I have been an amateur student of military history and an avid player and collector of military boardgames for over twenty years, Avalon Hill fever. My only real experience in miniature wargaming until recently was in the mid-sixties with Airfix HO ACW, Scruby Colonial, and Airfix WWII figures with Mini-tanks, which lasted about one year. From what I have seen and read, the hobby sure has grown and advanced in twenty years. The amount of figures, periods available, and different scales is almost overwhelming, just the 25mm and 15mm ranges alone are awe inspiring!
Concerning figures and scales, the newcomer must be careful here as one' manufacturer's 25 or 15mm might not match up too well with anothers. Is that chunky Essex or tall Hinchliffe going to look right next to that Ral Partha or Falcon figure? Here is one place the hobby could help itself by publishing more information on figure compatibility. There have been some good articles in past COURIER issues by Lynn Bodin on this aspect for Colonial figures. But this kind of information is not generally available for all periods or figure ranges, I would like to see the manufacturers or the figure consumers join in an effort to make this information more available.
From all the miniature wargaming publications I have read, everyone's favorite subject or concern seems to be rules. Either they are too complex or not historically accurate enough, etc. Of the many commerical sets I have bought or found in hobby publications, I have not found one yet that I wish to use in it's present form. The general feeling seems to be to take what you like and fix the rest to your own tastes and ideas concerning your period of interest. I think it would be good for the hobby as a whole to publish in the amateur and professional hobby literature more house and club rules and variants, somebody out there just might have what we are looking for.
(Editor's Note; A number of publications including MWAN, HELIOGRAPH, VEDETTE, COURIER, and SAUVE QUI PEUT come to mind immediately, oops, put PW REVIEW at the head of the list! - Wally will get me for that!).
There is a place for the more basic and learning rules to help the newcomer grow into the hobby. I have noticed that most rules and army lists tend to assume that the reader is totally familiar with the terms, language, and equipment of the hobby. I must admit that it took me a week to find out what an average die and percentage die was; this information I found in only one set of rules. This is a small point but if the hobby wishes to attract more newcomers I believe more of the basics should be made accessible to the miniature beginner. One reason for this basic material not being all that available anymore is because almost everyone you talk to or read about has been in the hobby for five to twenty-five years and it is common knowledge to them.
In defense of all miniature wargamers, they are as a group the most helpful, kind, and informative group of people when asked for help or guidance concerning your interest in the miniature wargaming world. As a newcomer, I would like to thank all people involved in LITTLE WARS this year for a wonderful two days and for the inspiration and help to get more involved in the hobby. I feel this event is one of the best things in the area for the newcomer to get acquainted with the people and the fun of this hobby.
(Editor's Note: George kindly wrote this article at my request as I thought it would be of interest for us to see what a newcomer thinks of the hobby. Hope we hear from from George in the future!)
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