Heh.... I'm picturing a "Microsoft BattleGame 2020" app, complete with helpful animated paper-clips:
"You appear to be attempting an unsupported frontal assault against an elevated entrenched enemy. Do you wish to proceed? [Y] [N]"
Future of wargaming?
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Peter_Fitz
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TAMMY
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pmskaar
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The Future of Wargaming
I believe, overall, that wargaming is alive and well - at least in the greater Phoenix area where I currently live. That being said, I guess the real crux of the matter is whether or not micro armor gaming is alive and well or simply limping along on life support or whatever.
In the Phoenix area there is a fair amount of miniatures gaming that goes on. There are at least 2 fairly decent game stores and probably a few smaller ones as well. Most of this falls into the realm of Sci-Fi or Fantasy such as Warhammer and such. We do have a small group here that does historicals on the west side where I live known as the North Phoenix Irregulars. This is a Yahoo based group that often meets on Friday nights at Imperial Outpost Games on the west side of the Phoenix area.
Generally, someone will decide to host a game and then the others decide via e-mail who is going to attend. There are some drop-ins as well and I have played a game or two on the spur of the moment. One week there will be ancients, the next week may be a gunpowder era game, the next WWII etc. Last week, one of the guys did a modern micro armor game set during the Cold War era.
My have some experience in trying to recruit players for my games. I currently do WWII micro armor using the Mein Panzer rules. I have hosted many games over the last dozen years or so at Imperial Outpost. I have had some modest success in getting some players into this rules set and using micro armor as well. I have come up with some "rules" for recruiting new players. You may have some other ideas as well.
Here are my rules specific to attracting new players to Mein Panzer but I'm sure could be used for any other miniatures game.
1. Have an attractive game. I take pride in spending time to make my terrain and minis look as good as I can make them. I want people that come by to be attracted to the game I am playing The visual is what will grab them initially. I have had many people come by to look at the games I am playing - most of these are Fantasy and Sci Fi types but also other historical gamers and even the casual passer by will comment that the game looks really cool. If they don't notice your game because of a lack of visual impact then the chances of getting new players are diminished.
2. Be inclusive. I have been to conventions and games held in stores and sometimes have been totally ignored by everyone at the table. My advice is that if you are interested in getting new people then take an interest in them. At least start by saying hello if someone comes over and appears interested in what you are doing. You can tell them a little about the game such as what period, scale, and rules set you are using as well. I get a lot of people that are amazed by the detail on the micro armor.
Invite them to either play or at least feel free to watch the game if you are in the middle of it with the other players. Also be ready to answer any questions they may have.
3. Keep it simple for the new players. I can usually teach someone the basics of the Mein Panzer rules in about 10 minutes or so. I will usually cover the basics of moving and shooting tanks only and cover the various modifiers and the hit and kill tables in that time and offer a demo on how this works. When people see how really easy the basics are they may be motivated to give it a try. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to have a simple game for all the participants but you don't want to have your new players with too much to do or think about for their first game. Give them a tank unit or armored car unit for their first game to get the basics. The veterans can cover the other stuff such as infantry, artillery etc. and the new guy may even learn some of those mechanics by watching.
4. Keep the game fun and of a short to moderate length. I have been to conventions where games will run for days and there is no noticeable difference in what is going on to the outside observer over several hours. I have stopped by games that look the same at 2:00 in the pm as they did four hours earlier at 10:00 am. You want to keep the new players interest and while keeping his rules burdens fairly simple but yet keep his interest.
The games I run at Outpost rarely go over 4 hours in length. Usually in that time, a decision point has been reached regardless of whether the game has gone the total distance. I don't want the new players to feel like they have engaged in an exercise in drudgery and boredom but to feel like they have had fun and want to try it again.
5. Try to host games on a regular basis. This is probably my biggest weakness as a host. I ran a Mein Panzer game at Outpost three weeks ago and had run the last game 10 months prior. Frankly that is too much time that has gone by and if someone may have been interested to try the game again, they may decide to move on to something else. My schedule was a little hectic over the last few months due to starting a new business. I will endeavor to try to host my games at least once every 2 months and maybe do a smaller game for newbies only once a month or so. I also admit that I have a somewhat perfectionistic streak in me that wants everything to be perfect for the game I host. I have to try to be okay that things won't always be perfect and also that I can't wait till everything is perfect such as having every exact piece of terrain I need or all units painted perfectly.
From my experience from a few years back, I find that if you don't play a particular set of rules or do a particular scale regularly, people tend to drift away to other things. If you play it they will come and come again if you do it often enough.
Those are my thoughts on the future of wargaming and how to attract new players to the games you like to play.
Pete - Binpicker, Out!
In the Phoenix area there is a fair amount of miniatures gaming that goes on. There are at least 2 fairly decent game stores and probably a few smaller ones as well. Most of this falls into the realm of Sci-Fi or Fantasy such as Warhammer and such. We do have a small group here that does historicals on the west side where I live known as the North Phoenix Irregulars. This is a Yahoo based group that often meets on Friday nights at Imperial Outpost Games on the west side of the Phoenix area.
Generally, someone will decide to host a game and then the others decide via e-mail who is going to attend. There are some drop-ins as well and I have played a game or two on the spur of the moment. One week there will be ancients, the next week may be a gunpowder era game, the next WWII etc. Last week, one of the guys did a modern micro armor game set during the Cold War era.
My have some experience in trying to recruit players for my games. I currently do WWII micro armor using the Mein Panzer rules. I have hosted many games over the last dozen years or so at Imperial Outpost. I have had some modest success in getting some players into this rules set and using micro armor as well. I have come up with some "rules" for recruiting new players. You may have some other ideas as well.
Here are my rules specific to attracting new players to Mein Panzer but I'm sure could be used for any other miniatures game.
1. Have an attractive game. I take pride in spending time to make my terrain and minis look as good as I can make them. I want people that come by to be attracted to the game I am playing The visual is what will grab them initially. I have had many people come by to look at the games I am playing - most of these are Fantasy and Sci Fi types but also other historical gamers and even the casual passer by will comment that the game looks really cool. If they don't notice your game because of a lack of visual impact then the chances of getting new players are diminished.
2. Be inclusive. I have been to conventions and games held in stores and sometimes have been totally ignored by everyone at the table. My advice is that if you are interested in getting new people then take an interest in them. At least start by saying hello if someone comes over and appears interested in what you are doing. You can tell them a little about the game such as what period, scale, and rules set you are using as well. I get a lot of people that are amazed by the detail on the micro armor.
Invite them to either play or at least feel free to watch the game if you are in the middle of it with the other players. Also be ready to answer any questions they may have.
3. Keep it simple for the new players. I can usually teach someone the basics of the Mein Panzer rules in about 10 minutes or so. I will usually cover the basics of moving and shooting tanks only and cover the various modifiers and the hit and kill tables in that time and offer a demo on how this works. When people see how really easy the basics are they may be motivated to give it a try. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to have a simple game for all the participants but you don't want to have your new players with too much to do or think about for their first game. Give them a tank unit or armored car unit for their first game to get the basics. The veterans can cover the other stuff such as infantry, artillery etc. and the new guy may even learn some of those mechanics by watching.
4. Keep the game fun and of a short to moderate length. I have been to conventions where games will run for days and there is no noticeable difference in what is going on to the outside observer over several hours. I have stopped by games that look the same at 2:00 in the pm as they did four hours earlier at 10:00 am. You want to keep the new players interest and while keeping his rules burdens fairly simple but yet keep his interest.
The games I run at Outpost rarely go over 4 hours in length. Usually in that time, a decision point has been reached regardless of whether the game has gone the total distance. I don't want the new players to feel like they have engaged in an exercise in drudgery and boredom but to feel like they have had fun and want to try it again.
5. Try to host games on a regular basis. This is probably my biggest weakness as a host. I ran a Mein Panzer game at Outpost three weeks ago and had run the last game 10 months prior. Frankly that is too much time that has gone by and if someone may have been interested to try the game again, they may decide to move on to something else. My schedule was a little hectic over the last few months due to starting a new business. I will endeavor to try to host my games at least once every 2 months and maybe do a smaller game for newbies only once a month or so. I also admit that I have a somewhat perfectionistic streak in me that wants everything to be perfect for the game I host. I have to try to be okay that things won't always be perfect and also that I can't wait till everything is perfect such as having every exact piece of terrain I need or all units painted perfectly.
From my experience from a few years back, I find that if you don't play a particular set of rules or do a particular scale regularly, people tend to drift away to other things. If you play it they will come and come again if you do it often enough.
Those are my thoughts on the future of wargaming and how to attract new players to the games you like to play.
Pete - Binpicker, Out!