I'm 16 and have been into historical wargames since I was 10. I'm a huge history buff and love acting out battles in the miniature. However the hardest part is finding people to play

I’m 17 and I’ve only begun to get into Wargaming but it’s historical all the way for me. 1/72 Late Roman Ancients is my thing, and I’ve somehow managed to convince five of my friends to join me in a campaign that I’m organising. So I for one refuse to let historical wargaming go quietly into the night!

In the 1970s we were going to die because of D&D, in the 1980s we were going to die because of Warhammer, in the 1990s we were going to die because of Magic the Gathering. Wargaming will continue, but it will change.

Wargaming is strong in Britain, that's where the best Wargames clubs and shows are.

I’m 19 and have been interested in historical wargaming since I was probably 14. Currently i run a small group of 5-6 guys and girls my age and we play several eras! Napoleonic, War of the Roses and WWII. I wish more people my age played.

I’m 19 and have been wargaming since I was 14 and have only ever played historical as I’m totally history crazed! Their are so many interesting aspects of history that I struggle to even imagine how people could find history boring.

I feel like a lot of these kinds of discussions don't touch on one of the key parts of the hobby - ongoing costs/practicalities. Historicals aren't cheap to start, often require quite a bit of prior knowledge or research, and have more subtle expenses such as likely travelling further for a game than you'd have to if you played something GW. One of those things on its own would make it a challenge to someone under the age of 25, never mind all of them at once.

I would like to state, I am 25. I wrote and still developing my own wargame in WWII. I host 4 events a year at my local library. I have on average 15-20 players all my friends and friends of friends. I started this game when I was in High School at age 18. I have been tinkering with my ruleset for a long time now and finally have a friend who is a graphic designer. We will be printing it shortly. Have no fear it is growing.

"Blood & Plunder", "Oak & Iron" and "Blood and Valor" are produced by the american company Firelock Games and are quite popular historical wargames. Hence there are still american produced wargames.

I want a historical miniatures wargame with all the needed parts, pieces and terrain in one BIG BOX and I am prepared to pay for it.

I have been playing since Don Featherstone and Charles Grant broke on the scene in the 1960's. I started the wargames club at my university. The students' union of the time were very suspicious that I was seeking to set up some right-wing militarist thing and had to be placated. They knew nothing of what a hobby wargame was. In those days it was Airfix figures, converted, where necessary, for most. Since then the hobby has just exploded in terms of what is out there - stuff we never dreamed of. Naval at all scales, fantasy wargaming with Warhammer etc. 15mm brought the price of figures down for a while, then they started to climb. But the latest versions of things like Black Powder and Bolt Action with low-density games and cheaper plastic figures have made it more affordable and practical again. You can play them on a table set up in the average living room quite easily. The other thing that happened was the growth of the Avalon Hill - style boardgame which had also started in the '60s. That is now a massive sector on its own. And the dreaded computer game, there is a huge cross-over potential from the wargames people find there into physical figures. There may be sections of the hobby that might seem "grey", as I am now, but I think that wargaming in general is alive and kicking.

Most people in the hobby don,t start historical till the thirtysomething. Start in sci-fi fantasy.

I started in the 1960's with home brew rules, Airfix figures and Roco Minitanks (accurate scale be d*mned!). Back then our gaming was driven as much by the modeling as the playing, and we had all the time in the world (after school) to get it done. Much older, with many more years behind than ahead, I now chose games like Wings of Glory/Sails of Glory that have prepainted components instead of spending hours prepping playing pieces. I wonder if many potential, younger players feel the same?

I’m one of the only 16 yo I’ve ever known who plays historicals. I feel like the older generations are definitely the people really keeping the historical side of the miniature hobby alive.

It would probably grow a lot faster if the miniatures, terrain, and rulebooks were more easily accessible.

In my opinion, part of the issue has to do with a lack of introductory games. The only local convention I know of is Recruits (awesome people, I meet the organizer at a band event a few years back) and there aren't really any 'pick-up-and-play' historics that people run. I'm talking games like Axis and Allies that you can just sit down and play without really any prior knowledge of the conflict. If a manufacturer made an all-in-one box set for napoleonics or ACW of a similar style (with rules like Altar of Freedom, summarized in 2 pages), I'm sure it would help expand into younger demographics.

Skirmish is in ascendency. People want to get into playing fast. So businesses selling historical miniatures for games that require huge figure counts will of course say the industry is dying. GW sees this; Kill Team, Warcry etc are low figure count, fast skirmish games that "lead in" to the bigger games. Some people introduced into gaming via this route expand beyond it, into other genres including historical.

I wanted to get into the Historical wargaming. Bought lots of 1/72 scale Napoleonic and Roman era models because they were cheap and I could quickly build an army of them. Why did I stop? 1) there were only 5 guys in my country that played Napoleonic era and insanely they went with 28mm scale. So in order to play with them I'd have to basically spend more to get the army I wanted in the right scale (if its not any of the major nations of the Napoleonic Wars your essentially screwed for trying to keep costs down) 2) none of my friend wanted anything to do with historical wargaming. Its has a very high bar in both cost and research to get into. Added to this, whats exciting about fighting line battles when you could be playing a sci-fi game with super powerful weapons with weird rules, or fantasy games where magic can cause untold devastation. There is little scope for imagination with historical wargames. Hell, the historical purists in the hobby really dislike the idea of just playing pick up games or points costs. To them, you sit and do research, paint your models as historically as you can research and then research and replay famous battles. Thats far too much work to ask new people to get on board with, yet most of the old guard in the community do not accept much else, and most rule sets dont give you the option for easy pick up games as they dont come with points costs or special rules for the different nations. Right now, the only thing i can do with my historical miniatures is to use them in games of Warhammer 40k or other such games because im more likely to be able to arrange a game of that than anything historical. The hobby as a whole isn't dying, but its not growing as well as it should. A trickle is not sustainable.

Historical gaming is not dying. Historical gamers are... sorry for the cheap shot, I feel very old lately... I'm a keen historical gamer and after all these years I still love this hobby like the first day, possibly more. So all I can say is: get those dice rolling, because I can't see a future without gaming. Cheers from Italy!

I'm 29 and just getting started with historicals, specifically around the Roman conquest of Britain. Stopped playing Warhammer around 8 years ago, spending more time playing PC games like Total War, company of heroes etc. These led me to read lots more history books, which have in turn got me itching to paint and play on the tabletop again. Regarding the cost of historicals - as someone who has dabbled with the idea of playing GW games again over the last couple of years, they actually seem extremely affordable in comparison! In my case, for example, I picked up the Infamy, Infamy rules from TooFatLardies, a Roman force (about 80 models) and a Celtic force (150 models), plus a load of trees, mdf movement trays and an mdf Celtic building for under £200. The models are from Victrix, and absolutely beautiful. Another bonus is that when they can be used for a wide range of rulesets, should I get tired of this one.

Great video! While there is graying within the hobby, I also see many green shoots. My 13 YO loves gaming WWII with me, and he has become a real history buff. A few weeks ago, he had a friend over who saw some of our 15mm models, then the two of them proceeded to play a game of Flames of War! The more we can all encourage this, the more our hobby will thrive...

Everyone forgets us younger folk are poorer, we didn't grow up in the 50s where you got a c-suite job with a high school diploma and paid off your house on minimum wage in 10-20 years. We can barely afford food, let alone having to spend 20 dollars for one unit for a game that's likely diffficult to actually play in terms of players, distance, actually having the same minis, etc. it's more convenient to spend 400 dollars on a cheap pc or the a majour console that I will guaranteed get years usage out of, then spend the same price in minis, paints, bases, cases, transportation etc for a game I might get to play once a year. Star Wars legion is the only thing that comes close to a somewhat popular game at a budget it even then that's a hefty price tag for someone living paycheck to paycheck. I won't even get in to the ridiculousness that is prices for age of sigmar minis.

of course it’s not as popular but I still love it i’m 12 years old

Glad to have you guys back! What I think might help grow the community would be starter kits, kind of like what Star Wars Rebellion/Armada does.

My son is seven and he loves historical boardgames. We've recently picked up some Bolt Action figures but haven't gotten them to the table yet due to his fixation on Space Hulk and Imperial Assault.

Great work guys! Glad to have you back at it! Really hankering to get more gaming done since COVID, and you guys help scratch the itch.

I hope it isn't declining because I am still young and just invested in board games

Loved this video. Can't wait for the next video. This is a topic that definitely needs discussed and we do need to take some action to move the hobby forward. Thanks for tackling this.

18, been into Napoleonics since 15. I'd say there are more people my age playing than there was when I was 15 for sure.

Great video chaps and very thought provoking. From my own experience on the subject, I run a small channel that is primarily focused on historical gaming but is very much Bolt Action content heavy as this is currently my main and favourite gaming rule set. Over the last year or so, it has been really interesting to chat to people through comments or social media that have either switched or expanded into historical gaming from more fantasy/sci-fi centric systems and their reasons, views and thoughts for doing so. Overall I think that these days, people that entered the hobby purely on the fantasy/sci-fi angle seem to be a lot more willing to look at the options that historical gaming has. I remember during my formative hobby years in the early 90's, there seemed to be a reluctance to look outside of the more fantasy driven gaming systems.

The biggest bugbear is painting and assembling the damned things. This is a process you have to go through, almost by default, since there's an aesthetic aspect that is strong in the hobby. I have purchased pre-painted miniatures in the past that look the part (Battlefield Evolution: Modern Combat), but you ultimately pay for the Chinese paint job.

You chaps are some of the people that pushed me to start a games club in my local area. Can't wait for covid to move on so we can open the doors again. More power to you and your message, keep doing what you're doing.

I play rank and file fantasy games, the 9th age primarily, and we run into a similar problem. Getting new players interested in war gaming, one way we have been able to gain new players is by play at stores not our basements, pre-pandemic at least. I also have been interested in history from a very young age, primarily the French and Indian war and American revolution, due to growing up in Western Pennsylvania and going to reenactments. I have not gotten in to historical war gaming mostly due to the lack of a local group/scene.

Hithere. I am playing Bolt Action with a small group in norther Germany. We are all between 30 and 45. But I also play Warhammer 40k, most of the 40k players are slightly younger. But I also experienced that the younger ones start with 40k and/or Age of Sigmar and then later find their way to other tabletops. So naturally they are older when they start historical wargames, but this does not mean historical wargamming is dying.

I'm a 18 year old who just purchased a 6mm Napoleonics starter set from Baccus miniatures, so I think it has a chance

I'm 24 and I got my start in wargaming with Warhammer 40k. I am, however, looking into Flames of War and Team Yankee and own most of Warlord Game's historical rulebooks, including Black Powder, SPQR, and Pike and Shotte. I actually found this channel yesterday and it is encouraging me to explore historical wargaming more.

Hello, new sub here! 32 year old male from USA. I've just now recently been getting into historical wargaming as far as... Showing interest and doing research but not there yet. Watching this video, I have to agree that the biggest problem is the barrier to entry from a what I need to play perspective. There are two games I'm trying out, firs Ravenfeast cause it looks awesome and I'm already working on things for the Skirmish game Ragnarok which is Viking themed so there is overlap. and Second is Bolt Action. While it's not a full on Army Game, I like the scale more than Flames of War AND it's a complete package where I can get rules, models, guides on how to paint them, accessories(dice, markers, etc), and all in one package. I thin the industry would benefit from more of this in the future.

i remember the old wargamers in the 90's saying the same thing. i think we are spoiled with the amount of talented sculptors, game designers, painters, clubs, high quality you tube channels, great wargame companies, personalities in the field. its getting time to play the flippin games amongst friends that is a problem today. also i personally find the cost of the hobby expensive now, not as much disposable income nowadays but i do have a fairly good collection from the past 40 years of gaming to keep me going. brilliant video, i would have really liked to see the rest of the interviews.

Great question and a great idea to ask representatives from the hobby what they think. Having wargamed as a lad, I have now returned to it and love it. Yes I am long in the tooth but most at our club are on the young side and so will be keeping the hobby going for ages.

Welcome Back! So glad you are hitting the ground running! Trying to bring new, i.e. younger players in to historicals is really no harder than getting them into any other genre. When I had my game store, I had to point out to many a parent that balked at the entry price, that this was NOT a game, this was a hobby, and one that would possibly last a life time. I also have found that games like 'What a Tanker', really brings the younger crowd out. I went from a quick demo at the LGS to playing with a core group of kids, (to me!) every Thursday night. Sometimes dads, moms, and older siblings stop by to see what the fuss is about. So historicals declining in popularity? No, but as others pointed out, it isn't many new players first pick.

What a great topic. I must admit, being into this hobby on and off since the late 1970s, that we are in " a new golden age " with the hobby in general, historical, and fantasy/sci-fi

Warlord games is going strong in my region. They have some amazing introductory rulesets like bolt action or black powder. Easy to learn, fun to play plus a lot of support. I believe historical wargaming is in a good state right now as there are many young players coming to historical wargaming from games workshop rulesets.

I’m 50! I used to play table top historicals in the late 90’s. In Montreal there used to be a great hobby association called Montreal Wargamers. Today I want to go back to play tabletop battles, only problem, cost of miniatures and find players to play and the time to play and paint.

I think David Ensteness hit the nail on the head for why most people don't get into historical wargaming. Me and my fellow broke college student friends all play wh40k, and while I've been gently pushing to try out some historical scenarios, they haven't been receptive. Old, retired men have the time and capital to sink into a heavily research-based hobby. We don't. Games Workshop makes it easy, which is why they're making a money hand over fist while historical wargaming is circling the drain.

David E is spot on! Hoping more companies understand this - right or wrong people need a 'system' to buy into. It is very hard to find historical groups if there is no center of gravity (i.e. a known brand/set of rules).

For me, someone new to all war gaming, it seems it goes in phases. I've been trying this hobby for a year. As I am now looking outside Gamesworkshop, I see the appeal of historical games. I think, as a new comer and anecdotally, gamers mature into historical. 40k pulling in new players, skirmish games when you're done with that, then historical when you're done with that.

David’s comments stand out to me. For as much as I love your content, military history in general, and the idea of historical wargaming, it’s not the easiest hobby to get into-and even with my strong proclivity for those things, the closest to historical miniatures wargaming that I’ve gotten was Axis & Allies miniatures back in the day and Wings of Glory more recently (thanks again). The pre-painted/assembled and self-contained rules of those games are big selling points for gamers that aren’t already plugged into a local network or club that can share experience and encouragement. I did get into Warhammer fantasy (pre Age of Sigmar) because it had a strong local infrastructure with local game stores having scheduled Warhammer days, etc. and that tends to be a huge advantage that the points-based games have. Anyway, I’m looking forward to your next video!

Great return,guys ! Am a game designer and all of your videos are just so excellent ! Thanks for your engagement in our little universe and passion ! Greeting from france

Awesome video, really enjoy the discussion. I suspect wargaming is growing quickly, however historicals as a subset may be stagnant/slow growing. Not surprised manufacturing/publishing has shifted away from the US - I don't think the influence of GW in Nottingham can be understated ;) keep it up!

As a greying historical miniatures gamer. My experience over the year includes going to Pacificon for the first time as a know nothing 14 year old in 1978. I had a blast. I was mainly there for TSR's first west coast DnD tournament my friend was DMing for it. While not playing DnD I would wander thru the historical miniature battle hall at the Dunfey Hotel in San Mateo. I found then as I do today that most of the grey beards were very welcoming of questions and would even ask if I wanted to learn to play. That long weekend I played Napoleanics, Franco/Prussian war. Zulu, Khartoum, Micro Armor, WWI planes. I was already into history of war and had spi and ah games I had bought with my own money. Thru the years I have played with all ages and made it a point to always welcome questions from young people and invite them to join. Because you should pay it forward. When Flames of War was moving from 1st Edition to 2nd Edition rules I volunteered to work as a free lance Editor/Proofreader and I am credited on the second edition rule book and many of the scenario books for that rule set. At that time I was playing Flames of War regularly at 2 different game stores. That is the crux of the matter. Exposure at a regular time at a place easy to find. Twice a week at two different game stores about 30 miles apart at the same time every week from open till closing time. We grew a handful of people playing to well over 50 regulars at both stores from all ages. The thing was we were inclusive, age, sex etc did not matter. We were helpful, showing people they could play with minimal investment, helping them learn the hobby and the art of painting miniatures and making cheap and nice terrain. So for 4 years I was helping to grow the hobby. But when I was to old and broken to continue regular play time the hobby pretty much started to die off. Why? Because nobody was being consistent. Sure they were still playing but at odd times and at home or away from the game stores. Dedication is hard to come by for people not getting paid to play. I have been physically unable to play tabletop miniatures because of a spinal injury, just cannot lean over a table anymore. The main problem is schools are not teaching history like it used to be taught. Wars are being taught as shameful no matter what side you were on. This is leading to the shaming of kids who are interested in history and war. But that is my opinion. I lost 5 of my 7 uncles in World War 2, My father served in WW2, Korea and Viet Nam. My family on one side were Wild Geese, kicked out of Ireland because they would not bend the knee to Protestant England and worked as Catholic Mercenaries for Spain and France in the 1600's. They came to America in 1638 and from that time onward have every generation been in the local, county, state, colonial or American armies since. Every single generation in America since the mid 1600's to this day. I served, my daughter served. Three of my siblings served. So generationally we come to a problem. Kids are now separated from War and are taught inappropriately about war in general at the schools here in America. The complete rewriting of history at all levels of schooling is disgraceful and for me has led to the loss of historical miniature tabletop gaming, plus the big elephant in the room PC gaming has really thrown miniatures for a loop. Cost alone has made it unbearable. Should I spend $1000 for an army or get a $60 pc game? Oh its on sale on steam for $20. Yeah I know where my money goes. So lots of reasons for the decline. Technology, social stressors, prohibitive costs and of course the time it takes to travel to, setup and then play is quite long. And finding a place to play is not easy either. Chris

I'm 30, Just started doing Napoleonics 2 years ago. I was hesitant at first because I bought mine from a local shop and the guys in there playing black powder were in there 50s or 60s. I didn't think I could fit it anywhere or find anyone my age. I'm still having a hard time in PA finding something. I think it all boils down to time. You see older people gaming because they're usually retired. Whereas me, I love to game and paint, but I also have a house, wife, job, and kids to take care of.

i've been watching this channel over the last week or so, and it's really caught my attention. Historicals were something i'd not paid much attention to (i primarly play 40k), but they look intriguing. One thing i've noticed, though, is the attention to historical detail present in a lot of these games. While this might be a plus for those well versed in historicals, it might seem daunting to newcomers or those who play other systems. personally, i've always enjoyed the game more than the lore for a lot of what i've played (though having something apporpriate to the fluff does make the game more fun). Without having played historicals myself, its kind of hard to say if that's maybe one of the things keeping people from picking up something like Black Powder vs, say, 40k or warma/hordes. That said, the ravenfeast game you guys put up recently looked pretty neat, and with the viking age being really in vogue in pop culture right now, it could be a good way to catch the attention of younger gamers.

I was 37 when I got my first Bolt action set split with my friend who is 28. Played my first game last year and im hooked.

I'm a graybeard but my 14 year old son is active in the hobby (and has been for several years). He started a club at his middle school and has introduced the hobby to 10-12 fellow students. That's how we grow the hobby. We find (or spawn) champions within the target demographic, encourage them, help them with material ( terrain is key) and what ever other support we can. Of those 10-12 , three of them now have their own miniature collections and regularly participate outside of school in gaming events locally and regionally.

Applaud you for looking at a gateway game - reminds me of my first napoleonic boardgame - For me it comes down to 1) accessibility of more clubs that advertise and are welcoming to new players, 2) not in public as much as we could be - particularly in supporting local game stores - so much is bought online because in store inventories are hard to maintain for all periods and manufacturers - if the shift to 3d printing isnt made - perhaps a catalog like walthers that local game stores can have with easy ordering plans 3) Atlas for model railroading used to produce a free booklet that showed you easy to complex layouts - with materials listed - easy to use 4) Understand we have "channels" from historical interest, painting, gaming and so on - a club generally merges those, for someone with no clubs there are different entries for each and 5) Scale creep - too many scales - period 2mm, 6mm, 10mm, 15mm, 18mm, 25mm, 28mm, etc up to 54mm - including in ship and plane scales and we go even further - If I am a new gamer - with all the other questions - which way do I go - Final thought I got my start with airfix 1/72 and 1/32 with a couple of colors on them - then eventually moved on to buying some of the pre-painted mikes models and some second hand figures to play

One of the opening shots shows the 2020 Cold Wars dealers hall. It looked pretty empty but to be fair Covid was just breaking out and Cold Wars attendance was down more than 50% from normal.

Wargaming is something friends do together. It is hard for interested strangers to find each other, much less get together to game. And given the competitive nature of the hobby, there has to be a certain common understanding and norms established over time to be enjoyable. You had a previous video where you talked about your club and how you accept new members based on how compatible they with the current club members. Making new friends gets harder as you grow older, and I do think that you need to be friends to game enjoyable. All of which makes it hard for this relatively small hobby to grow beyond its established base.

I think the guy talking about “common ground” hit me the hardest. Of my friends I think only some of them are history buffs and of the history buffs they would want to game different periods.

I think there were some very keen observations in there about how historical wargaming products are packaged and sold vs other wargames. Very interesting video.

Been gaming for over 30 years, one pattern I have seen, is that the majority of people who are new to the wargaming hobby start off with the Fantasy/Sci-Fi games, and as they get older develop a taste and interest in Historical wargaming. I have long suspected it is partly based in a burn out of the game design of Warhammer and the like. Too heavily focused on flashy special rules that require little tactical depth.

I have painted, built, converted, read and played war games and RPG for the last 40 years and have no intention of stopping. Keep up the good work as really enjoying the feed. Could you please tell me where I can get my hands on those Perspex octagons used in the Battle of Trafalgar game?

Excellent topic and love the diversity of people you interviewed.

Great question! I think it depends on when you started. I started historical gaming in 1977 at age 10. For the first 4-5 years, I was the only player under ~25 at my local gaming club. Most of the guys were in their late 30s, 40s and 50s. Ten years later, the situation had completely changed. I was part of a large group of historical gamers, most in their late teens and early 20s. I think the reason was that in the 1980s historical wargaming became more affordable and there was a much greater diversity of rules, figures, scales, and periods. As a kid, I didn't have the resources to build a Napoleonics army with 28mm Hincliffe figures. By the time I went to university in the mid-80s, there were lots of affordable options. Now when I go to my friendly local game store I see a lot of young players. True, most are playing fantasy and sci-fi games, but some are playing WWII and modern games. I would prefer to see more historical games, but as long as the hobby is doing well, there's always the potential for new recruits...

Appreciate the video, I know I am "Younger" (28) and have always enjoyed historicals. however as an up and coming 6mm 3d miniatures designer I was sad to see no mention or interview of how the hobby may evolve. That is to say 3d printing which will have an ever growing power in the wargaming and miniatures world. I assume youll cover it in your next video though :)

Great video! I know that Bolt action is becoming very popular where I am (Singapore) as well as Flames of War. Ive bought the BA miniatures but havent painted them yet, so cant wait to get into that! After that, Ill give FoW a go!

We all moved to Computer wargaming - Total War etc. No more spending 2 hours to setup a battle.

I have been playing for decades and both of my sons also play. I see the problem is with wargamers. We need to mentor and be more friendly especially at conventions. Just my 2 cents. Love the channel

I'm 46 and I will put it to you like this... WW1 and WW2 had such an impact on society giving most people that connection and influence with people involved in these events that also created the world we were all living in. As those now grow up without that generation like myself talking to grandparents and their direct experiences in the second world war directly influenced my love of history and how these events they were involved in came about. This love also led to exploring other times in history for gaming.. Remember the 1980s we were drowning in books of WW2, now people have moved on to other events..

great topic and fantastic to hear all the viewpoints

I have a lot of thoughts on this, I'll work on a reaction video

I’m 16 and just recently started with collecting 28mm Napoleonics, I only paint them for collecting and display, because in my area and age group there aren’t many I could war game with. So in my case I completely leave out the rules and terrain etc. that you’d need for wargaming. A big issue is also the price of collecting, painting and basing these figures, so I am never able to buy the figures I want, because I don’t get much pocket money.

Great piece to watch guys. I have mentioned this before. I worked in the wargames industry for nearly 40 years, i am now retired. The industry has been dying for some time now. I know this as i lived it. It was for me at its most vibrant during the 1980's up to the end of the 1990's since then it has slowly died. You would only have to look at the traders we have lost, the shops that have closed down, and the convention circuit, a mere shadow of what it used to be. This of course is in the UK, and a funny thing to see your talking head mentioning the USA as the heart of wargaming, in the UK we consider the UK as the heart of wargaming, each to their own no doubt.

I am 28 and have been gaming since I was 12. My first entry into the hobby was warhammer 40k but since then I have mostly moved my interests into smaller companies sci fi lines for skirmish gaming. A small fast paced battle is what suits me most these days! I do also collect a lot of historical models, mainly ancient, some ACW, some boxer rebellion and ww1 and ww2. My main problem is finding people to play with, so I have sort of settled into a collecting and painting role. That said it would be great to get into club gaming again!

I would love to get into napoleonics. the problem is where the hell do i start? I've been playing miniatures games for close to 20 years now and if i cant figure out where to start how are newer people?

Great vid LWTV. Also, Gerry from OTT! As a cultist (formerly known as a backstager) I can say he looks perfectly in place and completely out of place in the fancy room-setting.

Ww2 , crusades, French and Indian war, American civil war in 28mm is so much fun!

I'm a 48 year old who has been intrigued by the idea of historical wargaming since my teenage years. But only entered the hobby a year ago, thanks to stumbling across Little Wars TV. Thanks guys! So why did it take so long? 1) Inaccessible: Had no idea where to start with rules, miniatures, etc. There needs to be some sort of 'entry drug' into historicals, like Warhammer 40K and similar games for sci fi/fantasy. Bolt Action, Flames of War and similar are close, but not quite. There is still a lot of 'what do I need to buy to play a game' questions involved. A solid big boxed set of everything, or even a direct list of what to buy to get started would help. It took me a long time after starting down the Little Wars TV rabbit hole until I figured out what to play and what I needed/where i could buy it. 2) No players: I play a lot of RPGs, and thankfully one of the other guys is interested in historical too. So solved that problem recently.

Great stuff. I have been a recruiter for our hobby from day one. I tend to run more games than I get to play. I tend to find out what period a potential new player may like and I dive into it. This often brings people into the hobby if the initial investment is low, as I supply most of the figures. I can stoke the interest while not causing financial stress. Eventually they begin buying their own units/Armies, which adds to the size and number of player at the table. I'm lucky as most in my group follow suit and are ambassadors for the hobby.

Are there any videos that recommend a depth chart for rules when looking at historical games? I recently got into Flames of War (from a Warhammer/warmachine background), but it feels a very light game. What heavier 15mm Ww2 wargames do people recommend?

I’m excited to see if your ideas for next week are similar to what I am thinking.

The hobby is good in the UK :)

Not to blow sugar up the backsides of the crew at Little Wars, but you guys are exactly what the hobby needs. Engaging, funny and (dare I say it) relatively youthful. In Australia, the typical wargamer ( especially 'historical' ) would be a sullen doctor in his 60's who would probably recoil in pain from any curious youngster who wanted to learn the ropes.

I've been watching these videos for a day now and I just need advice. Which medieval wargame do you suggest I get. This would be my first time purchasing a wargame so I need something easy to learn and cheap. Any advice?

I totally agree with David. Games with unclear information makes it harder to get into. I've been out of 40k for years and now trying to get back into it, but there are now a ton of books and other garbage that I'm not sure I need or what to pick up. While that is healthy, other games are falling into that trap. there is nothing clear as to what you need.

Hi Gregg It's interesting that people are framing some sort of battle between video games and wargames. Anecdotally, I have found that playing games like Post Scriptum, Hell Let Loose, Rising Storm 2, etc has been a great way of including my friends in wargaming. For instance, I plat an online ww2 shooter with my friend during the week after work, and then on the weekend can con them into a wargame by framing it as a different view of the FPS we play. It's also great for understanding why some rules are the way they are. If I'm shooting a K98 on a video game for a couple of hours a week I can grasp the nature of shooting rules for ww2 Germans.

Like so many discussions, this video and the interviewees really focus on miniature war gaming as a business, not as a hobby. They judge it on sales, on who can make it a career. Stamp collecting is still a hobby, even though people don't make a living off the hobby. The hobby will remain, but as a business? Probably not forever.

I am a longtime fan of historical miniature war-gaming with an interest in massed armies, primarily the blackpowder periods. A constant member of HMGS, attending all three of the usual conventions on the East Coast; their closure this year was heart-breaking. The discussions concerning cost of figures, travel and other paraphernalia in the covid era have an impact on everyone. There is an opportunity for simulated figure war-gaming available that some may not be aware of. D and D players are aware of it, regular board game players are, and so is the Lock and Load company. They have moved many of their board games to this environment as free offerings. They are even looking at mini-conventions for the games. This is the Tabletop Simulator available on the Steam network. It is exactly that and people can set up any game there emulating a regular table. There are a variety of 2D and 3D games available created by users but no massed historical war-gaming so far. This could be an excellent environment for HMGS to explore. If 3D figures for historical games are primarily designed in computers anyway, that should be a simple addition and so should rule sets. I would think this is an easy way for companies to create an appeal for the gaming public to want their products in both digital and physical forms. :}

I enjoyed the video. I am now one of the old codgers playing historical wargames, though I did start when I was 17 (48 years ago). I don't see this part of the gaming hobby dying out as it seems the same to me over time just new generations replacing the old around the time they reach middle age. There are now the big companies with their gaming systems which match the fantasy/SciFi products out there that attract younger gamers. Over the years I have looked at the SciFi models and thought pretty shiny things but have never been tempted to divert from my historical collections. What struck me about the video was there appeared a different view either side of the pond with a more positive view on my side (Europe). My worry for the hobby is that the small and one man band producers are the ones that appear not to be being replaced by younger entrepreneurs and unless they are bought out by the "big" companies we lose their rules and models. In my opinion many of which are better than the products of the "big" companies.

Historical war gaming has always been a middle aged guy hobby but don’t worry there are new middle aged guys coming along all the time. Lol. To be serious though If there were some hard stats that we could reference I doubt that we’d find that the numbers of historical miniature gamers in the world at any given time changes all that much. I think that the bearded fedora wearing guy you interviewed has it right. Great video as usual!

Well, I'm very interested in what you will show us, the wargamers next time! I like what Jay Arnold says here, although at least in our club (mostly board and card gamers) it is very difficult to convince people who play "normal" (euro style) boardgames to play a game along with us, the wargamers. As Jay says, there is more in wargaming then simply put your toys on the table and go for it.

Makes me excited for next week!

I've been playing Warhammer for 20 years, but only recently started getting into Bolt Action. I've played some Dark Ages semi-historical/fantasy games with my friend, using his models and his own rule set based on Bernard Cornwell's Excalibur series. Was super great fun campaign over the damp summer and wet autumn in his garden shed. I have about 10,000 old Airfix models of Napoleonic models that he gave me because he wasn't interested in them anymore. I do need to paint them, as they're all still bare coloured plastics. But I don't really have anyone to play with anymore sadly.

I've played a little bit of every miniatures games, including Warhammer/40k, Warmachine, pre-painted Star Wars games, etc. Historicals were always intriguing but hard to find, and the hobby aspects are a lot less interesting - the idea of painting 200 olive drab dudes makes me go a little cross-eyed. What got me interested in taking up the historicals challenge was the opportunity to connect with my kids, who are suddenly homeschooling. It's an art project and a history lesson while still being fun. I'm just scratching the surface of what I can teach my kids through the hobby, but the homeschooling audience would be a good one to consider.

Having tried to start historical in a Rural Community: I can totally see why it's a much older audience. And probably mostly more Urban. I've had a really hard time getting access to paints, minis, just generally materials. And with my first year of college starting I'm not going to have the time or money to make any significant gains on setting up new games. Older people have a lot more free time and expendable income. I think that for younger people to get it the bar for entry is going to have to be significantly lower. A big boxed kit "starter army" and the paints for it included would have certainly helped me, and I suspect others as well.

Looks like I'm in a minority in thinking that Historical Wargames are in decline, I would say the complete opposite. It's never been easier to get into the hobby, there are loads of how to videos on the Utubes, Facebook has groups with thousands of people into specific periods, if ever there was a time to ask someone how to get into a period or scale it is now, just ask ! Money, hearing GW players saying historical games are expensive is hilarious, I've bought GW figures for my lad as he grew up and THEY are not cheap. Try Model Railways if you want expensive Historical Gaming is one of the cheapest hobbies around (unless you are paying for figs to be painted). There are hundreds of historical gaming clubs around the country and where as before you had to search the back of the only hobby magazine to find it (if you were lucky enough to buy the one your local club advertised in). Add to that the growing number of independent games shops in the UK (Common Ground in Stirling, Wargames Emporium in Sheffield etc etc) it's never been easier to search the net and find a club or gaming space. Research is so easy, want the uniform of the French Young Guard Voltigeurs in 1812, type it in your search bar and boom it's there, no ordering a book from a libary or book shop and waiting a month for it. All forms of non digital gaming are on the rise as people who sit in front of a computer all day don't want to sit in front of one to relax. This is the dawn of a Golden Age of Historical. Regards Ken The Yarkshire Gamer We have never been so lucky.

Trying to create some homebrew rules for 28mm ancients rank and flank skirmish/tactics game to get my friends into it. One is into 40k and another is into total war so trying to combine both. Seeing that you guys have a wealth of experience both playing and designing different rule sets; what would be some tips in game design for people making homebrew rules? In the mean time I'll be painting 321 more figures.

Glad to see you guys are back. Interesting to see you guys are masking up to get rid of this pandemic. I do like wargaming via board games or minatures.

I have a unique view on this because like Curtis I am the next generation of wargamers. I'm in my mid-20s now but a decade ago as a teen, I ran and attended the HMGS conventions, Historicon, Cold Wars, Fall-In especially because they were in Pennsylvania. My problem with gaming has always been finding people to play with. Those conventions gave me a great opportunity to run and play games and I was lucky enough to have parents who would foot the bill to allow me to do that. The second problem with miniatures was cost and labor it took a lot of dedication and money to build an army. I was hooked and I always was working on the next army! needless to say, I had a few armies that were built painted and stored away never to see the light of day (Warhammer, Flames of War). Currently, I've caught the DND bug for two reasons. 1. Much larger player base and a local community for me to play with. 2. The cost of entry is Dice, Paper, and reading material. As the breadwinner of a family of three and growing, I cannot afford miniatures anymore. That makes me sad, there's literally nothing that gets me more excited than seeing a table full of hundreds of expertly painted minis and awesome scenery. That feeling cannot be beaten. I Gawk at the poor quality figures that RPG games often pass off as miniatures! Historical Video Gaming is Strong, Total War, Battlefield, Hell even COD is going to Vietnam in November! Historical and Fantasy Genres are just that, Genres. They play off each other. *Miniature Wargaming needs to be more accessible, that's the #1 solution. That will bring in people who want to play but can't. (I hope this isn't blasphemy) Paper miniatures(or tokens)/Terrain would make wargaming super accessible. Printable PDF with Rules, maps, minis, and terrain: Print, Cut, glue, DONE! I think DND does do a great job at making miniature gaming accessible but its only small scale skirmishes. you could take the same techniques and scale X10,100 and have a real Wargame Battle.* A dream we dream together is reality...

I think sadly yes, but a big reason for that in the USA at least is the game store's dominance as far as determining what gets played. It's incredibly rare to find a game store that supports historical gaming except maybe Bolt Action and Flames of War; everything else is the domain of the "grognards" that meet in someone's basement or clubhouse and since in the US at least most people I've seen only play what they can buy at their local game store that means they often never know or care about a lot of the smaller esoteric games because they can't easily go and buy products for it. Even now a lot of the rules you have to go hunting around On Military Matters or similar sites to find them. And then there are all the different miniature manufacturers (most of which are in the UK) so it's just choice on top of choice on top of choice without any real guidance. On that note, another issue is the sheer volume of rules and figures. If you play something mainstream like Warhammer or Flames of War or Warmahordes there's one set of rules, but with historicals, there are dozens if not hundreds of rules for periods, each with its own take on the period based on what the author thinks the period would be like and that's incredibly overwhelming for someone especially when you factor in that different groups play different rules so even if you find a group that plays a set of rules, another group may play something entirely different and you have to essentially start from scratch. The lack of standards is a big issue in the current day because people are so used to having a standard game that they can play against a variety of opponents, and you don't find that in historical gaming.

As a young wargamer who has just started with historics (coming from warhammer) I have to say the scariest thought getting in to it is the inconsistency, nobody plays the same scale for example ACW. People play 3mm, 6mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13.5mm, 15mm and 28mm among other scales, along with the fact that no one uses the same rule set with their being 3 to 4 rule sets for every scale. I also ran into the problem of finding opponents. I come from a 70,000 person town with 2 mtg/miniature gaming stores. Out of all these people we ran a survey in our town over a year with questions online and at the stores and the only historical are 2 people who play bolt action. I play 10mm Napolonics and 13.5mm ACW so this was very upsetting as the survey being readily available for a year means any active wargamer would participate. I guess I should just stick with warhammer which had over 50 people say they played.