Collectible miniatures games (CMGs) are a form of

miniatures game Miniatures games are a form of tabletop game which prominently features the use of miniature models or figures. War games One of the oldest and most popular miniatures game genres is that of war games, where figures are arranged into competing ...

that is also similar to

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

s (CCGs) — the primary difference being that while CCGs are card-based games, CMGs feature miniature figures. A popular theme for CMGs are strategy wargames, since games of that genre typically feature miniatures such as: soldiers, vehicles, etc. Miniature wargames have been around for a long time, but the idea of a ''collectible'' miniature wargame is recent. In a conventional miniature game, players purchase the miniatures they want and generally invest time in assembling,

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...

, and often customizing the figures to their liking. CMGs were designed to appeal to those who would enjoy the game aspect but not necessarily the hobby aspect of miniature gaming. CMGs tend to cover a more diverse range of topics than traditional wargames (which generally are fantasy, sci-fi, or historical in theme), and certain games, such as

Dreamblade ''Dreamblade'' is a collectible miniatures game created by Wizards of the Coast that debuted on August 9, 2006, the day before Gen Con Indy. The game is a strategy contest that includes an element of chance which comes into play through various d ...

are even somewhat abstract in nature. Due to the random distribution of figures when purchasing CMG products, a large secondary market has sprung up selling single miniatures, as well as websites that allow players to trade spare figures. Perhaps the most popular and well-known CMG to date is HeroClix, which allows players to create battles between characters from the Marvel and

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

comic book universes, as well as certain smaller publishers. Other popular CMGs include

Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game The ''Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game'' is a collectible miniatures game played with pre-painted, plastic miniature figures based on characters and monsters from the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game. The figures are 30mm in scale. Produced by W ...

, Halo ActionClix, HorrorClix,

Monsterpocalypse ''Monsterpocalypse'' is a Kaiju-themed collectible miniatures game which is published by Privateer Press. Released series include ''Rise'', ''I Chomp NY'', ''All Your Base'', ''Monsterpocalypse Now'' and the current series ''Big in Japan''. A ...

Pokémon Trading Figure Game The Pokémon Trading Figure Game (Pokémon TFG) is a collectible miniatures game similar to HeroClix. It was designed by Pokémon USA and based on Satoshi Tajiri's ''Pokémon'' media franchise. It was released in Australia in August 2006, foll ...

, and

Star Wars Miniatures ''Star Wars Miniatures'' is a 34mm scale collectible miniatures tabletop game based on the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe that was produced by Wizards of the Coast. The game was originally released in September 2004 and continued productio ...

References

See also