I've been thinking about Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Miniatures game a lot lately. Between 2005 and 2009 I amassed a decent collection from this line, and - after playing a lot of River Horse's Labyrinth board game with my fiancée lately - I've had a real hankering to get back into some strategy gaming.
But that's the thing. Unlike other tabletop wargames such as Warhammer (which, don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved - and played to no end), Miniatures wasn't just a strategy game. The complex scenarios, unique abilities of characters, and small party sizes (sometimes limited to only two or three miniatures) meant that there was a real sense of story around each game. An evening's worth of play felt more like a mini RPG session than it did a military campaign.
For now, my collection of miniatures is safely in storage back at my parents' place in New Zealand. I hope to break them out again in the near future - and when I do, I have a few projects planned. This post is a way of bookmarking some of those ideas and the inspirations behind them.
Next up, I'll need to decide what to do with the bases. My initial thought had been to leave them a neutral black - my reasoning being that anything else would limit the terrain on which the miniatures could work (a grassed-based miniature won't exactly look right in a spaceship interior). I've realised, however, that this kind of reasoning never stopped me from going all-out when basing my Warhammer miniatures. In addition, the right choice of basing can really make a miniature pop. The final kicker was when I stumbled across Grudgingly Read's phenomenally realistic (and easy) technique for creating snow bases. A good chunk of my miniatures are Hoth-based, and would look fantastic with this treatment, so that's what I'll be doing.
To add some diversity, I plan on using a variety of other basing techniques too. The plan is to loosely combine groups of miniatures into thematic squads, then use unified basings to tie them together. At the moment, I'm thinking something like the following:
It's not just miniatures that I'll be working on, either. I also have plans to improve my selection of scenery. I still have a fantastic Citadel grass gaming mat (shown in the photo above) from my Warhammer days, along with an assortment of other walls, building, and general battlefield detritus that will be perfectly to scale with my miniatures. I want to get a few more specifically Star Wars-themed items in there however. For one, I have a damaged double-up of the Micro Machines Action Fleet Mos Espa Market playset that is just begging to be customised and repainted for inclusion on the battlefield. I also have two AMT/Ertl model kits - a Naboo Starfighter, and a trio of droid starfighters - that, at 1:48 scale, are the perfect size match with the Miniatures line. I'm still unsure whether to use these as static pieces of scenery, or base and write rules for them to actually be used in gameplay as some sort of "aerial bombardment" mechanic.
I'll hopefully get to these projects in the near future - and when I do, I'll be sure to post about my progress. Stay tuned for updates!
For now, my collection of miniatures is safely in storage back at my parents' place in New Zealand. I hope to break them out again in the near future - and when I do, I have a few projects planned. This post is a way of bookmarking some of those ideas and the inspirations behind them.
My Star Wars Miniatures collection.
My miniatures are currently just as they came in the box: pre-painted and unbased. This is something I plan on changing, however. A full repaint is a rather daunting prospect, and - it turns out - mostly unnecessary. During my internet browsing, I stumbled across some phenomenal looking custom Miniatures on Paul's Star Wars Miniatures blog - all achieved by the simple application of some ink washes (like those in this set). These washes enhance the details already present on the moulds, darkening the shadows and adding some appropriate "used universe" grime to characters. I love this effect, and can't wait to try it on my own miniatures.Next up, I'll need to decide what to do with the bases. My initial thought had been to leave them a neutral black - my reasoning being that anything else would limit the terrain on which the miniatures could work (a grassed-based miniature won't exactly look right in a spaceship interior). I've realised, however, that this kind of reasoning never stopped me from going all-out when basing my Warhammer miniatures. In addition, the right choice of basing can really make a miniature pop. The final kicker was when I stumbled across Grudgingly Read's phenomenally realistic (and easy) technique for creating snow bases. A good chunk of my miniatures are Hoth-based, and would look fantastic with this treatment, so that's what I'll be doing.
To add some diversity, I plan on using a variety of other basing techniques too. The plan is to loosely combine groups of miniatures into thematic squads, then use unified basings to tie them together. At the moment, I'm thinking something like the following:
- Imperial Forces - Grass Bases (à la Naboo)
- Rebel Forces - Grass Bases (à la Naboo)
- Cold Weather Imperial Forces - Snow Bases (à la Hoth)
- Cold Weather Rebel Forces - Snow Bases (à la Hoth)
- Republic Forces - Red Desert Bases (à la Geonosis)
- Separatist Forces - Red Desert Bases (à la Geonosis)
- Mandalorians - White Desert Bases (à la Mandalore)
- Scum and Villainy - Yellow Desert Bases (à la Tatooine)
It's not just miniatures that I'll be working on, either. I also have plans to improve my selection of scenery. I still have a fantastic Citadel grass gaming mat (shown in the photo above) from my Warhammer days, along with an assortment of other walls, building, and general battlefield detritus that will be perfectly to scale with my miniatures. I want to get a few more specifically Star Wars-themed items in there however. For one, I have a damaged double-up of the Micro Machines Action Fleet Mos Espa Market playset that is just begging to be customised and repainted for inclusion on the battlefield. I also have two AMT/Ertl model kits - a Naboo Starfighter, and a trio of droid starfighters - that, at 1:48 scale, are the perfect size match with the Miniatures line. I'm still unsure whether to use these as static pieces of scenery, or base and write rules for them to actually be used in gameplay as some sort of "aerial bombardment" mechanic.
I'll hopefully get to these projects in the near future - and when I do, I'll be sure to post about my progress. Stay tuned for updates!
