A good many of us have at one time or another been faced with the problem of having to introduce a beginner to wargaming. It is sometimes not an easy job, but it is an oft-times pleasing and important one, not only because it may provide you with another local opponent but also because it helps the entire hobby.

Some of you are saying that you never meet any eager-to-learn beginners. If so, that's your fault, not mine. You'd be surprised at the number of people who would be interested if they knew wargames existed. The solution to this is to let people know that wargames do exist. Don't hide them in your closet and tell your friends that your latest hobby is Transcendental Meditation; rather leave them lying conspicuously around you house. Get a FTF opponent and play wargames in public places at the local library or YMCA, in school during lunch or between classes.

It doesn't matter so much if the game is never finished; what Is more important is that if some curious soul drifts over to watch, you and your friend draw him into a conversation about wargaming. You must be prepared to catch some flak from people who are simply against wargaming. This can't be helped. If they want to argue, then argue, but preserve the decencies of debate; if they are just censorious then make it clear that this is what you like to do, and that their disapproval doesn't make any difference to you.

But, back to my original subject. Your beginner may be only interested in the wargame as a game, or he may want to use it as an historical vehicle. Find out which it is and keep him interested; stress tactics if he's interested in gaming, stress design and background if he's interested in history.

His first view of the game is going to be very confusing to him. The counters will be just little bits of cardboard with strange numbers and symbols on them. The mapboard will be a jumble of lines and colors because he will not yet be abIe to analyze a given picture of terrain as an entity.

If you try to have him learn the rules by reading them, he will have a difficult time because they deal with too-unfamiliar concepts. You will have to explain the game to him. making sure to begin with his understanding of the meanings of the symbols on the board and counters. Then go on to the rules. Substitute more cornmonplace definitions for technical terms. right now the technical stuff will only confuse him more. Don't say CRT, TEC, ZOC to him; say Combat Table. Terrain Chart, adjacent hex. Leave out as many complicated optional rules as you can without affecting the game drastically, and choose easy scenarios whenever possible. Above all, explain everything carefully and clearly.

Along with knowing how to explain the game, picking the right first game is vital. It must be easily taught and easily played, but it need not be easy tactically. When a too-difficult game is chosen, it frustrates the gamer because he can't communicate rules which are (to him) simple, and frustrates the pupil who can't learn the rules because (to him) they are too complicated.

In my opinion, Borodino is probably the best beginners game that I know of. It combines almost every feature I can think of for this purpose. The rules are simple to explain and assimilate, the small mapboard is relatively uncluttered by terrain, it has a reasonable number of counters, short scenarios, and the CRT is clear and easily understandable.

Borodino can be explained to a beginner in 15 or 20 minutes if you're fluent, and chances are good that he'll retain the rules well during and after the game. Stalingrad runs a close second to Borodino, and only because of its stacking rules, abundance of rivers in some areas, and large number of turns.

After that first game, talk to him and find out if he is still interested. If he is, then you can follow the tentative program I outline below.

Not So Fast

The idea is not to push him so fast that you frustrate him, and not to hold him back if he can go ahead. Remember that what confuses him is not what the rules say; is is what they mean. You and I know what to do with paratroops when a hole appears behind enemy lines, but he does not, although he understands technically how to use them.

First Borodino, and then Stalingrad. The key after that is to pick games that introduce only 1 or 2 major new features at a time. Thus you can say to him, "This game is just like S-grad, except for..." It makes things much easier for both of you. Third should be either D-Day or the basic game of Blitzkrieg Both are good for making the novice more aware of terrain, for introducing him to paratroops and for teaching him to use different kinds of units, according to their various abilities. Fourth is something along the lines of France 1940 or Kursk, illustrating more specialized units, mechanized movement phase and rudimentary air-power.

Fifth could be advanced Blitzkrieg or Bar Lev, to show unit breakthrough, component parts and a more complex air-power system. Sixth should be a tactical game, such as Panzerblitz, Kampfpanzer or Tank. This is going to a big jump up for him-- involving as it does LOS/LOF, overruns, close assaults, transport, etc., but it can't be helped due to the nature of the tactical game. P-blitz should probably be taught to him first so as to delay slightly the introduction of SPI's Simultaneous Movement System and facing rules.

After this most wargames should be familiar to the beginner, as he will have most of the basic rules. Odd games such as of WWII, 1812, Jutland, etc., he can learn individually the important thing is that he knows the ground rules of most games by now.

An important thing to remember is that this system is flexible. If the beginner is interested in only one historical period, it might be wise to concentrate on that period despite the learning difficulties involved. If he is ready to skip a step, or if you lack the right kind of game to show a certain point, go ahead and break the pattern. Gaming by mail should be mentioned to him, in case he's interested in that. A good way to do this is to either bring it into your conversation or to leave one of your current PBM games set up at your house where he could see it.

Miniature warfare should also be introduced to the beginner gradually. Probably the Napoleonic era is the best to start with. If you use a complicated set of rules, drop as many as you can to start with or use a simpler set. Once he has the feel of miniature warfare, it should be easy to increase the rules complexity and/or change the historical period.

But the most important thing to remember is the nature of your opponent. You're not playing an established wargamer but one who is trying to learn wargaming. If you exploit you higher ability and experience with the game in order to smash him. chances are good that he won't come back.

Therefore you have to hold yourself back a little, but not so obviously that he notices you doing so. If he leaves an army group vulnerable to encirclement in S-grad, or if his tanks wander across your field of fire in P-blitz, just kill a few of them and let the rest get away. Where you can, use optional rules and variable OBs to give him the advantage. When he makes a good move, tell him so.

If he makes a particularly glaring error, you can say to him, "Okay, that's a possible move, but then I can do this," and so on to explain to him why the move is bad. However this could only be done at most two or three times per game. or else he will begin to feel that you are playing the game for him.

The beginning wargamer is going to feel inferior and confused when he starts out. It's up to you to banish these feelings as much as possible and teach him until he can play you on an equal basis, both tactically and emotionally.