I went to the Regional Qualifier tournament for D&D Miniatures today. I went 3-3… so I can at least say I’m not a loser. Then again… I can’t say that I’m a winner either. I guess I’m stuck in limbo.

Of the people I know… doubtofbuddha did the best. He made it to the quarterfinals and came in third overall. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to enjoy the third place prize — two free passes to GenCon… the largest gaming convention in the US… and an invitation to the National Tournament. He won’t be able to enjoy it because he can afford to get himself to Indianapolis. 🙁

If anyone can come up with a way for him to get to Indianapolis on a shoestring budget, I would greatly appreciate it. Donations are also welcome. 🙂

–sam

13 Comments

  • What are “D&D Minis”? Is that a set of wargaming rules set in a D&D world, or a painting contest?

    Reply

    1. It’s a set of wargaming rules based on the D&D 3rd edition combat system. It’s basically a simplified version of that system that speeds up gameplay a bit.

      I could have easily gone 5-1 or 4-2. A couple of critical hits devastated one of my heavy hitters in one match. In another match, I just simply did not roll well in the final rounds of combat. Oh well… better luck next time. 🙂

      You can find out more about D&D minis over on the WotC website.
      http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mi/20040520b

      The one problem is that it’s a collectible game… instead of cards, like in Magic the Gathering (a game I’ve only played once and didn’t care for), you collect miniatures. There is also a Mechwarrior collectible game out too, but I haven’t tried it.

      Reply

      1. I went and checked out the link. It looks pretty interesting–GW put out a few skirmish games back in the day that sold pretty well, maybe other companies are getting in on the act and combining the idea of a skirmish game with the collectible aspect of a card game.

        I really enjoy playing miniatures with huge blocks of men and leading big armies, but the one thing I really thought was interesting about the skirmish games was the time element: most of them took only about an hour to set up and play, whereas a big battle takes forever.

        Reply

        1. Exactly… the time element is what makes the game really enjoyable for me. I just don’t have the time and patience for a massive army game anymore.

          The D&D minis game, in my opinion, is just right. It’s a quick game (one to two hours). The pieces are painted plastic so I don’t have to worry about storage or paint. The minis can be used in RPG so even if I don’t have a skirmish use, I might use it for D&D. The cost per mini is much cheaper than other miniatures or collectible mini games. If I need a specific mini, I can buy it on ebay. Last, but not least… if I want to play a game and nobody is around to play. I can play online on the VASSAL system.

          –sam

          Reply

          1. That’s an impressive array of “plus”-es. Especially being able to play online–I am going to look into whether GW has similar online play options…AFTER I finish my dissertation.

          3. Lisa miiiight be able to secure me housing. If she succeeds I would need to get like $149 dollars for a place ticket. Oh and maybe a rental car.

            Jesse Dean

          4. I can get tickets for less. Southwest has a direct flight for $137. After looking through some of the posts on the GenCon website, I think lodging should be pretty cheap. I’m thinking about $35 per night at most (with 4 people in the same room)… less the further you stay from the con center. Staying close to the Con center means no need for a rental car. Basically it would work like this… $35 per night for a room near the con or $35 or more per day for a rental car.

            So… 137+105 = $242 without food. Budget about $25 per day on food (you’ll be eating out every meal. It ain’t cheap.), that comes out to $317 (possibly less if you can get a better lodging deal or if you skimp on food.

            The other way is to stay further away and rent a car. Lodging costs can be brought down to about $20 per night (with 4 people)… rental car would be about $9 per day (with 4 people). That’s a little less overall.

            137+87 = 224 +75 (food) = $299

            –sam

            p.s. Give me a list of the rare minis and RPG books you wouldn’t mind raffling off for some extra cash for the trip.

          5. Alrighty.

            I have a Hill Giant, a Unicorn, and a Paladin of Torm as far as minis go. I have tons of rare books that I can get. For example, I have one of the copies of the limited print run Dune RPG that was sold only at Gen Con 2000.

            Are you going to go too?
            I do have an extra ticket and it would be great to have you along. 🙂

            Jesse Dean

          6. Good. A Hill Giant would fetch a pretty penny. I can add a couple of figs to the pot.

            As for me… I’m thinking about it. I have to figure out my finances, but I think it would be great to go. I would love to compete at the Open tournament.

            –sam

          7. Excellent.

            Which Open tournament?

            The one thing I am worried about is what if we don’t get enough raffle purchases to make up for the value of the items we are putting up for auction?

            Jesse Dean

          8. The one that will get me into the Nationals… 🙂

            I’ve thought about that. The best thing I came up with was that no one would send any money until we had at least a certain amount of tickets pre-sold.

            –sam

          9. That sounds good.

            I think you should definitely go for it. 🙂

            I would even let you use my Giants of Legends miniatures for it. 😉

            It would be awesome if one of us won Nationals.

            Jesse Dean