Starter Sets and Aspirations Therein

Earlier I rambled on a bit about the smallest starter sets Games Workshop put out for 8th and 9th Editions of Warhammer 40k, focusing (or trying to) on accessibility and value, and in talking with my friend and everyone's favorite hobby cheerleader Dan Adams, I got to thinking that maybe a criteria ought to be formalized for determining what a "Good" beginner box really would look like. This ties into a recent project I did with my local gaming store Pandemonium Books and Games, where I worked to find paint sets, brushes, and miniatures that provided a solid experience for beginners and returning hobbyists, and then bundle them up into affordable kits.

The value of the kits was not only that it was a jumping off point for painters, but also that the range of paint and the versatility of the models therein would be a great base for a burgeoning collection that needed non-specific paint. That said, the original vision for the kits also would have included a booklet and some dice to play a small Roleplaying or Skirmish game with, really making it a self-contained package in the fullest sense of the term.

Upon re-examining my critique of the two starter boxes, I think a solid summary is that neither of them do a very good job of being self contained. 8th's First Strike comes closest I think, since it has the little core rulebook, but because of how the included models are or aren't balanced, neither box leaves you with much replayability after the teaching missions are done. The Recruit Box makes everyone vanilla (no faction specific abilities,) and tells you in no uncertain terms to get these extra expansion kits so you can play the last scenario in the book. If this were a boardgame, which one could argue these starter boxes give the appearance of, it would be laughably shallow. I've heard good things about GW's Beastgrave starter from Nicolai over in the Resin Tomb, but even then he got like two more warbands to keep things interesting. So what should we ask of a starter box then to grow with us and keep us engaged as we play its contents again and again?

Please keep in mind that I only speak for me and that my opinions are my own. I'm not trying to start any fights, but I want to consider what a "perfect" starter box might include.

Minis Enough

There should be enough minis that you can play an actual game, not just the shrunken down version that shows you most of the basics. While its a good teaching tool to introduce mechanics in a gradual way, I think it's a disservice to not have a full game in a starter box, in the event that this box is someone's only venture into your IP. It's not very capitalist of me to say a starter box should be more than a taster, but think of it as a board gamer might: would you want to buy a game that has no replay value without a handful of expansions? (Trick question since those exist, but I maintain my point.)

And Then Some

One of the allures of miniature wargaming (for me anyway) is customizability in the armies, and configuration of units. I think Frostgrave could have had an amazing starter set, since all you'd need is a box of soldiers, a pair of wizards, and a handful of scatter terrain (aside from the dice, rulers and book.) You can make any combination of units and explore different army lists, and it lets you explore your style of play with a hefty safety net of having more than enough figures to try new things. It'd be really exciting if you could play actual sized games without having to play carbon copy armies playthrough after playthrough. Root and Pocket Tactics have versatility in mind, so we know its possible (I know root doesn't use minis and Pocket Tactics is a printable game, but the customizability is still present in both of them.)

Adventures Galore

I think we're sensing a theme here. Starter boxes are a jumping off point, but games of yore like Mordheim had starters and their rulebooks were full of information on continuing your stories after the tutorials have ended and the training wheels come off. I feel like we're missing that in the starter boxes of today, since the goal is to expand the story with new models, instead of the growth your minis could go through in campaigns or interlocked missions. Narrative and non-physical development (scenarios that change depending on the last game, or heroes learning new skills,) should be the butter on the bread that is the base game, and would make for a richer experience for anyone venturing into the greater game.

What do we do with Expansions though?

Expansions should be non-essential, further developments of the game. New units, scenarios, and ideas are natural developments whenever you're tinkering with an IP, and it'd be a waste to not put them out into the world. I love them to bits, and think they're some of the tastiest books out there (I'm looking at you Perilous Dark,) but I want Starter boxes to be a whole experience, not something with huge chunks carved out for teasing out sales later. 

And so

I think its safe to say that I'm not thinking about Starter Boxes like a business, but I am concerning myself with customer satisfaction and value. Maybe this will change when I launch my own game with a starter set and turn into an Ebenezer Scrooge, but I highly doubt it. Whether you agree with my opinions or not, I think we can agree that we want people to have fun and enjoy our hobby, and while we live in a capitalist hellscape, maybe we can make better products than the ones that've come before us.