Red Flags All Over the Place
Last week Little Wars TV posited that miniature wargaming MIGHT have a problem.
Now they’ve got five solutions to that possible problem. For the record, I’m firmly on the side of Team Not A Problem. The hobby is doing great, and the last 60 have worked well enough that we are spoiled for choice. Quality is up, prices down, and there isn’t an era of warfare that isn’t already served by one or more manufacturers. But don’t let this golden age worry you, Little Wars TV has the answer!
Make miniature wargaming not so…minature wargamey.
Half their solutions are ‘make it dumber’, half are ‘make it so you don’t have to actually do the things that make miniature wargaming what it is. All that research and painting and historical accuracy and reading and shopping? It turns out those activities that integral to the hobby are a real problem for the hobby.
To my ears that sounds like ‘the problem with golf is all that hitting balls with sticks and then walking along verdant green lawns while hanging out with friends. Oh, and the little holes aren’t helping either, can we just do away with all that stuff so more people can participate?’
Wew, as they say, lad.
Note the dismissiveness toward the old guard, toward the high functioning autists to pursue perfect accuracy and meticulous attention to detail. Quoting directly from the video, “But who cares about them?”
I do – I care about them. They can be grating sometimes, but that push for excellence is a vital part of a healthy hobby. Take that away and you might as well be playing Calvinball. Or post-Gygaxian D&D. They may not be socially adept, but they’ve taught me a great many things over the years. I love those guys, and I’m always happy to share table space and roll dice with them.
We’ll have wait one more week to see what Little Wars TV has in mind. For now, let me leave you with this dangerous sign:
From the description, they’ve got a plan to make the hobby dumber, ditch the old guard, and make miniature wargaming less appealing to miniature wargamers so they can grow the numbers by attracting people who aren’t interested in miniature wargaming. Add to that calls for a centralized cultural structure that will allow said outsiders to decide who the cool kids are and who shouldn’t get a seat at the table and the ice is perilously thin.