5 Factors That Keep Us Playing Tabletop War Games
Ever wonder why some tabletop war games stick and others don’t? Here’s a few factors that keep me coming back.
It’s that time of year for a little self reflection and I’ve been doing some thinking as to why I enjoy tabletop war games of all shapes and sizes. I’ve tried to narrow down my list to the 5 factors that are most important to me.
This isn’t an all encompassing list and there are a slew of reason people stick to particular games over others. If you’ve got a different list, drop them in the comments and tell us why. But for now here’s a handful of reasons I keep coming back to tabletop war gaming.
Miniatures
The first and foremost important factor for a tabletop war game to keep my interest is the miniatures. These are the “thing” that gets me interested immediately or turns me away. If they game looks good from 3 feet away I’m going to get drawn into it and want to learn more. Cool looking minis can do a LOT to “sell” a game. Imagine a good looking piece of fruit – like a nice shiny red apple. If it looks good you’re more likely to take a bite. If it looks bad, you’re more likely to pass even if the flavor is actually really good. Which brings us to our next factor.
Setting
After I see a miniature I like I’ll check out the setting for the miniature. I’ve seen lots of minis games that had a great look but then I find out the setting is kind of boring or unappealing I’ll lose interest. Basically, the miniatures get me interested and then the setting is the “elevator pitch” that either hooks me or causes me to pass.
If the pitch is bad or just doesn’t sound like something I’m interested in then I’ll quickly move on. This might not be “fair” to a game but it doesn’t have to be because it’s 100% personal preference. Some games just aren’t made for me and that’s okay. It might be someone’s jam entirely — good for them!
Rules
Once the minis get interest and the setting hooks me I’m going to want to know how to play! The first two factors might be what gets the initial excitement going but the rules are what makes a game really stick. The better the rules are (which is a whole other discussion on what makes a ruleset good) the more likely I am to stay interested.
I’ve seen lots of minis games with cool models and a great setting but with really bad or poorly written rules. There’s a sweet spot between simple and complex. And oh my god does formatting in your rulebook matter more than you think. If I can’t find a rule in 20 seconds I’m going to get frustrated with your rule book and your game and want to stop playing it — regardless of how cool it looks.
Hobby Aspect
The Hobby side of a miniatures game is also a major factor for me personally. How complicated is it to get a character/unit/army together for your game? How long is it going to take me to build and paint it? How much “stuff” do I need and what sort of time investment will it take for me to get into a game has become more important to me.
While I do love a good tabletop miniatures wargame if it’s going to take a me a whole year to get stuff ready to play I might have to pass. There’s something to be said for the scale of the size of the game in relation to the hobby time it’s going to take to get a painted force ready to play.
If a game has “intro” sized games or scales up to larger battles from smaller battle I’m more likely to keep up with the hobby aspect. Being able to build and paint unit sized chunks and play while I’m building up is great motivation.
There’s also something to be said for the terrain side of the hobby. How much time does it take to get a table’s worth of terrain together is also a big factor for me. Having an awesome looking army is great but playing on an awesome looking table takes your games to another level of immersion.
Community
This last factor is such a massive part of any tabletop game that it’s impact can’t be understated. It doesn’t matter how amazing the minis, setting, or rules are if no one is playing the game. There are many factors to what makes a great tabletop community and they can make or break a game.
There’s also the difference between a local community or a larger, more global community. There are games that take off in localized pockets of places that are essentially non-existent in other places. It really stinks to love a particular game and have no one else to play it with locally. Traveling for tournaments might be a fix — but it’s not cheap! Having a local game store as a hub to play at a key factor for me personally.
Having a strong, local community can really keep my interest in a game. If I know I can go to a game store on a particular day and get a game in I’m way more likely to stick with that particular game. I might not make it out as much as I’d like but just knowing that there is a community to engage with is good motivation.
Those are the 5 most important factors for me but that’s certainly not all of them. What keeps you playing tabletop games?
