40K Deep Thought: Why Wargaming?
A GW veteran developer posed the following question: “Why Wargaming? Why that over board games, video games, or any other types of games?” Here’s my answer.
As I embraced the wargaming hobby decades ago, I never really pondered the why until I bumped into Phil Kelly at Adepticon many moons ago and he challenged me with the following:
“Why Wargaming? Why that over board games, video games, or any other types of games?”
Lego Space set 920 – released in 1979. I was 8. That thing was HOT!
At some level, I blame the LEGO space-men. When I was very young my parents took me to the Galleria in Houston, TX (a big fancy place for a country kid like me who was used to spending time outdoors playing with my pet bunny – more on that later) and I got one of the first LEGO space sets ever made. I started the adventures with the little plastic men right then, and over the year, the play led to invented rules, then simple games, then more advanced games, and look where I am decades later… *help me*
It was a good question Phil asked. A really good one and it got me pondering the things I feel bind me to the hobby and how the hobby enriches my life. In a nutshell here is my list:
1) Its a Physical Hobby – No pixels, or ephemeral experiences. I get to lay my hands on awesome real-world TOYS and play with them for years.
2) It’s a Visual Game – To this day few things stop me like a beautiful table with 2 well-painted armies on them. No cardboard chits, or save-games for me. (I’m also a sucker for giant battle dioramas at museums)
3) The Worlds – Whether you play in the Imperium of Man, the Old World, A Galaxy Far, Far Away or anywhere else, there is something about those rich fleshed out universes that wargaming gives you a window into.
4) The Depth of the Hobby – This is a big one. From the painting to the reading, to the converting, to the army building, not to mention the playing, the hobby can support as much effort as you can throw into it. Like any grand hobby, it can last a lifetime, and not leave you high and dry after a few days of playing.
5) Math – At some level wargaming teaches math, statistics, and probability. Some players are calculators and can figure the odds in their heads instantly while others are instinctual and “feel their way through the odds” after a lot of games under their belts. Utilizing math in your everyday life is a good thing in the long run.
6) It’s Social – I get to actually hang with like-minded players and have a great time rolling some dice and moving toys around, not virtual people in faraway lands.
7) A Touch of History – Regardless of genre, there is an underlying ribbon of historical warfare and command implicit in wargaming, and it touches something grand inside all of us.
One brushstroke at a time. You’ll get there.
8) The Painting – Yes its always been a love-hate relationship, but few things bind you to a hobby like the pride of a fine collection of handpainted models under your belt. The Scale modeler in me these days can appreciate a quality pre-paint like X-Wing/Armada so as long the quality is there, I’m good.
9) The Psychology of Play – Few things these days let you really try to understand your fellow player and outwit him on the tabletop in a display of pure light-hearted competition (and a bit of dice-luck).
10) The Hidden Gifts – From attention to detail, eye-hand coordination, the focus of thought, color theory, and countless others the fringe benefits of the wargaming hobby are myriad, and often not overt at first glance.
~So that’s me, and ultimately that is the mission of BoLS as a whole. We love Tabletop games and know you do too. How did you get hooked and what does your list look like? The next time you can, try to share the hobby with someone new, there is always room for more!
(I promised you an embarrasing picture of me with my pet bunny. Hey, I was 8!)
I miss that rabbit…
