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Fuzzy Heroes! It's a war game you play with childrens' toys, so you likely have all the minis you'll ever need. It's fast, fun, easy to learn, and the rule book can be purchased online fairly cheaply.

I was going to say Deadzone, as it all comes in the box. Expanding it is easy too, with 'booster' packs or models.
Also, there's Warzone from Prodos, but it might be a bit advanced.

Many of these suggestions are quite advanced for a 10 year old who is just getting into the hobby.

Have you thought about Hobbit/LOTR? The core rules are relatively straight forward and a 10 year old could probably pick up on the basics quickly. You only need a handful of figures a side. The kid is likely to be familiar with the characters and best of all the miniatures and older rulebooks are readily available relatively cheaply on eBay.

Here's a good review of the Song of Blades & Heroes game.
Solid game with easy to learn mechanics and minimal figure outlay.

http://wargameguru.weebly.com/in-focus-review---song-of-blades-and-heroes.html

Not so much a game, but certainly the inexpensive: http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/Science_Fiction.html

How do you feel about the old west? Check out Dead Man's Hand. $30 for a gang, and it's got blind activation (nominate a character: draw a card from the top of a deck, he gets that number and activates in that order). It's fun. Desperadoes, Cowboys, banditos, lawmen, outlaws, cavalry, etc. bunch of factions, I have friends who love it.

 Egregious wrote:
I've glanced over the rules for Infinity, they seem a bit complex for a 10 year old (didn't look really closely though). Haven't looked at Malifaux, although the skirmish size makes it attractive.

If you get Infinity Operation: Icestorm you get enough for the both of you to start, including terrain. The rules at first glance can seem complex but the new rulebook coming out simplifies a few things. The starter comes using the new rules and also has 5 scenarios designed to very slowly ease you into the game, starting with 1-2 miniatures and working your way to where both sides are using all the miniatures in the box. Going through the scenarios makes it very easy to learn and fun to play.

I don't recommend going through them one after another though. I recommend playing multiple games using one scenario before moving to the next, only after you've gotten the hang of things. That was how my kids and wife learned to play with me. For example we played scenario 1 about 8 times, before moving to scenario 2 which we played 8 times as well. The game has a lot of interaction where both players are constantly talking, checking for reactions, rolling against one another so there isn't a period where someone feels like they are waiting forever while another person moves their army.

Inifinity looks really cool, but remember this is a 10 year old we're talking about. It's might be possible, but it's at the very edge of what a 10 year old is likely to enjoy.

I think some folks are losing sight of the age of the kid.

So far the ones I'm considering are Song of Blades & Heroes, Super Dungeon Explore, Mordheim, and maybe Deadzone (I could hijack the terrain for my own nefarious purposes when he isn't playing).

 Egregious wrote:
So far the ones I'm considering are Song of Blades & Heroes, Super Dungeon Explore, Mordheim, and maybe Deadzone (I could hijack the terrain for my own nefarious purposes when he isn't playing).

No reason you couldn't play SBH and Mordheim with the same miniatures. I prefer SBH, but Mordhiem is a solid game. Even if you end up going with SBH, Mordheim would definitely be worth trying at some point.

 Egregious wrote:
So far the ones I'm considering are Song of Blades & Heroes, Super Dungeon Explore, Mordheim, and maybe Deadzone (I could hijack the terrain for my own nefarious purposes when he isn't playing).

Certainly, Mordheim and Song would be the least expensive. However, Super Dungeon Explore and Deadzone have the appeal that they come in a box and make a great gift. Super Dungeon Explore is the least like the others, as it is kind of like a cross between a board game and an 80s arcade game.

I'll second the nomiations for Zombicide and Song Of Blades and Heroes.

Zombicide is everything you need in one box for 1-6 players. Rules, Dice, Terrain, and a ton of minaitures to paint if he likes. I play it with my 6 and 11 year olds.

Song Of Blades and Heroes is a great rule set, letting you use any Fantasy minaitures you like, but you will have to provide the miniatures and terrain.

I'm also a big fan of Superfigs Supersystem 2nd edition. Build your bands of Super heroes and villains and duke it out. You can get figures cheap by just buying inexpensive Heroclix singles.

RanTheCid wrote:Song of Blades and Heroes - Fantasy skirmish gaming. Rules are easy to learn but still give a good game. Buy the rules PDF for $8, add in a few Reaper Bones and you will be gaming for next to nothing.

http://www.ganeshagames.net/product_info.php?cPath=1_6&products_id=7

I'd recommend this as well. I helped run the all ages section of a con once and we had several 10 year olds play this game.

I would recommend Deadzone. All in one box, including terrain. Simple movement and range mechanics (no ruler required).

 Eilif wrote:
Inifinity looks really cool, but remember this is a 10 year old we're talking about. It's might be possible, but it's at the very edge of what a 10 year old is likely to enjoy.

I think some folks are losing sight of the age of the kid.

As much as I am a fan of Infinity, I think the advanced rules and models would turn him off. Keep in mind the models are beautiful, but they have a lot of small bits to put on them. The mechanics are not so bad to get down, but it has a lot of special rules and interactions, and the translation is not so great as of right now in this edition.

Second the Fuzzy Heroes suggestion. You can use any existing toys you have and the system to stat things out is vey simple. I've run a few of these games at local cons and people really seem to enjoy watching their stuffed animals pound the tar out of each other. One battle royale game had so many players we ran out of toys and ended up using styrofoam cups with pencils jammed in them and faces drawn on. It was one of these killer cups that won the event.

I would find some free rules for Green Army Men, there are literally tons of free rules out there for them. Plus, Green Army Men are really easy to find.

Cutlass is another good beginner system - and my biggest problem with the game actually works in your favor; it does not have rules for ships....

It would be easy to play the game using cheap plastic pirate figures - twiddle with ranges and movement.

If the Warhammer Historicals game Legends of the High Seas were still available....

And, yes, Mordheim is a good game, and I highly recommend it.

The Auld Grump

if you can find the models/rules...try mageknight out...loved that game

Dreadball? it is sci Fi sports .. So it is easy to understand the setting.. you get everything in one box, but you can expand if you want.. It is also something he and his friends probably could play together when "dads" not around.. after they have picked up how the basic rules work etc...

 Eilif wrote:
Inifinity looks really cool, but remember this is a 10 year old we're talking about. It's might be possible, but it's at the very edge of what a 10 year old is likely to enjoy.

I think some folks are losing sight of the age of the kid.

To be fair both my children were playing Space Hulk and WH40K with me at 10 years old so not entirely losing sight of the age. Granted they both also have their own computers and have been playing MMO's with my wife and I since then as well. Super Dungeon Explorer, Krosmaster, Khoasball are also fun to play if we're going down board game with miniatures route. You could always start them with Space Hulk ^_^ that was how my kids started.

My daughter started with Gorkamorka.

For a ten year old, I recommend Mice and Mystics. It is a great game for the age group, and it is a decent introduction into miniatures games. It is a co-op, narrative driven dungeon crawl board game with miniatures.

The story is good and great fun for a family, the rules are simple, and the game already has a couple of expansions. Because it is co-op with no GM, it is a nice intro into miniatures gaming without the competitive pressure. It plays like a fun storybook, and I think it will be evocative of story time, but as a game.

The base game is a little pricey for a board game at about $80, but the game has plenty of playability with a clever tile design. The miniatures are decent PVC miniatures, and the components are high quality.

The game can be a challenge at times, as a bad run of rolls can start a cascade failure, but you can usually advance through the story even if you lose a scenario, which is a good learning opportunity in itself. I strongly recommend taking a look at it. I can tell you that it is fun just for adults as well as kids, and is a fantastic family game.