In putting together the report on Origins and Gen Con East, I thought again about why historical gamers do not attend conventions in any proportion to their numbers in the hobby. It has been discussed before that the manufacturers, suppliers and hobby stores gauge in part their involvement in supplying the historical gamer by the "play" historical items get at these conventions. We have noted that several manufacturers bring little, if any, of their historical items to the cons because they sell so little. This can result in their cutting back in historical lines.
Conventions also provide the service of introducing non-historical gamers to our end of the hobby by providing historical games they can experience. They serve as well to introduce the historical gamer to new rules or someone else's game theory, and as a place to get together to discuss ideas, etc.
If conventions cut back on historical gaming activities because there is not enough interest by the historical gamer to make it worthwhile, these services and the resulting increase in historical gaming is lost.
Many historical gamers with whom I have discussed the problem give their reason for not coming as "too many fantasy gamers and/or boardgamers"; "Not enough Historical Miniature Events", or "Nothing there I want to buy". Never do they seem to mention distance, travel or boarding costs.
We have shown in several convention reports that historical gaming slots go unfilled and that all the other reasons exist only because the historical gamers don't go - a "chicken or egg" impasse!
Perhaps we need a "Historical Gaming Convention", one with only Historical Miniature Events & Supppliers. Walter Simon, Washington, D.C. and several other "old warhorse" gamers are investigating the possibility - you will see more about it in these pages in the near future. Another answer may be a smaller seperate Historical Gaming Convention within one of the larger national conventions. Both approaches are insular and neither will help in spreading the hobby amoung our fantasy and boarclgaming bretheren, but maybe a first step in getting the complacent historical gamer to become more active. Drop me a line with your thoughts.
This issue has another "Courier Book Choice" the response to our first (Waterloo) was so good that we will continue these offers for the forseable future. Please write and let me know what books you would like to see so offered.
In response to the many requests of our readers, The Courier is starting a Sales and Trade Column as part of the Courier Dispatch. Finally with the holiday season upon us you may want to take advantage of The Courier Gift Certificate offer found elsewhere in this issue. Give a gift to a wargaming friend or leave the magazine laying around with the page opened to the advertisement (if you don't care about being discreet, outline it in red crayon) and perhaps someone dear will give you a gift.
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