GWS 2017 16/31 questions – Boardgames

Yesterday I put out a call for more questions or inspiration and fortunately, the Twitterverse came through immediately. @Battlegames said: "Easy: how many Miniatures gamers also play board games or ‘crossover’ games like Commands & Colors that can be played with blocks or minis?" That - unlike your follow-up questions which may inspire this year's study (coming soon!) - I can answer with the results of the 2017 Great Wargaming Survey.

Wargaming on alternative tabletops

Sure, awkward title, but that page of questions also included one about computer wargaming. Let's tackle that first. It appears 55% of respondents do play wargames on their computer. The options are obviously too vast to list every possible game, but it's interesting to note that 1259 respondents added notes. Among those, there are the usual suspects such as the Total War series, but also remarks from respondents who fail to see the point of computer wargames, when the 'real' ones are so much better. Moreover, and this resonates with me, the social aspect of computer wargames is lacking. Finally, there are those who use the computer as an extension of the tabletop with Vassal or Universal Battle, to play games with friends they might not otherwise be able to play.

28.9% of respondents indicate they do not play board wargames at all, which means the others, 6193 of them, do. They divide as follows:
The titles in full are:

  • Chit wargames, such as Advanced Squad Leader
  • Block wargames, such as Commands and Colors
  • Token and card-based wargames, such as Memoir 44, or Heroes of Normandie
  • 'Crossover' wargames, such as X-Wing, Zombicide, or Starcraft
  • Others - which in the notes were specified with a huge number of games.

I think the conclusion is: many wargamers play a great variety of board wargames that, to some degree, could be translated into full tabletop wargames. Perhaps next year we should ask if people do so as well?

Contribute to our 31 Questions challenge

Have any questions about the results of the Great Wargaming Survey 2017? Feel free to submit them here, but try to keep in mind what we can and cannot answer based on the questions and possible answers to the survey. To refresh your memory, check out a preview of last year's questions and possible answers.

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