What I'm about to write about here won't please very many people, but the issue needs to be addressed. Before I begin, let me present my credentials: I've been a wargamer for 17 years, since I first played Midway at the tender age of 9. I have been actively involved in the hobby ever since. I regularly play boardgames, miniatures, fantasy role-playing, and computer games. I have written and published a set of miniatures rules, designed board- and role-playing games, playtested for Avalon Hill, run conventions, and managed a hobby shop. I know whereof I speak.
The hobby as a whole is suffering from greying and minimal growth, with one major exception. Role-playing still brings more new people into the hobby than all the other branches combined. Yet all the other branches of our hobby treat it as an aberation. How many gamers do you know who refuse even to look at a Fantasy game, won't go to a Fantasy convention, or make snide remarks about D & Ders? WE HAVE GOT TO GET THE CHIP OFF OUR COLLECTIVE SHOULDERS AND TREAT THE HOBBY AS WHOLE, NOT SEPARATE AND UNCOMPROMISING PARTS.
I attended the HMGS meeting the Milwaukee Historical weekend last October. Every shaker and mover in the mid-west was there. Plans were made for promoting Historical miniatures at Gen-Con as though a raid on a hostile camp were being made. The most frequently heard complaint about Gen Con (the largest gaming event in the nation) was that they treated miniatures like s---. Look at it from their eyes. In historical minatures exists an arrogance not found anywhere else in this hobby. "We were here first, so we should get the best of everything, and if you don't like it go away" is the attitude that the rest of the hobby sees. I'm not pointing fingers or offering excuses, and many prominent individuals are trying to correct this, but listen folks, Hal cant save the hobby all by himself.
I personally know many role-players who tried historical miniatures, but were put off by the complexity and lack of help offered. How many of you who claim to despise Dungeons & Dragons have ever tried it? Why not? Does it sound too silly, all that stuff about magic and dragons? We play with toy soldiers. Maybe it doesn't interest you? You may be not be interested in sex, either, but I'll bet you tried it before you despised it.
Or is it because it's full-of kids? The last survey taken by TSR showed the median age of it's readership to be 13. Sure they're loud and occasionally obnoxious, but were you a saint when you were 13? It's not that long ago that I went through adolescence, it's not a fun time. Yet the spending power is phenominal (there aren't many hobby shops that could survive without them, Just ask your's sometime), and they have the time and often the enthusiasm to indulge in new interests.
There exists a ready made pool of untapped enthusiasts for miniatures (many already paint and use figures). Yet until the main stream of Historical miniatures stops putting down fantasy games (and gamers) for whatever reason, these potential long term gamers remain lost to us.
There is an old indian prayer that goes something like "Let me not judge another untill I have walked a mile in his moccasins", or to use the modern idiom, don't knock it untill you've tried it. It is the clear duty of every gamer concerned with the survival of his favorite hobby to try, at least once, a fantasy role-playing game, a boardgame, a computer game. By showing a willingness to try, and by making available his own hobby to others, new gamers will be drawn to our hobby.
We have many things going for us, an established base of printers and manufacturers, a colorful and eyecatching hobby, and plenty of diversity. Too often I believe we expect people to run before they can walk. You can't drop something like WRG or CLS can a complete novice and expect him to comprehend it. Every game should have a simple (or even grossly simple) set of rules to get a new gamer going on. Right now these basic, simple rules are prominently lacking, yet I know from experience it's these very simple games that leave the best first impression, and will draw new gamers to the hobby.
What do I mean by grossly simple? For example, in Napoleonics just have foot, horse and guns. Put everything in line, let the foot and guns move 6" and the horse 12". For fire roll a d6 for each figure and score a kill on a 6. For melee, let horsemen kill foot on a 5 or 6, and everyone else kills on 6. Ignore everything else, formation, morale, troop designations, because you can always add them latter AFTER the new gamer has joined the hobby. The perception of our hobby is that it is too complex and time consuming to be worth playing. Show them that it's not, and new opponents are just around the corner.
I recently playtested a set of miniature rules, of the rather simple variety, and asked for written critiques of the games after they were finished. Many different people played, from long-time WRG players to first-time D&Ders. Glancing through the response sheets, one comment still stands out, from a first-time gamer: "It's fun and simple, it's great for a first time miniatures battle. Now that I've planed them, maybe I'll try WRG". And maybe Historical miniatures will have a new enthusiast.
(Editor's Notes: I found Jayson's article interesting and agree with virtually everything he says except for the last sentence in paragraph three that "Hal can't save the hobby all by himself". Although this is flattering, there are a great many other people who are involved in "saving the hobby". Jayson, however, articulates his points very well and these are points that most of us have heard before. I do believe quite rightly that we are making some progress in this area, at least in the midwest area and I suspect, in other parts of the country as well. Until about a year or two ago, I was one of those historical miniatures players who was angry at Gen-Con and scorned D & D players. However, I have Useen the light" so to say and I think many others are coming around to at least a level of acceptance and we didn't have that before. In our own local group, mainly composed of hard-core historical miniatures players. We started about four years with about seven fellows meeting once a month. The last couple of meetings, we have had over 25 players, some new converts to miniatures and we even played a nonhistorical game, which people enjoyed and even hard-core miniatures people jumped in an had a good time! Things are changing for the better.
I can give George Grove as an example. George became interested in miniatures just months ago after being a boardgamer for years. He has related to us how he received so much assistance from a great many people as to how to get started in the hobby. Because of this, he has been buying figures even faster than me, has written three articles for MWAN and one for the Heliograph in less than six months in the hobby and spreads this feeling on to others he meets.
I see more and more D & Der's in historical games at all conventions and I see them being treated ill in convention games, most of which feature very simple, fun to play rules, as Jayson suggested. A long time ago in MWAN, when I was trying to encourage people to attract others to the hobby, I would ask in INTERVIEW WITH A WARGAMER questions like "What can the average wargamer do to attract others to the hobby or allow the hobby to grow?" Well, even back then people were doing those things necessary to allow us to grow and I see even more of it now! Todd Fisher and Ken Kaufmann's work with LITTLE WARS; the judges who host games at all of the conventions; Pat Condray and Wally Simon's work with HMGS; the various newsletters that are growing in number and the people who put them together - Tony Adams (HELIOGRAPH), Terry Gore (SAGA), Greg Novak (VEDETTE), Bill Protz (SEVEN YEARS WAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER), Lynn Bodin (SAVAGE & SOLDIER), and many others who are just starting out, not to mention people like Dick Bryant of THE COURIER. Not only do you have those people who are printing newsletters, you have people who support those newsletters by writing for them (how many different names do you see in MWAN, HELIOGRAPH, S&S, PW REVIEW by Wally Simon who should also be included above, and other publications - LOTS!), and those who are supporting those publications by subscribing (MWAN has 250+ at last look several months ago) and advertisers who support them as well.
In addition, we have quiet people like Dean West, who introduced me to the hobby, and Rich Black who brought me back into it as well as bringing a number of other people into the hobby. I can't possibly mention every name that I think has had an influence on the hobby, but my point is that the list includes those who spend more time than they should at it to people who do it more quietly, yet probably as effectively. Jayson is right about role-playing having the ability to bring in more people to the hobby and also, I feel, it holds the potential for improving our games, as evidenced by Rich Black and others use of role-playing in games. We have changed greatly. Think back five, six years ago about the convention you attended. Lots of games, very complex rules, lots of rules lawyers, arguments, etc.
What do you see around you now? I see lots of changes. I see games using simple rules where the game and the rules are designed to attract newcomers. I don't see arguments nearly as often as bef5re, although every group manages to have one such person around. We've come a long way in a short time, I feel, and by accepting D&D/fantasy more and more, we can continue to grow as a hobby. I'd appreciate other opinions.
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© Copyright 1987 Hal Thinglum
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