Differences may exist since the way in which the survey captured responses to the question of preferred wargaming period(s) changed. The 2020 survey allowed respondents to rank all choices. The 2022 survey allowed, at most, three choices in the ranking. To investigate the overall popularity of a wargaming period, up to three choices per respondent are aggregated across all responses. The results are shown in Figure 1.
What the survey shows is that World War 2 is the top wargaming period across all respondents with the rank order of the top 5 as,
 |
| Figure 1 |
- World War 2
- Science Fiction (excl WH40k)
- Fantasy (excl. WH40k/Age of Sigmar)
- Warhammer 40k
- Napoleonics
In the 2020 survey, we saw that the Top 5 periods were,
- World War 2
- Fantasy (excl. WH40k/Age of Sigmar)
- Science Fiction (excl WH40k)
- Warhammer 40k
- Ancients
Still, the results really did not change. Again, WW2 comes in at the top spot in the survey with non-historicals dominating ranks 2-4. The top 4 remain the same in 2022 as in 2020 with place changes as noted. Science Fiction swapped places with Fantasy in the 2022 survey while Napoleonics edged out Ancients for (5) spot. Of course, aggregating across five places rather than three could make some difference in rank order.
Can any useful inferences be made by examining period preference by a few select attributes?
Age Group
Primary Interest
One noticeable tendency when looking at Primary Interest is that wargamers considering themselves neither primarily historical nor non-historical are satisfied in playing almost any period. These typically "Mixed" wargamers make up between 40-60% of each period.
From Figure 2, primarily historical wargamers tend to stick to historical periods and primarily non-historical gamers tend to remain with non-historical periods. The two do not often mix in large numbers.
 |
| Figure 2 |
As has been reported in other analyses, period preference tends to be dependent upon age. Here again (see Figure 3), there is a clear demarcation between historical and non-historical wargamers. Historical periods tend to see heavy interest by older wargamers (51+) while non-historical periods are the realm of younger age cohorts. American Civil War, Pike & Shot, 18th Century, and Colonial Wars are especially favorites of the 61+ group.
In between these contrasting swings in preference, WW2, Ancients, Medievals, and Dark Ages tend to see interest from all age groups.
 |
| Figure 3 |
Group Size
Looking at Group Size and Period Preference (see Figure 4) produces an interesting result. Historical wargamers are more likely to game solo than are their non-historical counterparts. For all periods, about 60% of all respondents game in a group of four or fewer players. Notice that wargamers having a preference for the American Civil War are more likely to game solo (18.6%) than any other group. Why do historical gamers gravitate toward solo play more than their non-historical counterparts and why especially ACW wargamers?
 |
| Figure 4 |
From survey results, 25mm-32mm figures dominate the non-historical periods (see Figure 5). Periods often considered well-suited for skirmish gaming (Old West, Pulp, Age of Sail/Pirates, Colonials) are also dominated by these figure sizes.
While 25mm-32mm figures garner at least half of the market share in all historical periods, 15mm and smaller figures still maintain a solid foothold in these historical periods. For historical periods, 15mm commands the under 25mm figure size.
 |
| Figure 5 |
Other attributes may affect period preference including the type and size of game enjoyed. Does any particular result stand out from the reader's perspective?
Just on the solo ACW gamer issue: I wonder if collecting two sides is ideal for the solo gamer, whereas groups benefit from having a larger number of factions and each group member can collect 1, but play against at least 1 or more of the others?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback!
DeleteOn solo gaming in general, collecting both sides of a conflict is necessary. Even though ACW featured big battles, there are only two armies to collect, paint, and field. This situation seems well-suited to the solo gamer. I figured the more esoteric the conflict, the more likely collecting both sides would come into play. Notice that Colonial Wars and WW1 have a large percentage of solo gamers too.
I don't think there is anything very striking or unexpected here Jon....perhaps a surprise to some readers (American more so I would imagine) is the relatively low ranking of ACW.....if you looked at blogs and conventions for guidance, you might assume it would be in the top five! The stickability of 15mm and smaller in historical may be linked to the age of those playing large, historical games....likely to be older and hence own large collections created in the eighties and nineties, when it seemed for a while that 15mm would replace 20 and 25mm as the primary wargaming "scale" (20mm was pushed well into a distant third place, compared with where it had been in the sixties and seventies)
ReplyDeleteInteresting reading as akways....it seems to confirm a lot if what you have gleaned from previous analysis of the survey data....older gamers like larger battles of primarily historical, younger players prefer larger scale, smaller figure count sci fi or fantasy skirmishes...and there is a significant number of people in the middle, who do a bit of almost everything, in a variety of scares and era's....which is great!
Keith, we have been looking at these survey data results for several years now. Seeing consistent results year after year, to me, lends credibility and validation to the survey itself. Do you suppose this consistency leads mundane and uninteresting results?
DeleteACW is an interesting conflict to highlight. While I see a number of blogs in both USA and UK regularly featuring ACW games, UK show reports seem not as likely to feature ACW demos as other periods. Perhaps this appearance of disinterest in ACW gaming is a sign of the times?
Notice that among primarily historical gamers (see Primary Interest graph), ACW is the second most popular only behind 18th Century.
Thanks for your insights and thoughts on this topic! You sum it up all very well.
Looks what might be expected. Some of it is intangible in terms of understanding. "20th century, excluding WW1/WW2" presumably combines interwar years and also post WW2. This presumably accounts for why its more popular than Colonial, which I wouldn't have guessed at. I expect 20mm plastics will be well up the chart next year, seeing as you have now broken your duck in that area.
ReplyDeleteYes, as Keith notes in his comment above, nothing too revolutionary in these results. From my perspective, the results work toward validating the survey by providing consistency over several years of surveys. It helps that results align with our collective intuitions and reasonableness.
DeleteOn Colonial Wars popularity (or lack thereof), I wonder if this is another sign of the times? In the Old Days, colonial gaming was commonplace at both conventions and at home games. I still get in the occasional colonial game but those days seem long gone as are some of my colonial wars' collections.
"Broken your duck" is another idiom I had not heard before. I had to look it up to discover its meaning.
Re the final comment...hardly surprising, given its a cricketing term and only about eight countries in the world know anything about the game!
DeleteKeith, I have learned a number of strange sounding idioms over the last two years of remote gaming.
DeleteA couple of comments: for me, solo wargaming happened initially for logistical/time commitment reasons. It’s a habit I haven’t really broken now there is less time pressure with kids growing older.
ReplyDeleteA factor I’ve not seen/noticed in any analyses is the location of the participant. Does a very large % of responses come from the Anglosphere? Do gamers from, e.g. Continental Europe, exhibit different preferences in terms of periods, historical/non-historical, scale, figures/board games? I’d imagine if I were French I’d be more inclined to say late 17th century or Napoleonics than my British confreres.
Chris/Nundanket
Hi Chris!
DeleteYes, the "Anglosphere" dominates the survey responses typically having more than 80% of total counts. continental Europe gamers tend toward a younger group so as we would expect, non-historicals seem to be more popular.
What is interesting in a location breakdown is how USA/Canada period preferences differ from UK/Ireland period preferences. For a number of historical periods, a tendency toward national involvement or tribalism is seen.
I may touch on location another time.
I for one would find it interesting to see what difference location makes to a gamers interest. This side of the pond we are used to what we game and see at shows. On the odd occasion I see reports from conventions your side of the pond, there does appear to be a marked difference.
DeleteThanks for an upvote for interest in a look at location. I will pull that analysis together. You can validate results from your experiences. The resulting breakdown by location is interesting.
DeleteThe survey was similar to earlier versions and showed similar trends. Chris 's thought of tracking national trends is an interesting thought. As for this 70 plus year old WW2 and Nappy player, 4 around the table sounds best, I think colonial gaming is going through a lot of culture change and will struggle with the movie level treatment of non European forces.
ReplyDeleteJoe, while I am still a few years behind you in age, we have similar thoughts on the hobby. Thanks for weighing in on this topic!
DeleteJonathan, if I ever conquer this speech to text software I might have more input. And then as the general said in the initial British briefing, "and mightily bored they'll be. "
DeleteHi Jonathan, just a couple of thoughts, some that will chime with what has already been said.
ReplyDeleteRe ACW, is it the case that this is more likely to be an American interest in the first place and that America does not really have the ‘club’ environment that Europe has, so the tendency becomes to game at home either solo or with friends and perhaps population patterns might mean that solo is significant. In the UK, we would get a nosebleed if we had to travel more than 5 - 7 miles to meet up for a game! :-) We seem to be happy doing a 200 - 250 mile round trip for a game show …. Before passing out!
Re WWII, I see three generations or waves, those brought up on Airfix with 20mm collections that became too big (and lovely) to put to one side, the next generation that got drawn into the 15mm thing and then finally a newer group to WWII, seeing the appeal of Bolt Action primarily, which has a symbiotic relationship with 28mm …. The Warlord Game’s gamers! I.e. does WWII keep getting a boost of enthusiasm in a sort of ‘wave’ way that adds to the present lot of enthusiasts.
It would be an interesting question to pose how much influence Bolt Action and Black Powder have had on recruitment into the WWII and napoleonic camps - judging by blogs, everyone seems to do napoleonics on 40x40 bases, 4 figures to the base time 6 bases, which is very Black Powder.
I am guessing that say 3 - 4 years of stats is not going to shift that much one year to the next and that a better ‘average’ might come from combining the last 3 years into one set of stats - I’m not a stats person, so I don’t know whether mathematically that would smooth or distort the outcome …. I am savvy enough to know that that would be a ton of work … time better spent wargaming :-)
As always, thanks for the work put into these stats and making us stop and see the hobby from a different aspect every now and then. There are indeed many bricks in the wall.
Good thoughts, Norm!
DeleteOn ACW, survey results suggest that US gamers are much more interested in ACW than UK gamers. The margin is significant. Similarly, UK gamers are much more likely to prefer Ancients/Dark Ages/Medievals and Pike & Shot than their American cousins.
On WWII, I came into the hobby when all I saw were 20mm and microarmor in the magazines of the mid-70s. I have gamed WWII in 6mm through 28mm and all have something different to offer. Are these waves? I guess we will know if they begin to repeat.
Given that half of the respondents each year say they did not complete the survey before, I am surprised at how stable the results tend to be. Lumping years together to add stability or smooth the results is not needed. I may conduct more time series analysis but the way in which data are collected from year to year varies so that direct comparisons are sometimes challenging.
Excellent insights. Thank you!
Norm makes a good point re: Warlord Games rules and the effects that they may have had on the hobby. I can remember when they first started out and popped along to out local show to publicise what they were about. If the survey had been done around that time, I imagine that Flames of War and 15mm would have been the 'Big Thing', as it certainly re-invigorated WWII wargaming and the 15mm scene. Peter Pig were certainly happy about it as it really did increase their sales!
DeleteSteve, are we such a fickle lot in that the latest and (perceived) greatest distract us from which we are already happy and content? I see an explosion in WotR interest, I reckon due (in part) to Never Mind the Billhooks. Other examples abound.
DeleteThis is a rhetorical question...
First, thank you for your analysis. I always enjoy reading it, and I should really say so more often,
ReplyDeletePiggybacking off of Norm's comment about Bolt Action/Warlord's 28mm influence, I wonder if ACW is more popular among those who started gaming in the early days of the modern wargaming hobby, when Airfix ACW was among the only readily available options for plastics? (or that's my understanding of how it was at least - lest I make it sound like I'm some young 'un, I'm 50, but my wargaming didn't start until the early 2000s)
It will be interesting to watch as the cohorts age, to see if interests shift or if sci-fi and fantasy follow currently younger players into later years. Judging by the discussions I follow on Twitter in the Warhammer community, many players leave the game as they age due to frustration with Games Workshop, and many do not stay in the hobby at all. If they return, and some seem to, they *still* play Warhammer but with their preferred edition or they use their figures with different rules. My sample size is too small though to know if that will broadly apply.
I have yet to meet a scifi/fantasy gamer who wouldn't play a historical game, but I can't say the same for some historical gamers who look down their nose at fantasy gaming. I suspect then, again, based on my limited sample, that it might be easier to bring non-historical gamers into historical gaming using genres that straddle both. I'm thinking of Weird War II (or Weird War I which is my interest) or The Silver Bayonet (Weird Napoleonics), as examples. They have low figure counts, and just enough historical research to possibly hook someone.
Finally, and selfishly, as someone who prefers 54mm figures, I would be curious as to how figure size preference corresponds to the amount of solitaire gaming one does. I started out as a solitaire gamer due to having an interest in historical gaming over War Machine (which was popular with my coworkers at the time i started wargaming), so period played a role.
However, when I embraced my preference for 54mm figures, it just seemed more enjoyable to do it all on my own (although I have played a 54mm game with another person in the last year). I suspect 2mm gamers and 90mm gamers might be in a similar situation where people don't see the potential of the figure scale.
John, thank you for your interesting and comprehensive comments! Each personal insight adds greatly to the discussion and my feel for both these data and the hobby.
DeleteThe survey data suggests that ACW, big battle games in smaller scales is concentrated among the older age cohorts. It will be very interesting and informative to see how the hobby evolves as each age cohort moves through time.
The hope among historical figure manufacturers is that these non-historical wargamers flip to historicals as they age. There is always talk of the graying and dying of the hobby but I have seen these conversations and handwringing since the 70s. Interesting that you see a one-way street from non-historicals to historicals. Being a historical gamer, only recently did I begin to look at sci-fi miniatures. I know I have interested non-historical gamers in historical gaming without much difficulty.
In a recent analysis on Group Size, I did not investigate the effect on figure size. I ought to go back and take a look at that relationship. Good idea!
Glad to see you enjoy these analytics. Comments like yours make the effort all worthwhile.
The most interesting analysis for me is figure 2 which shows the lack of cross-over between historical and non-historical gamers. As both you and Norm have commented, it does indeed to appear to be a one-way street and science fiction and Warhammer does not interest me, although I would happily join in a Middle Earth fantasy game if it were army-level. As you say, there are a lot of fantasy gamers who I have met who are happy to give WWII or Ancients a go, although less so Napoleonics. Figure 2 though appears not to show this though, and implies that non-historical gamers are equally as unlikely to have an interest in historical games as much as the converse is true. I wonder if it is just the point-in-time effect of the survey.
ReplyDeleteLawrence, keep in mind the seemingly lack of cross-over is between the two groups that consider themselves primarily historical or non-historical wargamers. The group that falls into the "Mixed" class demonstrate that they make up 40-60% of every wargaming period.
DeleteYou are correct in that there does not seem to be much cross-over between primarily historical and primarily non-historical wargaming interests.
Thanks for your comments!
Enjoyed this analysis Jon. Not much to add that hasn't already been said above.
ReplyDeleteJust glad to see that WW2 still takes top spot in the historical gaming slot - means I'm hopefully more likely to find other players in or around my area once I have the time to game again.
Thank you! WWII continues to remain top Dog for now. Clearly, the period has a broad appeal. Hope can find time for a game, Dai.
DeleteI'm a bit surprised that 40K did not score higher; I certainly didn't notice the survey promoted on major 40K commentary sites like Bell of Lost Souls, so it's possible not many of them were aware. Self-selection is a problem in any survey like this, of course.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, as you say, this is not a scientific survey with a randomized sample. Still, this is a good snapshot of the hobby and perhaps the best look peek available.
DeleteWhere would you expect WH40K to fall in the ranking? Remember that WSS is primarily a historical miniatures magazine. I suppose I might be surprised that non-historicals make up such a large percentage of the responses.
Ah, fair enough, makes sense then. If it was a more universal survey, then, I'd expect actual Warhammer to come above "SF/Fantasy that isn't Warhammer." I'll grant that it probably doesn't have the market share that it did before, but I would've expected it to at least still be the go-to Fantasy. Maybe not SF, given the popularity of Star Wars games.
DeleteLooking at actual counts, I suggest there is no significant difference between 4th place WH40K and 3rd place Fantasy.
DeleteMost gratifying to find myself among the rarest of breeds, the "19th century other" gamers. Whether this makes me (and those like me) unique" or "peculiar" would be a matter of perspective, I guess. The farther up the hierarchy you look from, the more the impression would skew to the peculiar--we'll leave out what the perspective is from the basement looking up 🫢
ReplyDelete“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”
DeleteEd, we know what we like and are unlikely swayed by popular opinion.
As always an enlightening read Jon and no real surprises in terms of the results, as they are very similar to previous years, from what I can see. A few points from my perspective:
ReplyDelete- When I used to game at a club, most members played a mix of sci-fi, fantasy and historical. However I did notice that the younger members who played mostly Warhammer/40K, found it hard to cross over to a historical game, as they were not used to 'Big Battles' and commanding Battalions/Regiments etc. Maybe if Bolt Action had been around then, the move across would have been easier as the games played at a similar level, figure counts etc.
- On the number of gamers playing, I feel that here in the UK, generally speaking you can just about squeeze in a 6' x 4' table into the average home and still have room to move around etc. 4 players is a comfortable fit, but more than that would certainly be a squeeze and require a bigger table and consequently more figures for a nice game.
Thanks, Steve! I always appreciate your personal insights on the hobby.
DeletePerhaps the popularity of WWII and its cross-genre appeal stem from the introduction of rules such as Bolt Action and Chain of Command? Giving players a level of command to which they are already familiar may make for a useful stepping stone to other gaming.
You make another interesting point about space and gaming. I wonder if available gaming space is a major limitation to group size? I am sure it must be unless one belongs to a large communal club. Good point! Perhaps along with Group Size, we ought to be asking about Table size as well?
Most of my thoughts have already been expressed but it seems to me that 'fantasy' and "ancient/medieval' make a good crossover point esp since as the early fantasy miniature and rpg games were originallly medieval/ancient gamers first and the similarity of historical and fantasy movies and fiction these days helps blur the boundaries. On the other end, WWII is not only still popular on tv and in Movies etc but also often plays similarly to sci-fi ground combat in media and on the table.
ReplyDeleteI can see the attraction of the ACW in North America, where its cultural presence is pervasive, and the role in political development important, on both sides of the border. I can't help if its one time importance across the ocean was partly do to the interest in it by a few of the mid 20thC leaders of the hobby such as Featherstone and others, and by the avialability of figures in both 54mm and 20mm?
sighhhh I really do need a proof reader...
DeleteRoss, I agree in your conclusion that Ancients/Dark Ages/Medievals make a tempting gateway for cross-genre entry. Looking at the details in Figure 1, Dark Ages/Medievals appear to have the best chance of success in luring fantasy gamers to the historical side.
DeleteNo worries. We all (especially me!) wish there was a way to edit a post after publishing. When responding from my phone, autocorrect makes a mess out of my best laid thoughts.
DeleteWe as a group just don't play Sci fi or fantasy. I just wish more people played historical, whatever period.
ReplyDeleteI do not either but never say never. There are Star Wars Legion figures, newly painted, waiting for a game.
DeleteA fascinating and though provoking post JF and I reread it a few times- as well as the comments. I tend to be in the group that 'plays anything' but I always wonder how surveys like this are a product of the time frame. In the early 1990s WRG Horse and musket was the 'in' set. By the late 1990s everyone I knew was playing Fire and Fury- ACW was the rage- if they weren't playing DBA or a variant. In the last 20 or so years , there is no doubt that rulesets play a significant role in period selection- some of my group won't start a collection unless they are happy with a ruleset!! With rules like Men Who Would be Kings, smaller forces required and the huge range of figures available...mots of us play just about everything nowadays..with 2-3 'standard fare'. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteJohn, glad you enjoyed both analysis and commentary. Double thanks for reading through it twice! I often say that the commentary is as enlightening as the analysis. This topic and commentary are no exception.
DeleteIn the '90s, F&F was seen on the gaming tables in these parts on a regular and frequent basis. I would not be surprised if I have played F&F (both brigade and regimental) more than any other rules. Have not played F&F in a long time but it still sees occasional action.
Like you, I play almost anything set before me. However, having an agreed upon ruleset picked out before starting a project does not happen for me. I happily start a project at the slightest provocation.
More interesting and in depth analysis Jon 👍
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt!
DeleteCheck to see whether historical gamers are more likely to be solo gamers if one corrects for age. My first thought is that older gamers' mates have died off, and they're not up tp long trips. I've gamed 30mm CLS with as many as 20. Last time was three of us, and that was pre-Covid. My regular monthly game is two people, and the other one's been sick lately.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Robert. I will give your suggestion a look. I imagine the drift toward solo gaming in later years applies to all genres. There are likely more old historical gamers than there are old fantasy/sci-fi gamers. We may need more time to pass before answering this one definitively. Ah, CLS. I remember playing those rules in the ‘80s, many time at the local armory.
DeleteNo, nothing terribly surprising here. It's all very interesting (I do love statistics presented in nice tables and graphs!) and made sense.
ReplyDeleteFor a moment I thought it was funny that, of all the historical periods, The Great War had the largest percentage of under 20 players - almost as high as 40K and HIGHER than Age of Sigmar!? Then I realized it's probably because it being one of the least popular periods, with a much smaller sample set, would be prone to weird swings in distribution...
Thanks for sharing this!
Glad you enjoy the stats, Tim!
DeleteYou nailed the reason for some funny results. Sample sizes are quite small for both the 20 and under age group and WWI.
Wot? Napoleonics and Ancients swapping places at just fifth? What is going on in the world. Clearly time to get off...!!
ReplyDeleteI like the 'implied' finding that the majority of wargamers have one to four friends :)
Thanks again for all your effort in looking at these data and posting the results and discussion. It's an enjoyable bit of navel-gazing.
Kind regards, James
James, the world is no longer as we knew it!
DeleteYes! Encouraging to see that some of us, indeed, have a friend or two.
As always, you are welcome and thanks for commenting.