Star Wars Ramble

     If you've been reading my previous blog posts or if you follow Nothing But Sixes on Twitter (@nothingbutsixes), you'll notice that the Star Wars Miniatures Game has appearing more and more. This is a strange foray for me to embark on, so I wanted to elaborate on it a little and explain what I plan on doing and why. First of all, I've never liked the collectible aspect of SWM, and the models are subpar at best. I'm making an exception and building a collection because for my uses, the only considerations that matter are that the figures are affordable, consistent, and fit the setting I'm trying to recreate.
     I've always been a hobbyist first, and a gamer second. My passion in miniature wargaming is the painting aspect. Lately I've wanted to expand my palette by increasing my presence in the gaming community. One of the main ways I want to achieve this goal is by running demo games. I've been making arrangements to start running Mars Attacks! demos locally, but I wanted to do something on a larger scale for events. My objective with what I've started calling The Hoth Project is to build large Rebel and Imperial armies consisting of Wizards of the Coast Star Wars figures, with a complete set of Hoth-themed terrain. Then using a blend of the WOTC rules with some home-brew modifications, I intend to use the collection to run huge games at local events. I want to generate interest in playin games outside of the usual few that local groups play (Warhammer Fantasy, Warhammer 40k, Warmahordes, and Infinity). One possibility that has occurred to me in the past week was finding a way to have a simultaneous game of X-Wing running, which will somehow be able to influence the ground-based game. I'm not sure yet as to how this might work, but it would be a neat addition.

     I've chosen the Battle of Hoth as the focus of this project as it is one of my favourite movie scenes that I've wanted to play out on the tabletop. It also seems to be an iconic scene in the minds of many gamers and non-gamers alike, which I hope will generate more participation when the time comes to actually run the games. I want to create as much enthusiasm as possible for both those playing and those watching.
     There are some challenges that I anticipate coming up as I continue working on the project. One of these challenges will be the creation of visually appealing, yet transportable terrain. Another will be modifying the rules in such a way that allows for mass combat in a reasonable amount of time without becoming to complicated, and without creating any blatant imbalances between the forces. Finally, it might be difficult to find players interested in play-testing modified rules and help organize the actual gameplay when the time comes. 

     This project will be a large undertaking, and will have more elements to coordinate than any other project that I've worked on. For this reason, I'm thankful that the miniatures are at least pre-painted and I can save some time there. The ideal outcomes are optimistic, but I like the idea of challenging myself and diversifying my enjoyment of miniature wargaming.

The Ralph McQuarrie concept art for Hoth.