My latest blog musings...

[Meier_Elf_Fanatic]

http://reallifesabugger.blogspot.co.uk/

[WitchfinderGeneral]

Oh, a blog with many words and only few pics! I read up to some of the older posts from last spring. Interesting stories!
Often I get the impression that continental Europe is years behind, hobby wise. You say the conventions are not as good as they used to be but now you can see more women and families there. Here in Germany (wargaming) conventions are becoming numerous, bigger and better but still not many girls in the hobby.

[Meier_Elf_Fanatic]

I hope you enjoyed my efforts.

I'd like to hear more about the evolution of the hobby in Europe.


All the best,


Mark

[nic-e]

Oh, a blog with many words and only few pics! I read up to some of the older posts from last spring. Interesting stories!
Often I get the impression that continental Europe is years behind, hobby wise. You say the conventions are not as good as they used to be but now you can see more women and families there. Here in Germany (wargaming) conventions are becoming numerous, bigger and better but still not many girls in the hobby.

I find that here in the uk wargaming is huge, but modelling as a hobby is way behind the continental Europeans.all of the big online diorama artists seem to be from the continent.

[Meier_Elf_Fanatic]

Absolutely... I am in total agreement with you nic-e

[nic-e]

Absolutely... I am in total agreement with you nic-e

I've never heard this before in my life... 

But it's a shame, since over on the continent people are really pushing miniature sculpting and painting beyond a hobby and into the world of professional art, which to my mind is where it should be given the talent that it takes to produce some of the wonderful things one sees online.

[WitchfinderGeneral]

Right, myself started with building model kits; planes, helicopters and tanks. And you can get the 1/72 soft plastic figures, for dioramas not for gaming.
For a long time all kinds of "war toys" were frowned upon. RISK was somehow accepted and in a few toy stores you even could get Axis&Allies.
But I remember one shop a few years ago showed me the door when I asked for equipment for casting tin soldiers. So there are still a lot of stores who wouldn't dare to offer some sort of "military simulations".
That talking only for Germany! I'm not shure how it is in France, Spain or Italy. Maybe it's some kind of post-ww2-trauma which struck only Germany.
A lot of parents here also don't want their kids watch violent movies (like Star Wars!) or use toy guns (which are banned in most kindergartens).
In the 90s most toy shops were already "softened" from the RPG wave of the 80s, they were already used to dwarfs and elves. Then came Games Workshop with its innocent wrapping of wargaming. And GW were pushing hard.
The German translation of White Dwarf magazine was hitting the station bookshops and newspaper stores in late '94. That's where I found out about miniature gaming. GW then went from small RPG shops (which already had Citadel amongs RalPartha or Grenadier fantay figures for roleplay) to larger toy chain stores to their own stores.
Other companies also came up with fantasy or sci-fi minaiture games. But historical wargaming was left behind. I think it was until Flames Of War came with their "we got the rules AND the figures" approach and big marketing to almost any hobby store. And they issued German rules. Translations are still important for many people here.
Then came the internet, in every house and every pocket. You could see what games other people were playing, how wargaming conventions can look like and it became so easy to order stuff from abroad.

[Kitsune]

I'm only into wargaming for the women.

[Conquistador]

<snip>

But it's a shame, since over on the continent people are really pushing miniature sculpting and painting beyond a hobby and into the world of professional art, which to my mind is where it should be given the talent that it takes to produce some of the wonderful things one sees online.

Have to disagree, I think war games as a hobby should IMO be more about the game with miniatures (more family involvement potential, more group participation in general, and more "Fun with History (actual or sub-created)" in nature.)  YMMV.

Nothing against "diorama as an artform" but that is not war gaming to me.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

I'm only into wargaming for the women.

"Back in the dark days of the 1970s/1980s" in Sacramento and Seattle I found only a handful of women in war games (almost exclusively girl friends of war gamers who had passing interest in military miniatures) but the majority of the players in my role playing campaigns (I ran two set in the same world) in the later years were female.  One group included multiple generations of women from one family.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

From the Blog:  "In terms of sci-fi and fantasy gaming, the post Cold War era has seen generally dark and morbid; some may say depressing, games. Strewth; if I wanted morbid and depressing I'd go back into the Civil Service and get paid for experiencing it. "

OMG, that is both personally meaningful, hilariously funny, and absolutely accurate.  If i followed blogs (I don't) I would include yours, even when I disagree with you I find you writing worth reading.

[WitchfinderGeneral]

One group included multiple generations of women from one family.

No we're getting close to some nerdy perversion! 

[Conquistador]

No we're getting close to some nerdy perversion! 

That never came up in sidebar conversations...   

Gracias,

Glenn

[FramFramson]

I went to the local Toronto convention last weekend and my wife was literally the only woman there. She wargames very little and only with me (though she once had an old-school ork army in the early 90's before she met me), but didn't mind going because she likes seeing the nicely painted miniatures and she's as interested in history as I am, so all the Osprey books and historical dioramas kept her occupied most of the time.

[nic-e]

I take my girlfriend with me when I need to pick something up from the flgs, and she enjoys the miniatures and the hobby,  but it's very very clear that some in that shop do not consider her welcome company.