"New Article - Future of Board Wargaming" Topic

OK, all you HMGS Historiconers and other pewter pushers, I saw you pack the house for all those presentations by the SPI gang, so I know you play these games.

Her is my take on the future of cardboard and counter wargaming. Its not what you think.

link

Ciao, Colonel Bill

I still have my copy of StarForce Alpha Centauri, mentioned as SPI's best seller. That was a great game.

Regarding scrolling and zooming versus seeing the entire map at once, could computer board games be zoomed all the way out but projected on a larger monitor, like a big tv screen, instead of a typical computer monitor? Then the player would be able to see the entire map at once, but also zoom into smaller situations as desired.

Just so we're keeping track, I saw that horde of known cardboard pushers and wondered how they got into my convention. About the way the 40K and zombie games do, I suppose.

I gave up on paper wargames about the time when paisley went out of style for men.

Paisley's still in style, for the stylish :)

Bill,

Could be my imagination…

Along with your 3 P's I would have assumed a Q as well – the sheer quantity of wargames (not to mention board games in general) on the market. Print on Demand, Published, In and out of Print

Any idea how many wargames are published each year?

I never felt the need to separate miniatures and boardgames. To me, it's always been about the history.

You'll fare no better than I will, Tom. HMGS seems to be getting rid of the "H" even faster than they're discarding the "M." And you notice how far down the list the board game people had to go to find a historical title.

Well, not the first time I've been staring at a losing board and trying to figure out what I did wrong. Probably won't be the last, either.

Next we need to lose this whole Gaming thing… we can just call ourselves "S,Inc."

TRU

What, no complaints about Magic and Pokémon stealing a generation of non-digital gamers?

And let's not forget the 'collecting' aspect -- People spent a fortune trying to get Black Lotus, etc., rare cards.

Maybe we need to sell board-and-counter wargames like they did with card games using programmed scarcity. For $10 USD, you get a map and 15 counters, and every $5 USD getting you another 15 counters -- with 1 rare counter, 4 not-so-rare, and 10 common counters per pack -- all acceptable for tournament play, of course!

Oh wait, didn't they try that? Axis and Allies miniatures (ships and ground)? And didn't Columbia Games do that with stickers (that went on blocks) for one of their block games?

Hmmm. Try Gettysburg, Waterloo, or any other battle with that sort of system! :)

:) (Just in case you missed it above).

"Next we need to lose this whole Gaming thing… we can just call ourselves "S,Inc."

This made me laugh………….good job…………….;)……

Tom D1: +1

And let's not forget the 'collecting' aspect

Do you mean like miniature gamers buying Army Books? Or,
Do you mean like board gamers buying the next board game in a series to get the next nationality (ASL), or map and OOB (assorted ACW & Napoleonic)? Or,
Do you mean like computer gamers buying DLC (Down Loadable Content) because the game that they bought only has Minis and Mustangs and they want to drive and race a Ferrari?

FWIW gang, remember the article looks at the future when new gamers come on board. Its not about us here today (because as I wrote, I picked up five boardgames at Historicon, one I hope to review for The Wargamer soon). Also, look for an article next week on another PC game unique selling point – player mods.

Otherwise, I'm not sure about how many boardgames are out there as companies rarely release sales stats. However, you can see how many game titles GMT released every year
on their Website.

And for Russ, PC wargames already do something similar. The latest version of the WWI dogfighting game Rise of Flight (and its about to be come part of the Il2 Sturmovik franchise) gives you the game and a couple + of aircraft free, just download and play. However, upgrades of your aircraft and new aircraft are an a la carte system in that you pay for each one. And they do have some mouth watering selections, such as this behemoth Russian bomber that is magnificent, but with a second mortgage price.

Ciao, Colonel Bill

wargamer.com

Clearly none of this is directed at me. I hate these board games. The thought of simply mimicking the strategy and tactics of a battle by pushing cardboard counters on a flat board bores me to tears. I'd rather just read a book about the conflict.

Even the reasons given for their decline, have nothing to due with me. Instead of the 3 Ps, let me add a V, for visual appeal. I look at a typical board game with its hundreds of cardboard counters and I know I'm in for a miserable time. On the other hand, two well painted armies on a table with nice terrain brings a smile to my face. There is no comparison.

And finally, most military style board games are actually played alone? That is a surprise. Look, I've played some miniature wargames solo. It is to check my scenario, or to determine relative strengths of the opposing forces, or to make sure I have the rules down straight. It's certainly not for fun. It is the social aspect of having like minded individuals pushing toy soldiers on a nicely laid out table top that is the most enjoyable part of this hobby.

Others don't have to agree at all. If they really want to simulate the tactics of Wallenstein and Gustavus Adolphus at Lützen with a board game then go for it. I won't stop you. I just don't share the allure of the board game.