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Welcome to the world of wargaming. I am so glad that you have decided to join the community. Wargaming is a wonderful hobby and even a wonderful lifestyle, and I am sure that you will be able to find many truly great experiences and friendships within it.
But I want to give you a few words of advice as you start your journey into wargaming.
My Bona Fides
So you know who this is coming from, I have been playing wargames now for more almost thirty five years, starting when I was ten and I found a copy of Wargames Illustrated. It was full of pictures of amazing models and, more importantly, it had the complete rules for playing a Vietnam skirmish game. The rules were all of two pages–easy enough for a ten year old to understand–and I dove in.
I am old enough that I first started playing Warhammer 40k in 1st Edition. I bought a copy of Battle Masters, the kids introduction into Warhammer Fantasy Battles. There was a hardback book about historical wargaming that I checked out of the library over and over and over until I had it memorized.
Over the years I have played everything from historicals using little wooden cubes as pieces to 6mm metal miniatures to the 56mm Inquisitor models to everything in between. I have bought and sold more armies than I care to admit.
And, of course, I have this website dedicated to miniature wargaming.
So, I’ve been around the block in wargaming, and I have a few words of warning.
1. Enjoy All the Pro Painters’ Content, But Don’t Get Frustrated By It
I follow so many miniature painters on YouTube, and I follow even more on Instagram. You would think that, after having watched these mini painters’ tutorials for years and years that I would be a pretty good painter. And, I’m better than I was thirty five years ago, but I’m only competent at best.
But you know what? That’s okay. The biggest thing to remember when watching these pro painters is to realize that they are literally pro painters. When you watch painters like Miniac or Ninjon you have to realize that painting miniatures is their job. It’s what they do full time. Of course they’re going to be really good. You don’t have to hold yourself to their standard. It’s okay.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t embrace painting as a hobby. I have been participating in the Hobby Streak for more than 500 days now (the Hobby Streak is where you paint for at least 30 minutes every day and post a picture online) so I am definitely deep into painting. And I’ve done some things that I’m really proud of. But I also am never going to win an award. And I’m fine with that.
If you want to win awards, then by all means dive in headfirst and do everything that you can to get yourself to that level. It’s certainly something that some people love deeply about the wargaming hobby. I’m just saying that if you’re just starting out, don’t compare yourself to Sam Lenz or Vince Ventruella and despair because you’re not as good as them. Just enjoy yourself.
2. The Community Is Great… If You Know Where to Look
I wish that I could point to a certain list or group where people are great and you’ll be welcomed and accepted, but the truth is that you’re just going to have to feel this out for yourself. There are people in Facebook groups who are wonderful, and there are people in wargaming Facebook groups who are literal racists and Nazis. The same goes for wargaming Twitter: lots of wonderful people, and lots of people who are just trolls.
So be discerning. My main advice is this: find a YouTuber or Twitch streamer you like–not because they’re a great painter but because they seem like a genuinely good person–and subscribe to their Patreon so you can join their Discord server. There are a LOT of awful Discord servers, but there are some–usually from the smaller YouTubers–that are genuinely wonderful.
Which leads me to #3.
3. Watch Out For Extremists and Gatekeepers
Wargaming is full of extremists and gatekeepers, and they’re toxic and they can suck the fun of the hobby out of you if you fall down their rabbit holes. Here are a few things to watch out for:
Alarmist YouTubers: Anyone on YouTube who is declaring that THIS IS DEAD or THAT IS RUINED are probably just stirring the pot for views. I admit that I watch some of these videos and that there are some good people who make some of them. But as a rule of thumb, steer clear of anyone who obviously has an axe to grind. There are legitimate problems in wargaming sometimes, problems that need to be called out, but when you see the same person going back to the same well over and over and over, it’s probably time to find someone else to watch.
Gatekeepers: There are a lot of people who want to keep a certain kind of people out of the hobby, and you as a new wargamer are going to be fresh meat for them. If they perceive you as too woke or liberal or ethnic or anything like that, you’re going to have a target on your back. And, on the other hand, there are also gatekeepers who could care less about politics but are the so-called “rivet counters”, the people who will mock you if you get the color of your Prussian Napoleonic’s ammo pouch the wrong color. There are gatekeepers in every genre of wargaming.
But here’s the thing about gatekeeping in wargames. They can’t do a single thing to actually keep you out. You buy the rules and the models, and you can play the game any way that you want to play the game. The most they can do is point their fingers and mock, but the secret is: the gatekeepers are a dying breed. They are in the vast, vast minority. They may be vocal, but generally when the wargaming community sees a gatekeeper, it is the gatekeeper who is ostracized. So, play fast and loose with the Block button and it really isn’t hard to ignore the haters. They’ll keep shouting hate into their echo chambers, but you don’t have to listen, and they can’t do a damn thing to make you.
4. There is No “One True Game”
There’s no denying that the biggest game on the block is Warhammer 40k. Games Workshop is the only multi-billion dollar wargaming company. So odds are good that you either got started in Warhammer, or you’ll eventually play Warhammer, or, at the very least, you’re going to see a lot of Warhammer being played.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. I love Warhammer. It’s great fun to paint, play and read about. I talk about Warhammer on this website more than any other game.
But there are a lot more games out there, and there are a LOT of people who play those other games. I mean, take Historicon, a wargaming convention that is just around the corner. It’s nothing but historical wargaming, and it draws thousands of people. The same thing can be said about Salute, and the masses of games being played at Adepticon and GenCon and a dozen other wargaming conventions.
Personally, I’m a big fan of Bolt Action, a game from Warlord Games, 28mm WWII. I love it and own more Bolt Action than any other game, even Warhammer. But I also love Marvel Crisis Protocol and A Song of Ice and Fire and Star Wars Legion and Infinity and Malifaux–and that’s to say nothing about the rulesets that don’t have dedicated miniature lines, like Silver Bayonet and Sludge War and Reign in Hell and a thousand historical rulesets.
Don’t feel like you HAVE TO play anything. While it is true that you will probably start by playing the games that your friends are playing, or whatever game your Friendly Local Game Store is playing, you can also start playing anything you want. Most games, for very good reason, have 2-player starter sets so you can buy one box and have enough models to play a full game.
And remember: I got my start playing a two-page ruleset from Wargames Illustrated, using little green army men in my garage–solo, because I had no one to play against. That’s totally something that people do. There are a LOT of games that have solo rules.
Play whatever you want.
5. You Don’t Have to Play Competitively (But You Can)
I have been playing wargames for thirty five years and I have been to exactly one (1) tournament. And I didn’t like it. I love playing. I love winning. But I play for the good time I have with my friends, not because I’m a rules lawyer who obsesses over racking up the victories.
If you want to get into wargaming competitively, do it! A lot of people love it and go on tournament circuits. If that’s you, then dive in. It’s not me, and the truth is that it’s not a lot of people. A recent poll run by Miniwargaming showed that only 30% of wargamers’ primary reason for being in the hobby was to play the game. 30%! A lot of people just love painting and lore and hanging out with their friends.
6. Just Have Fun
Wargaming is fun. Whatever your passion is, find it and do it. And that probably means that you’ll experiment with a lot of different games and a lot of different styles of play and even different groups of wargaming friends. Look around. See what you like.
