Recently, I participated in an exchange of e-mail concerning the role of magazines and organizations that form part of this hobby. This was prompted by a survey to identify what members/subscribers wanted from such groups as NASAMW and SOA, and magazines/journals like Spearpoint, Slingshot and Saga. Most of the responses indicated that there was varied interest in ancient and medieval wargaming. These included tournament participation, interest in a specific rule set (DBM, DBA, Armati, WRG 7th, Tactica, AW, the Hack series and others), preferences for 15mm, 25mm or other scales and membership in clubs or larger groups.

One point that was raised by several people is that the larger groups seemed to have a narrow focus, although claiming to be much broader in their overall scope. NASAMW is seen as concerned with tournaments and rule interpretations honed for such activity. SOA is dominated by DBM.

Both societies offer other subjects in their journals and often cite a common policy of printing whatever is contributed. Much of what these groups offer is beyond the budget of many gamers, unless events are held in close proximity. A gamer has to decide whether he wants to spend several days at a convention or use the money for other things (buying more figures, terrain and accessories).

Spearpoint and Slingshot do attempt to provide a service to the hobby, despite complaints of their limited scope from some gamers. The frustrated editorial staff then tries to appease the disgruntled but must rely on those eager to write articles. The relatively small membership in these two societies suggests that the majority of gamers, who have an interest in the period, are not interested in the groups. How then can the large numbers of gamers be reached? The limited success of the print medium suggests that another course of action is required to widen the contact between gamers. I think that the Internet is an ideal medium and it is long past due to exploit it. Most gamers have access to Internet accounts and can check various sites without additional expenditure as required for buying magazines or joining groups.

There are several Internet services in existence and yet they are not given much publicity in magazines/journals/newsletters. There are many interesting Internet sites, although I wonder how many are commonly known to gamers. Many of these services are made known through word of mouth only. How many hours are spent surfing for information because it is spread over many sites, which are not linked for easy access? Can gamers move between wargaming sites and historical or related sites quickly? I do not have answers to these questions, but I do know that they are being asked and gamers want to use the Internet as a support service.

I propose another method of using the Internet. There is, in my opinion, a need for a forum in which gamers can exchange information about historical research, army organization, painting and modeling techniques, where to find things like books, rules, figures and new information, and many other subjects. I am not aware of any current service provided, although I am sure that this is not an original idea.

I would appreciate being informed of what is available before progressing further with this idea. I would not like to establish a service that competes with an existing one. This service is about providing information on a broad scale and is not intended to be tied to a set of rules. I would prefer not to vie with current platforms for rule discussion. Rather I envision a site where a gamer can check on information to help select the figures and accessories to create an army, read about the army, learn painting and modeling tips useful in completing the army, get some help with tactics and also add to a database to assist others. Basically, this is pooling the corporate knowledge that is developed within the hobby. It would also be like the "Yellow Pages" in that it is a first stop before looking for specific sites.

To make this work, gamers have to be willing to contribute. The input does not need to be elaborate such as sitting and trying to write an article with a bibliography and footnotes. It can be as simple as advertising a convention, announcing a new painting service or store, or commenting on a new book. One aim is to uncover the less publicised aspects of the hobby. While Osprey and WRG books are well known, the limited publication of new rules or a historical book may not be. We are always looking for a bargain so knowing where to shop for the best deals is also interesting.

I have only scratched the surface on this topic because I concentrated on what I like about this hobby. I want to get others to help this so that it reflects their interests too. This does not have to be limited by printing deadlines and editorial doctrine. There can be sections for text, pictures, maps, photographs and notices. The Internet is multimedia so why not use all of its concepts to enhance our hobby and attract others? Over to you for thought and feed back.

Er, you could always try MagWeb...--RL