Is the Hobby Just Too Old?

Phil Dutre' has written a nice post concerning the ability to recruit new players into the miniature wargaming hobby. It follows that without new players the hobby will eventually disappear. I encourage you to check it out in his blog here Tiny Tin Men. He has a hopeful attitude and encourages other players to feel the same. I would like to hear what any of you think of this issue. Is the hobby 'greying' or has it got room to grow?

I'm personally worried a bit. I don't think the hobby will disappear completely. I expect it to change to meet the expectations of new players. But change does not always translate into improvement. It is already at a point where hex-n-counter games have almost disappeared completely. And I've seen some excellent games fade away.

Take for example Steve Jackson Games. Ogre and Car Wars were both excellent game systems. Fortunately, SJG was able to reprint them with Kickstarter campaigns. But, are they catching on like they did when the games were originally produced. I have fond memories of my teenage years when my buddies and I would stay up until dawn playing Car Wars, Advanced D&D, or Star Fleet Battles. Kids don't seem to do that anymore. The new versions of these games look much different. They have fewer look-up tables, glossier and shorter rulebooks, overly decorated maps, stat cards and proprietary dice.

I am personally going to try to recruit some of my nieces to play Battlesworn and I mentioned my plans in a previous post. Looks like some of them are visiting grandparents for the summer so this project may get pushed up in my priority list.

I'd like to hear your thoughts about the state of the hobby.

Comments

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The Painted Thumb

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