Collectible Miniatures Game
Entry updated 14 July 2016. Tagged: Game, Theme.
Term used to describe a form of Wargame which uses miniatures collectible in the manner of a Collectible Card Game (see also Collectibles). Thus the figures are sold in packs, some of which contain rare items distributed at random; this practice encourages the purchase of multiple packs. Figures are sold fully assembled and painted, in contrast to traditional Wargame miniatures, which are generally customized by the players before use. The first Collectible Miniatures Game was Mage Knight (2000 WizKids) designed by Jordan Weisman, Kevin Barrett and based on the magical battles of Sword and Sorcery fiction. Mage Knight was swiftly followed by a range of similar games, mostly produced by WizKids, including MechWarrior: Dark Age (2002) (see Battletech), Rocketmen: Axis of Evil (2005 WizKids) designed by Jon Leitheusser, Jordan Weisman, Shane Small – the setting and tone of which seem much influenced by the UK Comic-strip character Dan Dare – Pilot of the Future – and Heroclix (2002). In the late 2000s the Collectible Miniatures Game market entered a steep decline; it has not yet recovered. [NT]
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