GWS 2025: Do you have enough opponents?

By Jon Freitag

Today, we consider another new question added in The Great Wargaming Survey (GWS), 2025 edition. That question addresses opponent availability and asks: Do you feel you have enough opponents within reasonable travel distance? If the answer is "No" then survey respondents were able to choose from a Pick List of possible reasons why this is the situation. Besides the provided Pick List, respondents could also add in their own reason to explain why opponents are lacking.

Figure 1 illustrates the distribution of responses from the 2025 survey. Nearly two-thirds of respondents state that they have enough opponents available within a reasonable travel distance. The remaining 34% marked that they did not have enough opponents at hand.

For those in the camp who lack enough opponents, the reasons why and those counts are detailed in Figure 2.

Based upon survey responses, the key take-aways for having not enough gaming opponents are:

• Lack of Awareness of Nearby Opponents. The leading reason, by a large margin (43.28%), is that wargamers simply don't know any other potential players in their vicinity.
• Mismatched Interests. Even when opponents are nearby, opponents' interests might not agree with your own specific wargames or game type (15.86%). Differences in ruleset preferences (9.79%) also present a barrier to finding opponents.
• Geographic Distance. When distance is a factor, (11.56%) opponents are too far away for regular play.
• Time Constraints. Wargamers, themselves (10.32%), and their opponents (3.30%) are often too busy to play more frequently.
• Dislike of Nearby Opponents. A small percentage of players (1.30%) simply dislike potential nearby opponents.
• Finally, the "Other" category (4.60%) lumps all of the free text responses that could not easily be classified into one of the Pick List choices.

The survey results highlight a core issue. That is, many wargamers are isolated either by not being aware of local players or finding that potential local players don't share their specific interests or schedules. While there are many wargamers who prefer solo play, an opponent shortage seems more driven by network and information disconnects than by a dislike of gaming with others. This pattern suggests a fragmented local gaming community. Enough players may exist nearby, but these gamers are either not visible to each other, or they play different periods, rules, or styles. While distance and scheduling challenges matter too, these two traits seem to present smaller issues than discovery and compatibility.

Opponents are probably out there. The challenge for many is that gamers either cannot find opponents or lack enough agreement in choices to actually to set up a game. What can we do to improve this situation?

If we want to increase our available gaming pool, the biggest bang for the buck is improving visibility. Make it easier for players to find other players. Find out what others play and know when they meet. A close second is improving compatibility by categorizing possible gamers by rules, period, and preferred game size.

My own solution to this challenge was to embrace remote gaming by promoting and supporting the use of Zoom (or similar platforms), Vassal Engine, Tabletop Simulator, wargame-specific online platforms, and other virtual or remote tabletop environments.

The 2021 Great Wargaming Survey (see Remote Gaming in a Changed World) found that remote gaming significantly increased gaming frequency for many gamers and broadened their circle of gaming friends. It did for me! Survey responses suggested that gamers who gamed more frequently were more likely to try remote gaming

By addressing the barriers identified above, the wargaming community can effectively increase opportunities for players to find and engage with opponents even from all over the world.

I am not finished with this survey question just yet. There are a number of possibilities to explore to see where differences and commonalities exist between the two groups of respondents. That study is for another time.

Do you have enough opponents within a reasonable travel distance? If not, which of the reasons listed drive your response?