Wargaming Inspiration

In a promised second half to the Looking to Media for Inspiration post, today I examination the more general survey question, of What Inspires You the Most?

WSS' 2024 Great Wargaming Survey included two questions on gaming motivation and inspiration. One question asked about a gamer’s primary source for inspiration.  The other question focused on media and its influence.  The previous post linked to above addressed the second question.  Today, I examine primary source of wargaming inspiration.

Primary Wargaming Inspiration

Respondents could select up to three primary inspirational sources from a list of choices.  Some respondents included only a single choice while most included up to the maximum number of three choices.  Looking at only the top choice, Figure 1 shows that My gaming friends was the top choice for inspiration when all responses were aggregated.  The choice of A text about an historical event came up a close second.  After the top two responses, a gap emerges, and the remaining response counts trail off quickly. 

Figure 1

Graphically, the Top Choice is illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Does this picture change if the Top 3 choices from each response are aggregated?  No.  Well, not much.

Figure 3 shows that the top two choices remain the same as before.  The exception is that the ranking may change slightly in the other choices but the relative order of the front, middle, and back of the pack remain about the same.  Notice that the gap between the Top 2 choices has diminished from that seen in Figure 2. 

Figure 3

Figure 4

When looking at the ranking of the aggregated Top 3 choices in Figure 3, notice that manufacturers' offerings filter down toward the bottom of sources for inspiration.  Kickstarters find themselves near the bottom as well.  What does this result suggest?

While My gaming friends rises to the top in both rankings, I wonder whether a game or show ought to be included in the survey next time this question is asked?  Seeing or playing in a well-presented game can offer inspiration as can attending a wargame show.

Inspiration by Age Group

If these data are examined with a focus on age cohort alone, are there any meaningful tendencies emerging from these results?  That is, does age group drive or influence inspiration?  Figure 5 illustrates these aggregated results by breaking the results out by Age Group.

Figure 5

Does Figure 5 bring forward any age-related tendences with respect to inspiration?

Yes, it does.

As demonstrated in a number of past analyses, younger gamers tend toward fantasy and sci-fi gaming while older gamers gravitate toward historicals.  For the younger cohorts, that result still holds in this survey question.  These younger cohorts find inspiration in reading about fictional events more so than do the older cohorts.  Interestingly, these same younger cohorts find inspiration in reading about historical events as well.  Another interesting result of looking at the question by age group is that watching movies or TV shows offers consistently less wargaming inspiration as one advances in years. 

Confirming the finding from primary inspiration analysis, manufacturers’ advertisements and well-presented kickstarters provide little inspiration for the masses regardless of age group.  An interesting twist to manufacturers' efforts to connect with wargamers is that a manufacturers' website or newsletter offers a small but increasing inspiration as age increases.

Looking at the graphics above, do any of these results stand out to you?  Do these results reflect your tendencies for wargaming inspiration?  From which of these sources do you draw inspiration?  Are there sources of inspiration not included in the current survey? 

From where do I draw inspiration for wargaming?  While inspiration for my wargaming projects and activities continues to evolve, my Top 3 today are:

• My gaming friends
• Getting in a game or painting
• Following others' gaming activities through their blogs

What about you?

The Dirty Dozen

Actually, the very dirty fourteen!

Being knocked back from illness the last week and having to wipe away a couple of games from this week's schedule, I am surprised at how much more I feel motivated to paint.  The absence of any games to plan, host, and write-up, has given me more time to think about activities at the workbench.  More accomplished than simply thinking about painting activities.  I have gotten down to business with a few meaningful painting sessions as my recovery allows.  I even managed to stick together a dozen Perry WotR mounted men-at-arms.  Glad I don't need to field masses of these mounted horsemen.  Short bursts may be all I can muster, for now, but good progress is made on a number of projects.    

Off the painting desk today is the first of two bodies of Hittite spearmen.  Figures are mostly Wargames Foundry with an odd Newline Designs' figure tossed in for good measure. 

These fellas look a bit dirtier and more campaign-worn than usual.  I may have applied the stain a touch too liberally this time or may not have wiped away quite enough.  Anyway, these dirty warriors join the ranks of the Hittite Army.

For now, back to the painting desk.

A Little Bump in the Road

Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment on the previous GWS analysis.  The post saw a lot of good commentary on the topic of media sources for inspiration.  The post even saw some activity on the Lead Adventurers' Forum.  A related analysis is in work which takes a look at what inspires us most.  Hopefully, the next survey iteration with garner an equally robust discussion.

The week began on a sunny and hot note.  Cycling mileage picked up and I looked forward to a game on Monday.  With illness swirling all around, I thought I possibly had dodged this latest bullet shot my way.  It was not to be.  I was struck down on Sunday.  By Monday, I felt even worse and reluctantly cancelled the scheduled remote game.  Sitting here at the keyboard on Tuesday morning, I see no light at the end of the tunnel yet.  Hopefully, my situation improves enough to host a planned game on Thursday.   

Until then, I manage to muster just enough strength for short painting sessions.  For variety and to empty a few bins having just enough figures to form a unit, several units, for projects not seen in a long time, are in work.  Today, though, out from the painting desk is a regiment of Spanish cavalry for the often expanding SYW/WAS project.  These troopers march out as the Granada Cavalry Regiment.  Figures are Eureka Miniatures.

What is next off the painting desk?  Stay tuned!

Looking to Media for Inspiration

Wargamers take inspiration from a variety of sources. Media can play a big role in driving motivation toward a new project, a new game, or even hitting the painting desk.  While friends provide some of this spark, media grabs attention with the ability to direct and multiply efforts in somewhat of a herding instinct.  That is how trends develop.  Wherever this inspiration is found, new or renewed life can be brought to a project.

The 2024 Great Wargaming Survey offered two questions related to wargaming inspiration.  One question asked about a gamer’s primary source for inspiration. The second question focused on media and its influence.  This post takes a look at the latter question by examining which media provides the biggest draw of inspiration.

Today's question asked, 

Through which medium do you get your inspiration? 

Top Media Sources

Respondents could select up to three choices of media influencers.  Results were aggregated to the top responses.  Final counts are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

YouTube and other online video take the top media source garnering over 25% of total responses.  Printed media takes the second spot in the ranking.  These top 2 sources claim over 46% of total responses.  Looking at the graphic below in Figure 2, three main tiers of interest appear.  Video and printed material make up the first tier, Film/TV and social media comprise the second tier, while blogs, podcasts and other digital media make up the third tier.

Figure 2

I last examined media sources in the 2021 survey.  Have preferences changed in the intervening three years?  Yes!  Figure 3 illustrates that video leaped over 2021's top choice of printed material to capture the top spot.  Will online video continue to grab more of the "media as a source" market?  Digitial books/magazines and audio books continue to see loss of influence.  Will this tendency continue?

Figure 3

Media Source by Age Group
As each analysis rolls out from my keyboard, a consistent theme suggests that a respondent's age really does matter in how the hobby is experienced.  Does age play a role in choice of preferred media apply here too?

When examining the results as a percentage of Age Group by Media Source, books and magazines (whether digital or print) are favored by the 51-and-over groups. For the 40-and-under age groups, they prefer to either watch or listen to their media content.  Interesting that the 31-40 age group is the most likely to prefer audio books with audio books capturing over 35% of this group's media content.  See Figure 4 for details.

Figure 4

Turning Figure 4 on its head by transposing the axes produces the graphic presented in Figure 5.  Now we look at Media Source by Age Group.  Two distinctive patterns of media consumption surface when the data are examined with this spin.

Figure 5

Looking at Figure 5, YouTube and online video consumption declines monotonically as age increases while printed media (books and magazine) usage increases directly as age increases.  Highlighting generational differences in a sign of the times, this result is not surprising.  While intuition suggests that this tendency would pan out, to see these results graphically confirmed in analysis is comforting, well at least to the analyst.  

Do these media source and age group tendencies hold for my preferences?  Close but not quite. My top 3 media sources for wargaming inspiration are,

1. A Blog
2. Printed book or magazine
3. Digital book or magazine

I derive much more inspiration from blogs than the aggregated survey statistics suggest. Perhaps my perspective is biased since blogging is my main form of broadcasting my hobby activities?

How about you?

What are your Top 3 media sources for wargaming inspiration and do these results mirror your age cohort?

Next Up, Mortimer's Cross

With three days of gaming on others' tables last week, time to bring the action back to my own table.

Since the WotR collection is still out after a handful of Solden Hill games, I decided to drum up a historical battle for the next game.  After some exploration, I settled upon the 1461 Battle of Mortimer's Cross. 

Still working on the details of the scenario but the table is set to help inspire completion of the Battle Briefing.

First game is slated for Monday.  Note that battlefield is back to a hex grid as opposed to the open table as seen in the last game.  Hope to muster six players.

Assyrians and a Pair of Games

In between pushing out additions to the 18mm SYW/WAS collection, I try to plug in a 25mm Biblical unit or two to break up the process and stick in some variety.  Today's offering is one such distraction.

Out from the painting desk today is a twelve-figure unit of Assyrian Auxiliary foot.  Figures are Wargames Foundry.  These dirty and seasoned hard campaigners are ready for service once gaming returns to Biblicals.  Hittite reinforcements are not far behind.

Besides the five-game series on Monday refighting Cunaxa, two more gaming sessions were logged into the Games Played book this week.  Tuesday saw Matt and I battle over the Brandywine battlefield (see Battle of Brandywine Part 2).  On Thursday, I joined Tony (Prometheus in Aspic) in a five player, WSS battle he hosted remotely.  This may have been the first multi-player remote game that Tony has hosted.  He took on the task with confidence and the game progressed with ease.  Great job, Tony!  Oh, by the way, Mark and I came out on top in this clash with a score of 11-3.  Decisive victory!

Tony's BatRep can be found at, WSS Action at Damebrunnen.  Great fun to actually get to play with these fellas rather than hosting.

Battles and Brats

Monday was a holiday.  Given an opening in schedules, Scott invited Kevin and I to Coeur d'Alene for a gaming session and BBQ lunch.  Kevin and I cheerfully accepted!

In the Cunaxa scenario, the first army to score six banners wins.  The table was laid out according to the GB14 scenario.  Cunaxa is the SoA's Battle Day for 2026.  We are getting an early start.

When we descended into Scott's game room, we were greeted by the sight of the Battle of Cunaxa in 28mm.  While I have seen some of Scott's Persians before, this was the first time to study his chariot-work firsthand.  Beautiful models as the lead photo illustrates.

Including a lunch break of grilled bratwursts and all of the trimmings, the three of us managed to complete five games in about four hours.

The results of the five-game series were:

Game #1: Cyrus (Jon) defeats Artaxerxes (Kevin) 6-4.

Game #2: Artaxerxes (Scott) defeats Cyrus (Kevin) 6-1.

Game #3: Artaxerxes (Jon) defeats Cyrus (Kevin) 6-4.

Game #4: Cyrus (Scott) defeats Artaxerxes (Jon) 6-4.

Game #5: Cyrus (Scott) defeats Artaxerxes (Kevin) 6-0.

Cyrus won three of the five battles.  Scott came away the big winner on the day (as usual!) going 3-0 while I managed a respectable 2-1.  Kevin, however, could not see his way to victory and fell 0-4! 

Persian chariots attacking the Greek line

Great day out!  Hopefully, we can return to the table and Cunaxa again soon.