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Wow – a game aimed at children (all of them, including girls) that brings role playing and miniature wargaming together with a full-color magazine and an unnaturally high dose of cuteness. But what is Warheads really? Essentially, it’s a miniature wargame with two factions: Gui’s Gits and Hugo’s Heroes. Each faction has a pack of miniatures that are super cute (though they’re still standard 28mm white metal miniatures). Game scenarios are presented through a six-issue series of full color magazines (the first of which has the rules for the game) which advance the storyline of the game and introduce roleplaying elements. There isn’t much in the way of detail around gameplay, schedules or cost, but the figures and presentation are undeniably charming. The first set of releases is titled “Medieval Tales,” so we suspect that there will be future sets using different themes (and presumably new magazines and miniatures). Warheads will launch in the retail channel in mid-May.
Hat Tip to Chris Pramas
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There’s a bit more info in the forums at their site. It looks like each bi-monthly release will consist of a magazine (which can be a free PDF download or a purchased hardcopy) and two boxed sets of about 8 figures each. This is a UK company so the prices are 25GBP (~$38) for a box of figures (~8) and 5GBP (~$7.50) for the magazine. So you’re looking at about $85 for an out the door cost at your local retailer.
The minis are NOT prepainted. They are white metal. The game is NOT aimed at kids. They are aiming for the teen/adult market. They mentioned in the UK with white metal they have to have a recommended age of 14. So the story line is aimed at that age as well. So while the game certainly looks like a great intro game to get your kid into a simple minis/RPGish game it has a different focus.
The first magazine should be available to look through on their site next week.
Sorry – I didn’t mean to imply they were pre-painted (hence pointing out they are white metal minis) – but I don’t see that as a barrier to entry (both my 4 and 7 year old enjoy painting minis). Is the target demographic really the teen market? I saw the comment about 14+ in the forums, but presumed that was a reference to the common age restrictions most companies use for reasons of indemnification as opposed to actual intent. If an older crowd is the target demographic, this would seem out of whack with the sensibilities of that age group (in my experience at least).
Thanks for the update on pricing (I somehow missed the Q&A subsection of the forums)!
The emphasis was not in response to your comments but just in general. A lot of people showing up in the forums on their site seemed to have the idea that this was a game aimed at kids (myself included) and were very excited about the prospect of a game like that aimed at a younger audience. But based on a number of comments from the staff there answering questions this seems to not be the case at all. They did say that if this game does well then they would consider another product, with prepainted plastic possibly, that would be aimed at the younger market. But to do a large number of figures like this in prepainted plastic would be pretty expensive and the game already seems to be on the expensive side so I’m not sure how viable that idea is.
My concern now is that the game is too cute looking to attract the older audience they are seeking but it’s too expensive to gain a following with a younger audience. It seems there isn’t a small buy-in option. If you want to play you have to plunk down you money for two sets of figures (~$80) (one bad guys and one good) since the story and scenarios and rules in each magazine relate to the figures in each release. Every two months there will be a new magazine and a new figure set. The first storyline (the first year or 6 releases will consist of 80 different figures. I have a big list of questions posted in their forums waiting to be answered and they have said that the first magazine will be available next week so more info will shortly be available.