it’s miniature agnostic. Need very little to actually get into the game as you can proxy the enemies and your warbands are only 5 models. My favourite game of recent years (coming from a 30+ years hobby veteran and I played 40k for over 20 years).
Some of the Mantic starter sets are a fantastic value. Firefight, Dead zone and Kings of War are really great
100% this nothing beats a great starter and Mantic has it down pat. Did you see the Epic scale KS for Warpath! Looks awesome!
Me and my buddies played x-wing for about 5-6 years and most of us got out of it right before the pandemic. We still reminisce about those days and wish there was something like that today. The biggest upside was we didn't have to build or paint them. Now that the game is officially dead, what other types of miniature games would you suggest might fill that hole where there's little to none building and painting?
HeroClix is the only thing I can think of. Thanks for watching!
OPR is really great. I started for the kids, I wasn't a wargamer, but now I've got printers, miniatures, and paints everywhere. Very relaxing hobby and Speed Paints are great for the less skilled.
Spot on! Particularly the non GW parts. Good stuff as always.
I think a cool follow up video would be "what kind of gamer will you be?" Now that you've got some models and you've played a game how will you interact with the hobby?
Will you be a tournament player? A pick-up game player? A narrative player? What scale will you play in regards to warband size or in regards to physical figure scale? What do these terms mean? What games fit well into these categories?
From my experience, the most important step is finding a club or group of friends who you like gaming with. Your hobby time is precious. Spend it with gamers who's company you enjoy. The game system is secondary.
I like heroscape. The old version comes with painted minis and interlocking hextiles to build different kinds of maps. The rules are also extremely light and comprehensible but still have enough depht to keep you engaged
Check if you can afford the hobby before doing ANYTHING. Then check if what game you like is actualy played where you live , assuming you want to play.
I started years ago with Frostgrave and D&D and board game minis. Now with 3D printing the possibilities are nearly endless for minis.
The "sad" thing is that I ended playing Warhammer (both AoS and 40K) because all my friends and other groups in nearby town played Warhammer so it was easier to find players. But I still wish we would play some of those indie skirmish games that are less "crunchy" and more casual. At least Warcry does that for me and I also think it is the best ruleset from GW.
I grabbed Frostgrave recently as a "first" wargame. Also battletech. Leaning into that more narrative and connected style.
Same, Warcry is the best
Check out their Mordheim or Necromunda 1E rules. Mordheim was the best thing GW ever made.
Warcry is a solid ruleset. It actually inspired me to finish building the 2000 pts Slaves to Darkness army as well as my 2000 pts Stormcast Eternal Sacrosanct chamber army.
@@kdolanjrBattletech is definitely an amazing game. Love it as well as Frostgrave/Stargrave.
I played Battletech video game and it looks fun....but it seems to me the miniature rules are too complicated. And I'd like to try Mordheim, everyone who tried it says it is the best. Maybe I'll convince my friends to play some of those games.
I love D&D and have started a a little hoard of terrain and miniatures that I create/paint.
Wargaming is something that I have wanted to get into but have not really had a lot of luck. I bought 5 factions for an Oop wargame to host games for my friends and it always fell through. That sucked.
There are a few stores that are like 45 minutes away but they are very Warhammer heavy.
Splintered light miniaturea does 15mm D&D compatible minis (orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls). For rules, try either AD&D 2E battle system or its cousin Skirmish - both give a workable rules. You will need army lists though so you'll have to draw on your D&D campaign.
I think painting puts me off quite a lot with having a family now and other various adult responsibility things that sap my time. I love tabletop so find myself drawn to ready made painted games. Got very into x-wing and attack wing for that reason. Simply set up and play. Love your videos man, thank you for the insights - some very useful stuff here, as always.
Just finished my first proxy game of Grimdark Future Firefight ( just a bunch of 15mm cardboard circles with names on a 2x2) and i had fun yet i feel like wargaming is not for me mostly because here in Puerto Rico theres not many places to play( i still enjoy watching battle Reports tho...)
players.. friends, and good habits.
Each time I play a game, it gave me purpose on the next hobby session. Even if 80% of my time spent tabletop gaming is the "'hobby" side. Each game motivate my next painting session.
I think a good bit of beginner advice is: wargaming is at its heart, a social hobby (unless you go the solo-gaming only route). So find local players/playing locations, or friends interested in gaming and see what common interests you have. You're more likely to get something off the ground of you're not the only one carrying the torch.
appreciated this video. wasn't aware of Only-Games, that's huge.
Godtear.
If I was starting wargaming in 2024 I would be looking at Godtear. Choice and interest are massive factors though, and as others have said, depending on what your friends/FLGS are playing and what your interests are (medieval, fantasy, sci-fi, modern warfare, ect.) then you are spoilt for choice.
I love your advice about 3d printing.
Definitely the best route to go price-wise. However, the whole reason I got into Warhammer 40k in the first place was because I discovered Kit-bashing videos on TH-cam and went down a rabbit hole. Kit-bashing touches that tinkerer/creative itch for me in a way that 3d printing doesn't.
And, depending on where you get your bits and pieces, can also be an affordable way to create miniatures.
But if scrounging through garage sales, thrift stores, and the Dollar Tree for toys and other items that you can use to cobble together a figure or craft or weapon, then definitely give 3d printing a try. Or try both. Why not?
Space Weirdos and Frostgrave FTW. That's what I have been learning and playing this fall and winter.
Yes please keep up the every friday videos! I LOVE these!
The games I would recommend for a new player for fantasy are frostgrave oathmark and warcry for sci-fi based games I would recommend infinity x-wing and the one page rules for 40k. stargrave is also ok but it's not as balanced as it's frostgrave counterpart. Also anyone getting into RPG games I would highly recommend castles and crusades
You covered this topic well. Start small, play often, grow your collection with the energy and excitement that you get from being with friends at the table. Thx!
I’m getting back into warmachines with my buddy after a 4 year break. I’m right back to watching your videos, thank you for the content
For people looking at AoS, i would recommend the Harbinger set. Comes with 400 points worth of Stormcast Vs Orruks, a Mat, set of the core rules, set of die. All the basics.
You can also combine it with the smaller 'Warrior' set for 600 point armies. Definitely the most approachable jumping off point for AoS at the moment. Though 4th edition will likely bring some revisions soon.
Thanks for all the great tips!
What! No discussion of starting in the historical wargaming Hobby?
Nope - I mainly focused on the more popular genres when they came up. The video would’ve been even longer, otherwise. Thanks for watching!
@@tabletopminions- Well, to my mind there is only one main genre - historical - and then comes all the rest, namely all the made-up stuff: chiefly sci-fi and fantasy. All tabletop gaming sprang out of historical, which was and still is the granddaddy of it all.
Interesting, from the title I thought this was going to be about counter(chit) based wargames but this is more on the minis side of wargames; good to hear about that too.
If you can find a game that has everything in the box, that would be the easiest to start.
The 1-page rules + buying a small set of minis also sounds like a good place to start.
Getting a 3D printer sounds like the next level.
Painting can be time-consuming. For War of the Ring (200 pieces) it took me a month. More manageable if you start with a small set.
When picking a game, I also consider my gaming group as to what can actually make it to the table.
100% agree with the Warcry recommendation. Its also nice in that if want to do various types of models you can purchase very few of them and do lots of different types that you can field for a game.
There are some amazing printed figures around of figures that aren't even available from the big companies. Space ratmen are a typical case, i love these figures but GW never have made them sadly.
Magic word in all of this: Proxy.
Every mini on the table is a token to represent a unit/model in the rules. Helps bells, you could use dollar store army men to represent terminators if your just getting started.
your voice is so soothing and calming. i love it thank's for being here.
Opr and 3d printing is the way if you’re starting today for sure
My tip for a beginner: Listen to your heart, do what makes you happy.
I did this and got married twice. Also divorced twice. Learn from me and the majority of men today. Don't follow your heart, follow uncle Adam! More hobbies is a good thing!😂 but, yes I do follow my heart now. Live on the beach and ride motorcycles
I did this and got married twice. Also divorced twice. Learn from me and the majority of men today. Don't follow your heart, follow uncle Adam! More hobbies is a good thing!😂 but, yes I do follow my heart now. Live on the beach and ride motorcycles
A Song of Ice and Fire is a decent way to go. The starter sets come with an army large enough you don't need anything else and the plastic is pre-colored which is sufficient for folks who don't want to get into painting right away. You can have fun with starter vs starter and if you can find a lannister vs stark box, it's usually cheaper than a regular starter and it plays great by itself. Since everything comes with cards, you can play with the rules and points as is and not worry about keeping up with the current state unless you want to.
I’m just starting my journey learning about this wonderful looking hobby and this video was perfect thank you.
Excellent video detailing starting options for new/returning players. There are a lot of great options for miniatures and rule sets out there these days and having a good starting point for research will help those not familiar with the current gaming landscape.
Watching your video as a dinosaur from One Page Rules 3d prints on my P1S. Glad to know I'm doing the right things as a newbie.
There is also the books by Osprey that covers historical periods (skirmish to platoon to big battle designs), but also fantasy and sci-fi. Design tend to be towards the streamlined and simple spectrum (but not all designs), but IMHO there are some excellent designs from the Rampant series, to Frostgrave designs to games like Gaslands.
I would also say you basically need to chose between GW and not-GW. You might have more people to play GW games with in your area. Generally speaking, it is expensive, have mostly poor designs and organised play can be very competively orientated. I have left the GW universe (had three big Aos and 40k armies) and have never looked back. Not only do other systems offer more streamlined, innovative and fun designs (from Atomic Mass Games, to Warlord to Mantic, to Last Argument of Kings, Malifaux and ASOIF) but the whole world of indie games, affordable historicals etc open up - allowing you to play multiple systems and have different experiences - for less than it takes to have a competitive GW army. Some of this works great with 3D printing as well.
To give you an idea, I just finished painting my 3D printed crew for Silver Bayonet (gothic horror Napoleonics skirmish game - how cool is that - wait till you see the models!), this is after I played a cool cowboy game (we still deciding between three rulesets - all easy to get free) and finished my Confederate Army for some skirmish Rebels & Patriots (rampant systems) - but also works with Sharp Practice (another popular skirmish Black Powder era system) and Muskets and Tomahawks. In between I also played two Saga days with my Anglo-Danes made out of 2 boxes of minis that cost less than it is going to cost you to buy 20 Space Marines...I have Bolt Action armies, which cost so cheap and the meta barely changes, including rulesets, which makes it a great beer & pretzel game to pickup when I feel like some WW2 fun - no anxiety about keeping up, competing and buying more for any of these systems. Legion and Shatterpoint come the closest to GW - but again, it is way slower release schedule, slower meta and much cheaper to play competitively.
Have you seen the newly announced Spearhead boxes for AOS? looks like they are preparing for those Combat Patrol equivalents ahead of 4th edition already!
I think we all thought the same about Vanguard, and again with Dawnbringers (but maybe that was more similar to Boarding Patrol and the Arks of Omens?). After seeing the popularity of CP in 40k, seems silly to ignore something similar in AoS.
My advice would be to get pre-assembled miniatures you don’t have to GLUE as much! My first minis, unfortunately, were Deus Vult minis from Fireforge Games, and, let me tell you, if you’re just starting, the gluing can be pretty frustrating. So I would advise someone to get, say, any of the units from Joseph McCullough’s the Silver Bayonet. Otherwise, Warlord Games has some EXCELLENT French and Indian War minis. The thing is, Napoleonics feature some of the fanciest uniforms in history, so if you don’t feel up to starting with that, start with Warlord Games’ French and Indian War line. They, like North Star’s Silver Bayonet line, are pre-assembled metal minis. Also, if you’re nervous about painting them, and messing them up, my advice would be to start by painting your minis all one color. I painted Fireforge’s Foot Knights box for Deus Vult gold, painted their Templar Infantry white, and Warlord Games’ Imperial Roman Veterans red. And, once you feel comfortable enough with painting, don’t try wet blending, or washes, or edge highlighting right away: just prime your minis and put a nice base coat on them, and get to the other stuff once you feel comfortable. This is a FUN hobby, and I would very much like to see more people enter it. So, give Uncle Atom’s tips a try, as well as my own, if you’re so inclined! 😁
Playing The Games of Gods and Kings of War at the minute, loving both.
The Old World turned out pretty boring.
Hi Adam, I think you missed some genres that might appeal to people other than sci-fi, and fantasy.
- There's sports based (Blood Bowl, Dreadball, and possibly a resurging Guild Ball for skirmish level sports that have small mini counts.
- Also "modern" or alternate modern history like Team Yankee or Bolt Action.
- Finally there are major licensed IPs like Marvel or Star Wars.
Getting people into the hobby can work well if you find a game that already meets their interests.
I mainly just hit on the two most popular genres. It would’ve been a much longer video otherwise. Thanks for watching!
Blitzbowl if you can find a copy is also a great gateway game!
I just got started with Warhammer 40K over the holidays after lookig from afar for about 2 decades, and I started with the Introductory Box (comes with 5 Space Marines, 11 Tyranids, some paint, a brush, and little intro book) as well as an Army Painter intro set (paints, glue, snips, etc.). There was some overlap between the 2 boxes, but it was a good jumping off point. However, I just managed to get my hands on a Kill Team: Salvation box, which I think if I had to go back, I would've rather had started with than the intro box. The price isn't too outrageous (and 10% less at my local hobby shop), and having the models as well as a full-on game that can be played with them seems like an ideal place to start. The Intro Box I got has instructions for a little game with the minis it came with, too, but it doesn't seem nearly as comprehensive as the Kill Team game. Other than that, I've been definitely going with the build an army piece by piece, route.
As for 3D printing, I'm really kinda on the fence about it. Apart from the cost, set-up, noxious fumes/chemicals, etc., one of the things that really interested me in this hobby was also the modeling side of it and not just the painting and game side of it. And I get the impression that 3D painting is more for the painting enthusiast than the model enthusiast (but I could be completely wrong on this). I can see the value of having something that can print extra pieces or custom bits *for* models, but that by itself doesn't justify a 3D printer to me. I'd rather keep practicing and experimenting with green stuff/epoxy sculpting.
If you want to get into war gaming, find what your local gaming groups are doing. Visit with them during a play session and get a view of the expieriance. When you decide to take the plunge and invest some of that hard earned green stuff, start small with a rules set for a game your interested in and maybe some literary fluff about the world it takes place in. Miniatures are not even needed in the beginning but when you do take that miniature plunge, expect to invest in more products to support it. Keep everything budget friendly and over time meaning years, you will have lots of miniature games with various rules to play, tons of minis, terrain, maps, ect, and most importantly friends that you enjoy spending time with.
I would get into Pulp Alley. It's the most fun set of rules I've played in 30+ years. And one doesn't need to paint masses of figures. Beyond that, maybe a WW1 naval wargame like Fleet Action Imminent. I use laser cut MDF buildings and ships, and some diecast or plastic toys.
Good stuff.
Staying away from GW is the best idea.
Saw they are now shorting retailers as policy now.
Why does GW get to steal stuff from everyone, but if someone gets close to them every one defends GW?
Never understood that.
As for getting into wargames now, first decide on the Setting and Size of Forces.
This will lead to what minis you need an how many.
For those cresting 40, and WWII is starting to cause an itch, Too Fat Lardies Chain of Command, using Flame of War Minis.
Great scale, good rules that help show non perfect command.
Has the best setup phase of any game I have played.
If you want a Massive Army with fliers, naval, tanks, infantry and all else?
Polyversal 1/300 or so, SciFi game.
Has very easy to use and versatile Unit Builder, so you can use any mini you want.
Old Epic stuff, New Mantic stuff, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 15mm, what you will, I like it at 6mm -10mm it allows full armies to fight.
Good one Dice roll system similar to the old Silent Death.
Fantasy has lots to offer, main one is Rank and File, or Skirmish.
AoS from GW looks Ok, yet it is up for the 3 year scrap it all again so would avoid.
Old World is well, I think a money grab as the models are way to costly for 20 year old sculpts, I suspect releases will be less than 2 a year after 2024.
One Page Rules is fine.
Hobgoblin looks to have a bit more meat to it, worth looking at.
For 28-3Xmm SciFi, every few years they gain a bit more but I think most are just under 40mm now.
Price and Policy makes me say no to GW.
Ravaged Star is in development atm.
Has some solid ideas, rules are up to test, they are making changes based on those testing.
These rules when ready can be played with their mini line as well.
Fast paced yet not simple, and rules cause some exciting moments to occur.
Again One Page Rules covers this.
Plus there are at least another 1000 other rule sets to look at.
Wild West, Weird Wild West, Steampunk Wild West, Wild West in Space, Fantasy Wild West, Post Apoc Wild West.
To give the idea.
Fuzzy Heroes is a great "mini" war game for kids to play with adultish folks.
It uses the stuffed animals they have, stats are based on number of pointy bits, color, size and so on.
Teaches a little math, measuring, control (rolling dice), counting and so on.
Also a fun little game.
If there is a setting you want to play in, someone has written or adapted a rule set for it.
Loved your video thank you for informing me of so many different things I never knew and also I found out that my best way of being able to do World War II miniature tabletop wargaming is by just getting regular plastic army men from like when you got when you were a child and just painting them it's like a fraction of the price and you get so much more and so much variety and my best websites to get them or Amazon and BMC toys❤
From a general perspective, historical games are going to get you the most bang for your buck.... An m3 tank is an m3 tank, and a French hussar from the Napoleonic wars is a French Hussar... so the minature prices have to stay down because of competition... also, their are tons or rules for any given period... and lots of fun doing research. If you want something more scifi, I agree with the notion of Battletech... or for a cost perspective there is Mobile Frame Zero... it stays relatively affordable because it's conceit is that you make mechs out of legos or similar building blocks and then fight them.
This was great. I can see where a gameshop could own some 3d printers and print out units to a couple of miniatures systems, whatever is popular, and run events for it.
I would suggest the Rampant series from Osprey. One of the appeals of Whammer etc is the rules are similar to each other so you can easily learn. The same goes for the Rampant series but they are miniature agnostic and have a great system for fielding any models you like.
I’m not new but this was a great video! It helped to take a step back and look at the whole environment with a new person’s eyes. Thank you!
Appreciate the mention of Corvus Games Terrain Adam!
I always wanted to play WH40k as a child but couldn’t because we had no money for that. Fast forward to 2023 my friends and I realized we’re adults (in our 30s)and can buy stuff. We decided to get into war gaming. Went to a warhammer store and they explained to us how to play but it seemed SO overwhelming for a beginner. Lost hope. Then was introduced to OPR and have been hooked for a year now. Now im interested in revisiting WH so I reread the rules and it’s not as overwhelming as the first time.
Dan Carlin is the reason I’m here. This is the first piece of media I’ve listened/ read on wargaming. I’m sure everyone else has noticed but this dude needs to narrate audiobooks. Silky smooth voice
So many great rulesets both simple and complex with a plethora of amazing model companies that sell both box sets and individual models I don't understand why there are any but a few conversations about GW.
The last part you said, about there being other valid options to use instead is the only one that made me pause and consider not downloading stl, appealing to me through gamesworkshop not wanting me to fell on deaf ears. The artist thing I don't know games workshop's not paying them basic per model they create, but the fact that I can find model similar but not quite the same and all it takes is a tiny bit of extra work is enough reason to not use them
Great Video! I think a person new to tabletop miniature gaming needs to look for a game that appeals to their interests. That could be a game derived from a book, a movie, a TV show, or something else entirely. If you already have a friend or two who shares that interest, then all the better. And if you have local hobby or game store that has game tables and an existing group that plays games like the ones you like, that's an added bonus - one that will keep you working on getting your miniatures ready for the tabletop. It also helps to have kindred spirits to bounce your ideas off of, and to get their input, as you do the same for them. I doubt that I would have improved my hobby skills working on my own, and learning about all of the different products being made around the world is so much easier if you aren't doing it all alone! Two companies that I would add to the list of plastic kit manufacturers would be Fireforge Games and Renedra Ltd. Great stuff from both of these companies over the past few years, Fireforge for miniatures, and Renedra for terrain.
As someone new to hobby, perfect video.
i just want to say, as a hex and counter player that loves watching others playing miniature games, boy do i feel your pain, guys... i mean, some boxes have become quite absurdly expensive *for us* these days (the divine right rerelease for 90bucks already was a shock, but burning banners for 120? get outta here!), i shudder to imagine what i'd need to go through to build a 40k army... and i don't paint, either, i'd need someone to do it for me :P
For me, the first thing I’d recommend is finding your local club or meetup space and see what they are playing.
There’s few things more frustrating than getting all hyped up for a game, buying everything you need, getting it table ready, then finding out that nobody really plays it or that you don’t enjoy playing with the ones who do.
For fantasy style games keep an eye out for a group that plays something like the A Song of Ice and Fire Miniatures Game. Due to the popular IP you’re more likely to have a diverse group of players and talking about the books and/or show with them will be fun too. There is a Tactics game, skirmish style, that is coming out later this year with any luck which gives you two games for the same figures. The figures are also great for One Page Rules, SAGA: Age of Magic, and fantasy RPGs like D&D. Lastly, you don’t need to build the minis, or even paint them, before you start playing games with them. Everything comes pre assembled and in color coded plastic. So the barrier of entry is very low. Just read the short rulebook, open the card decks, and you are set.
For Sci-Fi wargames I’d keep an eye out for a group of Battletech players. Minis come pre-assembled in plastic, and you don’t need many of them, so the barrier of entry is extremely low. But there is plenty of room to grow your collection and play style as you get more used to the game. The lore is older and, in my opinion, richer than GW’s lore. You can play Classic for an extremely low model count game that is high on strategy. Or, you can play Alpha Strike for a higher model count and lower levels of granularity.
Forgot to mention that the Tactics game for ASoIaF is bringing in House of Dragons material with is so you’ll get those people on board as well when it officially releases.
For historical games the two I’d keen an eye out for would be Flames of war. Their starter sets are phenomenal! Keeping to 15mm keep an eye on Warlord Game’s Epic Battles. They have American Civil War, Napoleonics, and Pike and Shotte. Rumor has it that a 15mm Hail Caesar is on the way this year as well.
If you want historical and 28mm then Bolt Action is great in and of itself. Konflict 47 uses the same minis and similar rules to play semi-futuristic games of super science verses monsters. Think zombie Nazis vs jet pack paratroopers. The minis can also be easily used for One Page Rules Grimdark Future if you want to try something different later.
The theme of my advice is make sure that whatever you buy can be used in multiple games if at all possible.
This is definitely the video for me. I haven’t gotten into the craft side yet, mostly playing 5PH on a virtual tabletop.
Step one: avoid getting into GW games like the plague
Step two: Profit
Most of their games are a very poorly written, and give a very unsatisfying game. There’s much better stuff out there!
Warsurge is a REALLY good set of rules that can use any minis and is as simple or complex as you want to make it.
I have to shout out War Council free app for ASOIAF miniature game. List building super easy and you can download a pdf with all the unit stats to play with. Also the game itself super accessible, $100 for a starter and often over 50 models.
Two things come to mind when it comes to drawing in and retaining newcomers in tabletop wargaming: community and spectacle.
Community
Just by the very nature of a tabletop miniatures game, there is a big social element to the hobby if you intend on playing, be it competitive, casual, or somewhere in between. Whilst it's easy to say "pick up [insert warband skirmish game here] to start", that won't do you any good if there's no one to play that particular game with. For my own part, I likely wouldn't have gotten into Blood & Plunder, SPQR, Black Seas, Victory at Sea, or even Star Wars Legion if not for other people expressing similar interest in playing.
Spectacle
With the plethora of tabletop miniatures games out there, ranging from the Bronze Age to the far future and a myriad of time periods and beloved IPs in between, you're practically spoiled for choice at this point. If there's a particular setting that appeals to you, there's likely a tabletop game for it, and that alone may be enough to invite friends over to play and get them started in kind (calling back to what I said regarding community). Star Wars is always an easy one to point to (what with Shatterpoint, Legion, X-Wing, and Armada), but you can also look at Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Pirates, Westerns, Napoleonic era, and the World Wars among others.
Step 1: Find a friend who is willing to start with you. Even better, find a group of friends who are willing to start with you. Decide on a game and then support and encourage each other.
This is the way.
As a stingy hobbyist who’s amassed a huge collection for very cheap, i can recommend playing games in smaller scales. There is an absolute wealth of indie games that work in most scales, and the price difference from 15mm minis and 28mm is immense