Wargaming and the 'cult of prettiness': Some thoughts and questions

The comment made by John Treadaway as an aside to the review of the Fourth Portable Wargame Compendium that was published in the August issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES really got under my skin ... and what follows are some thoughts about what I think of as the cult of prettiness' in wargaming.

First, some personal history …

I bought my first metal wargame figures (20mm Crimean War infantry and cavalry) from Hinton Hunt in 1968. I painted them with the only model paints that were available to me back then ... Humbrol gloss enamel paint! To be honest, they were pretty awful ... but I still have them although they now live in storage.

My next figures were Miniature Figurine Prussian Napoleonic infantry, and these were painted with Humbrol matt enamel paint ... and were far more presentable (I had developed some skill with a paintbrush by then!). In fact, I am still using them although they have now been given a coat of gloss varnish to protect them from damage.

All these figures had bases that were painted green and the Hinton Hunt figures were glued to balsa wood unit bases. My rules were based on those written by Donald Featherstone (WAR GAMES) and Brigadier Peter Young and Colonel James Lawford (CHARGE!) although over time I did buy other rule books … which were almost universally produced in small batches and sold with simple card covers. If they had illustrations, these card-covered rule books had line drawings – possibly including one on the cover – and diagrams.

The first wargame magazine I bought was MINIATURE WARFARE … and after the first few issues, that had some colour printed on the cover but only ever included monochrome photographs.

The cover of the third issue of MINIATURE WARFARE (April 1968).

It was not until the late Duncan MacFarlane edited and published the first issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES in 1983 that colour photographs became the norm in wargame magazines … and from that day onward, I feel that the invidious 'cult of prettiness' began to creep into the hobby.

The cover of the first issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES (March 1983).

Some people in the hobby seemed very keen to get photographs of their figures and terrain – often on display at shows around the country – published in magazines … and I in no way condemn this as I enjoy seeing other people’s wargame stuff in use. However, over time this appeared to have a deleterious effect on some of the wargames one saw at shows, with more and more seemingly becoming dioramas on which figures occasionally moved. Alongside them were other games that were played on simpler terrain and simple rules, and these often attracted participants rather than spectators.

I well remember attending a major wargame show in London twenty years ago (It was SALUTE!) and overhearing members of the ‘best in show’ judging team say – as they passed the participation game I was running – that my game was all right for a club night, but really wasn’t what they wanted to see at such a prestigious wargame show. The game attracted over thirty players during the course of the day; the ‘best in show’ had no participants as it was classed as a demonstration wargame (i.e. members of the club staging the game were the only people allowed to take part)

I therefore pose the following question … which of these two games generated more fun and enjoyment? I leave the answer up to you, the reader of this blog post.

Now, regular blog readers will know that I follow the BUDGET MODEL RAILWAYS channel on YouTube. Its creator is an ex-wargamer who now builds model railways as cheaply as he can, and several times he has said something about railway modelling that is equally applicable to our hobby. He has identified a trend among some railway modellers to collect locomotives, rolling stock, buildings etc., for a grand project that they plan to undertake when they retire … and that they never manage to achieve. He advocates building and using small layouts – some of which are capable of expansion at a later date – rather than waiting until you’ve got time to build your grand project.

Isn’t there a similar phenomenon in wargaming? How many wargamers plan for years to fight some massive battles using beautifully painted figures on sculpted terrain in their dedicated wargame room … and never actually manage it? It’s a wonderful dream … but that dream can easily become a nightmare that absorbs large amounts of time and money. Wouldn’t it be better for them to spend that time and money fighting smaller wargames and having fun?

There are some wargamers who do achieve their ambition to build up large collections of beautifully painted figures that they can use on wonderful terrain in their wargame room … but I wonder if the 'cult of prettiness' has rather given the impression to many wargamers that this is THE ideal they should be aiming for? If so, is that actually putting some of them off the hobby?

Again, I leave the answers up to you, dear blog reader.

When I look at the list of wargame blogs that I follow, I am struck by several thoughts. Firstly, that the hobby is a wide church and has room for a wide spectrum of wargamers, ranging from people who wargame with superb figures on magnificent terrain to those who use homemade cardboard counters or wooden blocks on a hand-drawn terrain map. Secondly, that a fun but scruffy-looking wargame that uses simple rules will always be preferable to a pretty-looking wargame that is tedious and/or boring to take part in. Thirdly, that some wargamers need to be a bit more realistic in their aspirations and fight wargames that they have the time and finances to achieve and not to aim for the unattainable.

Interestingly, there is one sector of the hobby where I've seen players having lots of fun using small numbers of well-painted figures on excellent terrain ... and in this instance, I'm not referring to those wargamers who are using THE PORTABLE WARGAME, ONE-HOUR WARGAME, or DOMINION OF ... , DE BELLIS ANTIQUITATIS, or  HORDES OF THE THINGS rules!

The wargamers I am thinking about are those who are fighting skirmish-level battles and Fantasy/Science Fiction/Role-Play games. Until recently, I never seriously looked at these sorts of games, but joining a local games club made me reassess my attitude to them ... and I realised that I had – through my ignorance and some degree of historical wargaming snobbery – been misjudging this style of games.

So, has the 'cult of prettiness' gone some way toward creating an ideal within the hobby that is actually counter-productive to its long-term viability ... and is there a significant movement within the hobby that is moderating or ignoring its influence?

Finally, I leave the answer to that question up to my regular blog readers.