What that name of activite or hobbie or board game whatever ppl call it...?

Question

i was at the mall lately and then i walk to a store called game shop and i see ppl painting all these lord or the rings charcters and putting them on land and stuff and then like a battle ...can sumone give me info bout tht and is it fun..???

Answer 1

What you were seeing was miniatures wargaming.  A basic miniatures system has rules for ranged weapons, melee weapons, special units, leadership, and in fantasy based games, typically magic as well.

Based on your description, I'd guess that you probably saw a game of Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game.  The game is produced by Games Workshop, the same company who produces Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer 40,000 and a multitude of other fantasy based miniatures systems.

You can read more about LotR:SBG at this webpage:

http://us.games-workshop.com/games/lotr/...

Table top miniatures gaming can be very fun, if you enjoy it.  That seems obvious, but I'll explain.  There are often a significant number of rules, some fairly obscure, so a strong working knowledge of the system is recommended.  There's a lot of measuring (weapon range, unit movement, etc), and turns can take a while.  Since move order alternates, there can be significant down time between turns.  If you're ok with those things, however, it can definitely be a blast.

Aside from reading the linked webpages, the best way to learn is to watch the game in action.  Ask polite questions, when the situation allows, and find out more.  Many Games Workshop (GW) players are more than happy to share information to someone who's truly interested in the game.

Happy gaming!