"Never before have so many games been available... I can't help but consider it a detriment to wargaming... (We) played each A.H. release over and over until we knew all it's intricacies, or at least thought we did, and then waited six months to a year for the next A.H. wargame... There was something terribly fresh, unspoiled and vibrant about those days ... It is an aspect sorely lacking from today's glutted market." (PF #59) -- Donald Greenwood.

I am not one to deprive a man of his nostalgia for the "good old days" but his statement totally lacks logic. Let us look at the situation a little more closely and less emotionally.

One of the most obvious aspects of today's wargaming public is its diversity.

What one wants from the hobby varies with the individual. There are those content simply with the thrill of playing the games, the tough, in-close blow-for-blow, nail-biting tension of head-to-head competition. All is done to decide who is better, in what, by how much. The excitement of moving and counter moving (pun intended), along with the glory of winning, are what these gamers seek from the hobby.

The historical factor is there, but only to lend some fine points of a few very familiar games are discussed and argued over: How long can Minsk be held? How is the Rommel unit most effectively used on the first turn? The playing becomes a subtle art and a match between masters - an event. This is apparently the approach Mr. Greenwood favors.

But there are others who play primarily for the historical aspect. A game is ideally suited for exploring some particular campaign or the vehicle for analyzing the tactics of an entire era. In an historically accurate conflict simulation an appreciation of the options and the alternatives available to the commanders, as well as peculiarities of each particular army, come into focus with increasing clarity as the play of the game proceeds.

Even in the older, more "play oriented", games, a deepening knowledge of the geography and of the units involved is unavoidable in the course of play. These historically slanted players buy games because "the period always interested me" or "I've read a lot about the campaign." Another obsession of these history freaks is the "what if's". What if Hitler had invaded England? What if Lee had been victorious at Gettysburg? What if Moscow had fallen? No one can provide final answers, but it can provide valuable insights when exploring the probabilities.