[Epic] The Hobby

From: Miller, Chris <CMiller_at_...>
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 16:47:04 -0500

        OK, I've wanted to ask this for a while:
Recently there was a raging thread on usenet, crossing over the.mecha,
.warhammer, historical, etc miniature and boardgame groups about "what
is the hobby?" - vague question which was later clarified into "how
important are the miniatures vs the game?"
Many people posted they would only play with mini's, or even with only
painted mini's. Others said they would play with cardboard counters and
never buy mini's - discussions covered Battletech, the GW games,
Napoleonics, etc. The obvious LOS issues were discussed, but many
non-high tech games don't need to measure LOS from the minis.

So I'll throw it out: How important are the mini's vs. the rules or the
game itself?

To me, referring to Epic specifically, I cannot see playing it with flat
counters, or even stand-up cardboard counters like BT used to come with.
I prefer painted mini's, but I have played without them, and probably
will again, but you would be surprised at the fury of some of the "I
don't need no stinking mini's" crowd, of which there were a lot of
BT'ers, and a surprising number of regular wargamers.

I used the example of "Ogre" to try and narrow down the question:
There's a boardgame, miniature game, and computer game of "Ogre", the
Steve Jackson Giant robot tank game. Are they all part of the same
hobby, or are they different?

We have a pretty varied group on this list, so I hope to see some
interest here. Epic will soon have a computer game too...

Chris Miller
Received on Fri Aug 15 1997 - 21:47:04 UTC