A Broad Church?

by John Sharples

At a recent show I became engaged in a fairly heated debate regarding first of all the supposed malign influence of Games Workshop on our hobby, and then whether Fantasy games should be displayed at "serious" wargames shows. Certainly the second part of the debate seems to have been going on for years.

The complaints against Games Workshop were actually difficult for me to understand. As I get older and my kids grow up I become more and more aware of youngsters who are regularly playing complex games using models, such as the Warhammer series. To see ten and eleven year olds carefully painting models and constructing terrain seems to me potentially a good thing for the hobby rather than a threat. Not that all Fantasy gamers are of the younger generation, by any stretch of the imagination.

Warhammer in progress, presented by the youngsters of Mailed Fist

So Games Workshop have created and exploit a demand, (and boy do their prices exploit that demand),  so what? I have personally steered dozens of young Warhammer fans to the advertisements of traditional figure manufacturers to supplement their armies with reasonably priced Dark Age and Medieval castings. Surely their purchases benefit all of us indirectly? 

It would be interesting to see what would happen if Games Workshop regularly had their products on sale at major wargame shows. I think that they would probably pick up some sales from the Warhammer fans in attendance, and also from the traditional gamer looking for an unusual and striking command figure. I also think that they may see crowds at other stands compared to a trickle at their own. Perhaps that might encourage them to look at their pricing policy, who knows? 

But what about the second part of the debate, the place of fantasy in our hobby? Personally I have been wargaming since I was 10, and I remember quite vividly turning up at my local wargames club with my lovingly converted Airfix figures representing armies featured in The Lord of the Rings trilogy of novels. As a junior member of the club I was used to the patronising attitude of some of the adult members. However I was not prepared for the open hostility my armies stirred up. 

I was told in no uncertain terms that I was a member of a historical club, and that there was no place for fairies and dwarves on their hallowed tables. So the axemen of Forlong the Fat, and the riders of Rohan were packed away in a shirt box, to be opened only in the privacy of my own bedroom, and then more surreptitiously than a copy of Playboy! 

At the same time however “grown ups” were playing Napoleonic games in which regiments, yes plural, of Scots Greys faced whole armies of Old Guard Grenadiers. Or New Kingdom Egyptians slugged it out toe to toe with Saxon fyrdmen. Surely these games are as much fantasy as anything produced by Games Workshop, or my own teenage efforts? And how, I ask myself, could any wargamer read the novels of Robert E Howard and not be inspired to fight grand battles and campaigns based on the tales of Conan and his adversaries. 

Strangely, I found that the supposed fuddy-duddies of the British Model Soldier Society (BMSS, Manchester Branch) were a lot more open minded, and that they gave me encouragement, and advice in converting and painting models of wizards and barbarian heroes. Perhaps, as many of them were collectors of Britain’s lead “toy” soldiers that they were a lot less sensitive about comments concerning playing with toy soldiers, than were some of my gaming compatriots. 

As I have grown older I have moved through various stages in my wargaming “career”. I used to be a dedicated competition gamer, arguing over every coma in a sentence. And I enjoyed that at the time. Later I was a total historical gamer, refighting famous and obscure actions, and trying to convince people that this gave me some great new historical insight on events of the past. And I enjoyed that at the time. Now I fight the occasional game, while sipping at a variety of good wines or fine ales. My opponents are friends, and the arguments are few and far between, but crackers when they do arise. And I enjoy this too. 

What I have now come to accept is that I am playing a game, like chess or Subbuteo, or for that matter Twister. Even the accusation of playing with “toy soldiers” can now be laughed off without reverting back to the defence of “models not toys if you please!”. 

Through all these stages for me the game is the thing. I enjoy the intellectual stimulation of pitting myself against another player, untrammeled  by the restrictive moves of chess. I also enjoy playing computer wargames such as the Battleground series, Age Of Empires, or Civilisation.  I am at heart a gamer, and that is why I now have little time for the extreme pomposity regarding the dangers of Fantasy expressed by a very small minority of “adult” and “serious”wargamers. 

But gaming is not the only thing that attracts people to our hobby. I will always remember, years ago, when working for Hinchliffe Models, being told by Frank that the majority of his wargames figures were not sold to members of clubs, or even recognised wargamers. And I was amazed by the volume of figures sold by mail order to people in my home town, whom I had never heard of or met despite an active and well publicised club meeting every other weekend. 

There is an attraction in simply owning a fine collection of well or at least lovingly painted figures. And a feeling of immense satisfaction to be gained from the tactile exercise of moving blocks of figures into line and column. Having your miniature army pass in parade before your personal review stand. Even if these armies only see the fields of battle once in a blue moon, this is as much a part of our hobby as any other. 

I am now of the conclusion that anyone who has a hobby of any kind is a little bit mad. After all who would want to collect car numbers, or sit in the rain staring at a bobbing float. That being the case we all need to be a bit more tolerant of the foibles of others, even if they do play Warhammer.

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