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epochxp · 4 years ago

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Is Historical Wargaming Dying Out? And If So, What Can We Do About It?

Historicon 2019 | Miniatures Page

I don’t normally write editorials on this blog, but this issue has always been one that’s divided gamers for a while: Are we as a hobby dying out? There are many data points to suggest that we might be in trouble.

The demise of larger hex and counter wargame companies over the last thirty years: Look at all the companies that used to be in the market? Avalon Hill, GDW, SPI, West End Games. These were all large companies. But none of them survived the 1990s. There was a lot of market forces at play but was there also the fact that the gamers of the 1960s and 1970s, who made these companies were now in their 50s and are now on fixed incomes that don’t allow them to spend the kind of money they used to on these games. Print runs for these games used to be 20-40,000. And now? They’re running about a quarter of that or less. There have been similar losses in the number of manufacturers of miniatures and rules.

The average age of wargamers in surveys such as The Great Wargaming Survey is trending up, not down.

The rise of both non-wargames and computer gaming as something that captures the imaginations of younger gamers.

The demise of history education in many educational venues that would fire the historical imaginations of many would-be historical wargamers.

All of these would suggest that we’re in trouble. I disagree. The fact is, the hobby does need new blood, but we are primed for it. We just haven’t had that “aha” moment yet that’s captured the public’s imagination. We need to, as a hobby, reach out to younger gamers on their level. They don’t want complex, crunchy rules. Look at the generation of gamers who have embraced D20 and rules-light roleplaying games. This current generation of gamers wants a good game that delivers in two hours or less.

So, delivering a good historically based wargame in two hours or less? It can be done and done realistically. I would point out Osprey’s Wargaming division, from their Undaunted series, or their fantasy Frostgrave title (which is a great D & D crossover, which can pull people into historical miniature wargaming, but if you adapt it, you can make something historical out of it!) to Warlord’s Games efforts with Bolt Action are just a few I can think of that make great modern-day “trainer wargames” designed to bite people with the wargaming bug. And let’s not forget Memoir ’44. That game is out there teaching USMC’s junior Marines the basics of tactical thinking. There’s also the idea of Junior General and using wargames in the classroom to reach kids with the idea that miniatures and hex and counter can be just as awesome, and in some ways, deeper than the latest Xbox offering.

And that’s the big effort we need to make. I know gamers are overall reluctant to talk about our hobby as a learned behavior. We’ve all experienced it. You get to talking about how you spent your weekend breaking a square at Waterloo or fighting block by block for Stalingrad around the watercooler at work on Monday, and you can just hear the eyes roll. I know I have. But we can’t let those experiences stop us. When someone engages you about wargaming? Engage Back. If this hobby is under threat of dying off, then we alone can save it.

Make an effort, run the big game at a con. Put Beginners Welcome in your event listing at the con. Be patient with the 12-year-old kid wargamer who’s on sensory overload. I was that kid, and I went to Historicons in the 1980s and 1990s, and I still go today, and I haven’t lost that sense of wonder completely. I will admit, now, I am one of the grognards, but fellow grognards, be the example we want the young ones to be. And reach out to them. I know it’s tough, we don’t relate to them, or their music, but we have to try. Trust me, give them time, and they’ll understand what the magic of breaking a square at Waterloo or getting the troops ashore at Normandy really means.

And to the young ones, welcome. Ask questions. Lots. And don’t come with the attitude of “OK, Boomer.” Take a stool and listen. Those grey balding guys with the 30-year-old rulebooks held together with tape and hope? They’re the ones who made Catan and D & D possible. Hey, your saving throws? Concept of Mr. Donald Featherstone. And most of the ideas for the races and combat systems for the first D & D? Well, Gary Gygax was a historical wargamer. Historical wargaming has a rich history all of its own, from HG Wells to today. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and now, it’s your turn to stand on my shoulders and carry the torch forward. So, get in the game, ask some questions? Maybe you might find a historical period or two you like. If so, there’s plenty of reading out there. History’s given us plenty of fodder to wargame. Make the most of it.

But both sides should remember the cardinal rules of wargaming:

Have fun doing what you’re doing?

Be good to each other.

At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.

(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

#Wargame Miscellaneous #Editorial #wargames #gaming #history

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