Wargame Club 'Beats the Drum'
The editorial in Vol II, No. 5 exhorted historical miniatures gamers to BEAT THE DRUM! Preceding issues' editorials hewed to a similar line. I submit that, not only is it necessary to beat said drum (an activity ably carried out by some veteran gamers for years), but selective drum-beating enhances the recruitment process no end.
ITEM: A historical miniatures gamer from Wisconsin enters the local club about two weeks ago. He expresses amazement at the size of the group, the fact that we have our own leased facilities, and the variety of gaming that goes on. He is confounded that we have open gaming six nights/week. He mentions that he's tried D&D, but found it "immature". He grieves that of the 20 or so gamers in his immediate (within 20 miles) area, no cohesion or mutual rules/organization exists.
ITEM: A former member of our group who has relocated to the Northeast reports that his efforts to bring together gamers in his area (Connecticut) has run afoul of differences in rules, organizations, scales, philosophies, and reasons for indulging in this divine madness. In short, the collective miscellany of reasons which for years have inhibited the further growth of miniatures gaming.
ITEM: Several members of our local group parcipated in historical miniatures, boardgaming, nd role-play events at last years' Origins. Outside of themselves, they reported no one who had taken part in a variety of events. This was observed also it previous Origins and PhilCons. When you conider that the same people from our group have run a role-playing and a boardgame event, and hosted a successful miniatures demo, there seems to be a radical departure from practices in other areas of the country.
The above list of incidents could go on for several pages. The phenomenon in not new, nor restricted to particular geographical areas. Sorry, Dick, but your exhortations to BEAT THE DRUM! will probably bear as little fruit, continued in the same old ay, as all previous efforts.
Now, there are sound reasons, having to do with age and economics, why thousands of young folks re not swarming to join the ranks of historical iniatures gainers. I do not intend to address those reasons here. However, there are a variety of more-or-less social reasons that are fair game. The simplest way to expose these is by opposite example, which means an explanation as to how our group came into existence, how it operates, some of its successes and, alas, failures, and an examination of our philosophy.
The Triangle Simulation Society, as such, has existed for only 4 1/2 years. Organized gaming in this area, though, goes back 14 years and organized gaming with facilities supported by the participants for 10 years.
The group began by advertising demonstrations on week-ends. Ping-pong tables were erected in the hallway, figures brought down, a moderator selected, and the crowds came Space became available adjacent to the shop and the group, now swollen (!) to 12, rented a 10x12 room for $15 a month. In October, 1971, a 10x5 foot sandtable was installed.
This happy situation persisted for 3 years, faces coming and going the while. In 1974, the shop, group, and table moved into spacious new quarters of almost 800 square feet. Until this time ('74), no fee was charged a member if he/she did not play in a game. Otherwise, there was a $2 charge to participate in the semi-monthly games which mostly involved Napoleonics and WWII miniatures.
The move to new quarters meant greater expenses, and the shop-owner undertook to keep track of who was using the facility and assessed a charge on a bi-weekly basis. Two or three members had begun playing D&D. In retrospect, the decision (financially motivated, but with far-reaching implications beyond finance) to allow the premises to be used for FRP gaming proved a key factor in the health of our group. Membership climbed and as a result of Fantasy people coming in, doubled. Some members began showing up with boardgames.
1976 was new when a few members who'd been attending the MFCA's yearly wargaming convention (remember the Masonic Hall in Philadelphia?) decided it'd be nice to put on a local event. Originally conceived as a miniatures showcase, it was decided (fortunately) to include the whole spectrum of gaming including such non-historical games (boardgames) as RISK. In terms of attendance, it was but a marginal success, but the group gained a few more members. More importantly, we learned that it isn't just important to beat the drum -- its also important to recognize the legitimacy of those who march to a different drummer and beat out rhythms with which they're comfortable.
Friction had been apparent for some time in the group. We had an element which would not tolerate fantasy, boardgames. or anything that didn't have to do with straight-up historical miniatures, either Napoleonic or ACW. They finally split-off and attempted to form their own group. They had not had an organized game for almost two years. In contrast, our group's last organized historical miniatures game was last week-end.
In 1977, the original shop owner died. The shop was bought by a heretofore subdued gamer (not a member of the group). The new owner decided that anarchy had existed long enough, and called a general meeting of all who had an interest in the group. It was proposed that the group formally organize, sublease a portion of the premises on a formal basis, develop a set of by-laws to govern itself, and elect officers to handle its affairs.
Thus it was in March, 1977, that TSS came into being. According to our charter, the Society's purposes include "providing facilities for the conduct of simulation and other forms of gaming, providing a forum for the exchange, discussion, and develop. ment of ideas pertinent "hereunto, and promoting comeraderie, goodwill, and fellowship among the membership."
There are only two or three of the original group of miniatures gamers from '71 left, but we currently have a membership of over 45 active people. Of these, at least half regularly participate in historical miniatures games. At least half of our membership owns historical miniatures. ManY of these people come into the organization as fantasy or board gainers, with no prior interest in or knowledge of historical miniatures.
Our membership is composed of business and professional people, artisans, tradesfolk, and high school and college students. We have had regular participants below the high school level. TSS is governed by a member board elected yearIy in March. The primary function of this body is to see that the rent is paid, the premises are kept reasonably clean, the budget administered honestly, and to regulate the use of various aspects of the facility should conflicts aries. Almost 80 different people have been members in 4 1/2 years. The board had to ask 1 person only to leave in all that time. Other turn-over is mostly the result of members leaving school or relocating from the area.
The By-laws of the Society are fairly rigid, but provide enough flexibility so that general meetings are rarely needed, it being sufficient to post a notice outling an issue and having members vote "Y" or "N" beside their names. Geographical reasons made it necessary to adopt this procedure and it works well, except for rush decisions. In those cases, the board is constitutionally empowered and obligated to act. Mechanisms exist whereby the board maY be subjected to a vote of confidence and removed in whole or in part, with a new board being elected.
The Society has a small budget, slightly over $3000/year. Our largest expense is rent, which runs slightly over $2600/year. The balance of the budget goes for furniture/facility improvements, prize money dispensed to members at tournaments (of all types, including miniatures), purchase of equipment including terrain pieces for the sand-table board games, replacing damaged figures, etc., supplies (toilet paper, ash-trays, perncils, etc.), and a liability insurance policy which protects members who might be injured while participating in a sponsored event and the property owner from damage to her property.
Revenue is pulled in by dues ($4/mo. for employed members, $2/mo. for students and others), sales of soft drinds to members (the Society bought a used refrigerator for the purpose, buys the soda wholesale), and 10% of the gross receipts brought in during our yearly auction (the auction grossed $1000 in each of the last two years). Other funding comes from member donations. A bank account is maintained to regulate and track disbursements, two of the officers being required to sign a check before it will be processed. On an average, less than 5% of the budget is disbursed in cash, the majority of that being tournament prize money.
The facility itself consists of about 800 square feet divided into four areas. The largest room contains a 6x12 foot sand-table with a convertible top for naval gaming. This room also houses the 'fridge, terrain for the table such miniatures as the membership leaves fo; general use, and a large amount of miscellaneous junk (files, spare wood and styrofoam, etc.). Another large room contains tables and chairs for boardgaming, the Society's game library, and additional storage for figures. Two smaller rooms accomodate roleplaying or other activities not so spaceconsumptive. Access to the facility is controlled by the board or the shop-owner. Hours of operation are Tues.-Fri. 7 pm to 10 pm, Sat. 1 pm until, and Sun. 1 pm to 5 pm.
The Society's activities center around all forms of what Uncle Duke calls "Adventure Gaming". Historical miniatures encompases Ancients, Napoleonics, Nap. Naval, ACW, WWI & WWII land and naval, and Moderns ('NAM, NATO/War saw Pact). Colonials have been growing like a prairie fire and for a while AMR was a big hit. There has been some interest in ECW and we have a demo game of the Renaissance scheduled in two weeks.
Board gaming is very popular. The Society has attracted members who play all forms of boardgames, including such non-historical games as CO, RISK, CHESS, and other popular "family" games. DIPLOMACY was very popular for a long while, while the newest releases of the major (and some of the smaller) companies receive instant interest and extended attention. a large interest exists in sports games, especially Strato-matic. It is rare that an evening passes without at least one league game of Strato-matic baseball or football, depending on the season.
Role playing situations of all varieties makeup, on a percentage basis, the majority of )the activities carried out by members. All of the major roleplay systems, including historical, have been in vogue at one time or another. D&D and C&S, along with the TRAVELLER sf roleplay system seem to be the most durable, but a campaign using Arisian Games' PRIZES & PROMOTIONS (along with its companion miniatures's rules, HEART OF OAK) has about 20 players involved at this time. One member is working on a system allowing players to roleplay a British officer in the Victorian period.
Other activities of the Society include the annual auction mentioned earlier, our annual Christmas party at which members receive gifts reminiscent of the year's gaming events or pertinent personal attributes, organized trips to conventions and, recently, running events at same, side trips to areas of interest (the armor museum at Aberdeen PG, the aircraft restoration facility at Silver Hill, MD, etc.) or other special events (Empire Games' Napoleonic Symposium), and the annual ceremony at which we induct new members of the Grenadiers A Pied.
This last requires a bit of explanation. We have several members who are incurable punsters. Their efforts are rewarded annually by the selection of one or more of their number for an award given on behalf of the non-punning membership. The awardee(s) receive their choice of a banana, coconut or chocolate cream pie In the face. At pointblank range. There is always a LARGE turn-out for this event and last year, two of the G. a P.'s members signified their retirement from active competition bv committing 'seepie-ku", an event covered by local TV.
The Society has run two local conventions and one open house. Beating the drum, in two of these cases, turned out to be splashing the area with lots of publicity emphasizing GAMING in all its different forms, then exposing the folk who showed an interest in what ever form to the one that interested them the most.
Our open house last fall attracted hard-core fantasy people from the local college who subsequently became diehard historical gamers, albeit in the limited field of Napoleonic naval miniatures. As of this writing, two of these guys have competently commanded in Napoleonic land battles and have been soliciting advice as to what figures to buy, references, etc In the same vein, the Society has run "Painting Parties" and demonstrations where the emphasis was on painting mostly historical miniatures. This has introduced some members to the fun and enjoyment such activity provides and has in a couple of cases revealed a lot of talent on the part of various individuals. Various student members who've proved to have talent in this area had made spending money by painting figures for other members whose time may be at a premium.
The Society's philosophies in regard to gaming are simple. We don't ban anyone, regardless of their interests. We don't suppress, ignore, put-down, or criticize anyones' gaming interest. We foster crosspollination of ideas and systems among the different types of games our members play and indeed among the membership. We encourage people who are running fantasy campaigns to put their miniatures actions on the table (ever notice how the average D&D "world" is a medieval one? And if you delete the monsters, you have a historical miniatures situation?)
We only have two basic hard rules: If it gets in the way of enjoyment, scrap it and nothing stronger on premises that Coca-Cola and tobacco. We don't discriminate on the basis of age, but try to encourage younger gamers and teach them to handle figures, paint them, modify them. The benefit of following this philosophy has been an ever-growing organization, a fivefold increase in the number of miniatures gamers we had 10 years ago (and many of our miniatures gamers have left us, most due to graduation and relocation), and the vitality provided by fresh ideas or new slants on old situations.
Dick, I'm a historical gamer by inclination. I don't know how much I've got invested in historical miniatures, references, and so on, but it should easily run into thousand of dollars. In the past, 10 or 15 years ago, there were 2 people in the city and 4 in the state that I could game with. Thanks to the approach we've taken, and its been more an evolutionary process than by design, there are over 30 people in the city I can game with - historical miniatures. Make that historical naval and the number is over 40.
If there is a problem in developing new historic miniatures gainers, that problem is ours to fix and ours, I mean you, me, and the hundreds of historical miniatures gamers around. We don't the problem just by exposing other folks miniatures. We listen to their ideas and interest We find out what they like. When we beat the drum and find out they don't care for Gene Kruppa, we switch to Buddy Rich. I don't care if we're dealing with fantasy gamers, boardgamers, or Bridge players (we have some of those, also), we can't expect them to be interested in our thing if you don't show an interest in theirs.
It has been suggested that we be tolerant. We've got to be much more than tolerant. Interested Co-operative. Involved. Helpful. Good Heavens, should we take this approach, one that nurtures understanding between/among different types of gamers (and even among historic miniatures gamers involved in different periods and/or scales), then who can say what might I achieved? But there's a catch -- you've got to do it. A patronizing, insincere approach will do more harm than good, as will lengthy explanation on the exact role #12 gunner plays in firing a French 12-pounder.
In the same issue Jim and Scotty made the point that there was a declining level of historic miniatures events at national conventions. TSS is running seven miniatures or related events at Eastcon. We ran or helped run six at Origins. Our membership which attended participated over a dozen others. All of the others in which had members participating received bad review All of them were put on by manufacturers a dealers.
I remember a Philcon at Widener in the early '70s. Your old NEWA group put on a demo of a fantasv/medieval game based on Tolkien's trilogy. The following year, your group did a WWI air game using either a spin-off or home-brew rules. Subsequent conventions have found fewer and fewer historical miniatures demos put on by clubs, more and more by the commercial interests, with less and less emphasis on the fun this hobby is.
ED NOTE: This says it all -- this is the kind of interest, participation and leadership that is required throughout the hobby to make it grow!
PRAISE INDEED:
THE COURIER is absolutely just what the hobby needs. You are all providing an invaluable service to the miniature gamer. I know it's an uphill battle at the moment. I write this from the heart of Fantasyland, USA, home of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS but speaking as a TSR Product Development staffer, there are still some of us here trying to keep historical miniatures flame lit. Your publication courages us to continue with our efforts educating our benighted Fantasy brethren to glories of the First Empire, say, or the splendour the Renaissance. Keep up the good work!
SAM GILL ANSWERS
"Judging from the violent reaction to Square Bullets, my article seems to have scraped some raw nerves and twinged some guilty conscience. Good. Five years from now those who are gnash their teeth the loudest may have reason to thank me for waking them up. Incidentally, I now wish publicly to express my own thanks for similar sermon, delivered to me many years ago by those sterling wargamers Nick Kobe and Dr. Whitney Young. I totally disagreed with them at the time, but I know now other wargamers may choose to pursue their hobby in company with sleazy hardware, shoddy tables, and tedious personal infighting over rules geared to NCO responsibilities. I know a better way. And if you think it's no fun, reflect on the fact that the Heart of America Tactical and Strategic Order of the Followers of Featherstone (HATSOFF) has been writing its own rules, playing games, conducting extended campaigns, and raising large, well-painted armies (and navies) over a dozen separate periods for more than a cade.
I regret that it is difficult to convey in print the message I wish to deliver without shocking or offending some gamers. However, I feel that the shock value alone is worth quite a bit. Those of us who "seek the bubble reputation in the cannon's mouth" are a relatively small fraternity of hobbists and "Square Bullets" challenged us to take a hard look at what we do and stand for. I am pleased that is seems to be happening."
WHO'S TO BLAME?
Last issue Vol. II, #4, I wrote about Fantasy games and Fantasy gamers I hope that my letter will not earn me the enmity of the historical wargaming public, of which I am proud to call myself a part. I like to think we are above that sort of thing. Whether you agree with me, think I have some valid points, am all wet, or deserve to be shot is not of any importance. Nor am I going to continue to defend my stance in this letter.
One thing I will say (didn't I just condemn this sort of thing?) is that miniatures wargamers have to make a number of choices with regard to fantasy games. If they really dislike them that much, then perhaps they ought to have their own seperate conventions and more or less exclude fantasy gamers, much as the MFCA excludes wargamers now from its figure conventions. But bear in mind that you must accept this with all that it means. It means going back to having very small conventions like those held on Womrath St. back in the old days of the Philadelphia convention. It means conventions that are only very rarely frequented by the major manufacturers, as the dollar volume transaction is likely to be very low. Primarily it means seeing a vastly reduced attendance, limited to the same familiar faces. I don't know if I am entirely ready for that.
On another matter, figures. Everyone is complaining about the cost of figures. I would like to make the following points.
1. Back when we were young we could get figures for $.20 a man from Scruby or the few other soldier manufacturers (rich kids bought Suren at $.45 a man) Since we all had very limited allowances and low-paying summer jobs, we tended to buy only a few figures, those that we liked, and wanted to paint. Over the years our incomes grew, sometimes faster that the cost of miniatures, but never really that fast. Is it any wonder then that You can't get figures for $.20 cents a man anymore. It is all relative to me. Now you have more money to spend. Perhaps we ought to think about buying those units that we really want to paint, rather than buying them just because some booklet touts "balanced historical armies" and commands we do so.
2. Mr. McCarron (Dispatches. II-4) is exactly right and writes of a situation all wargamers should pay attention to. The major reason for the increase of figure prices is not the cost of tin, but that of labor, advertising, etc. . . Perhaps we wargamers ought to stop being so lazy and do a little more work. Back in the old days figures we received almost always had some flash on them . . . we didn't complain we got out our rattail files and filed it off. We made our own spears out of piano wire we bought (or filched from work). We did not have plastic packaging. Perhaps if we became a little less demanding and did not ask that our figures came packaged like Big Mac's the figure makers could cut costs! If we became a little handier with a file and soldering iron we might be able to help out too. I am sure that Mr. McCarron and other makers would be glad to dispense with the expensive (and wasteful) packaging, and a lot of the little tid-bits they have to put in to make market salability. What do you say manufacturers?
3. Hats off to Pete Hollinger also. He hit the nail on the head. Six or seven years ago we could not get the figures so we converted, and we were proud of it! Now we sit back and bitch and moan and demand that figure makers make a figure of which we need maybe three for our entire army; foot the bill, AND then smile about it!
To sum it all up . . . I sympathize with the figure makers. I think they are giving us a pretty good deal when You consider all things. Consider Ral Partha, a company that BEGAN with Fantasy figures, now puts out perhaps the best . . . no . . . they are the best wargame figures for historical periods in ancient and Medieval. Certainly you can't fault them. They deserve all our support. Each year I go down with a sizable chunk of money to spend on figures (I buy them once a year). Almost invariably I buy exclusively from Ral Partha. And Hinchcliffe. Yet I hear that they had very little movement on their historical figures. Come on guys...Who's to blame . . .
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