Raybox Games

Are Tabletop Miniatures Games Dying?

Well, we’ve all heard that question before. In the late ’70s, I can remember the historical gamer grognards at the local hobby/train shop bemoaning the oncoming extinction of “proper gaming” at the hands of these new roleplaying gamers and their need for a few fantasy miniatures. I snickered quietly to myself as I carted my polybagged unlicensed Balrog and skeletons to the till. Even then I wondered how the demon and its minions would fare against the diecast Tiger tanks in the counter display. I wondered how one could create that fight on the gaming table.

The British invasion of the ’80s and ’90s with its insidious indoctrination process drew players into a vortex of spending and tournament play to the exclusion of all else. Alienated retailers and fan burnout due to power creep and large armies seemed to herald the doom of miniature gaming. Certainly, concerns of this problem persist up to the present. The rise of skirmish style games, with smaller gameboard surfaces, lower model counts, and out of box playability are a direct consequence.

The CCG explosion, sucking retailer cashflow dry and shaking up contemporary distribution was a close call to the survival of RPGs, and board and miniatures games in general. The ’90s lead lawsuits only compounded the problem for miniatures games. Interactive, story-driven video games and ultimately the pandemicimposed isolation of a hobby based on human opponents have all been called portents of the end times. But the evolution has continued. Hybrid miniatures/boardgames are an evolutionary adaptation. Classics Heroquest, Battletech, and Space Hulk are past hybrid games, easy to set up and start, good gateway games into the larger hobby. More modern games such as Zombicide, Descent, Imperial Assault, Gloomhaven and Warhammer Quest, with their soloplay mode, further this evolution, offering a mix of markers and standees to support or supplant miniatures. Clearly tabletop miniatures games are healthy and evolving, with much to offer everyone, even a grognard…

The further evolution of the hybrid system adds more roleplaying and deeper story development. One of the first games to take full advantage of this, as well as addressing age-old complaints about setup time and game footprint, is Escape from Stalingrad Z by Raybox Games. Escape from Stalingrad Z links together elements of RPGs, tactical wargaming and the choosyour-own-adventure style of play for the first time. The game is designed for 1-3 players with a very short setup time and small footprint as the player games directly on the 100-page scenario book. Escape from Stalingrad Z is the first game in the Zombie Tango Oscar series (shipping November 2022). The second release will be Escape from Projekt Riese, slated for an early 2023 launch. Distribution in the US will be by Bridge Distribution, and we have distro already lined up for the UK, EU and Australasia.

Undaunted: Stalingrad from Bloomsbury

Publishing is a monumental standalone game that expands the series’ scope and challenge beyond anything that’s come before. Featuring more than 300 illustrations by Roland

MacDonald and 150 mission briefings written by acclaimed author Robbie

MacNiven, that game allows you to immerse yourself in a campaign at the heart of the war. ospreypublishing. com/undaunted stalingrad

Level up your RPG experience with Game Master Companion AT50010 from Arcane Tinmen. Stash and transport hordes of monsters while you conceal devious plans behind your GM screen! The Dragon Shield Game Master Companion is a two-in-one game master screen and storage/transport solution for TTRPG game masters. Bring everything you need for game night in one convenient box. dragonshield.com/roleplaying Kamigami Battles from Japanime Games is back with a Lovecraft twist! Enjoy the new base game and its 2 expansions of our Kamigami Battles Series, a deck building card game where players take the role of mighty gods from the various mythologies of world cultures, and recruit disciples and warriors to serve and fight for them. With this Lovecraftian block - the base game Kamigami Battles: Rise of the Old Ones and the expansions Kamigami Battles: The Stars are Right and Kamigami Battles: Into the Dreamlands - which add exciting new elements in the form of elder gods, great old ones, lovecraftian cultists and mystic artifacts! JPG639/640/641 MSRP $39.95 / $19.95

Munchkin Babies 2 – Stork Naked from Steve Jackson Games will give you that newborn feeling again, without any labor on your part! Add this 56-card expansion to your Munchkin Babies game – or any fantasy Munchkin game. It’s all Developmentally Appropriate, and after all that fighting, the babies will surely Sleep Through the Night.

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Welcome to Upper Deck’s newest Legendary expansion, Legendary Black Panther! T’Challa, the rightful king of Wakanda and world-famous Avenger is leading the Wakandan royal family and their incredible allies into the world of Legendary. This 100-card expansion includes new Schemes and skill-testing Keywords for a whole new game experience Wakanda Forever! upperdeckstore.com/legendaryblack-panther.html It’s a Wonderful Kingdom from Lucky Duck is the standalone solo or two-player follow-up to It’s a Wonderful World. Split, trap, and bluff your way to victory in this high player interaction game of drafting and engine building. luckyduckgames. com/games/304-it’sa-wonderful-kingdom

In Kites from Floodgate, everyone works together to keep all their kites – represented by colorful sand timers – in the air. Take turns playing cards, flipping the matching sand timers, and hectically coordinating with other the players. If a timer runs out, a kite has crashed! Play all of the kite cards in the deck to win as a group. Floodgate.Games/Kites Sales - Rich@ FloodgateGames.com

Honey Buzz: Fall Flavors from Elf Creek Games is an expansion that introduces five new modules for Honey Buzz. Mix and match to add these modules to the game in any combination. Fall has arrived in Sweetwater Grove and winter is just around the corner. The Queen Bee has given her worker bees new responsibilities to prepare! anja@elfcreekgames. com Redrum from Turbo Dork is a dark red metallic acrylic paint that will make your gray world colorful. Use it over a red basecoat to make a beautiful cherry red, or use over black to make your paint job deep, dark and evil. info@turbodork.com to order directly; GTS and PHD for distribution

Enter the chaotic economic world of modern Orcs! Orconomics from Ares Games is an economic game with a peculiar setting, where players compete to establish companies in 10 industrial sectors. They will create startups and develop them to become proper corporations, or they can get a presence in an industry by winning auctions. aresgames.eu Cat In The Box: Deluxe Edition from Bezier Games is the quintessential quantum trick-taking card game for 2-5 cool cats. Your card’s color isn’t defined until you play it! Hypothesize how many tricks you will win, place your bid, and then play oh-so-carefully to prevent a CATastrophic paradox! beziergames.com/collections/all-games/products/cat-inthe-box-deluxe-edition

The SPILL from Smirk & Dagger features a crippled oil rig that threatens the coastline. Can you and your team contain the spill, remove what oil you can from the waters and save the sea life? Featuring a unique 4-way dice tower, 64 dice, 8 asymmetric characters and variable difficulty and win conditions. Street date: 8/31/22.

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