This article has its origins in a discussion a year or two ago on the rec.games.board group on the internet. There are so many different newsgroups for the many gaming factions, which tends to imply that perhaps we are divided. Wargames, European (or German) style games, card games, computer games, boardgames, Collectible Card Games, Fanatsy Role_Playing, Live Action Role Playing etc, etc. The great thing about the internet, of course, is that it can help bring these different factions together. Many of the people involved in the original discussion ("Are Gamers Divided?"), like me, have posted to several different groups. This makes those who only adhere to one faction more aware of the other factions. It also promotes a healthy debate. Links on Web page can have the same function. Anyway, here is my autobiographical history of gaming, which I hope you find interesting and entertaining as well as providing a view on more than just wargames. I was 6 when I first emigrated to Australia. I vividly remember playing Monopoly with adults, and beating them. All except my father, whom I never beat. I stopped playing years ago (not because he won, it became boring). Do they really hold world championships on such a bad game? At nine and a half we went back to England. It wasn't my choice - I was just tagging along. Dad was a tailgunner in a Lancaster bomber during the war, and I think it was this fact that led me to play with toy soldiers, watch war movies etc. You know, a father/son male bonding thing. Around 15 my toy soldier games became quite sophisicated, reminiscent of H.G. Well's miniatures rules. One day I found myself designing a board wargame. It had 2 countries divided by a river and mountains, each side having so many cities etc. The airforces comprised tiny aircraft from a model aircraft carrier. Around this time I joined a chess club. I was never any good, and can often be quoted as saying that I prefer less abstract games. There's a divide there for me. I don't play the game because I can't relate to the subject, such as it is. I needed something I could relate to. My sister's boyfriend had watched me develop my game with interest, and one day he turned up with a copy of Avalon Hill's Blitzkrieg under his arm and lent it to me. I was hooked. I played for hours and hours, solo at first, then with my brother-in-law. My design was binned. In time I found a games shop advertising mail order. I bought Battle Of The Bulge, Panzerblitz, Squad Leader etc, etc. I have around 400 wargames.... I played some miniatures, but it wasn't for me. Too much time spent painting, setting up, measuring (re-measuring), rolling too many dice too often. I always think it looks great though. I tried to interest these people in my board wargames, but it wasn't for them. Where was the colour? What does this little symbol mean on this fiddly little counter? Another divide. Another friend was an SPI fan, I have always preferred Avalon Hill for the quality of their production. Another (minor) divide. SPI folded and that divide vanished in time. Now the old Avalon Hill has gone, to be replaced with Hasbro's version of Avalon Hill. I miss the old Avalon Hill, and these days would play one of their old wargames over most that is on offer (or ever was on offer), with the exception of the excellent GMT Games and their Great Battles Of History ancients games plus the Rise Of The Luftwaffe series. Others swear by other game companies and their games. A friend of the SPI fan, let's call him Captain Kirk, introduced me to Role-Playing. D&D. My sister's boyfriend became my brother-in-law, and we played some Runequest & Cuthulu. I game-mastered AH's Lords Of Creation and others. Many of my wargaming friends wouldn't touch FRP's, and visa versa. Someplayed both. There was a divide there for most. I bought a computer, a ZX Spectrum (well, sort of a computer, in Europe anyway), and played arcade games (which rapidly became boring), adventure games (which I never seemed to complete), sports simulations (some friends and I even wrote a game based on Avalon Hill’s ‘ Title Bout!’) and wargames.... I played postal diplomacy, I played several PBM games including KJC's Capitol (space empires) which featured 12 teams of 12 players across Europe. My team was beaten by a fanatical Finnish guy who ended up playing all 12 positions in his team and kicking our arses. I love Space Empire games, and these days would play the ‘Stars!’ PBeM computer game, or the ‘Throneworld’ boardgame. I say 'would' because I rarely find the time to play them. Years ago I joined the Avalon Hill Intercontinental Kriegspiel Society (readers of The General will understand) and went to residential game weekends. I subscribed to S&T, the Wargamer, The General. I play-tested The Wargamer's "Hell Hath No Fury" on Bodiccea's revolt against the Romans and some “Squad Leader” scenarios for The Wargamer. Wargaming sparked an intense interest in history, which I still have. This is something I regard as very positive. Being able to play a wargame, as opposed to watching a movie or reading a book on the same subject, gives a unique insight into whatever battle or war is being recreated. The whole thing comes alive in way that other media fail to achieve. Age 30 and I got a contract (as a computer programmer) back in Oz. I took a year off gaming altogether, and got a life... and a wife soon after. Back in England, my brother-in-law David Farquhar had begun writing for Sumo Magazine Game reviews of non-wargames. Today he works with Reiner Knizia, one of Germany's best game designers (his “ Tigris & Euphrat” was voted the Number 1 Game on the Internet Top 100) and on many of Mr Knizia's designs including the forthcoming boardgame on Lord Of The Rings (I just can't wait - a game on my favourite fantasy by my favourite game designer with my own brother-in-law involved). This game is the official tie-in to the forthcoming 3 part movie. I began to play what are sometimes called fluffy games (family games, parlour games, beer 'n pretzel games...) I have quite a collection of those, too. I played less and less wargames. Wargames took too long, are often 2-player, and ....they're about war! I'd tired of it, it often took too long, and finding convenient opponents was a problem. I even helped play-test Gibson Games' Formula Motor Racing by Reina Knizia. The German boardgame market is where it's at, with America (Rio Grande are in dominant first place, then Mayfair Games with others catching on fast), Britain, France & Italy following in roughly that order. The German stuff is so original, and well produced. These were games that women would play. Some were playable by children. Family games, sociable games. Games playable in an hour! Or two.... Around this time web sites like The Games Cabinet (now somewhat inactive), http://www.gamecabinet.com, began to spring up. There are heaps more today. Occasionally I still feel a need to play a wargame, a bit like a drug, for me. I sometimes consider joining an ASL club (it's only once a month, I can handle it, honest!) but I haven't got round to it. Recently I've been playing the sublimely simple but entertaining Battle Cry by Hasbro's Avalon Hill. It even has miniatures. At Billabong Boardgamers Doug Adams and I have been playing a 3 scenario match play (swap sides, play again) of Gettysburg. See our web site. Many wargamers would consider it too light, which is probably is, but it sure is playable! I've also been playing The Russian Campaign again (3rd Edition, Avalon Hill), because some marvelous person has converted it all so I can play by email. I've now played in the World Boardgame Championships via email (I lost) and I'm in a ladder for regular TRC players (see www.russiancampaign.com). Computer game players don't like generally PBeM - they would prefer realtime networked games. Personally, I like turn based games. Now I'm back in Oz (for good this time), and I mostly play non-wargames. I like a few CCGs, such as Netrunner and ICE's Middle-Earth. No miniatures, no FRPG's. I play PBEM games (Stars!) and PC games, but not too much (not very sociable). The Billabong Club is every Tuesday night and I usually make it. If I say to someone that I play games they usually have no idea. Monopoly? Trivial Pursuit? Scrabble? Chess? Pictionary? Yeh, great. Bye. If I say I play board games they say "Oh, you mean like computer games." OK, sure... If I say that I play sport, people understand. Sport is cool, and boardgames are not. Apparently... Either you're a games player or your not. Some people love 'em, some hate 'em. Still, I take the point that just because you play one sport doesn't mean you play them all. I remember reading a book on wargames by Nicky Palmer where he complained about there being so few hours in a day. I know that feeling. And so few years in a life, too. It's impossible to play all forms of games all at one time in your life. I guess that's my point (sorry it took so long). But over the course of a life there is time to give each type of g aming a chance, if you feel the need. Not everyone does. I did, and I'm glad to have experienced the incredible variety which exists in gaming, or even boardgaming. Many people regard games as a waste of time (and then veg out in front of the T.V). Many people say it's anti_social, but they read books (how anti_social is that?). I'm hooked (had you noticed?), and I think they're great (though some are more equal than others...) That's all folks! David’s recommended sites are: Billabong Boardgamers: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dcoutts/Billabong Board Not Bored Games: http://www.bnbg.com.au/~bnbgames 6 Billion Homepage: http://www.bnbg.com.au/~bnbgames/6billion.htm David Coutts is the designer of “6 Billion” and the director of Board Not Bored Games Pty Ltd. This is his first contribution to Kriegspieler. Back to Table of Contents -- Kriegspieler #10 To Kriegspieler List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Kriegspieler Publications. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com