An actual question I think I should ask more often: what do you game for?

Fun? Friends? Fidelity? Function?

…I’m out of Fs.

This question is one I keep asking myself, even. What do I game for? In my ideal world, I game to find new and interesting rulesets, of which there are almost too many. In reality, I game to play with friends and paint miniatures I like, with rules being a secondary focus.

That realization somewhat surprises me.

See, I value rule sets like Chain of Command, which are genuinely interesting to break down and try to understand. In reality, though, I spend plenty of time playing games like Warhammer: Horus Heresy or Lion Rampant, which aren’t especially unique or interesting on the surface. I just wanted an excuse to paint some medieval knights or pretty blue Space Marines in a format where I could get a game with my friends.

The value of playing games with people is important as well. The friendships I’ve made through wargames are (hopefully) life long. Some of my best friends are people I’ve met through wargaming. My entire social schedule pretty much revolves around wargaming.

I do read a lot of rulesets—no denying that. I love finding interesting rules and there have been many evenings where my poor wife has had to sit through me pausing every five minutes as I read a ruleset to tell her why a mechanic grabs my attention.

It’s not entirely important, I suppose. I love my hobby and enjoy living it. It’s given me a job, friends, and a way to cope with the stresses of life writ large. Wargaming has been one of the most important aspects of my life to date and I’m happy to say it’s been incredibly positive for me.

Anyway, this line of thought was brought on by the Great Wargaming Survey—which I recommend anyone take before August 31st, 2023. It’s great to think about the “Whys” and “Whats” of our hobbying and having data sets out there tracking our habits. It’ll likely help produce vital research for some poor desperate PhD candidate somewhere down the line.

Here’s the link: https://gws2023.paperform.co/