As a newly registered Warlord i've been able to see how both MK and HC have developed in my venue. I have the opposite problem most of you are talking about. The older crowed (those into comics and GW) are buying HC as fast as it comes in. They like the simple play, the game mat, and the fact that they can replay all their favorite moments from their childhood memories with new HC figures.

MK is being targeted by new younger players just breaking into the miniture games markets. Instead of being taught on GW, they are learning on MK. I don't mind, it keeps MK going in the venue.

The target audiance is diffrent for MK and HC. While there is some crossover that happens, HC is aimed at comic fans, pure and simple. Some of these fans play Mini games already, many are new to the concept. Instead of touting the death of MK because HC is new and exciting, take the oppertunity to introduce new HC players unfamilier with mini games and show them MK as well. They are essentially the same game rulewise. Insead of fighting about which game is better, we as warlords and players should be increasing the market base of both.

As for Dungeons, mix things up a bit. I'm planning on usign the MKQuest rules to create a Heroquest type senario to see if I can get older players who are into D&D to play Dungeons. These are the same group that is buying HC right now, so the concept of a playmat appeals to them. It's something new and diffrent, and it cross promotes at the same time.

Instead of killing MK, it's going to hearled in a new age.

well i must say IMHO, that MK is not geared towards kids/younger players. its just that having what WK has done for in ease of play does not mean its for kids. and GW and WK have different games and different objectives.

HC does front to the comic crowd, i myself grew up with hulk, thor, FF, spidey to name a few... and honestly im not really interested with HC.

the same thing happend at my venue. only 3 people came 5 were registerd. it was a dungeons tourny. we all got a prize. i got the bronze gnoll archer cant remember its name for i sold it the day i got it. i only playd cause i would get a prize.

I think it is, in that simplicity is a watchword. I can't think of another wargame, much less miniatures game, that has so many 10 year olds playing.

Truth is that I think MK is trying to be all things to all people, which may not work out. But who knows? So far they've done a good job of keeping it simple but not simplistic.

From what I hear this will become even more evident when Mech Warrior comes out. Rumor has it that MW has a large rulebook, with some pretty sophisticated rules. Much more geared to an older, experienced, gaming audience.

I seriously doubt MK is going to die anytime soon. They've released enough sets now to have a huge figure pool for anyone to play. I do, however, don't like the "expansion every other month" thing WK had going there for a while. I think MKD and HC are just side games that WK created. MK is an awesome game, and MKD will never compete with that. I'm thinking the same for HC too. I only think the downfall to mk will be when they start tossing SA's and banning figs. People will definatly stop playing then. Here in central MO, at the first tourney I went to, there were 36 participants. Now, at the marquee tournies there are barely 6 showing up. Everyone has plenty of the old figs, but they think they're boring, and want to get the new figs, but just don't have the money to go out and split cases or whatnot, and just give up on it and go back into magic or whatever game they played before. I just think that WK is just too intelligent to start the dictatorship that WotC has put on Magic/pokemon/and all their other games.

Conquest is cool, but, I don't think you should buy castle peices. It should be big MK, with house rule's (charge can move together for EX)

Ya know, much as I don't really want to come over and play (I tend to hate house rules), what you say there is an important *strength* of Mage Knight.

It's a game, but it's also a TOY. Unlike a CCG there are more than two things to do with it (stare at your collection and play the game); you can actually play with the figs while NOT playing the game.

By playing the game I mean, of course, following all the rules to the letter.

The gamers out have a vicseral reaction to that, of course ("Blasphemer!!"), but it really is an important selling point of the MK Figures.

Do you mean you play with your MK like dolls?:confused:

At my store we wobbled along with between 3 and 7 players and then a 4th grader showed up after seeing it on the web site and the last tournament had 27 people. about 7 -8 adults (high schoolers and up) and 20 ish 4th graders.

He took some figs to school and now his whole neighborhood and all his classmates play... Wow does the store get crowded. Now if I had the time to run more Dungeons events then I am sure it would be popular too.. (many of the kids love playing with the heroes) but I don't have time. Mondays I will run a Heroclix thing at the comic book store and Wednesdays I run Mage Knight at the collectibles store.... There is a Warlord that runs more variable stuff (older crowd at that store mainly teen agers and above) at the store near him and we advertise for each other. The team work is great and it will keep MageKnight alive for a long time to come.
With a little time and a lot of effort and love from a Volunteer in your area you can watch the game grow.
Gaidin

Gaiden - You mean that they have room for two game shops in Wheaton. I would have thought that there would be no room with all the churches. Let me guess, either they are not both in wheaton or they are next to a church.

I can tell you what would take half of MK's fanbase. Star Wars clix or even if a different company produced a collectable SW mini game. I love mini games but think another type is need. Give me guns I have 52 uniques and god only knows how many figs but for some people the Fantasy setting just doesnt do it. I like the HC and MKD better less money and no #### RULERS.

Plus I think the paint jobs on HC are so much better than MK of course you only get four but thats ok.

At Flyncoyote's preferred venue, the attendance is generally between 6 and 20. The attendance for Dungeons is only down because the infamous Altan doesn't attend the Dungeons Tournaments! Dungeons is more of an amusement than a truly strategic game. It's too limited, although the expansions this fall as well as a few house rules could really spice it up. The problem with the conquest merchandise is that a child can save up $7, but not $30+. So only the adults and kids who have recently had birthdays are buying it. But I think MK in general is going strong and that Hero-clix has impacted sales, but only temporarily. Also, as the weather begins to improve, more people will turn to outdoor activities thus decreasing the turnout for tournaments for a few months. And I agree that the release of the Titans will increase interest and sales again very quickly. And Flyncoyote, I'll see you and your vile Necro army in 2 days! Actually, I'll see everybody's vile Necro army in two days. Whoohoo! Death to the Necropolis!

Again, I find myself in agreement with Balduran I. MK is simple enough for grade-schoolers. Luckily it has enough strategy to intrigue adults. The pieces lend themselves to other applications, such as Dungeons and Dragons.

I went to the 500 point tourny today that i spoke of in a previous post and there were only 2 of us playing. I won.. yay for me ;) Anyway... no one was playing Hero Clix or anything else really, though some D&D was going to be played later. I think the low turnout today wasn't because MK is dying or even near death, it was due to poor advertising and because it was Memorial day weekend and a VERY nice one at that and people just didn't want to be inside.

Well we have found your problem.......Dungeon!!!!!!!!!