My Katyusha Battery can take out your pansy elf army any day of the week! During this last Fall MiniWars convention, there was a discussion amongst a small group of us about how to get new blood into the, "hobby". When I say, "hobby", I mean historical miniatures gaming. Truly, this is a challenging task as we live in the age of instant gratification. Let's face it, setting up, playing and taking down a miniatures game takes more time than turning on the computer and getting into the gaming action almost right away. The weaknesses that computer games have are: the lack of mingling with other people, spending large amounts of time (Once one starts up a battle, they cannot seem to quit until that battle is won!) and not being able to take part in an incredible hobby (some, like yours truly, would say the most awesome hobby on earth!). Apart from that there seems to be a larger issue that is staring at us. It seems that younger players tend to play Science Fiction and Fantasy miniatures games more than historical. Why is this so? Let's look at some talking points centered on this debate. 1. Historical miniature manufacturers don't have the same marketing ca- pabilities and exposure as their Sci-fi and Fantasy counterparts. While some may disagree with this, I would put forth that there are companies out there who do an incredible job of marketing / advertising and historical minia- tures / historical game companies are not at the same level. The general public is not very aware of our hobby. The Fantasy / Sci-Fi gaming / miniatures companies KNOW which market to go after. It seems historical has not gone that way from what I have seen. Many of the younger players get caught up in the power armor color schemes of some colonial marine group or the appearance of the evil looking monster troll that is about to attack an army of some empire of other. 2. There are a number of Historical miniatures games covering many time periods, very few of them are meant for a younger crowd or people new to the hobby. There are games that cover Science fiction as well as Fantasy. They are relatively FAST PLAYING and not too complicated for the youngster to deal with. How often have I passed by tables recreating some historical battle that was a beautiful sight to behold, but the armies barely move after 5 or 6 hours of playing time! Granted, the more miniatures one has on the table, the longer it would take for the game to play, BUT many people do not have the time to play out a game like that. From my observations, the younger crowd seems to be more into playing games that finish in a few hours or less (hint, hint!). They also do not want to be bogged down by a rulebook as thick as Tolstoy's, "War & Peace". 3. Younger players/new players need to be encouraged to get into a game. This is the only way they will have a chance to really EXPERIENCE the hobby. I realize that some folks are not into teaching new players a game, BUT if you wish to see this hobby GROW, we all have to do our part. That MEANS answering the seemingly dumb questions. It also MEANS spending some more time showing them how to play. That MEANS YOU NEED TO STRETCH YOURSELF as a person. There is a chance that they may come back to play again. Hey, there is a chance that may might even become members of HMGS! 4. Younger players/new players NEED to walk away from the table with a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE! I remember my first miniatures game I played at a convention down at LAX using Advanced Squad Leader Rules and microarmor. My side lost, but we were outnumbered 4:1 and I made the enemy pay dearly for their victory (our entire frontline had been overrun!). I WALKED AWAY WITH SUCH A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE that I never looked at hexmap and counter games the same way ever again. 5. Fantasy and Sci -Fi games have the luxury of no pre-written script This is a tough one to tackle as there seems to be some appeal for the younger players to take on the Orc or the fire breathing unicorn. What is the fascination of the Wood Elf troops? Why the appeal? Perhaps, it has to do with playing in a setting that is in the far future or in a fantasy world where there is very little of the reality that they know of. However, take a look at Fantasy / Sci-Fi human characters that they are so fond of. Where did the artists get their inspiration? If you answered history, give yourself a pat on the back. This is an opening for us ... make imaginative historical games and characters to enhance their appeal. To sum up this article, I have pointed out things I have observed from interacting with high school students both on the job (I'm a teacher and no, not history, but I throw in history when I can into my classes) and at conventions. I wrote this piece because I do care about the hobby and where we are headed. In the last couple of years, I have seen changes at HMGS and they have been good ones. Like Patton during Operation Cobra, we need to BREAKOUT and DRIVE to our objective! That objective of seeing this hobby grow and prosper! Back to Table of Contents The Messenger November 2002 Back to The Messenger List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by HMGS/PSW. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles covering military history and related topics are available at http://www.magweb.com