Collectible miniatures games (CMGs) are a form of

miniatures game Miniatures games are a form of tabletop game which prominently features the use of miniature models or figures. War games One of the oldest and most popular miniatures game genres is that of war games, where figures are arranged into competin ...

that is also similar to

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards. The genre was introduced with ''Magic: The G ...

s (CCGs) — the primary difference being that while CCGs are card-based games, CMGs feature miniature figures. A popular theme for CMGs are strategy wargames, since games of that genre typically feature miniatures such as: soldiers, vehicles, etc.

Miniature wargames A miniature wargame is a type of wargame in which military units are represented by Miniature model (gaming), miniature physical models on a model battlefield. Miniature wargames are played using Toy soldier, model soldiers, vehicles, and arti ...

have been around for a long time, but the idea of a ''collectible'' miniature wargame is recent. In a conventional miniature game, players purchase the miniatures they want and generally invest time in assembling,

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, and often customizing the figures to their liking. CMGs were designed to appeal to those who would enjoy the game aspect but not necessarily the hobby aspect of miniature gaming. CMGs tend to cover a more diverse range of topics than traditional wargames (which generally are fantasy, sci-fi, or historical in theme), and certain games, such as Dreamblade are even somewhat abstract in nature. Due to the random distribution of figures when purchasing CMG products, a large secondary market has sprung up selling single miniatures, as well as websites that allow players to trade spare figures. Perhaps the most popular and well-known CMG to date is

HeroClix HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system that centers on the world of superhero comic books, especially DC and Marvel universes. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, or characters from various video ...

, which allows players to create battles between characters from the

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

and

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

comic book universes, as well as certain smaller publishers. Other popular CMGs include Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game, Halo ActionClix,

HorrorClix HorrorClix is a collectible miniatures game. Released on August 30, 2006, it uses WizKids' Clix system. The game's tagline is "wicked fun." The product was discontinued in November 2008 when WizKids' new owner Topps shut down the compan In Septembe ...

Monsterpocalypse ''Monsterpocalypse'' is a Kaiju-themed collectible miniatures game which is published by Privateer Press. Released series include ''Rise'', ''I Chomp NY'', ''All Your Base'', ''Monsterpocalypse Now'' and the current series ''Big in Japan''. A Vo ...

, Pokémon Trading Figure Game, and Star Wars Miniatures.

References

* {{Tabletop games by type

See also

References