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Friday, July 12, 2024

What Do You Like Least About Miniatures Wargaming?

One question in WSS' 2023 Great Wargaming Survey asked, 

What do you like least about miniatures wargaming?

Well, this is a loaded question if I ever saw one!  In this case, the question was open-ended meaning respondents could enter whatever was on their mind.  Some did! 

Given that the responses were free text with about a 2100 character limit, responses could be quite long and detailed.  Out of the total number of survey responses, 7,278 entries had text in this field.  A sample snippet of these responses is illustrated below:
As seen from the text snippet, anything goes.

How can we bring order and meaning out of these unstructured texts?  For that, we turn to text analytics including cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA).  Without going into details of the machine learning techniques, simply understand that it is a data reduction method that summarizes large quantities of text data into fewer clusters and principal components.  The results are then wrangled to present (hopefully) interpretable graphics.

To begin, each text response is parsed and tokenized to create words.  For example, the highlighted line, below, can be parsed into the following word tokens.  That is, 
"people" "who" "are" "too" "pedanttic" "about" "details".
Preprocessing requires a number of text transformations (including correcting spelling errors) to get the tokens into a standard and more usable form.  In addition, synonyms are used to group similar tokens.  After tokenization and preprocessing, 4,918 unique tokens (words) resulted from over 36 million token combinations.  The result is a large dataset with useful inferences likely obscured by such a large sample space.

To begin data reduction, records having near-zero variance are removed.  After that reduction, only a manageable number of tokens are retained.  Some ambiguous tokens are, likewise, removed.  After the data reduction is complete, only eight tokens remain.  These remaining tokens are:
  • rules_lawyer
  • painting
  • people
  • time
  • cost
  • competition
  • find
  • miniatures
Already, I reckon these eight tokens tell an interesting story.

Using cluster analysis, these eight tokens are grouped to produce the dendrogram shown below:

Interesting!

Looking at a two-cluster solution,
the resulting clusters are "rules_lawyer" and everything else.  Rules lawyers seem to find themselves high on the "Do not like" list and separate and distinct from all other tokens in a two-cluster solution.  Into the rules_lawyer category, I dumped discussions of rules, themselves, including complexity, ambiguity, arguments, etc..  A four-cluster solution looks like,
with the four clusters as, (1) rules_lawyer, (2) painting, (3) people, and (4) time/cost/competition/find/miniatures.  After rules lawyers, respondents tend to dislike painting followed by people(!) and then the remaining effort constraints.  The "find" and "miniatures" tokens require some explanation.  Into the "find" grouping were lumped discussions on finding opponents, rules, figures, places and time to play, and money to fund the hobby.  Into the "miniatures" grouping were included discussions on painting, storing, assembling, price and quality.

Turning to PCA (and without going into details), the PCA Variable plot below illustrates the loadings of each of the eight variables in 2D space.  Color and length of each vector denotes its contribution to the PCA analysis.
One of the useful traits of PCA analysis when displayed as a graphic is that inferences are easier to understand.  While only two of the dimensional plots are illustrated here, both of these dimensions lend themselves to interpretation.

Looking at Dim1, the graphic suggests that the dislikes are bifurcated into two groups.  These two groups are "People" related attributes and "Effort" related attributes.
Similarly, looking at Dim2, the graphic suggests that the dislikes are again bifurcated into two groups.  Those two groups are "Cost" and then everything else.
First, I find the results amazing in that a 36 million cell tokenized matrix can be distilled down to meaningful inferences.  Second, I find the results surprising in that rules lawyers and gamers, themselves, rise out of the murk to irritate many.  I suppose that I should not be that surprised.  I once had a wargaming friend (I still consider him a friend!) who confidently stated that the hobby would be great if it were not for the people!

Do these Top 8 wargaming dislikes reflect your own hobby dislikes?  Does a rules lawyer stand alone at the top of your wargaming dislike ranking?  If not, what do you like least about the miniature wargaming hobby?

The survey also asks a parallel question only in this question, respondents are asked what they like most about miniatures wargaming.  I may look into that topic another time. 

66 comments:

  1. People who would do anything to win and to whom that was all that seemed to matter certainly put me off wargame clubs so I'd agree with that. And I'd also agree that painting figures and all the work involved in preparing wargames armies is rather a put off too! So yes, I'd say that People and Effort do probably represent the downsides of wargaming! ;-)

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  2. Fantastic analysis Jonathan.
    Would Rules Lawyer & People & Competition be similar aspects of a dislike? As all rules lawyers are people and any competition involves people 😊

    I wonder if the comments on People and Competition correlate with the players who play solo games mostly?

    Amusing that the last graph shows the non-cost dislikes' order as "find time painting miniatures" - a common refrain in many blogs and comments (especially in comments on your blog to your painting output πŸ˜‚)

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    1. Thanks, Ben! Could Rules Lawyer, Competition, and People be three sides of the same coin? Yes but if many responses had exactly this combination these responses would be binned as having near-zero variance as all would simply be redundant with little to no variability between them.

      Your question on solo play is an interesting topic to explore...

      Correct! Many bloggers lament the lack of time to devote to painting figures.

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  3. People who would do anything to win. People who play the rules over the period. People with zero interest in history who see a figure as merely a stat.
    Alan Tradgardland

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    1. Alan, I reckon you find yourself in a crowded room with gamers of similar tastes.

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  4. Finding time is my biggest enemy but rules lawyers grate as well. Other than that I have no axe to grind really but a very interesting analysis that;s for sure.

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    1. Having no axe to grind (or only a small only) is a terrific spot to find yourself. Happy you find this analysis interesting.

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  5. Very interesting stuff Jon , I would link the ‘rules lawyer’ with excessive competitive play ie somebody who tries to gain advantage by knowing the rules because they are focussed almost entirely on winning the game. This is just not the way I prefer to game. Of course there isn’t actually anything wrong with knowing the rules really well it is how you use that knowledge that matters. Many is the time friends have reminded me of something that I had forgotten which is to my advantage these people tend to get invited back πŸ˜€

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    1. Thanks, Matt! I think it might be a useful exercise to actually define what we mean by a "rules lawyer."

      Like you, I like to be corrected or reminded of game rulings or interpretations especially when I am hosting am trying to get it right or learning new rules.

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  6. "People" do appear to be a problem - l'enfer c'est les autres!

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  7. win at all costs 'players' who usually but not always are rule lawyers/experts. This has put me off competitive wargaming for life and I sit in humble isolation as a solo gamer for the most part. Time is a factor but painting is a joy best approached when you are in the mood

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    1. Having never been a competitive, tournament player, I agree with your assessment. Like you, I also enjoy painting for relaxation.

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  8. Yes, anyone who is so focused on winning, they either know every rule (and how to gain advantage from it) inside our, or bend the rules or push them right to the limit, annoy me. So, people basically....fortunately I don't really know any players of that ilk....well, a couple of our group may have some tendencies in that direction, but they are not full blown exponents!
    Scenarios or games where one side has an obvious and overwhelming advantage are not much fun, either, unless they are a recreation of an actual battle.
    None of the other things listed bother me....I like the painting and gradually building up a collection....its not like I cannot have a game until I finish what I am currently painting....I already have more than enough armies completed!
    Cost I guess might be my biggest gripe, but I currently have about 3 to 4 months worth of unpainted lead and plastic, and the balance of my hobby spending account is sitting around $500, so even there, I no longer have much to complain about.
    The only other things I would change if I could would be to have a dedicated gaming room at home and to have the opportunity for more gaming...if it was on offer, I would happily play twice a week!

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    1. As we saw in the "Are Wargamers Competitive" post earlier, there is a difference between "playing to win" and the "win at all costs" gamers. I imagine most of us, here, fall into the former category rather than the latter.

      Thanks for expanding upon your dislikes and I hope a dedicated wargaming room is in your future.

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  9. Definitely the rules lawyer for me, I try my best to avoid them. Thankfully none in my current gaming group. The other area for me are those who don't make effort in club projects, they commit to supply x amount and never deliver

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    1. Neil, as some have mentioned, wargamers with certain attributes tend not to get invited back to the gaming table. Well, at least when I host. While I have only been part of one or two group projects, the one I still remember vividly is the one that failed exactly as you described.

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  10. It seems like witchcraft that anything so clear could emerge from the fog of so many open responses. I didn't expect to relate much to the findings but one did strike a chord. I've frequently moved around the country leaving wargaming friends far away [though not forgotten]. It is not easy to find new ones in a new area especially in more rural areas. More than once I've found fellow gamers about a month before moving away from somewhere I've been 5 years! However I'm happy with solo games too and online comradeship has been a real boon.
    I wonder if some who are not keen on painting are also those who don't like solo games as the craft part of the hobby tends to be done solo. I have shared painting sessions with friends in the past and this works. After all if quilters, knitters and water colourists can do their hobby communally why can't figure painters? Perhaps its the competition painting lawyers and their rules [and skills]
    Stephen

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    1. Stephen, this analysis does, indeed, seem a bit like witchcraft, alchemy, or magic.

      The relationship (if any) between solo gaming and painting could be another interesting topic to explore. Of course, you would be looking at the question from the inverse. I used to meet regularly with a small group for weekly painting sessions. Now, I meet regularly with another group in a remote Zoom session for the same purpose. I find I do much more talking than actual painting, though. Quilters and knitters might see similar results!

      As for remote game, I am very happy to have you at my remote table! The VWC have been an enjoyable addition to a stable of ready and willing to play gamers.

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  11. Maybe I am an exception but there is nothing about wargaming I dislike, it is a huge part of my life and has been since I was about 10. Even defending the Empire in the 70’S didn’t stop me, I even count the ‘win at all costs’ types because I have not met many and if they are really bad I just avoid them. As for painting, cost, time etc. it comes with the territory, wargamers are born that way not made.

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    1. You may be an exception, George, but I enjoy all facets of the hobby as well. People are different and that is OK. When all else fails, the difficult ones can be sidestepped.

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  12. With such a wide range of answers to an open question, I'm surprised you distilled anything of meaning out of it!
    People. It's rather like the old joke about the Health Service / Teaching/ substitute institution of choice - it would work really well if you took away the patients / children / public!
    It probably scores high as wargaming is supposed to be a social activity. I have real friends I met through wargaming as well as lots of acquaintances. As I'm generally anti-social I have no problem with solo-wargaming (the VWC was a real step for me to join!).
    Aside from the rules lawyer and other obnoxious types, my experience of wargames clubs is mixed. I went to one for about 3 months, involving travel to get there, where although polite, I was basically ignored each session. Not once was I offered a game, despite them being into the competition scene where you would expect they would want fresh blood. It seemed to be the same pairs of opponents, with the same armies, week after week. There was a group of "outliers" the apparently "nerdiest" of the group who were clearly ostracized and who newcomers were directed to....
    Other groups have been more welcoming, but you often need to negotiate the politics of who dislike who....
    Figures. Cleaning up, especially where it involves drilling out hands or removing large lumps of metal.....
    Neil

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    1. Neil, I was just as surprised as you that some order could be brought forth from this chaos. Thanks for your personal insights on your dislikes.

      As for your reluctance to participate in gaming outside of solo, I understand. I know many wargamers who fit your mold. With so much of our hobby time spent in isolation, introverts may naturally be drawn into wargaming. Perhaps surprisingly, many have discovered a joy and ease at the remote gaming table.

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  13. Lovely bit of proper research. Great work. To quote Sarre. "Hell is other people"

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  14. Fascinating stuff Jon. Free text can give so much in research but is tough to condense, so I like what you've done here.

    I will admit that rules lawyers and what we'd come to call power players were off putting were me when younger. I've never been into the competition scene. But, chatting to players who do play on the modern competition circuit, they describe a much more pleasant atmosphere. Doubtless competitive, with a desire to go home with a few wins in the bag but wanting to enjoy the experience too. Still not for me, but happy that it is a branch of the hobby that appeals to other reasonable folk.

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    1. Thank you, Anthony!

      Perhaps times have changed and so have the rules lawyers and power players. Perhaps this change to a more relaxed playing style is age dependent? As many have said before, wargaming is a broad church.

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  15. A good distillation of the answers there Jon via your alchemy you applied to the responses. I think I agree with most of them, but certainly the power players and rules lawyers top my list, which is one reason I and my chums left a club we used to go to. Whilst I enjoy painting, finding the time and the motivation is always a factor, especially when looking at the leadpile and those projects you just want to get going. So I can see why people enjoy boardgames or the paper soldiers approach.

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    1. Steve, rules lawyers seem to top the list of many! I think a solid definition of what one is and how to spot it would be a useful exercise. Perhaps a rules lawyer is different to different people?

      Since I enjoy both board and miniature games, for me, hex-and-counter wargames serve a different purpose than do wargaming with miniatures.

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  16. Nice piece of analysis there Jon. You're working in my space. Though I rely on genuinely talented data scientists to make me look good.

    I'm broadly in agreement, the pure gamers who see wargames as an intellectual competition suck the joy out of it. I'm afraid I'm guilty of being more competitive than is probably healthy, though I am working on that. I'm more of an aesthetic and historical collector, but frustrated both at my inability to finish things, how long it takes me, and how few opportunities I get to play with all the lovely toys...

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    1. Thank you, Doug! These exercises are a way in which to keep my programming and data science skills toned. Besides, I am curious and enjoy bringing some order out of chaos.

      For the longest time, I played either solo or infrequently. My figures did not make it to the table often. Remote gaming via Zoom have blown the lid off of getting figures to the table and gaming frequently.

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    2. Very glad to hear you're getting games in. I'm still thinking about hosting myself.

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    3. Yes, I went from averaging maybe a dozen games per year to nearly 100 annually.

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  17. Jonathan - what a fun piece of work! My stats at school never came close to that analysis. The outcome feels right given the disparate nature of wargamers and the open ended question.

    For my part, and I see others have said this, there is very little that I do not like about the hobby; even a bad run of dice can be a challenge (not, I suspect that I say that at the time). One thing that hasn't been raised and I strongly suspect it is because it is vanishingly rare is out and out cheating. I was involved in a large game about ten years ago and one of the guys had been drafted in last minute. twice I saw him either reroll dice or otherwise move figures way over their move rate - it was a busy game and no one else noticed. my reaction was one of incredulity (I suppose i could have called him out); what on earth is the point? I've never seen another example although I was once involved in a game of DBR where the host inadvertently (and i know him well enough to know it was accidental even though his gamey attempts to win always made us laugh) gave me a PIP dice of 1,1,2,2,3,3. Amusingly enough I did manage to keep my part of the battle going even if I didn't move around a lot. I noticed towards the end of the game and it caused huge merriment all round but not a little embarrassment from the host!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed this analysis, Andrew! Always a bonus when the resulting analysis reinforces are own experiences.

      Your experience may not be that uncommon. I have another gaming friend who, when confronted with a cheater, said pointblank, "if you want to win that badly, I will let you win." Using the wrong die, been there, done that and have witnessed it more than once!

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  18. That's an amzing piece of analysis. I feel like the odd man out in that I like painting figures though I do loath the amount of cleaning up poor castings can require. Perhaps that's one reason I like 6mm figures - rarely much cleaning up required. Rule lawyers & overly competitive types (often the same people) are definitely a pet hate, they suck all the life out of the game and never seem interested in the history.

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    1. Thanks, Brian! You are no odd man out. Many of us enjoy painting and find it relaxing and rewarding. Count me as one of them! Rules lawyering can ruin a game. The secret is to keep it in control and stifle it when it does veer off.

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  19. Echoing all that's previously been said (typed), it is an impressive piece of analysis as well as an interesting application of analytics. Thanks for presenting it in layperson's terms.

    Scanning, skimming, and stopping at some of the replies while still processing the wealth of information you provide, I could not help but wonder about the sociological implications or applications or connections. Do the negatives regarding people and effort suggest something about a larger shift in the way folks interact? Are the reservations about effort (and to an extent cost) a further comment about the character of some wargamers?

    Here, I'm thinking about "risk and reward," as well as grit and perseverance and dedication, etc.

    Certainly food for thought, as always.

    Thanks for posting this and for looking deeper into the matrix.

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    1. Anon, thank you for the encouraging comment! you ask some interesting, sociological questions about wargamers. Does technology lead to a shift in the way in which gamers (or societies) interact? I think it would be difficult to say that there is no effect. Are we collectively becoming more siloed and isolated? Perhaps digging into the 2020 psychometric study might offer as few clues?

      On the painting front, taking the time and effort to build a collection to gameable proportions takes determination, grit, perseverance, and a lot of time and effort.

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    2. In my relative rush to remark and reply, I neglected to directly question the history of this analysis. While the findings are sourced from the GWS of 2023, and you do mention a 2020 study, I wonder if the two or three main complaints or problems have been consistent since the GWS appeared, or since this particular survey question was asked of respondents.

      In other sub-conversations you make reference to the paradox inherent with this data analysis. I would offer irony as well. If one accepts that wargaming is a social activity, then it is curious to find that "people" rank right up there with the perceived problem(s) with the hobby.

      It was not my intention to besmirch the efforts of wargamers who paint and model. It seems that one could also add money to that list of nouns needed to build a collection of sufficient size.

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    3. Some of the history of the analysis can be read in my post, https://palousewargamingjournal.blogspot.com/2024/06/are-wargamers-competitive.html.

      To see the underlying psychometric study, follow the link in this post back to WSS' GWS blog post on this topic.

      As for the paradox and irony of "people" facet as a problem, it will be interesting to explore the related question of "what is your most liked aspect of wargaming." Perhaps "people" will show up in this listing as well? I would be shocked if "people" makes both lists.

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  20. Maybe I'm just fortunate to have fallen into a group of good gamers, and have had a good run at conventions, but I have not run into a "rules lawyer" (in the perjorative sense) since I came back into gaming (in the early 2000s) after a long hiatus. I"m guessing demographics may play into these findings: tournament players (vs "other") would be my guess to account for the prevalence of the "rules lawyer" complaint.

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    1. Thanks, Ed, you may be fortunate, indeed. How would you define a rules lawyer?

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  21. In our ancient games here is one person who has more competition experience than the rest of us and therefore knows the rules inside out, and can always be relied upon rather than having to constantly consult the rulebook. He is also great for explaining what-ifs in any given scenario, and it is noticeable when he is unable to attend how the games do not run anywhere near as smoothly. We have another one who is always happy to argue a point, but is always to concede if proven to be incorrect. I suspect what is meant by a rules lawyer is someone who is unwilling to explain rules and lead people astray, happily watching their opponents flounder in ignorance until they land the killer blow, but are there many of those people around and isn't it a situation that would be rectified by more experience and familiarity with the game? If the victor in that situation makes the experience of losing so unpleasant they are going to run out of opponents anyway. The bit I dislike most about the hobby are cleaning up figures prior to painting, which is covered by mould lines in the list, and rebasing.

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    1. And I didn't realise that was going to end up being such a wall of text.

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    2. I like your definition of a rules lawyer. Are your in-game conflicts concentrated among Ancients' gamers primarily because the rules tend toward competitions?

      I don't like cleaning up mold lines either and I spend part of yesterday doing exactly that!

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    3. No worries about a wall of text.

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    4. The group I game with mainly play DBMM which are a popular set for competitions as many of us grew up playing Wargames Research Group Ancients, and these are the progression from that. The problem is that the rules are not particularly well-written in that a topic or subject can span several seemingly unconnected sections, and there isn't an index.

      They do provide a fun game though, and the accompanying army lists are great.

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    5. I see regular reports from the Society of Ancients forum, that many play DBMM still.

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  22. An interesting study! Possibly my least favourite aspect of figure war gaming is painting the figures. One COULD get away with a minimalist paint job, or a rough one, but having tried out a new technique with satisfactory results, one is reluctant to abandon it.

    But lately, year seven-zero a long vanished speck in the rear-view mirror, a growing sense of mortality leads one to realise that the return upon one's temporal and monetary investment has become problematic and problematical. So much kit, so little time.

    I have so many armies, mostly completed (for a given value of completed), that I wonder if they will all get involved in campaigns I have in mind.

    Not that I dislike this situation, exactly. At least I have something to occupy my mind. But occasionally I do wonder what will happen to my armies once I shamble off this perishable planet...

    Finally: competitions. What is the point of competitions?

    Cheers,
    Ion

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    1. Glad you found the study of interest, Ion!

      Many of us are getting up in age and contemplating the questions you raise. Do we forge ahead with our painting tasks and army builds or trim back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. This is a decision we each must make.

      I don't understand tournament wargaming either.

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  23. Jon, as so often I find my brain befuddled by the statistical analyis side of things ( dendogram? Dim1 and Dim2?) - but interesting to see that several common themes do emerge.
    On thinking about it, I think my main dislikes boil down to 'me' - when gaming, my inability to think ahead tactically, make a sensible plan and stick to it, and when painting, my slow progress and lack of skills, dexterity and brush control!
    A curious paradox, perhaps, is that none of us like a 'win at all costs' opponent, and yet we are simulating warfare, where winning is in the end, by far the most important thing..

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    1. Sorry to befuddle your brain cells, David! I suggest looking at the graphics and asking questions if something is unclear.

      If your main dislike is something that vanishes with self-reflection and improvement then you have an easy task. The ability to think ahead tactically and make sensible plans is a direct byproduct of increasing your gaming frequency. With practice, all else falls into place.

      You bring up a curious paradox, indeed. Since we game for entertainment and the pleasure of hanging out with friends, we need not concern ourselves with life or death battles that our historical counterparts faced.

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  24. David brings a good question, if not winning, why else? Everything else. Manners, sportsmanship, friends and associates sharing ideas, tips and stories.
    Thank you for your time to create this post. I hope you get your painting goal accomplished, your time and energy gaming gets you to the results you hope for. You already know how I feel about overly competitive types. Good gaming.

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    1. You’re welcome, Joe! We play for much more than winning the battle. Enjoy the beach!

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  25. Late to the party again. Everyone else has said all the good stuff.

    Everyone knows my least favorite thing about wargaming is the painting. I’ve very vocal about it. Thought I do ham it up for the sake of entertainment as I don’t really dislike all that much. If I really didn’t get some enjoyment out of it I wouldn’t do it at all.

    “Rules lawyer” seems to me to be an umbrella term for “a bad opponent” and really depends on the situation. I’ve had precious few games where I had a bad time due to the person I was playing with. I think the preponderance of the response is due to gaming being a social activity and someone not having the same social skills/ attitude.

    For my own social annoyance I’ll add I dislike the ‘lazy gamer.’ This is the player in a game I am running at a con or whatever that makes no effort to learn the rules so even hours later I’m still needing to coach through every step.

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    1. I do not equate a bad opponent to a rules lawyer. A rules lawyer could be a subset with "bad opponents", though. A lazy gamer is not a trait have given much thought to but you are correct, lazy gamers do exist. Sometimes the "laziness" you describe, I view as cognitive challenges. I have been in games where the basics of the rules would never sink in not due to laziness but a general inability to remember. Is that laziness?

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    2. no, cognitive challenges do not constitute laziness. what kind of heartless monster do you think I am? 😁 I'm sure there are plenty of folks who would think I was cognitively challenged.
      I mean actual laziness.

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    3. "Heartless monster"? Well, I still recall vividly how you dismantled me in out ACW game...

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  26. We are fortunate in our group to have a relatively relaxed attitude to our gaming and it is the occasion that is more important than rules...in fact in most cases no one really reads the rules and we work on the "wisdom of the crowd". We generally have a game organiser who will settle any disputes or misinterpretations.

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    1. Sounds like you play with a reasonable group, Mark!

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  27. Top analysis, finding some commonalities from an open-ended question Jonathan!
    Of course, the question was what you like least, so it's naturally gonna bring out all the negative stuff and, if you only read that, you'd wonder why anyone was in the hobby! :)
    I put in my 'biggest bugbear', but it was so specific to me that it does not even feature, hahaha!
    I'm a bit like George and celebrate all of the aspects of the hobby. Even these 'like least' demonstrate the range that is available. Some dislike painting, others enjoy it, for others it is a major focus, for others still it is something that must be done and they are neutral to positive about it. Getting right into the period and the detail of rules is for some, while a simple, easy to pick up and to play set of rules is for others. And so on and so on...
    I, and all the wargamers that I know, certainly all of those whom I play wargames with, are 'like minded' and happy to compromise, as Ed and Mark have stated (no doubt others too, but I did not read everyone's comment, sorry everyone!). We have found the people with a similar outlook to the game aspect so that we can all enjoy the game in a commonly agreed 'right' manner of playing to the best of one's ability, but not win at all costs and discussing/checking any of those tricky or sticky cases that come up—not to mention calling out someone who gets a bit too serious!
    I await with anticipation your analysis of 'most liked'!
    Regards, James

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    1. Thank you, James! One of the (many) worries about analyzing open-ended text is that nothing useful or interesting will fall out of the effort at all.

      Like you, I tend to gravitate toward wargamers of like mind. How do we find each other? Is it a process of elimination or survival of the fittest? Whatever the reason, I have gamed with some local guys here for more than thirty years.

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