Recently I have been thinking about our hobby and what the
future holds for it, I hear a lot about the “golden age” of wargames in the 70’s
and not wanting to upset any of you who agree I have to say I think we are in
the golden age now.
Let me explain why. I cannot think of a time when we had as
many professionally produced wargames rules and if you look carefully for most
periods you can find skirmish rules and full battle rules. I am not saying we
have not had as many rules before but before the 00’s they were club rules and
is some case’s guarded as if a hoard of treasure. Now with the advent of
print-on-demand someone with the passion can produce their own rules and get
them on the market. Add to this the increase of companies that produce and
support their own rules sets and you have a rich and vibrant market of rules to
fit all tastes.
On the figures side the introduction of hard plastic
injection moulded figures has opened up all our options, while before the
investment needed to play one period could be very high now you can build up
big armies for most of the popular periods without remortgaging your house or
selling body parts. Suddenly even a gamer on a modest income can have two or
three periods covered up to fair sized army level. Away from big battles the
increase of micro-companies producing fine figures for some times little
covered conflicts has been a joy to behold we have bloggers who just wanted to
get their own figures for a period that were pestered by followers into selling
figures and fine sculptors who produce their own range and with the internet
can market and sell them all themselves some time from their own house’s or
even garden sheds. This does not end at 28mm either the amount of detail that
you see now a days in 15/18mm is eye watering, I cannot be the only one who
sees the detail in today’s 25/18’s being better than the 25/28’s of my youth.
On top of all this you have the increase in 10mm companies and 6mm companies
and it all adds up to a rich and exciting figure market.
So with the great rules and figures out in the market you
would think our hobby is in a great place? Well not from where I look I think
we are in trouble, we are getting old. All you have to do is look around the
average wargames show and you can not disagree with me, where are the young
ones? We cannot say that the young are not interested in playing “toy soldiers”
have you walked passed a GW store on a Saturday or Sunday they are packed with
young enthusiastic gamers. But why are these young gamers not becoming middle-aged
gamers? I think to some extent we have only ourselves to blame how many time
have you heard someone who loves pushing around his/her ACW/ECW/AWI....etc
figures talk down about Warhammer and those that play it. I have been on the
end of this barb. I was the member of a vibrant RAF Wargames club in fact I ran
the youth club that had several members (a couple of which have recently been
back in touch and still play), we moved our club house and had a huge open day
to showcase our hobby. We had stunning modular-terrain as we had Wynn Rodgers
(of Gripping beast’s terrain fame) as a member and he spent all hours building
terrain for the club, we had gamers who loved all periods from 15mm Zulu
through to jet planes and micro-modern. On the open day I was playing Warhammer
against my gaming buddy and having a blast (as an interesting aside that was the
day I met my wife, she popped her head in the room and asked if I wanted a cup
of tea). Our club chairman was showing the Station Commander around and when he
came to our room he stuck his head in and said “And this is just a bit of fun”.
While I know the lad involved and he was not being mean it
is this very attitude that could be part of the cause of our aging hobby. I
have also been on the other side as a gamer looking for a club, I have talked
before about my shyness so looking for a wargames club was not something I was actively
doing but when invited to my next-doors for a BBQ I happened to meet one of his
friends who it turned out was a wargamer, he informed me that the local
wargames club met at a pub 5 minutes walk from my house. This was too good to
miss so I went along the next club night (at the time I was heavily playing
WAB) on entering the room the club used I was met by a dozen staring eyes that
quickly return to the game they were playing (an ACW game using a laptop to do
all the working out) I think that there was another game or two being played
but I cannot remember, the guy I had met came over and introduced me to the
clubs chairman who asked what I played, after my response of WAB and a bit of
Warhammer his eyes glazed over and he directed me to a corner of the room where
two shy looking young men were playing a small 40K game. That was it I was
dismissed as quickly as that, needless to say I never returned and the club in
no surprise to me later ceased to meet.
I seem to be rambling on but I do have a point, I love
wargames I love all aspects of the hobby from the buying of new figures to
painting to planning games and playing games. But most of all I love the joy of
sharing this with fellow gamers. I can say this hobby has given me so much as I
said I met my wife in a wargames club; the hobby has given me and my Dad the
best relationship any father-son could wish for because we are best pals too. I
do not want to see the hobby grow old and fade away I want to share what I get
from this hobby so others can gain as much as I have. I think while there are
great clubs out there they are not good at recruiting for our hobby. In today’s
age of multi-media I think that the best tool me have for grabbing these young
gamers that show and interest in wargames is what you are reading now and the
people who are reading this now. Just on my blog alone I have followers who
cover all ways to start in our hobby I have guys who played with airfix figures
as kids I have GW staffers and GW fan boys and I have guys who started in this
hobby to get to know their kids, and those who were just looking for stress relief
or work for idle hands.
We bloggers are already having a get together with Blog-Con
but I would love it we could group together to help our hobby. Why could we not
get together as the biggest wargames club in the world (that can cover the
world), we would have a committee and membership fees and run as a proper club
but we do not need a clubhouse we would provide contacts so you can game with likeminded
gamers in your/their own house. We would have Blog-Con as our annual meet (AGM)
and the bloggers-for-charity idea could become annual too. This vast club and
the funds generated would give us the skills and people to spread our hobby, I
would love to see School clubs or even Summer Wargames Schools, why can we not
grab on to the kids who show and interest in wargames via GW and show them that
they can do so much more in our hobby which for me is the one constant that
runs through my whole life I have made friends lost friends moved house’s changed
jobs but through all this if I needed a bit of peace of to relax I picked up a
brush or some dice and lost myself in the world that is Wargames.
If you have stuck with me through to the end thank you, I
hope you have not been too board, I would love to have some feedback on what
you feel about our hobby and the direction its going, and if you would be
interested in a Blog based wargames club or even if you think it could work. I
am not the only blogger with a passion for growing our hobby so shout out and
lets all do something about it.
Peace James
