I'm beginning to think about the direction to take when it comes to my wargaming. Although the local club I belong to has a lively membership and is often very busy on game night, there isn't really much going on to interest me in the at the moment.The current move at the club seems to be toward large multiplayer games of Shako II, Fire and Fury, Blitzkrieg Commander or Fields of Glory, none of which really float my boat. I'm not really interested in this sort of thing and prefer games to be fun rather than overly convoluted or competitive. I'm also not a fan of the 'big' game philosophy.
I'm sure those who take part have a great time and good for them but, for me, it's not what I'm looking for in a Tuesday evening's entertainment. I also haven't got the painting will power or pockets deep enough to invest in a very expensive 15mm Napoleonic, ACW or Ancients army.
Unfortunately, it's become harder of late to interest anyone in the genre and rules that I enjoy or would like to have a crack at. This is partly my fault as, on a number of occasions, I've had to cancel games that I'd offered to put on due to work, family, life and so on getting in the way. I can't attend the club much more than once a month which also leaves me out of the loop in general.
In the past I've had a lot more success in getting things off the ground, including two full campaigns in the Back of Beyond, an Aeronef Scramble for Africa campaign, Legends of the Old West and Saurian Safari, for example. However, the level of interest in these games has waned and it's hard now to get anyone to sign up. Even then it's not easy to find the time to spare, either to get new projects off the ground in the first place or to keep old ones afloat.
I've tried, for example, to get Bag The Hun up and running but it's been an uphill struggle, despite the fact that aerial gaming has been quite popular as a club thing in the past. I'd like to get other projects of the ground including more 28mm skirmish gaming and 15mm AK47, for example, but I'm not sure it's worth the time and effort if no one is particularly interested.
There are still a couple of stalwarts at the club who are into the same sort of things as me and are prepared to set up an occasional game of something on an irregular basis. On the other hand, it would be good if there was a wider group of gamers who wanted to get involved. I get the impression that the 'big' traditional wargame is here to stay so I'm not holding my breadth.
Perhaps it's time I just did what I'm interested in and stopped thinking about what might or might not be popular?
I know exacly how you feel. I was a member of a club on and off since 1972 but for the last 6 or 7 years have been gaming with two or three local and like-minded friends at our respective houses (we all have good permanent setups that are as good as any a club might have)whenever work and other stuff permits. I also do a fair bit of solo gaming, and these activities keep me going and justify the usual massive overspend on each new project! When I have popped in to say hello at my old club it always feels flat and the games uninspiring and apart from my old mates nobody acknowledged my presenced. Once went and there were four games on but none with figures!!!
ReplyDeleteSo, I have no regrets in doing my own thing with a small circle of mates with similar interests, or of going solo. Liberate yourself!!!!
Try going solo and see if you like it. Stop over-thinking it. You may not even like solo gaming, after all. And it is not like you cannot switch back and forth. I spend 1/2 my time gaming with the club and 1/2 solo. Sometimes that is how it works out, especially due to the vagaries of work and home life.
ReplyDeleteIgnore the nay-sayers.