LarryP -> RE: Six reasons why wargames have plummeted in popularity (2/14/2021 7:08:32 PM)
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ORIGINAL: MrsWargamer Fortunately, Hasborg doesn't own the history. WW2 really happened. So did the war in the desert. You might not be able to call it Afrika Korps, but the terrain is what it is, the units that fought there are what they were, and Nato symbology isn't owned by Hasborg. Slightly change the artwork. Slightly change the wording of the mechanics. Presto, it's just a game of actual history. What made some of the past wargames great, was they weren't so overburdened by nauseating levels of micro-detail. And you didn't need to have a degree in history to enjoy playing them. You didn't need 3 weeks to master the rules. A turn didn't take all day long. We have done it to ourselves willingly, and aggressively and knowingly. The main difference between Gary's War in the East and Russian Campaign, simplicity. Which War in the East sure as hell doesn't have. Squad leader, I might have ended with Cross of Iron. It would have benefited from nation sets, no further complexity. New maps sets. New scenarios. But we just wouldn't leave it alone. It couldn't just be woods. It had to be more variations of the same modifier, but supposedly different looking terrain. After all, we need to know if it is an apple orchard, or a stand of Christmas trees eh. I don't care what's loaded on each and every fricking ship in the Pacific. I bought War in the Pacific before I realized how absolutely anal the experience was going to be. I don't want to follow a pilot's training. I want a carrier, I don't want to watch it get built. Just because our computers can handle all the details, doesn't mean I really even want it to. Some say they do. I think they're weird (I would rather use more accurate language, but I won't). One of my favourite Russian front games is the board game Russian Front (I guess claiming a name first has it's advantages). Modest sized board. One game I thought I wanted, but failed to purchase, and I'm glad of it, was Fire in the East. a 6x8 foot map. Who the bloody hell thought that was a good idea? Did they even sell enough copies to make it worth making it? A perfect wargame, a perfect any game is playable in a single sitting. Not several months, several hours. A perfect wargame, is such, you can play it, and several other designs as well, within a month. It doesn't demand you faithfully play it and never have the time for anything else. Today, people simply have no attention span worth a damn. In fact, a FB post this long won't get read. People want it now now now. Read rules, you're kidding, right? It isn't a young people thing, adults are no better. And we have to debate why wargaming is not doing so well? It's obvious. I'm weird then according to your post. Actually, you had a better word for me but didn't use it. I'm not offended. However, a lot of people in these very forums are addicted to WitP-AE. I play it occasionally. I like it a lot, but I also like WarPlan which is much faster. I like them both and I'm glad that I have the option to play either. If a person thinks that WitP is way too involved, they have the choice for hundreds of other games less complicated. I'm one of those weird gamers that love micromanagement, the more the better. And if it gets more so because my PC can do more, GREAT!
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