Funny thing happened to me a short while ago. I was showing my son, the 17 year-old, the rules for my next solo endeavor, a scenario taken from the Lost Regiment series of novels of William Forstchen. Daniel was intrigued by the rules and then he shook his head and blurted out "I just don't see solo wargaming. Not at all." I was quite taken aback. This young man has watched me game solo and has played numerous games with me and with others, and has more Warhammer and Warhammer 40k figures than is healthy and he tells me this. This same young man who puts in ten or more hours a week sitting in front of the computer playing any number of wargames (solo I might add.) What was going on? Daniel is quite brilliant. He is on his school's scholar's bowl team that won a state championship in February. Now, I bring this up because I always found the allure of solo gaming to be the intellectual challenge of researching a scenario, painting and organizing the forces, devising appropriate rules, playtesting and improving them, and then moving on to a new period. So, if Daniel didn't see the intellectual challenge, what was his attraction to wargaming? Looking back, I saw that much of his wargaming was science fiction or fantasy although he always participated in historic games at conventions or here at home if no SF/fantasy game was in the offing. He reads widely in the SF/fantasy genre. And he is much more outgoing than I. While he was happy to play with adults, gaming with other teens was a stronger attraction. In fact, he and a group of camp counselors game in the evenings at summer camp when all the young boy scouts are purportedly asleep. So, perhaps my cherished theory that intellectuals naturally preferred solo gaming to group gaming was flawed. Quickly modifying my theory to suggest that many intellectual gamers gravitated toward solo gaming gave me some satisfaction. Further, his computer gaming was only solo in a limited sense. The AI was his opponent and the writers/engineers could be counted upon to give a novice a real run for their money, at least until the player was experienced in whatever the rules-based opponent could offer. But then, when that occurred, Daniel merely moved on to a new game with new graphics, faster action, more spectacular explosions and sound effects. [He typically chooses games that challenge him to build an empire by conquest. Do I need to be worried?] Looking back, he never seemed interested in writing rules. While he just loves assembling models and figures and painting them, and building styrofoam terrain and fortifications, computer games come with all that accomplished. Let's face it, when we miniature figure gamers choose a new period, it is weeks if not months before we can crank up a sizeable force structure. Computer gamers just acquire a new game and they move quickly to any historical period or Sci-fi world or fantasy scenario. Now, they don't get the satisfaction of creating favorite units and keeping them for years and years on display. But of course, they can build miniature armies if they choose to. Daniel does. He spent some time showing off his favorite chaos space marines to me and to an older brother just a short while ago. And his glossy magazines set a high standard for painting that he clearly aspires to. So, why is this anecdote worthy of publication? Maybe it is because those of us who write articles for soloists need to understand that just like “group” wargamers, soloists come in many shapes and sizes and mostly, expectations. I’ve received notes from members who like gaming but not researching and others who like painting and organizing but not gaming etc. etc. And soloists want a lot from a magazine like Lone Warrior and some just won’t be satisfied. I still remember a letter I received from a disgruntled member of SWA who complained that there wasn’t enough solo content in Lone Warrior to justify his membership. He eventually let his subscription lapse. I wonder where he is getting his solo wargaming material now? Meanwhile, back at solo headquarters, what am I up to? Well, I have committed the unfortunate error of opening up a second project before the first is completed. [Oh, yeah, like you've never done that.] Last weekend I was driving back from Dallas where I had been conducting a military history workshop with a dozen Army Reserve officers. I was thinking about the Lost Regiment series of novels. This new game of mine takes place along a shallow river between the lands of the Russians and the Romans. The Romans have just entered the alliance against the Tugars and the two states are building a railroad to connect their major cities. Only the 8-foot tall Tugars are keen to keep that from happening. I started thinking through the scenario and coming up with the problems I would need to solve in devising a set of rules. How would the forces and their starting locations be generated? What should the force ratio be? Any special capabilities of units or leaders? How about hand-to-hand combat? You know, all the usual issues. So, I've worked out most of everything and am just waiting for some free time to start playing. Of course, the Waterloo - Lasne Creek scenario continues. I am very close to completing the last Prussian unit I need to play that long-awaited game. However, a couple weeks ago I had a small American Civil War game with the two youngest sons. I realized [yet again] that I really need more 22mm figures, especially confederates, so I started another regiment of 32 figures. So, several projects going all at once. And I received the first issue of MWAN under the editorship of Don Perrin. Simply wonderful. No slippage of quality from Hal Thinglum's exceptional efforts. In fact, Don's graphic and publishing skills make for a very crisp, easy-to-read format. This is really a Golden Age for wargamers in general and soloists in particular. Quality figures, rules, publications, and terrain and plenty of all of it. So, no excuses. Get going. Get wargaming! Go solo! [And send me those game reports.] Good Soloing! Back Issues Back issues ( # 112 and up) are available for $4 each, which includes postage and handling. Send request and check to: Solo Wargamers Assn 1707 Ridge Rd. Leavenworth, KS 66048 Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior # 146 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com