Does anyone still play wargames?

On Sat, 29 Jul 2006 19:23:31 -0700, enki wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> I am intersted in wargamming. I had my first contact with games
> about 20 years ago and was intersted. I have been in and out of the hobby
> playing mostly board games. Itis just finding people that are intersting
> in gaming is dificult. It has always been and today it is alomst
> impossible.

I know what you mean, I feel similarly. Where abouts are you (even a
country would be useful...)? I know several people in a couple of parts of
the UK.

> I have had a few opertunites to ejoy gaming in my life. I am
> not real impressed with computer war games because today most of them are
> just eye candy that I have seen.

There are apparently some good ones, according to some of my mates (can't
remember their names at the moment, sorry. The games. Not the mates.),
but yeah, most do seem to focus on looking pretty or having a story and
completely ignore the tactics and strategy. Not that there's anything
wrong with looking pretty and having a compelling story is great, its just
not the same thing! And you can;t sit and paint a computer generated
soldier as easily as a physical model of one. Real ones tend to complain
too, I'm led to understand...

> Still I most enjoy sitting over a board
> or a table (the few times I played with minitures). I just have not had
> the opertunity in years to play. I am intersted in any kind of complex
> tactical or stratigic gaming from fantasy to simulating modern and
> contemorary actions.

Likewise.

> I am hard pressed to find any people who are
> interested in personal getting together over a board or table and spending
> time playing games.

Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon or evening to me!

Loz
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

Loz Hensel wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Jul 2006 19:23:31 -0700, enki wrote:
>
> > Hi there,
> >
> > I am intersted in wargamming. I had my first contact with games
> > about 20 years ago and was intersted. I have been in and out of the hobby
> > playing mostly board games. Itis just finding people that are intersting
> > in gaming is dificult. It has always been and today it is alomst
> > impossible.
>
> I know what you mean, I feel similarly. Where abouts are you (even a
> country would be useful...)? I know several people in a couple of parts of
> the UK.
>
> > I have had a few opertunites to ejoy gaming in my life. I am
> > not real impressed with computer war games because today most of them are
> > just eye candy that I have seen.
>
> There are apparently some good ones, according to some of my mates (can't
> remember their names at the moment, sorry. The games. Not the mates.),
> but yeah, most do seem to focus on looking pretty or having a story and
> completely ignore the tactics and strategy. Not that there's anything
> wrong with looking pretty and having a compelling story is great, its just
> not the same thing! And you can;t sit and paint a computer generated
> soldier as easily as a physical model of one. Real ones tend to complain
> too, I'm led to understand...
>
> > Still I most enjoy sitting over a board
> > or a table (the few times I played with minitures). I just have not had
> > the opertunity in years to play. I am intersted in any kind of complex
> > tactical or stratigic gaming from fantasy to simulating modern and
> > contemorary actions.
>
> Likewise.
>
> > I am hard pressed to find any people who are
> > interested in personal getting together over a board or table and spending
> > time playing games.
>
> Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon or evening to me!
>
> Loz

Glad for the responce and at least we have the internet to do searches
like this and find people from all over the world to converse. In the
past I and when I lived in another part of the US I was able to find
public places (game stores) where I could find people who wanted to
play. I have been doing some internet searches to see what games are
currently available. I have several war games and some miniture and
micro armor rules. Still solitary games are not that much fun. I had
found good strategy games but they are pretty old now. I have the
latest version of civilization and I don't like it much. I am happy
with the x's and o's symboles for games. I have a military background
with experience with war from various perspectivs from national to
tacticle. I have seen how an army operates from logistics deployment
and intelligence. All this is far more important to winning a war than
manuvering forces. It is all important and I have concepts for games I
am trying to get a base in programming so that I can combine my
experience and programming to create my own game.

All that said, I am nopt that good at winning games but more enjoy
plaing them. Winning is still good. I would not mind finding some
good computer wargames. I did have a few that I realy liked but now
they are over 15 years old.
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

enki wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I am intersted in wargamming. I had my first contact with games
> about 20 years ago and was intersted. I have been in and out of the
> hobby playing mostly board games. Itis just finding people that are
> intersting in gaming is dificult. It has always been and today it is
> alomst impossible. I have had a few opertunites to ejoy gaming in my
> life. I am not real impressed with computer war games because today
> most of them are just eye candy that I have seen. Still I most enjoy
> sitting over a board or a table (the few times I played with
> minitures). I just have not had the opertunity in years to play. I am
> intersted in any kind of complex tactical or stratigic gaming from
> fantasy to simulating modern and contemorary actions. I am hard
> pressed to find any people who are interested in personal getting
> together over a board or table and spending time playing games.

Though no experience beats sitting over a board wargame across from an
opponent, using the tools that we have now, you can often get a live
game going with someone that is far away from you. VASSAL
(www.vassalengine.org) and Cyberboard (http://cyberboard.brainiac.com/
- temporarily unavailable at this time) are two such tools that let you
play the boardgames over the internet. VASSAL has live connect options
- use a headset with microphone and it's pretty close to being face to
face with someone. Cyberboard is pbem only at this point, though a new
version with direct connection options for live play is in the works.
These two programs alone have revitalized the board wargaming hobby for
me.
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

Another good source for wargames in particutlar is
HTTP://talk.consimworld.com


Dav Vandenbroucke
davanden at cox dot net
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

Most people are into PC frag fests or very simple Hollywood type collectible
miniatures games. The days of board wargaming are at a end for the most
part. Nobody has the patience for an afternoon boardgame.


"enki" <enki034.RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1154226211.102381.47520@m79g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
> Hi there,
>
> I am intersted in wargamming. I had my first contact with games
> about 20 years ago and was intersted. I have been in and out of the
> hobby playing mostly board games. Itis just finding people that are
> intersting in gaming is dificult. It has always been and today it is
> alomst impossible. I have had a few opertunites to ejoy gaming in my
> life. I am not real impressed with computer war games because today
> most of them are just eye candy that I have seen. Still I most enjoy
> sitting over a board or a table (the few times I played with
> minitures). I just have not had the opertunity in years to play. I am
> intersted in any kind of complex tactical or stratigic gaming from
> fantasy to simulating modern and contemorary actions. I am hard
> pressed to find any people who are interested in personal getting
> together over a board or table and spending time playing games.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

hoover.TakeThisOut@aol.com wrote:
> Most people are into PC frag fests or very simple Hollywood type collectible
> miniatures games. The days of board wargaming are at a end for the most
> part. Nobody has the patience for an afternoon boardgame.
>

I have the pacience and would realy like to find somone or a group that
is into some kind of hobby. I like detailed monotous activities, I
have taken to C++ programming. I like war gamming and that kind of
competitive complex interaction. I persoanlly have a facination with
the complex and understaning it. I have found other interest that
satisfy this desire but I still would like to enjoy some gamming.
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

hoover.RemoveThis@aol.com wrote:
> Most people are into PC frag fests or very simple Hollywood type collectible
> miniatures games. The days of board wargaming are at a end for the most
> part. Nobody has the patience for an afternoon boardgame.
>

This is very much a blanket statement. Tell it to the 1000's of
members on consimworld or boardgamegeek.com. In fact, I think that
boardgaming is having a bit of a resurgence from the early 90's,
especially if you factor in "Euro-games" which are quite popular now
days.
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

Most cometion revolves around LAdders wich I dont find to be a very fun or a
real way to gauge comand ablity. I perfer campaigns. Some do campaigns but
they are always limited in scope by the "time and complexity" stigma At my
site we do campaign gaming for numerous game systems that dont cut cornres
or water it down to just a hand picked units butting heads.


"JoeC" <enki034.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1154360678.168657.102710@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> hoover.TakeThisOut@aol.com wrote:
>> Most people are into PC frag fests or very simple Hollywood type
>> collectible
>> miniatures games. The days of board wargaming are at a end for the most
>> part. Nobody has the patience for an afternoon boardgame.
>>
>
> I have the pacience and would realy like to find somone or a group that
> is into some kind of hobby. I like detailed monotous activities, I
> have taken to C++ programming. I like war gamming and that kind of
> competitive complex interaction. I persoanlly have a facination with
> the complex and understaning it. I have found other interest that
> satisfy this desire but I still would like to enjoy some gamming.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

Its preyy uncommon to find people that play baoardgmaes and dont complain
about the time or limt the game to try to simplfy it. PC wargames..well you
can always it save. If it doesnt crash on you or something.
"GJK" <junk.DeleteThis@garykrockover.com> wrote in message
news:1154363139.349181.74490@s13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> hoover.DeleteThis@aol.com wrote:
>> Most people are into PC frag fests or very simple Hollywood type
>> collectible
>> miniatures games. The days of board wargaming are at a end for the most
>> part. Nobody has the patience for an afternoon boardgame.
>>
>
> This is very much a blanket statement. Tell it to the 1000's of
> members on consimworld or boardgamegeek.com. In fact, I think that
> boardgaming is having a bit of a resurgence from the early 90's,
> especially if you factor in "Euro-games" which are quite popular now
> days.
>
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

"JoeC" <enki034 DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1154360678.168657.102710@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> hoover DeleteThis @aol.com wrote:
>> Most people are into PC frag fests or very simple Hollywood type
>> collectible
>> miniatures games. The days of board wargaming are at a end for the most
>> part. Nobody has the patience for an afternoon boardgame.
>>
>
> I have the pacience and would realy like to find somone or a group that
> is into some kind of hobby. I like detailed monotous activities, I
> have taken to C++ programming. I like war gamming and that kind of
> competitive complex interaction. I persoanlly have a facination with
> the complex and understaning it. I have found other interest that
> satisfy this desire but I still would like to enjoy some gamming.

Try War in the Pacific at Matrix Games. That should hold your facination
for a couple years
http://www.matrixgames.com/games/game.asp?gid=294
I don't have it myself but I have their Uncommon Valor game which is a
subset of it.

Bob W.
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 18:06:50 GMT, <hoover.RemoveThis@aol.com> wrote:

>Its preyy uncommon to find people that play baoardgmaes and dont complain
>about the time or limt the game to try to simplfy it.

So? It's pretty uncommon to find any grownups who don't complain that
they would like to have more time to do the things they enjoy.

Dav Vandenbroucke
davanden at cox dot net
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

They compain about a somewhat false permise that anything other then a vidoe
game takes 2 days to play.
It prety much kills off old school wargaming. Whats left is CCG's
Warhammer(wich is anything but easy to learn or quick to play) and PC games.

If you have no time to play then you cant play. But you get people on these
wargame forums scaring off people that do want to play with incest rants
about..its to hard and takes to long. Maybe it does for them. But it would
be nice if they allowed others to at least try. But as I say the insistance
that all to time conusimg does much to curb no interest in wargaming.

Ever since the articles started flowing out in the 80's about how PC will be
the future theres been a this self fullfilled prophecy for lack of a btter
term that has killed no PC gaming to large extent. Can wargames be
complicated and time consuming..yeah. Is the only way to fix that to go to
PC games or water down realism and depth of game to the point of something
like Axis and Allies CMG? Absolutley not. But the majority of the online
"wargaming community" will insist that it does. And people that mention this

> I have the pacience and would realy like to find somone or a group that
> is into some kind of hobby. I like detailed monotous activities, I
> have taken to C++ programming. I like war gamming and that kind of
> competitive complex interaction. I persoanlly have a facination with
> the complex and understaning it. I have found other interest that
> satisfy this desire but I still would like to enjoy some gamming.

"Dav Vandenbroucke" <dav_and_frances_vandenbroucke.RemoveThis@compuserve.com> wrote in
message news:ov3tc2dq6fij4seee7bgj7g17cp34c86ig@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 18:06:50 GMT, <hoover.RemoveThis@aol.com> wrote:
>
>>Its preyy uncommon to find people that play baoardgmaes and dont complain
>>about the time or limt the game to try to simplfy it.
>
> So? It's pretty uncommon to find any grownups who don't complain that
> they would like to have more time to do the things they enjoy.
>
> Dav Vandenbroucke
> davanden at cox dot net
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames? 

> "Dav Vandenbroucke" <dav_and_frances_vandenbroucke DeleteThis @compuserve.com> wrote:
> > So? It's pretty uncommon to find any grownups who don't complain that
> > they would like to have more time to do the things they enjoy.

hoover DeleteThis @aol.com wrote:
> They compain about a somewhat false permise that anything other then a vidoe
> game takes 2 days to play.
> It prety much kills off old school wargaming. Whats left is CCG's
> Warhammer(wich is anything but easy to learn or quick to play) and PC games.

Some people do blame lack of time for changes of interest. I've done
that myself. When I think about how I used to spend hours just setting
up "The Longest Day," then countless hours more playing it, I tell
myself I'd never have time for such a game anymore. But the truth is
I'd just never *want* to set up and play a game like that anymore. I
wouldn't have the patience for it--though I used to.

Part of it, I guess, is the effect of the PC. I've gotten used to
relying on the computer for all the number crunching and memorization
of rules and such. And it also sets up a game instantly. I'll admit
it; I'm spoiled.

Yeah, I'd like to go back to being a kid again and feeling I had all
the time in the world to set up and play board wargames or miniatures
games. But it ain't gonna happen. My time on earth is growing shorter
by the day, and the older I get, the more aware of it I become. So,
these days I'm happier playing a PC game or a quick, fast-paced card
game or something, leaving me with time to do lots of other things.

It's not just the time factor, though; I just don't *like* "old-school
wargaming" the way I used to. Six or seven years ago, I looked at all
the games in my closet, enjoyed a wave of nostalgia, then realized I'd
*never* play any of those games again in my life. I just wouldn't want
to. They wouldn't be fun anymore. So, I sold the lot of 'em, and I
haven't regretted it.

But YMMV. If you still have enough patience for old-fashioned
wargaming, more power to you. Do what you love. And good luck finding
others who enjoy it too.

--Patrick
 >> Stay informed about: Does anyone still play wargames?