Is Wargaming Getting Too Easy?

[Cubs]

Interestingly a while back I was studying, as part of my psych course, how excessive choice (beyond basic needs) can be a bad thing. With too many options it leads to choice paralysis. Add to that the phenomenon that what we often want is simply something we don't have ... for the reason we don't have it! So having easy access to more can lead to a lack of satisfaction, because we do not need to strive for anything.

I managed to pick up one of those little Airfix modelling guides about the 8th Army and it has lots of suggestions for converting existing (at the time) Airfix models to make things like mine clearing engineers, Vickers MMGs, anti-tank rifles etc.. I could easily buy those options somewhere or other no doubt, but the thought of building my own gets me all excited.

[Captain Blood]

I managed to pick up one of those little Airfix modelling guides about the 8th Army and it has lots of suggestions for converting existing (at the time) Airfix models to make things like mine clearing engineers, Vickers MMGs, anti-tank rifles etc.. I could easily buy those options somewhere or other no doubt, but the thought of building my own gets me all excited.

Yep. That's what I'm talking about 
I guess depending on how you're wired, making something is just more exciting than buying something.
I'm terrible at traditional manly pursuits: DIY and car maintenance - I'd always rather pay someone to do it. My friends don't understand me.
But I'm good at painting, modelling and making up wargames. I'd always rather do it myself than pay to take something off the shelf.
It just comes down to what you're good at, what you've got time for, and what floats your boat!

[Cubs]

But I'm good at painting, modelling and making up wargames. I'd always rather do it myself than pay to take something off the shelf.
It just comes down to what you're good at, what you've got time for, and what floats your boat!

Same. Gaming is something I haven't done in ... hell, more than 25 years now ... but I use the threat of gaming to paint my little toys. I will have an idea in my head that I'm building a force for Saga or Lion Rampant or whatever and that's my excuse for collecting.

Now I completely understand that for someone who just loves to game, the chore of painting might simply be a necessary evil to getting their force on the table.

[Plynkes]

I've come to detest painting, I find it a soul-crushingly difficult enterprise that rarely delivers a result that makes it feel it was worth the effort. But I can't bring myself to use a painting service or buy painted figures from eBay. 


So I guess I'm stuck with it. I guess that's why I hardly ever do it these days. Wish I could find a way to make it "too easy." It ain't too bloody easy for me, I can tell you. 

[joe5mc]

You gave painting a shot, and it wasn't for you. Nothing wrong with that. We are all going to have our favourite and least favourite parts of the hobby. There are still plenty of ways to find depth and creativity in wargaming.

If you are into fantasy - have a look at some of the D&D pre-paints, some of them are quite good.

[Captain Blood]

I've come to detest painting, I find it a soul-crushingly difficult enterprise that rarely delivers a result that makes it feel it was worth the effort. But I can't bring myself to use a painting service or buy painted figures from eBay. 


So I guess I'm stuck with it. I guess that's why I hardly ever do it these days. Wish I could find a way to make it "too easy." It ain't too bloody easy for me, I can tell you. 

The strange thing is, you’re a bloody good painter.
I think we might all be a bit strange you know 

[Prof.Witchheimer]

The strange thing is, you’re a bloody good painter.

He definitely is! I still believe that Plynkes is just having some bad painting time, and that one day he will wake up and start to paint as though nothing had happened 

[Plynkes]

Yeah, but being good at something isn't always the same as enjoying it, more's the pity.

Anyway, enough moaning. My post served its purpose: I managed to get complimented on my painting twice without having to lift a brush once. Result! 

(I'm kidding, I'm kidding!)

[mcfonz]

So, what I am about to say is going to be possibly a tad critical of both sides of the argument - without any intention of being offensive.

So I am trying to look at the bigger picture and see what is going on as a whole. It might be that some people have seen the frostgrave criticism thread and seen the blog post as a sort of thinly veiled retort. Now, I don't want to go into that here because it has been said elsewhere and that's fine.

But I think there is a gem of a question in there which shouldn't be an argument about wright or wrong.

I was listening to a program on the radio yesterday that was talking about physical education and how the British education system was falling short of what it should be delivering in this regard. One of the main criticisms was that most PE teachers only view Physical Education as being competitive sports.

Now, taking this analogy, you can see why schools do. Competitive sports are a relatively easy way of promoting your school. Tournaments come with a level of promotion and marketing and if you win, perhaps a piece in the local newspaper etc. And again, even if you don't win, but finish relatively high up, it can be something you show to prospective students etc.

I think wargaming is no different. I think some people see it as only being a competitive sport. Some people see it as being purely for fun. The two shouldn't be exclusive of one another.

But, I think they are, and can be exclusive of one another. And that is where the biggest issue of this hobby occur.

Why do we judge our own painting level? How do we judge it? What is important to us in our games? That we are good at games? Or that we enjoy them?

There are many famous athletes out there who have spoken and written about their sport and admitting to not liking it. Agassi is a good one. Having been forced to play tennis from a kid he only really discovered his love for it when he was allowed space to choose and away from the sport.

Sometimes we go through troughs in our hobby, and I think they can be good. We all use hobbies for different reasons, I play football for the competitive edge, team aspect and exercise (not that I am particularly fit).

What I now subscribe to as being called 'tabletop' gaming - offers me other things. Some have said already, relaxation around building and painting miniatures and models, socialising / fun with friends who have a shared interest and an avenue in which to explore the world and meet new people, travel to new places.

This part of my hobby was discovered after years of gaming hiatus. And remarkably, online at the Frothers forum. I attended shows again. I found to enjoy them as someone putting on participation games.

Now at random platypus we have taken that on a step or two. This Salute we will see people from all over the world converging on our tables.

For me, that is what gaming should be, no matter the aspects of it that you like or dislike. It should be about bringing people together, in real life, or on the interwebs, to enjoy and share in the hobby. To be as inclusive as is humanly possible - which isn't always easy but IMHO should always be a priority. Otherwise what is the point?

[mcfonz]

Yeah, but being good at something isn't always the same as enjoying it, more's the pity.

Anyway, enough moaning. My post served its purpose: I managed to get complimented on my painting twice without having to lift a brush once. Result! 

(I'm kidding, I'm kidding!)

I've been there before. I took a break and thought about what it was I wasn't enjoying. It'll be different for all of us.

For me I came up with this;
- Was I painting for myself or to try and paint as good as someone else?
- What am I painting - is what I am doing a problem?

From that I ascertained that I was painting to try and impress, rather than enjoying the process. I realised I didn't want my miniatures to be judges, and identified why I had deep seated dislike of things like CMON and their rate you paint job approach. I didn't want to paint like that anymore. I wanted to paint for fun.

I also found that I didn't like painting more than say 6-8 of the same style of miniature in a batch. And that if I had 20-30 miniatures down in front of me to be painted, I would just avoid them. So I make a point of clearing my desk on a regular basis and that the mini's I want to paint are 6-8 in number and the main focus of my desk at that time.

Since then I have found I have gotten a lot more enjoyment out of it. I also, and this is relatively strange considering the old me, don't particularly care if someone thinks my model is a 9/10 or a 2/10 paint wise.

[Pijlie]

My thoughts: https://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/is-wargaming-getting-too-easy.html

The funny thing is that your blog didn't hit me at all as a complaint that wargaming is getting too easy and wargamers are getting to addicted to that Convenient Fix.

It actually came across as a rather beautiful plea to stay aware of the things we love most about our hobby and not abandon those only because there are easier (but less pleasant) ways to do things.

[Ray Rivers]

But there's absolutely no need to cross a line into unpleasant personal sniping, snide comments, and generalisations along the lines of 'Because these people disagree with my view, they must be idiots or wankers'.
It's the angry, hate-filled culture of way too much online discourse, including some other wargaming sites. But we've always worked hard to keep this forum a friendly, courteous, generally constructive place. Which is the way most members seem to like and want it.

Hear Hear!

I've been in the painting and war gaming hobby since the 70's... so I think "back in the day" is more or less the same as Joe's.

But there have been some profound changes in our way of life in the last 50 years:

1) Much more free time to read and paint. I'd get home from work and either turn on the TV or put some albums on and would have hours to paint and research. Today, there are computers, smartphones, social media... FORUMS! No forums in my day. The competition for people's free time is far more intense today than "in my day."

2) Lower standard table top quality. When I first started gaming the emphasis was on gaming and big battalion type gaming. My group mostly did 15mm and nobody bothered to shade and highlight their minis. They didn't make bases which competed with the minis for attention. What we did do was produce lots of minis. We didn't play on a table top, we played on a ping pong table, and we could fill that table from one end to the other with Napoleonic battalions in column formation. That is literally thousands of minis. Hell, I had 2 Corps worth of ACW miniatures (1 yankee and 1 rebel) that I could bring to our meetings and we would have 8 guys playing 4v4. One would apply what we refer to as a base coat and that was good! Generals, we would try to put a little more work on, but the acceptable standard of minis for table top gaming was far lower "in my day."

3) No need for gaming aids. Because we played every weekend, everyone knew the rules inside and out. Yep, we always had a copy of the casualty charts to check out, but everybody knew what was the movement distances, etc, and if your regiment took a casualty and had to make a morale check, no one looked at the morale chart. I would grab the dice and someone from across the table would say out load "charged and unsupported... you need a 10 or better, bud." We played a lot and had the time at home to know the rules by heart "in my day."

I could go on and on, but in general "in my day" life was simpler and we had more time to devote to the hobby. Folks weren't fused with painting quality to the point you see today and terrain was nice, but not required.

Given the demands we see put on folks today concerning gaming boards and painting quality coupled with, at least in my case, 75% less free time to spend on the hobby, it is no wonder that folks seek out pre-painted minis and terrain, easy to follow rules systems, painting tutorials, painting systems, gaming aids, etc.

TIME is the big difference. So, if things are more easy, if things are less complicated or games provide aids, etc., it is not a real reflection of folks interests or desires, but a simple recognition that folks just don't have the time they had or the expectations folks have that are so much different than when I first started back "in my day."

Cheers!

P.S.: That's right ... on and off ... for 50 years.

[Norm]

Out of interest (or not!), I have just come across an older post on my blog that was based upon a nostalgic look back at teenage years, with a game that has stayed in my mind for decades for no particular reason that I can think of now, but some of my observations there do resonate with this discussion.

The below link is for anyone with time to spare for such a diversion :-)

 http://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/remembering-old-wargame.html

[joe5mc]

The funny thing is that your blog didn't hit me at all as a complaint that wargaming is getting too easy and wargamers are getting to addicted to that Convenient Fix.

It actually came across as a rather beautiful plea to stay aware of the things we love most about our hobby and not abandon those only because there are easier (but less pleasant) ways to do things.

Thanks Pijile, I appreciate that.

[Yankeepedlar01]

 people shouldn't have to work any harder at their hobby than they want to.

I find it hard to disagree with this Richard, it’s a broad church, with room even for plastic gnomes and fairies after all.