Wargaming?

What is wargaming ?

There are different types of wargaming, but our definition would be something like - "Wargaming is the refighting of historical battles on the tabletop using miniature models and rules.".

How do you do that then ?

We read up about a particular battle we want to refight and then we set up that battle on the table. We then use small figures to represent the units of the armies and refight the battle.

How do you decide who wins ?

We use simple rules to handle things like shooting, combat and morale. The winner of the actual battle is dependent on what their objectives were.

Objectives ?

Yes, the aim of a battle is not always to eliminate the other side (although this usually helps!) Often there are other objectives. Here are a few examples ; one side may be trying to break through a defensive line without being held up in a long fight; one side may be trying to defend a position until re-enforcements turn up; one side may being trying to delay a much larger force as long as possible etc etc etc.

How do you decide the objectives ?

We look at what the historical objectives of the armies and their commanders were and use them as a guide line.

Can't you just make up battles ?

Some wargamers do but we prefer to refight actual battles as there are thousands to choose from and we find it interesting to compare what happened in the real battle with what happens when we refight it.

Are the rules easy to learn ?

There are hundreds of different rules available to buy and we have tried lots of them. Most of them are overcomplicated and so over time we have developed rules that allow big games to be refought in a single evening with historically realistic result. The rules we use are easy to learn and very simple and enable us to command our armies rather than spend ages looking up lots of charts and tables and obscure rules.

Is it cheap to play ?

Compared to a lot of hobbies it is relatively cheap to start. It takes lots of times to build up a range of armies. Most people start with one army or a pair of armies who fought each other. If you join a club then you should be able to use other peoples armies and then maybe start building an army that compliments what the people have in the club already.

Where do I find out more ?

There are lots of wargame resources on the web, see if you can find a club near you and go along and see what it is all about. Also, there are a few wargames magazines out there so take a look at those. Your local library may also have details of a club near you.

Will I enjoy it ?

If you have an interest in history and enjoy playing games, you will enjoy it. There are lots of different types of wargames. There are 'serious' gamers who just like to play competitions to show they are 'the best!', there are people who just like to paint models and aren't really interested in the game at all, then there are a lot of people who like all aspects of the game and want to have an enjoyable game that is both interesting and fun and stretches the old grey matter a bit (but not too much). Hopefully you will find some of these people, in which case you will have fun.