Board-wargames and their future - PART2. How things may change.

In a previous article (Board-wargames and their future-PART 1. My 2 cents about the matter) I spoke about the role I think the age of wargamers has been having in the development of board wargaming so far.
In my opinion, the hobby is going to decline almost into complete oblivion, after the generation of the 80s kids, as I called it, is gone. But on a more positive note, I think that a lot can still be done if all of us (players, designers, publishers and convention organizers) make an extra effort to lure the younger generations and make them keep this hobby alive. I'm going to try and suggest what all the players involved can do to spread board-wargaming, and what they shouldn't if we want to give it a chance of survival.

-GAMERS-

Keep in mind that board wargames are no religion! Hybrid games, contaminations are good. These could actually help attract boardgamers to wargames, using mechanics that simulate historical events but retaining a more direct and easy boardgame approach. Some attempts have been made lately. Perhaps the most famous and successful of them is the COIN series by Volko Ruhnke. As Ruhnke himself asserts in an interview (check it out here), with the COIN series, he has tried to go beyond boargamers' "tribalism," creating something new that could appeal to both the wargamers' "tribe" and the eurogamers' one. Now, if you have never played a COIN game before, give it a try. Not only it could help you find new gamers to play with, but as a wargamer, you will discover a new and different approach to simulate modern conflicts.  

Don't scare people away. Telling somebody that "real" wargames are at least 10 hours long, very expensive and that you probably need a whole penthouse only to set up the map is like telling somebody that to learn reading they must start with the "Divine Comedy" by Dante or "War and Peace" by Tolstoj. People need to learn gradually. At first, it will be mostly about having fun, then (for some of them) the simulating and the historical side will take over, and they will look for more complex and accurate simulations.

-CONVENTIONS-

Be open and welcoming...I mean for real. I know, when you go to a convention you want to play a specific game or games and exchange opinions with other grognards. But it would be so much better for our hobby if we could dedicate some time and tables to welcome newbies and teach them some introduction games. If you look like you're playing your private game with a friend of yours, nobody will dare ask you questions, let alone trying a game while you're in the middle of it. No matter how many people walk around driven by curiosity, they won't stop for more than 1 or 2 minutes anywhere, if you don't let them try playing.

Yes, I really mean playing, not teaching them all the rules first and then have them play. By the time you've finished going over all the nuts and bolts of a rule set, they'll probably be too confused and tired to enjoy the game. If a game is straightforward (and it should be, if you are dealing with young would-be wargamers), having them play right away shouldn't be that hard. Don't lecture them, teach them the rules gradually, by doing things. Tell them which options they have and warn them about the consequences that those options might imply. Let them make choices. It will be more rewarding, less tiring and more fun for them (and for you). One more thing: Teach games that are easy to find and buy. It doesn't make much sense teaching somebody a game that is next to impossible to find nowadays, or that is over a hundred bucks (or both!). You'll hardly find any new gamer willing to invest lightheartedly so much money on a new hobby like board wargames.  

-DESIGNERS-
Simple doesn't mean babyish. Don't overlook simple systems. Designing a simple but good game can actually be more challenging than designing a complex one. Bear also in mind that if you want to appeal to younger gamers, 3D is the key. The classic 2d wargame counters are the less attracting things on earth for the young. I still like them, don't get me wrong, but for someone born in the new millennium they are like going back to black and white, silent movies after being brought up with color movies and Dolby surround. You can't really expect them to cry "Wow!", can you? You don't necessarily need to use miniatures; also wooden blocks work very well (think of Commands & Colors by GMT, Hold Fast by Worthington Publishing, not to mention the games by Columbia Games and Ventonuovo).

-PUBLISHERS-

Develop a line of products to introduce to wargaming, and publicise it as such. It would be great if publishers could develop a line of products compatible with the needs of young would-be wargamers, alongside the "traditional" ones. As previously mentioned, these games should have simple but engaging mechanics, appealing graphics, few units (hopefully tridimensional ones) and they should be definitely short and cheap. While some of these criteria can be found in a number of games recently introduced in the market by various publishers, cheap introduction games are still too few. This represents a significant obstacle considerably hindering the spreading of the hobby.

Technology can be on our side, let's use it. Making a video today is very easy and inexpensive. Publishers should use more videos and channels like Youtube to show the mechanics and the rules of their games. A kid can be intimidated by a printed booklet, but if you show him how to play in a video, chances are he will be more inclined to learn, without putting too much time and effort in it.

-ALL OF US-

Promoting a world survey on board wargaming. Knowing the current health of our hobby, possibly monitoring it every 5 years, would be an important tool to understand where we are now, where we are going and if things are changing for better..or for worse. All of us should contribute to such a survey. Publishers, blogs, magazines, gamers should promote it and give their contribution to make it the first real world survey on board wargaming. This way we could have a clearer idea on how many we are and who we are, where board wargames are played the most and what kind of games and mechanics are most popular (publishers could use this information for marketing and for the development of their future games as well). The survey would last several months and all the people supporting it could use a logo made on purpose to be used on social media, on the internet in general, at conventions and in the stores too. The whole thing could have the scientific support of the statistics department of a university (or even be the thesis for a student) since the survey and its results should be put together, analyzed and interpreted with the help of competent people. It wouldn't be really that complicated nor expensive, and with the help of everybody it could really work out. Who's willing to volunteer?