Introducing Younger Players to the Joys of Historical and Indy Wargaming
The next generation of wargamers are out there – how do we get them to the gaming table?
As you may know, I tend to like miniatures games that others might consider obscure. I like Bolt Action, Frostgrave, and games that others might not know about. One of the questions that come up is how to get more people into those games.
Recently I had the pleasure to go on The Canadian Podcast Wargamer as a guest. In it, I talked to two 60+-year-old die-hard miniature wargaming fans. Generally, they like pretty much all miniatures games, but like me, they feel the pull towards games that remain less mainstream. Also with us was Evan Switzer. Evan and I are both younger than our hosts wanted to talk to us about our journey into Indy and Historical miniatures games.
Before giving you the podcast, let me tell you a bit about the guests.
The 9th Age – Evan Switzer
Evan Switzer is extremely heavy into the 9th Age. In fact, he is one of the key people promoting the game now. 9th Age is an absolutely free game meant to take the place of another rank and file fantasy game where the universe was destroyed. You know the game to which I speak. Instead of a 9th Edition, we got a new gaming system. The 9th Age picks up the torch and continues the adventures. They changed and created a new game meant for tournaments to have the feel of a 9th Edition but totally rebuilt. This means that it is not the same game, but it has a similar feel.
The best part is that they do this all for free. It is an Indy game created and supported by the community. If you want the game files, check it out here! All of these materials are absolutely free and the team would love to get you to play their game. You can also look around the site too by visiting their home page. If you are waiting for a long-awaited system, you might as well check this out while you wait.
Must Contain Minis – Jacob Stauttener
The hosts had me on their show for my background in promoting and discussing the less mainstream miniatures games out there. Part of my goal is to get the name of these games out there so more people know about them. My content is all over the place and I cover many miniatures games not made by the biggest company on the market. Actually, I really like the biggest company on the market too, but I want to give the smaller guys more recognition too.
I’ve been running my personal site for five years now and have over 800 posts about many smaller miniatures companies. Not bad for a site I run all by myself. I also share these games with the readers of Bell of Lost Souls. I have over 150 written articles on here. Add in my 50+ videos on YouTube and I have created over 1,000 pieces of content related to miniature wargames.
They brought me in as a creator with specific experience with Indy and Historical wargames to get my thoughts of how to get more people over to that side of the hobby.
The Podcast
Below is The Canadian Wargamer Podcast episode on which I appear. I would love it if you gave it a listen. If the embedded player does not work, you can also access the file here.
The Key Ways to Get People Involved
Both Evan and I agreed that the best way to get people involved in Indy and Historical games is through two-player starter sets and by introducing people to the game in person. Online outreach is also key, which is a lot of what I do. If you are curious about the other games on the market, I am your man. I see all these great new games and I want to get involved with them all.
If you are curious about some recommended two-player games to get you down the road of games other than those by the largest company on the market, check out this post that I wrote about two-player games.
As far as pathways in, I didn’t go through this in the podcast, but I see three ways into Indy and Historical games. Those who enter through RPGs (like D&D) but want to play more miniatures-type games. Those who play board games with miniatures in them and then discover games like those published by Osprey Games. And those who started with GW games and then started to explore the other options out there. My journey crossed all three paths before I found my way into Indy and Historical games.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Wrapping it up…
I had a good time going on The Canadian Wargamer Podcast to talk about my love of games and how to grow the audience on the Indy and Historical side. If you have some time, please give it a listen.
Until next time, Happy Gaming Everyone!!!
Read more about great Indie and Historical games on my site!
Must Contain Minis is my personal reviews, showcases, and battle reports website where I look at mostly Indie and Historical Games. If you haven’t visited for a while, come on over and check the site out! You can visit it with this link right here. On top of a website, I also run my own YouTube channel!
You can also follow me on Social Media. I am very active on Facebook and share posts of a wide variety. I upload my best pictures to Instagram and am also on Twitter.
