Allen Varney'Gameboxes' let them e-mail moves, but wargamers remain joyously low-tech. Allen Varney looks at the appeal and history of wargaming, and at the rare breed that is the wargamer.
Issue 22 - Les Grognards
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
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Original Comment by: Alan Poulter
http://grognard.com
Hi Allen,
Interesting article. First, as befitting a grognard, the nit picky stuff. Fall of Rome is not the most errata-laden game ever published in SPI's S&T. That honour goes to Armada. Note also that later publishers of S&T made their contributions to this esteemed gaming graveyard as well.
Second, big picture stuff. Board wargaming is going through a renaissance currently. Ironically, the cost of developing and distributing a board wargame is (in money terms) neglible because of technology. For example a DTP game's 'print run' can be in single figures and still be profitable. Professional board wargaming companies may only be selling games by the thousand, but pre-publication schemes and online communities (like Consimworld or BGG), which bring together enough board wargamers to make a captive market, take the risk away. Compare this to the costly behemoths that dominate computer wargaming. My money is on the mammals of board wargaming to be around long after the dinosaurs of computer wargaming die out.
This renaissance is all the more vital as it piggybacks onto the current fad for 'German' strategy games descended from the Settlers of Cataan line. The gap between the complexity of a grognards board wargame and a popular strategy game is declining fast. Look at games like Friedrich, Age of Napoleon, Bonaparte of Marengo and First World War. Add a soupcon more of history to a game like Struggle of Empires and the mass market board wargame will be back!
Alan
http://grognard.com
Hi Allen,
Interesting article. First, as befitting a grognard, the nit picky stuff. Fall of Rome is not the most errata-laden game ever published in SPI's S&T. That honour goes to Armada. Note also that later publishers of S&T made their contributions to this esteemed gaming graveyard as well.
Second, big picture stuff. Board wargaming is going through a renaissance currently. Ironically, the cost of developing and distributing a board wargame is (in money terms) neglible because of technology. For example a DTP game's 'print run' can be in single figures and still be profitable. Professional board wargaming companies may only be selling games by the thousand, but pre-publication schemes and online communities (like Consimworld or BGG), which bring together enough board wargamers to make a captive market, take the risk away. Compare this to the costly behemoths that dominate computer wargaming. My money is on the mammals of board wargaming to be around long after the dinosaurs of computer wargaming die out.
This renaissance is all the more vital as it piggybacks onto the current fad for 'German' strategy games descended from the Settlers of Cataan line. The gap between the complexity of a grognards board wargame and a popular strategy game is declining fast. Look at games like Friedrich, Age of Napoleon, Bonaparte of Marengo and First World War. Add a soupcon more of history to a game like Struggle of Empires and the mass market board wargame will be back!
Alan
Original Comment by: Allen Varney
http://www.allenvarney.com
Excellent tidings, Alan! We're seeing a similar indie renaissance in tabletop roleplaying, and I certainly agree both board wargaming and tabletop games of all kinds will still be around after most types of computer game have gone extinct (which is evidently only a few years off, if not months...).
Armada might be the SPI game I was seeking during my article research -- the game for which the voluminous errata included the immortal statement to the effect of, "This rule no longer applies because I, the designer, do not understand what it means." Can you verify or refute that?
http://www.allenvarney.com
Excellent tidings, Alan! We're seeing a similar indie renaissance in tabletop roleplaying, and I certainly agree both board wargaming and tabletop games of all kinds will still be around after most types of computer game have gone extinct (which is evidently only a few years off, if not months...).
Armada might be the SPI game I was seeking during my article research -- the game for which the voluminous errata included the immortal statement to the effect of, "This rule no longer applies because I, the designer, do not understand what it means." Can you verify or refute that?
Original Comment by: Allen Varney
http://www.allenvarney.com
My article discusses several programs that let wargamers play by e-mail or over the net. I mentioned Cyberboard, the VASSAL Engine, and Aide de Camp. Now wargamer Michel Boucher tells me of a similar program I missed completely, The WarGame Processor (http://www.wargamesbymail.com/). Michel says of this commercial program that it has "admittedly fewer modules but provides the same service, with respect to older mostly Avalon Hill games. Version 4 is much superior graphically (Cyberboard quality) to version 3." Thanks for the information, Michel!
http://www.allenvarney.com
My article discusses several programs that let wargamers play by e-mail or over the net. I mentioned Cyberboard, the VASSAL Engine, and Aide de Camp. Now wargamer Michel Boucher tells me of a similar program I missed completely, The WarGame Processor (http://www.wargamesbymail.com/). Michel says of this commercial program that it has "admittedly fewer modules but provides the same service, with respect to older mostly Avalon Hill games. Version 4 is much superior graphically (Cyberboard quality) to version 3." Thanks for the information, Michel!
Original Comment by: Alan Poulter
http://grognard.com
Allen,
The statement you quote feels more like a Richard Berg soundbite to me. I cannot find it in the errata for Armada.
Alan
http://grognard.com
Allen,
The statement you quote feels more like a Richard Berg soundbite to me. I cannot find it in the errata for Armada.
Alan
