Throughout this series of entries (called “Let’s get started!”) I will try to explain what you need to start playing Batman Miniatures Game.
Like any game that has been in the market for a few years, and BMG is celebrating its fifth anniversary, we have several rulebooks and supplements … which makes difficult for the newcomer to know what he needs, and adds the problem that the rules aren’t in just one book (so you have to carry more than one to your games).
There are three books to date: 1) the Batman Rulebook, 2) the supplement The Flash & the Arrow (F&A) and 3) the Sucide Squad set mini-rulebook (SS). To complicate it a little more, we’ll have the Arkham Knight campaign rulebook in a few weeks.
The Batman Rulebook should be “the one” … but unfortunately it is not. After several years on the market it contains some errata and rules that have been modified or clarified, altought nothing to worry or not solved by the F.A.Q…
The Flash & the Arrow is a supplement that includes the rules for playing vehicles and Speedsters, as well as some new traits that do NOT appear in any other sourcebook (wich is, in my opinion, a big mistake). Despite its really nice presentation, F&A is a pretty expendable book (even if I must confess I own one and I love it!)
The Sucide Squad mini-rulebook is probably the most complete and appropriate. It contains the updated rules, some corrected traits (but not all of them), equipment… The problem is that you’ll have to buy a starter set that you may not need.
And to finish with the books, we have the Arkham Knight campaign one. Again, it seems to include new traits (which will force us to carry with at least 3 books) and equipment. In this case, the book focuses on the campaign mode, something that I’m very interested in… but the fact that it includes new traits is certainly a mistake.
Many companies believe that giving the rules for free to players decreases the sales of their books. I understand that… but it seems a wrong policy to me. I think that giving the rules to the players as a PDF makes them to focus on miniatures, games and throwing dice, and can catch the attention of more players … and knowing the profile of the wargames players (and in this case of the comic readers), it is very likely that the vast majority of them will end up buying the books.
In any case … If I were you and I wanted to play Batman, I would go with the SS rulebook and make sure that in my game group there was a copy of the F&A and the AK Campaign. Unfortunately, I think the hard cover rulebook does not worth…
Ah! You should also download the F.A.Q.s from the Knight Models web. Because … what’s a miniatures game without a F.A.Q.?