Well-travelled veteran wargamer Adam Stone
gives a few 'ruminations' on 'wither the Cumberland?
Dear Kriegspieler,
Having travelled across Australia and checked out the gaming scene there and come back again to the 'delights' of Sydney, I have a few ruminations to offer. Firstly, I have to say that the Napoleonic Wagaming Society is Perth is the best club I have been involved with and gladly spent 2hrs driving each week. To date I have been involved with the clubs at Lnfield, Sylvania, Perth and Canberra and will soon check out another club that meets at Canturbury. The Canberra 'club' I refer to is of course the Cumberland Society.
Having kept my contacts in Canberra and watched from afar the attempts to formalise a club, I am disappointed that very few people are prepared to make the effort to get the club off the ground and keep it running. Having seen a couple of clubs in action it seems to me that to make it happen you need a core of around 8-10 who will turn up every week, or two weeks, with 20 or so occasional gamers.
If you cannot get these numbers then the club does not have the ability to maintain itself short of somebody with more money than usual propping it up. The clubs I have seen, which are successful if you consider 20-25 years existence success, have all opened their doors to the range of miniature gamers including Fantasy. I know some of you shudder at the thought of precocious 14 year olds running around making zapping noises (check out a Games Workshop store on games night and you'll know what I mean) but you should perhaps consider the following points:
- They will bring in membership fees and a provide labour for the setting-up and dismantling of tables etc.
- The onset of Warhammer brings with it some excellent terrain which can also be used for historical purposes. Check out Mark Bacon's stuff [See reference to Mark's Blue Stone Work's terrain at CANCON'99 in Issue #4 - Ed.] I use four of his buildings for a village.
The younger generation who are inspired by the various fantasy games will discover, through the father-like administrations [admonitions?] of we historical gamers, that a lot of their armies are derived from history and can make the transition from fantasy to historical gaming. They will also discover the colour and splendour of the GW figures also applies to the Horse and Musket period and they provide an excellent place to recruit new historical gamers from.
If the club has is strong with a variety of games played including the GW stuff, then it opens the door for the possibility of GW sponsoring the club; especially if the club puts on displays and has competitions. While some of you may not be interested in GW figures and games, you have to admit their paints, brushes and terrain is pretty good.
There are of course other valid reasons to create an inclusive club which would offer an alternative to the CGS. To date though, it seems that Canberrans have overwhelmed the latest efforts for club creation with apathy and the CS is doomed to garages and kitchen tables. Are you really apathetic? Do you really want a club of your own or are you happy to be a section of the CGS? Having made a number of contacts, there are the numbers in Canberra but is there the will? I guess it's not my problem, but as someone who wants to move to Canberra eventually I would like a good club to go to.
Thanks, Adam, I am sure that many who are or have been involved with clubs would concur with your 'ruminations' I have witnessed first hand the prodigious efforts by a few individuals to get the Canberra Cumberland going again and the extremely disappointing response to those efforts. Both myself, Geoqe Stosic, Phillp Jones, Doug Walsh and David Osborne repeatedly tried to organise venues, tables and regular meetings. Getting 25mm H&M gamers to commit to regular meetings has simply proved to be impossible. In the light of this, H&M gaming in the ACT appears destined to remain, at least for the foreseeable future, in parlours and garages of like- minded individuals. CGS on Thursday nights at the Deakin Bridge Club would seem to be the only organised alternative. - Ed.
Dear Kriegspieler,
Thanks for your issue #4. The magazine continues to improve, but I have two criticisms: 1) It is too eastern states focussed. 2) The target audience - miniatures wargamers - is too narrow.
Given that there is currently no Australian games mag ("Breakout" folded many years ago, and 'Australian Realms" more recently) why don't you consider expanding your coverage? I have been a boardgamer for 25 years and have never played miniatures - and I know that there are plenty more Eke me. Many potential subscribers if you would just cater for their tastes.
Thanks Brad, you will no doubt see quite a few differences between issues #4 and 5 of the magazine. We have thought long and hard about the direction the mag and agree that it needs to cater for the tastes of ALL historical gamers. Not only that, but it is our endeavour to have it coveras as wide a geograpbical area as possible; as you say - there is NO 'local' gaming magazine covering the wider region. It is our intention to change this. We want to create a forum for all historical gamers - miniature, board or whatever - but to do so we need to have their support in the form of contributions to the magazine. If you think you have something you would like to see included in the magazine, get in contact through the address details printed in the front. -Ed.
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