Alright, maybe I wouldn't buy ALL the wargames in the world. That wouldn't be fair to all the other miniature wargamers who need to feed their addictions. There should always be enough miniatures, terrain, game books, and dice to go around for everyone. I shudder to imagine a world without tiny tin troops, painted plastic platoons, and lines of Lilliputian lead legions! The tragedy of it all would surely be unbearable.
Fortunately, we live in a "golden age" for miniature wargamers. There has never been more in the way of purchasing choices for the discerning wargamer. Between game rules and miniatures for every period and scale imaginable, to pre-painted soldiers and terrain, to a vast array of quality paints and modelling tools, to countless books on warfare and hobby-related activities, the choices that gamers have nowadays are truly fantastic. And that's a really good thing, because if there's one thing that wargamers love to do, it's SHOP.
Outsiders to the wonderful world of wargaming don't understand our inherent lust for toy soldiers. When they see our numerous pots of paint and brushes, scores of blister packs and boxes full of unpainted miniatures, shelves of rulebooks and finely painted figures, and bags full of dice, they think "how could you possibly need any more?" We look at them with a puzzled expression, momentarily thinking that perhaps they're right. How will we ever paint all those toy soldiers? When will we ever have the time to play every wargame that we own? And just how many shades of green paint does a person really need?
But then we surf the internet and our eyes grow wide as we stare at the dazzling array of gorgeously painted tiny warriors marching across imaginary fields of battle. Or even worse, we travel to a game convention and see booth upon booth filled with tempting toys. The boy inside each of us begins to reach out. Rational thought goes out the window. We feel for our wallets. The real game has begun; the quest to feed our inner-geek.
With the 2007 FALL IN convention just a few days away, I've made up my own personal list of things that I'm interested in hunting for. The key word here is interested. I certainly don't need all of these things, nor could I afford to buy them all. Some of them are pure curiosities more than must-haves. But what's really intriguing about my list is its sheer size. I don't consider myself a "material person", but after looking at this list, I'm beginning to wonder if it's not my inner geek who needs satisfied, but rather, my inner Madonna. Just take a gander:
Accessories:
- Markers & tokens (fire, smoke, wounds, morale, etc.) by Litko or Gale Force Nine.
- Wooden Dice Tray
- Reaper Paints - Triad sets
- Coat D'Arms Paints - Paint Sets (Medieval, Goblin, Elves)
- Scale Creep - magnetic sheeting and steel bases
Miniatures & Terrain:
- HeroScape - Wave #7
- AT-43 - starter set
- Wings of War - WWI miniature airplanes
- Wargods of Aegyptus - Anubi, Mummies, Sebeki, Khemru
- Wargods of Olympus - Spartans
- Black Hat - Goblins, Centaurs
- Eureka - Warrior Frogs, Winged Monkeys
- Crusader - Saxon Huscarls, Pirate Orcs
- Front Rank - 100 Years War and War of the Roses
- Splintered Light - 15mm fantasy
- Blue Moon Miniatures - Horror/Pulp boxed sets
- Confrontation 4 - starter set
- Hordes - Trollbloods, Circle Oboros
- Reaper Legendary Encounters
- McFarlane's Dragons
- EM-4 - Ludus Gladiatorus
- World Tank Museum - mini WWII tanks
- Gridded Game Mat (4'x6', Green) by Monday Knight Productions
- ESLO - forests, hills, and buildings
- Baueda - Medieval Camps & Tents
- JR Miniatures - 28mm rivers and roads
Board Wargames:
- Battlelore expansions - Call to Arms, Goblins, Dwarves, 100 Yrs War
- Attack! - expansion
- Wings of War
- Prophecy
- Wizard Kings
- Hammer of the Scots
- Crusader Rex
- El Grande
- Tide of Iron
- War of the Ring
- Lord of the Rings: Confrontation
- Warrior Knights
- Fury of Dracula
- Colossal Arena
- Cave Troll
- Condottiere
- Titan
- Piquet - Fantasy, Band of Brothers
- Gnome Wars
- Age of Might & Steel
- Medieval Wargaming (Neil Thomas)
- Monster Island
- Blood Bowl - 3rd Edition
- Elfball
- For the Masses
- Vampire Wars
- All Things Zombie
- GASLIGHT
- Valor, Flesh, & Steel
- Erin
- Alien Squad Leader
- Armati
- Knight Hack
- Day of Battle
I'll let you know if I purchase any of these things at the FALL IN convention. Usually I'm on the lookout for pro-painted minis, but I might dive into some of the above items this time out.
Oh a-shopping we will go....
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