One way to keep the hobby going is to raise Our children and grandchildren to be wargamers. Here are some observations based on my experiences with my grandson Peter. Peter's father, Paul, is an active wargamer, playing some solo and some games with friends. So, Peter grew up with wargames. By the time he was four he was playing games with his father. The key to playing wargames with a four-year-old is adjusting to his limits. Paul made movement strips of cardboard. The cavalry move was marked by a drawing ofa horseman. The infantry movement measure was marked by drawing an infantryman. Archery range was marked by a bow and arrow. Die rolls had to be either one or two because they were the only numbers Peter knew. He is an enthusiastic wargamer. The first thing he says when we get together is. "Grandpa. lets play a wargame." He knows that I have a variety of figures from different periods. He likes my 40 mm. Plastic Romans because they are big and easy to handle. Also the rules are a lot like the ancient game he plays at home. He also likes the 1/300 scale World War 11 airplanes. especially the Japanese, "the ones with the red dots." Sometimes lie will choose to be a Flying Tiger. The moves he makes in this air wargame are like none ever seen in the history of flight. He is. however. quite good about formations, finger four or a V of Vs. The planes are sturdy. solid lead castings that can stand rough use. He has no interest in ships, so our one effort at a game fell flat. As he has aged he has progressed in his ability to Count. We now use "six, two four" or "2,4,6" as hit numbers. He can also measure with a tape measure now, so he can measure a five inch cavalry move or a three-inch infantry move. Of course lie still can't read, so the rules we use are very simple. He also needs a little coaching about strategy. Recently "e have ben playing with my English Civil War troops. He is pretty good at catching- on to the uses Of pikemen. cavalry and musketeers. He likes to put a few random trees and bushes on the battlefield. If a tree is in an awkward place for his troops, he will simply move it to another spot. As I said before, you have to adjust to the kid's limits. Given a few more years and assuming he doesn't get too distracted by sports, computers or girls, he has the making of a first class opponent. But it doesn't stop there. He has a sister, Katie, two years younger. She often wants to "be a tiger" when her brother and I are playing with planes. Recently she also asked for her own die. As Peter and I rolled away, taking shots she rolled her die and said "It's a two", as indeed it was. She has some potential. It's one way to get women into the hobby, grow your own woman wargamers. Back to MWAN #96 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1997 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com