The Great Wargaming Survey 2015 - Results 3

Before you read on: I still have two prizes that were awarded to mysterious, but recognizable starred email addresses, but I have yet to hear from those people. If I haven’t heard anything by October 5th, I’m going to pick two new names. (see also part 1, part 2)

As I’m currently working on my article about the Great Wargaming Survey for the next issue of WSS, I’m going through both the hard, numerical data as well as some of the open answers. I thought it might be fun to list a few of the latter that just made me smile, and that mostly made me feel better about this hobby. Honesty bids that I admit there were definitely a few wargamers clearly in a less-than-happy state about their hobby, but I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t emphasize that too much here.

Most questions to be fair didn’t lead to much hilarity, though two (or was it one?) solo-wargamers, when asked about the age of the people in their gaming group, indicated their opponents were respectively “whatever age I want to be and usually tactically inept” and “always my age, but sometimes cleverer”. Several people also noted there that the Warhammer players were mostly younger, while the historical players were mostly older. An interesting comment that bears more research. 

The question about convention visits and online led to some predictable comments about personal hygiene (“the smell is off-putting, I hate to say it” - It does make you wonder why this still happens), keyboard warriors (“I just grab the popcorn and enjoy”) and general uncaring-ness (“I’m just not arsed”), but the joyful answers were to be found where respondents were asked about their future in the hobby. Here’s a few of the best:

  • Fun, but burning money is cheaper than warhammer
  • No [why would I stop], I’d only start frothing!
  • If you try to take my plastic crack, I will cut you!
  • I’m addicted… I must join a group to say this out loud…
  • I’m a lifer, no hope for parole…
  • It’s a time consuming hobby and I have a young child and wife that also demand attention… Occasionally with sharp objects.
  • I often choose my deli-meat because the container would make a great bunker. I think that is a good definition of ‘all-in’ on wargaming

Special mention should be made of the ‘until I die’ variety, such as:

  • Paint till my fingers don’t work and my eyes are shot!
  • Until death! (and maybe beyond)
  • I’ll stop doing this 10 minutes after my death. In case of an afterlife, disregard that.
  • I’ll be interested in all things gaming until they put me in the ground, then I’ll be playing with my toys in a better place
  • Bury my armies around me, like the Qin emperor, so I can keep gaming when I’m gone 🙂
  • Until I die, when my wife will have the headaches of disposing of 10,000 figures and loads of terrain, games and books!
  • I have already instructed my wife to bury me in a casket made from the lead of the miniatures I had not yet painted when I passed on…..  I enjoy every moment of the hobby. (followed by a comment in the next question that if we betrayed his answer to his wife, the previous would go into effect. No worries, we won’t tell!)

All in all best summed up by “So many figures, so little time.”

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