Flames of War
Historical wargaming is a hobby that can be intimidating to an outsider, with seemingly complex rules, tons of historical periods, and a whole sub-culture. But the fact is, it’s a very accessible hobby for those willing to make a modest investment of time and money. There are a ton of ways to get into the hobby and all of them are fun ways to learn if the hobby is for you.
- Start Cheap – The USAF has a wonderful saying: “Fly before you buy.” The same saying applies when you’re starting out in wargaming. There are a lot of “free to download miniatures rules” - like the quick start for Flames of War, the ESR Napoleonic Rules, Command at Sea - out there, and a list of free downloads for print and play wargames can be found in this link at Board Game Geek. In short, a good Google search can help you find what you want.
- At First, Buy What You Want - This pretty much means if a certain set of troops or a certain subset of a period catch your fancy? Do it. Keep in mind the other constraints of that period, but realize that hey, at least you’ll be gaming the period or armies you want to game? But keep in mind the next rule below.
- Don’t Try to Do it All – At least, not all at once. Focus on a given period or subset. For example, I game World War II and Cold War Gone Hot mostly, with some forays into the Iran-Iraq and Arab-Israeli wars. I’m also expanding slowly into the Russian Civil War and Russo-Polish War. But in those wars, you have subsets. World War II is too big to do it all. I concentrate on the following theatres:
- Eastern Front (Yeah, that’s huge, but the Soviet troops look pretty much the same from 1941 to ’45, just change out the tanks. The Germans take a lot more work).
- Blitzkrieg ’40 (France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as Norway).
- Normandy to the Rhine ’44-45 with a special emphasis on 1945. But that’s expanding.
- Early War Pacific (1941-42)
See now that’s a lot. But it’s taken me years to get to this point, and to confess? A good chunk is still unpainted. Now my boardgames are ready to go, but I have to learn some rules. But in the beginning, don’t buy 20-30 rules sets and a cast of thousands and expect to play it next week. That way will only frustrate you and you’ll lose interest.
- Get a Mentor – I’ve had plenty in this hobby, and I thank EVERY single one of them, from Igor, who upped my painting game, to Bruce, who taught me I had a lot to learn again about the hex and counter side of the hobby, to Steve, who showed me everyone wants a little showmanship in their events? Get people who you trust, and people who you can learn from. It helps if they’re a friend. I find advice from a friend is much better listened to.
- Keep a Diary -Sounds crazy, but this is something I wish I had done. Keep a diary of your development in the hobby - What you’ve learned and accomplished and what you want to accomplish. It’s a great sanity check and it allows you to have a track of your progress.
- Have Fun! – It’s a hobby, not life or death. Learn to be a gracious winner and a good loser. Some people in this hobby, have yet to learn this lesson and well, it is best not to game with them. And don’t ruin other’s fun. Consideration is key in this hobby in my opinion. What is an awesome game to you? Not so much for someone else. So, I’d say have the good graces not to say anything about other gamer’s choice of games if you’re not nuts about them. Or as my great-grandmother used to say “If you haven’t got anything nice to say, have the good graces not to let the other fellow know.”
The main thing I would tell beginners is to pace yourself, have fun, and don’t feel like this hobby is a sprint, it’s not. It’s the one thing I have learned in my 38 years in the hobby above all others. This is a rich hobby, steeped in tradition, and there’s something for everyone. I can honestly tell you, there’s room for everyone to blaze a path here. There’s certainly room enough for you to find yours.
So, go out there and get gaming!
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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)