Mark Johnson answers some Frequently Asked Questions concerning microgames.
What is a microgame?
What about Pocket Games, Minigames, Space Capsules,
etc.?
What about magazine wargames?
What about collectible card games?
What about miniatures rules?
What about gamekits?
Isn't "microgame" just another way of saying "beer & pretzel" game?
Are microgames still in print today?
Where can I find some old microgames?
What's the best way to sell or trade away microgames?
What are microgame components like?
Which line of microgames are the best?
What ever happened to Howard Thompson?
Remember our working definition of a microgame from this website's front page? Any inexpensive--no more than $15 today, or half that a decade ago--wargame that's typically small in size and quick-playing. The main reason for settling on such a definition at all was this, a database of all published microgames. It's not complete, perhaps it never will be, so suggestions or corrections are welcome -- please send them to the Webmaster or the Microgame Mailing List.
So...how did we arrive at that definition, you may wonder. Well, notice that I said "we." This was something discussed extensively in the earliest days of the mailing list. And, frankly, it gets revisited from time to time as new folks join the mailing list and express their opinion. Nothing wrong with that, and it's certainly conceivable that we could agree to change the working definition and make the necessary modifications to this database. But to be honest, I think the issue has settled down, and I hope it stays that way. It's more fun to discuss and play the games themselves than debate about terminology.
Let's go over the qualifying terms in the working definition. Note that they just about all relate to a low overhead/greater efficiency for the gamer: wargames that are inexpensive, small, and quick-playing.
This the game quality that is the most objective, and where we're not
compromising. Most of these games were introduced to the hobby around 1980
priced between $3 and $6 (we're letting the ones at $7-8 squeak in, too).
Adjusting for a decade and a half of inflation, plus the even faster rising
costs of paper products, a modern microgame ought to be no more than $15.
And if you find a great, expensive boxed game marked down in the bargain
bin to $15, congratulations, but that doesn't make it a micro. :-) Yeah,
it's problemmatic when a game that in all other ways is a micro happens
to be priced at $16, but we've got to draw the line somewhere. Some day
we may add a simple listing for these almost-micros.
Our working definition for microgames is really from the gamer or consumer's point of view. There's a similar but slightly different viewpoint from the smaller wargame publishers, who are financially unable to produce boxed games with diecut counters. Instead, they produce games in plastic bags or paper envelopes, with counters that must be cut apart before play. Their most likely customer is the gamer who can forego some aesthetics if doing so can put a quality game on an obscure topic and/or inexpensive price in his hands. So you see, the end result is often a microgame, as we've defined it, and as a matter of fact most of the current microgame publishers are participants on our mailing list.
What about Pocket Games, Minigames, Space
Capsules, etc.?
Especially in the early days of microgames (late 1970s-early 80s), different publishers chose different, catchy names for the same thing. In fact, when you see the word MicroGame capitalized, it generally refers to one of Metagaming's microgames.
Magazine games are another judgement call. We've opted to include only the smallest magazine games, principally those sometimes found in The Dragon, (The) Space Gamer, Fantasy Gamer, and Shadis. Of the various game-in-every-issue magazines, only Gamefix/Competitive Edge and Vae Victis games are included. The ones in Strategy & Tactics, Command, Wargamer (vol. 1), Ares, and others are almost always too "big" in one form or another (including cost, remember?). Besides, the Web-grognards wargaming site already covers these extremely well.
What about collectible card games?
There are no collectible card games in the database at all. The argument that you and an opponent can play a "normal" game with a starter and however many boosters add up to $15 (total, not apiece) is a strained one, at best. Again, comments and more insight are welcome.
The discussion about the differences, real and imagined, between board and miniatures wargaming is a well-worn one. For inclusion in the database, a miniatures game must come with sufficient components to play the game. So far, not many that do this have been identified. The most notable exception is Car Wars, which is very clearly a miniatures game...that comes with a map & counters.
Rather like the previous question, if the game comes with what's needed to play it, we're not bothered by any need to spend a little time gluing paper components to cardboard backing, or other forms of assembly. (The other common use of the term gamekit is for a game variant, in which case we wouldn't call it a microgame since it doesn't stand on its own.)
Isn't "microgame" just another way of saying "beer & pretzel" game?
Many B&P games fit the quick & easy play aspect of being a microgame, though they're often in a larger format, with better components, and at a necessarily higher price tag.
Are microgames still in print today?
You bet. A full list will eventually be posted to this website.
Where can I find some old microgames?
Sometimes you can still find them on game store shelves, used or still waiting for that first sale. Similarly, some mail order shops or distributors have a few odd microgames from yesteryear. Game conventions often have flea markets where you might get lucky. The other place to find them, perhaps the best place if you're after a specific title, is on the Internet. The Usenet newsgroup rec.games.board.marketplace, as well as the web-based auction services such as e-bay get old microgames posted to them from time to time. Beware that auctions sometimes go a little crazy, and the prices soar through the roof. The most economical way to find a particular old microgame is to post a "wanted" message on r.g.b.m, or the microgame mailing list.. You may hear back from someone that same day, or you may need to keep posting your request every few months.
What's the best way to sell or trade away microgames?
If your local game shops or conventions give you an outlet, you could try that. Online, your best bet is again r.g.b.m, the microgame mailing list, or a web-based auction service. A simple sale is certainly the easiest, but an auction may command a higher price.
What are microgame components like?
To price these games low enough, publishers have to cut some corners. Most often, that shows up in the box, map, and counters. The microgames published TSR and SJG were packaged in small, hinged, rigid plastic boxes. But most other microgames (including SJG's earlier games and editions) are in ziplock baggies. Metagaming's first games were just in fold-over baggies, and their later ones were in small carboard boxes. Over the years, the cardboard boxes have fared worse than the baggies, while the plastic boxes are unscathed. Maps are usually folded heavy-bond paper. The Dwarfstar Games published by Heritage featured cardboard maps (sturdy once you get them to lay flat). TSR's microgames featured colorful maps on thin, glossy paper. Counters also tend to be thin, only two or three colors, and not always backprinted. Some game companies opted for traditional die-cut counters, while others saved some money by letting you cut them out yourself. That's easy enough with a sharp knife or even scissors on this thin stock, plus you won't have the "fuzzy" corners of die-cut counters. For some reason Metagaming decided to go halfway, slicing the coutners lengthwise but leaving you to finish the job.
Which line of microgames are the best?
Of course there's no real answer to this question. I tend to prefer Metagaming's titles, perhaps out of nostalgia for my earliest days discovering wargaming. Many microgamers are most impressed by the Dwarfstar games, which look the nicest and command some of the highest prices for out-of-print games (about $25, compared with perhaps $7 for typical Metagaming titles).
What ever happened to Howard Thompson?
No one really knows. The guy who could rightfully be called the father of microgames closed up shop on Metagaming in the mid-1980s, and faded out of the hobby. We're not even sure he'd want to be found, though I hope he someday learns that a number of gamers still appreciate the type of wargaming product he championed two decades ago.
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