The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games - Michael J. Tresca [32]
Because collectible miniature and card game components were released in randomized packs, collectors couldn’t simply buy the components that they wanted. They had to collect them by buying boxes of figures or decks of cards. The more boxes or cards they bought, the better the odds that they would get the rare cards or miniatures they needed.
This interesting mechanic made collectible miniatures less appealing to miniature gamers and more appealing to Dungeons & Dragons players. A miniatures game player viewed the figures as troops with point allocations and powers. A Dungeons & Dragons player needed specific figures because an encounter called for it. For example, the stirge is a bloodsucking, batlike monster that appears in large numbers. Because the stirge was an uncommon figure in the D&D Miniatures Game, and because the Dungeons & Dragons game used stirges in large groups, the value of the stirge on the secondary selling market (usually eBay) went up.
Having collected huge quantities of these miniatures, I can confidently state that the system worked as intended. I bought miniatures as much for the thrill of getting a rare one as the added utility of using them in my game. Like many other Dungeons & Dragons players, I insisted on having the perfect miniature for every character in my game.
Eventually, the costs of production, the global recession, and the aftermarket of individual miniatures made randomization an unviable cost model for the Dungeons & Dragons game. Given the proclivities of completist Dungeon Masters like myself, collectible minatures will likely be around for a long time.
Narrative
Miniature wargaming alters the narrative with each session. It’s possible to run campaigns that encompass a series of battles, but this is not the norm. As one of the players in my gaming group put it:
Very little story comes from miniature gaming. However, the fluff, or background, of the miniature games worlds, though, are fairly expansive, and being able to put a visual element involving nice figures and terrain to a game makes miniature wargaming an enjoyable experience [Webster 2010].
Although fantasy and science fiction games have their own narratives, historical wargames have a different take. At heart, historical wargames presume that history can be altered, that the players through their actions can change the course of battle through their intervention. In essence, the player’s role is not just a commander of a military troop but a commander who is at least the equal of the great historical generals of the past. Sometimes the generals are not so great; there are many scenarios wherein players seek to right the wrongs of past military failures.
The original Chainmail rules focused on reproducing medieval warfare. As such, one of its goals was to “interest the wargamer sufficiently to start him on the pursuit of the history of the Middle Ages.” Such study was meant to “at least enrich the life of the new historian, and perhaps ... even contribute to the study of history itself” (Gygax and Perren 1971:8). This connection to historical accuracy runs deep in miniature wargames of the time. Dungeons & Dragons carried this legacy throughout subsequent iterations, providing minutiae detailing polearms and other aspects of medieval warfare.
Personalization
Historical miniature wargaming goes beyond the rules. Players seeking to reproduce a particular battle must do their own research to determine the appropriate troop types, terrain, and even the colors to paint their troops. Reproducing these skirmishes is a display of both the artistic skill of the player as well as historical knowledge.
In addition to painting, some gamers can “kitbash” by combining miniature sets or even