[Tabletop/Warmachine?] Christmas idea for beginners

Pixel20

I'm not entirely sure if this is the right section for this, so any outrage/closing/moving of the thread will be unsurprising and no offense will be taken.

Basically I came here because, from the strip and PATV I know PA fans are the best, friendliest, most helpful people to go to for a question:

For Christmas I wanted to maybe try a tabletop game for the first time to play with my brother. Neither of us have played tabletop games before, so I was hoping for something simple. Something that you don't need to buy expansion sets/figure sets for would be great. We're both gamers and we like TRPGS like Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, and Final Fantasy Tactics.

Is Warmachine our best bet? Is that too complicated/expensive for beginners? Is there another good game like Warmachine that's like those series I mentioned? No roleplaying, just head-to-head strategy.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

see317

Warmachine sounds right up your alley.
In fact they've been offering holiday starter packages on the website that will kit you out with a good sized starter army (35 points) for ~200 bucks a race. A handful of jacks/warbeasts, some infantry and a caster. It also comes with dice, tokens and templates, so that's a nice bonus. Unfortunately it's a set pack so you don't get to choose what you want in your army like you would if you built it free form.
If that's a bit rich for your blood or you're not sure about diving into the deepend with that kind of investment, you might look into the Battleboxes/Warpacks. These start you off with a smaller army (10-13 points IIRC) which is a single caster and a 2-5 jacks/beasts for 50 each.
The best price for WarMachine is the Dual battlebox set. At 100 bucks it gets you essentially the battleboxes for Khador and The Protectorate, as well as a squad of heavy infantry for both. The downside is that this is the only set they offer like this. If you or your brother decide you'd rather play Cryx or Cygnar or Retribution or Mercs or (god help you) Hordes you're pretty much SOL.

Warhammer and Warhammer 40k both have intro box sets for their settings that contain two armies that are more or less balanced and serve as a good starting place for their respective armies. These boxes cost about 100 bucks. The Warhammer box contains Skaven (tiny rat-people) and High Elves, the 40k box contains Space Marines and Orks. As I understand it, the models in these box sets aren't as detailed as the normal minis, and don't have the variety of options for customization that you would get by purchasing them separately.

My own personal suggestion if you're not sure you want to get into this hobby, find your local game store and ask the clerk to run you through a game or two of each so you can get the feeling for how it plays and how the miniatures actually look in person. Try to go when they're not too busy though.

Asher

see317 has offered some really solid advice. I'd high recommend the 2 player Warmachine battlebox as the best bang for buck, but really you should try to get some demo games from a local Press Ganger (Warmachine) or your local Games Workshop if you are interested in Warhammer or Warhammer 40k.

Pixel20

Thank you. The two player battle box definitely seems like the way to go, in terms of Warmachine.

Now I've just heard of Heroclix. Does anyone know anything about that? Off the bat it kinda has the appeal of recognizable characters [DC, Marvel, etc.], but how is it gameplay wise?

see317

I've never played a game of Heroclix, though I have the villains (and some of the heroes) from City of Heroes on my desk.
It plays on a grid so it's not as flexible movement wise as WarMaHordes or WarHammer. You can't move 3.5 inches, you move 4 squares.
It's also a collectible game, which means if you buy booster packs you don't know what you're getting until you open them up. If you buy individual figures you tend to pay more (though they're still cheaper then WarMaHordes or 40k minis in most cases, since they're much cheaper to make). If you have your heart set on a specific character or a specific version of a specific character you may be looking at some money.
The Clix figures themselves tend to be less detailed and smaller then the other games. Still recognizable though, especially since they are pre-painted and most super heroes tend to have pretty iconic appearences.

fadingathedges

I do not recommend Heroclix. The figure quality is hit and miss - some are great, many are bad sculpts or paints or both. Mostly though, the gameplay is pretty bad. The clix concept often leads to first shot to hit getting a big advantage. The line of sight rules alone require fairly constant rules reference. When my group played, we literally had a 3 inch binder of all the rules and looked at it throughout every game.

Once upon a time I was thinking of getting into something like you are and was seriously considering AT-43. I've never actually played it but it seems really good - pretty gorgeous prepainted minis and what appeared to be a good system. Look into that if you want more options to consider.

admanb

I wouldn't get into AT-43 if you're looking for a game that keeps developing and expanding, 'cause the publisher is in liquidation.

Unknown

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admanb

The two-player box isn't a bad deal even if only one of you is interested in a faction from it (this goes for the Warhammer boxes, too). You get a cheap rulebook and a pile of discounted and easy-to-assemble miniatures that you can quickly start playing with.

rucdoc

Warmachine is a great system, as are many others. warmachine is easy to get into and easy to play. beyond that it is also linked to a great rpg line, with a brand new rule set coming out next year. Speaking as a member of PressGang, a group of games who help the community and support gamers, we would be more than happy to help you and your brother. stop by the warmachine thread here in the forums and meet some really great people.