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Hey fellow Dakka'ers!

I wanted to try and get suggestions from the community for an all-in-one-box miniatures game. I've decided after dabbling a bit in the miniatures hobby that while I love the look of a fully modeled board with big armies lining up across the way from each other, I do not have the time, patience, or inclination to go it all the way. For a while I considered going a skirmish miniatures route like MERCS or Infinity where it's much easier and quicker to jump into it and do it proper but even with smaller skirmish games I still don't enjoy doing terrain all that much. I'm much more into the painting but I only enjoy it if I can be really leisurely about it and know that when I 'finish' I'll have a complete balanced game.

Some of the more specific attributes of what I'm looking for can be summed up below.
-Terrain is included (this doesn't have to be 3d, I'm totally fine with boards)
-'Limited' to no expandability (I'd really prefer the game to be totally complete in one box but I suppose I wouldn't mind too much the type of 'big-box' expansions that include things for both sides or all factions. What I'd like to stay away from here are things that expand the game by individual units or factions like Dust Tactics.)
-Good quality models (one of the main goals is to provide me with models to slowly paint so good quality is a must)
-Genre doesn't matter

I'm thinking of games like:
Space Hulk (obviously)
Dreadfleet
Claustrophobia (excepting that I don't want painted models)
Earth Reborn

One final note, I'm not interested in Sedition Wars. I backed it on kickstarter and after reading through the rules immediately sold it.

Anyway, if you guys have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. If you've played the game you recommend I'd love to hear why you like and recommend it.

Thanks!

I'd say Space Hulk, practically a board game that includes miniatures and the rules. Also you don't have to expand it any further. The only problem is that it's always been limited edition so you have to buy it (not cheaply) on ebay or wait for a new one.

Dreadfleet is definitely still floating around. I've never played it, but the rules seem fun enough.

Super Dungeon Explore (SDE) has expansions, but from what I've seen you could probably get by with just the base game easily enough; you'd only need to buy the expansions if you really played the hell out of the base game and wanted more variety.

WotC has done some stand-alone miniature board games; there's one for Drizz't and one for Ravenloft, might be others.

Descent (the board game, not the shooter) is similar to SDE I *believe*.

Dropzone Commander might be another option. I know almost nothing about it, but they just came out with a scenery set printed on heavy card for $35 that'd give you a 4x4 or 4x6 table without having to muck about with any terrain. It is not a all-in-one box though.

Malifaux has some nice pre-printed cardstock terrain as well. I bought a bunch of it from an overstock clearance and it's pretty nice.

Zombicide - it's the best game I've played in years.

X wing.

Your board is a bit of black cloth, or you can buy correctly sized printed mats for about $50

Card asteroids are included but someone is already making 3d ones.

Ships are pre painted, but nicely detailed and nothing stopping you repainting them to your taste.

It's Star Wars!

Only thing is the expansion side of things, which isn't really what you've said you wanted, but everything is included in each booster and one ship is normally a solid addition (tournament lists run 3-7 ships a piece)

I did buy into X-Wing miniatures and I agree, it is a fantastic game. This is my game that fits the role of miniatures I can play immediately and get my 'army-building' fix without having to put work into anything.

I'm familiar with both Descent and Castle Ravenloft, but I'd be looking for higher quality minis than these provide. They are great games though. I'm pretty big on the boardgaming side so many of the games that lie more on that side of the spectrum I'm fairly familiar with.

Haven't played Super Dungeon Explore or Zombicide. How are the miniatures compared to 'Space Hulk' (I'm only using Space Hulk as a measuring stick because the mini quality is top-notch and everyone can relate to it)?


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Has anyone played or modeled Mantic's "Dwarf King's Hold"? How is the quality for the models, the rest of the pieces?

Zombicide minis are nowhere near space hulk quality, but are fine for a board game (imo).

I know it breaches the expand ability rules, but what about blood bowl?? It's a fast, easy and notoriously fun game system, lord of people already play it, and you could buy everything you need in one go for about the same price as a boxed game.

Just because there are other teams / models available doesn't mean you have to use them - you could just stick to two teams and the game board...

SDE and Descent are great. One person needs to own the box and anyone can play pretty easily.

Myth KS looks interesting as instead of Dungeon master VS heroes, it is Heroes VS an algorithm which allows group play.

I have seen Zombicide and it looks like fun (not into the models but it is a good game I hear)

SDE is awesome - You could totally stick with just the base set if you wanted to, and the expansions are fully-contained boxes themselves. (You still need the main set to use them, but I contained as-In you don't buy them one unit at a time).

On a technical level - the SDE minis aren't as nice as what you'd find in Space Hulk. But they're fantastic minis none-the-less, and are in a style that they don't need to be super detailed. I personally found them very fun to paint.

 ArbitorIan wrote:
I know it breaches the expand ability rules, but what about blood bowl?? It's a fast, easy and notoriously fun game system, lord of people already play it, and you could buy everything you need in one go for about the same price as a boxed game.

Just because there are other teams / models available doesn't mean you have to use them - you could just stick to two teams and the game board...

I've always been a bit interested in Blood Bowl. Weren't there recent rumors of a new special boxed set coming out, or am I totally crazy?

If you can handle historical stuff, "Battle Cry" is an American Civil War game, the most recent edition is by Avalon Hill/Wizards of the Coast. It is a lot of fun, has all the figures you'll need. Terrain consists of a board with extra hex pieces that add variation. Lots of scenarios available on the web.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/88827/battle-cry-150th-civil-war-anniversary-edition

I would say Battletech...but you said you want good quality minis, and the ones in the intro set are fairly low resolution...the detail is soft.

 Mad4Minis wrote:
I would say Battletech...but you said you want good quality minis, and the ones in the intro set are fairly low resolution...the detail is soft.

I love battletech but yes, the minis I find pretty lacking (even the metal ones). Plus, they are crazy expensive. Great game though.

If you can score one?

Warhammer Quest, Hero Quest, or Empire in flames and a couple of blister packs of monsters, and some reaper miniatures. Tile based games are the best for what your looking for, unless you want to try something else in FF's line.

Otherwise, try picking up Mansions of Madness or Last Night on Earth.

Dwarf King's Hold - really like the way the game plays, and the quality of the minatures is good (they use the basic Mantic miniatures). I would say the quality is not as good as Space Hulk, on the grounds that that game has some truly exceptional sculpts, and also the board tiles are not as thick, but then again it costs £30 or so.

Put Project Pandora in the same boat, although obviously it will depend if you like the fantasy or sci-fi archetype.

I know you specifically ruled it out, but Dust Tactics really does fit everything you said except for Expandability.
The models are very decent quality - better than many I've seen, are 1:48 scale (32mm) and they paint very well; they also come assembled and pre-primed so you can be playing as soon as they're out of the box.
It comes with terrain/tiles.
The scenario expansions come with a hero model for each faction, more tiles and terrain and complete rules.
The starter box comes with 2 complete small forces, enough to play a 45 minute game.

The individual unit boxes contain a complete new unit; expansion is really up to you and can very easily be done in sections - one unit for each side, or pick your favourite force. But you can totally play with just the single starter box.

I don't really know of too many others that have paintable-quality miniatures whilst not being oriented towards expansion....

Earth Reborn is a really good game with plenty of replayability straight out of the box and if you want more head to the website for morre free goodness. same would apply to Claustrophobia.

My only issue with Dust Tactics is that it could turn into a money pit given FF release new gear very week or so it seems. My understanding is that it is not that balanced out of the box, so tweaking with more stuff could be required.

Space Hulk has all you need but cost to get it may rule it out. My favourite Hulk like clone is Incursion by Grindhouse Games which is "Weird WW2" based. You get everything in the box at a fraction of the price - sadly these are the card standees but the card is thick and durable. Separate minitures are available but they are a relatively premium cost.

For fantasy SDE is in the "chiba" style which is like marmite, if you like it you love them, if not you will really dislike the minis style. If yit turns out you like the minis this is a great game. Descent is too but you need a couple of friends to get the best out of it.

I am biased but Rivet Wars coming out later this year, is one I am really looking forward to, but again it is in that "chiba" style, but with a distinct Steampunk look.

I would suggest make a list and trawl the web for some reviews and take a plunge.

Grimnoc wrote:

 ArbitorIan wrote:
I know it breaches the expand ability rules, but what about blood bowl?? It's a fast, easy and notoriously fun game system, lord of people already play it, and you could buy everything you need in one go for about the same price as a boxed game.

Just because there are other teams / models available doesn't mean you have to use them - you could just stick to two teams and the game board...

I've always been a bit interested in Blood Bowl. Weren't there recent rumors of a new special boxed set coming out, or am I totally crazy?

There have been pretty unfounded 'rumours' for ages, ever since Space Hulk came out and people assumed that it would be a yearly thing. I wouldn't hold your breath, though!!

But all the things you need to play are easy to get hold of. The rules are a free download, and there are a number of eBay resellers who make some very nice gameboards, sell block dice, etc. The rules have been pretty fixed for years, thing are occasionally added, but not changed in a way that messes up your existing game.

A quick look at eBay lists

£5 - Block Dice x3
£30 - Skulls Gaming Mat (fancy blood bowl pitch with all the dugouts attached)
£3 - Battleforge Blood Bowl Footballs x2

So around £40 for the game bits, plus 2 teams from whatever manufacturer you prefer (there are plenty of third party non-GW models) and you're up and running. The game bits are probably even cheaper if you just pick up someone's old BB box set on eBay.

About the same total price as many of the boxed games mentioned in this thread, and you'll never be short of an opponent...



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(Actually, for an even easier full box set, Mantic make Dreadball, but people are divided over the miniatures, and you won't find as many players)

Bit of an aside...but...

http://www.comixininos.com/blood-bowl-teams/blood-bowl-team-complete.html

Most the current players in Fantasy Football...with the exception of Impact (there are others...but, those are the big ones and between that site and Impact it gives you 75 or so different teams).

Regarding the original question, I would probably recomend poking about on Board Game Geek for a bit. They have a pretty powerful database that will allow you to drill down to your specific interests. You can also get a larger swath of feedback and comparisons.

One thing that many people do is replace the mass market figures/tokens/counters with more detailed miniatures over time. They can play right out of the box, but then as time and money allows them, they can buy new bits. A friend likes the Battle Lore series and has replaced most the plastic pieces with 15mm figures.

 CptJake wrote:
If you can handle historical stuff, "Battle Cry" is an American Civil War game, the most recent edition is by Avalon Hill/Wizards of the Coast. It is a lot of fun, has all the figures you'll need. Terrain consists of a board with extra hex pieces that add variation. Lots of scenarios available on the web.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/88827/battle-cry-150th-civil-war-anniversary-edition

I have the 150th Anniversary Edition of the Battlecry set - I'm even painting the miniatures that come in it!

It's a whole lot of fun, and the Command and Colors card system is great. You may also want to look at other games like it - Command and Colors: Ancients (which has the Roman Republic fighting against Carthage and Hannibal, and has some 'large box' expansions that aren't really needed), Battlelore (a fantasy offshoot) and Battles of Westeros (Game of Thrones, anyone?).

Another choice would be Dreadball, Mantic's Scifi sportsgame offering. It includes two teams, and while there is a little bit of expansion, it mostly comes in the form of team boxes that you can pick up whenever, and they're pretty cheap as well.

Wow! Thanks a ton for all the suggestions everyone. I've enjoyed reading through what everyone thinks, except for you jerks tempting me to dive into Dust Tactics!

I think my heart's desire is just that GW would start producing Specialty Games again. It's the best combination of beautiful mini's with boardgame sensibilities!

Good Call on Battlecry. Memoir 44 and Tide of Iron are also worth a look if you want to play a WW2 game straight out of the box.

This probably breaks your expandability bit but...

You can play a good 700 pts of Flames of War with their latest Open Fire boxed set.

It gives you a German rifle company + StuGs against a Brit Tank Company with an Airborne platoon. It also includes the full rules; army lists; dice; counters and cardstock terrain (houses, fences, forest patches).

The game is IMHO actually more fun at the 700 pt level because you don't have every toy in the universe to field.

Flames of War: Open Fire costs about $70.

Grimnoc wrote:
Wow! Thanks a ton for all the suggestions everyone. I've enjoyed reading through what everyone thinks, except for you jerks tempting me to dive into Dust Tactics!

I think my heart's desire is just that GW would start producing Specialty Games again. It's the best combination of beautiful mini's with boardgame sensibilities!

Well you could always find a game you enjoy and proxy in GW minis. The overall model count would be small and you could certainly be leisurely about getting them finished.

Another option could be commissioning a terrain board for a game system you like. Granted this requires you have the space available and money, but it would certainly take care of the terrain making blues. If you aimed at smaller scale skirmish games you could get a nice 4'x4' table made at a reasonable cost.

Incursion, by West Wind Productions might suit.

It comes with cardstock figures, with optional starter packs of minis which are pretty decent sculpts should you want them.

Fairly small game fighting in post-war underground bunkers against mutant nazis.