Wargaming Period Preference

In what seems to have become a biennial staple of the Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy's Great Wargaming Survey (GWS) analysis, time to re-examine the topic of wargaming period (or era) preferences and see if survey respondents' preferences have changed since 2022 when we last visited this question.

Looking back to 2022, the survey allowed, at most, three choices in ranking period preferences but the rank order was not captured.  Respondents simply picked their Top 3 periods.   To investigate the overall popularity of a wargaming period, up to three choices per respondent are aggregated across all responses. The results from the 2022 GWS are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

In 2022, the Top 5 periods in rank order when aggregating the Top 3 choices were,

1. World War 2
2. Science Fiction (excl WH40k)
3. Fantasy (excl. WH40k/Age of Sigmar)
4. Warhammer 40k
5. Napoleonics

World War II comes out at the head of pack followed by three non-historical periods with Napoleonics rounding out the top 5.

For the 2024 GWS, the question accepts rank order of choices.  Again, only the Top 3 choices are captured.  When these Top 3 choices are aggregated across all survey responses, do the results change from the results seen in 2022?  See Figure 2.

Figure 2

In the 2024 GWS, we find that the Top 5 periods are,

1. World War 2
2. Science Fiction (exc WH40k)
3. Fantasy (exc WH Fantasy)
4. Warhammer 40k
5. Napoleonic Wars

Again, WW2 comes in at the top spot in the 2024 survey with non-historicals dominating ranks 2-4.  Even though total response counts were down about 40% from 2022, the Top 5 periods remain the same and in the same rank order.  Nothing has changed!

What if only the Top Period is examined and not an aggregation of the Top 3 choices?  Do results change materially?  Figure 3 shows that the Top 5 periods remain the same but Fantasy (exc WH Fantasy) falls to fifth place.

Figure 3

Can any useful inferences be made by examining period preference by a few select attributes?

Primary Interest
Primary gaming interest separates responses into three distinct categories.  These categories are Historical, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, and Mixed.  As we might expect, there is a clear demarcation in period preferences between historical and non-historical wargamers.  Also as expected, the gamers in the Mixed category are open to gaming most periods.  See Figure 4.

Figure 4

Age Group
As has been reported in other analyses repeatedly, period preference seems to be driven, in large part, by age. Here again (see Figure 5), there is a clear bifurcation between historical and non-historical wargamers. Historical periods tend to see heavier interest by older wargamers (51+) while non-historical periods are more likely to see a concentration of wargamers in younger age cohorts.  Notice that wargamers age 51+ comprise about 70% of the interest in 18th Century and Colonial Wars periods.  WW2, Ancients, Medievals, and Dark Ages, on the other hand, tend to see interest from all age groups.

Figure 5

Location

When the results are summarized respondent location, do any tendencies emerge?  Yes!  From Figure 6, location does seem to influence what wargamers play.  Just looking at the relationship between North American and UK/Ireland wargamers, North Americans favor ACW by better than a two-to-one ratio over UK/ Ireland while UK/Ireland favors Pike & Shotte by nearly a two-to-one advantage over their North American comrades.  North Americans tend to prefer non-historicals more than their UK/Ireland counterparts. 

Figure 6

WW2 continues to hold its place at the top of the charts with broad appeal among all survey respondents.  Even with a reduction in number of responses in 2024, the results remain stable.  For a number of periods, there remains a clear line between primarily historical and non-historical wargamers.  The lack of cross-over between these two preferences seems constant.

Next time the GWS analysis returns, I examine a follow-up question to wargaming period preference using cluster analysis.

Return to Adobe Wells Station

Well, the gangs gather for one more gunfight at Adobe Wells Station.  This time, we see ten players taking a swing at fighting for control of the Swing Station at Adobe Wells.  The game sees the first trial of two rival wargaming groups mixing it up on my gaming table. 

Six of Postie's Rejects (outlaws: Steve, Ray, Richard, Dan, Colin, Lee) face off against four of The No Name Group (Pinkertons: Mark, Dave B., Dave C., Chris).  This is triggeronometry in the Old West.  Being outnumbered six to four, two of the Pinkertons will be rated as “Shootists” for this action.

The cast of characters are:

Let's get right to the fighting!

As Rattlesnake Dick and Emmet Dalton peer out from behind the boulders to the north of the station, all seems quiet.  Rattlesnake makes the first move and crosses the open ground quickly putting himself up against the compound wall next to the small shed.  As Rattlesnake plants his back against the wall, an arm emerges from one of the windows and a single six-gun opens up!  Rattlesnake ducks back to avoid getting hit.  Who fired those shots?  Well, it was Wild Bill Briscoe holed up in the shed and he is out of ammo!    

All is quiet at Adobe Wells Station.

Outlaws lurk among the boulders.

Rattlesnake ducks back to cover!

Hot action at the shed.

Hearing shots ring out, Pinkerton Daring Dave McGinty drops his gold pan and rushes up the banks of the arroyo.  As he reaches the south end of the orchard, he sees an outlaw moving toward the Adobe Wells compound.  "Hey!" McGinty shouts.  Deadeye Brundle spins around to face McGinty.  Each gunfighter goes for his gun strapped to his leg.  Both gunmen blaze away!  Deadeye cannot find his target.  McGinty finds his as he empties his gun in Deadeye's direction.  Deadeye receives a small hole in his chest and a gash in his left arm.  Deadeye stands firm against the impacts but he needs some time to shake off the shock.  With no cover to protect himself, Deadeye looks on, stunned, as McGinty tries to reload his gun. 

Fast draw at the orchard...

with both guns blazing.

Back at the compound, English Bob, The Professor, and Emmet all take up positions against the northern wall.  English and the Professor, provide covering fire into the station where they suspect another Pinkerton to be lying in wait.  They are not wrong!  While their shots miss their mark, the firepower is enough to force the occupant, Javier G-G, to duck for cover.  This is exactly the covering fire Squinty Sid needs to hop over the wall and enter the compound untouched.  Seeing Simon still keeping a low profile behind the shed, Squinty opens up.  At this range, Squinty cannot hit the broadside of a barn.  Simon breathes a sigh of relieve.  

Everyone converges on the compound
with a crossfire on the station.

Squinty Sid opens up on Simon.

Seeing Squinty blaze away at Simon, Emmet figures that now is his chance!  He races into the compound and swings his gun around to line up Simon within his sight.  With lead flying, Simon is hit twice opening up flesh wounds in his left arm and head.  Simon hits the dirt!  Figuring that Simon is not getting up soon, Emmet turns his attention to Wild Bill holed up in the shed.  Again blazing away into the shed, Wild Bill takes a hit in his gun arm as he takes aim out of the door.  Damnit!  He is not going to able to reload either of his six guns.  Wild Bill ducks back from the doorway to recover.  

Emmet opens up on Simon...

and then turns to fire on Wild Bill.

Emmet puts two Pinkertons down on the ground!

As Emmet keeps an eye out for Wild Bill in the shed, both Wild Bill and Simon have time recover for their wounds.  Simon quietly raises his gun and plugs Emmet in the head.  Emmet never saw the bullet with his name on it.  

While Simon is taking care of Emmet, Squinty carefully moves around the stack of crates to sneak up on Simon.  Blazing away, Squinty empties his gun in Simon's direction.  Simon remains unharmed.  Gun unloaded, Squinty advances toward Simon to make the fight up close and personal.  With Emmet dead in front of the shed, Wild Bill leaps out of the building and spins around to target Squinty and save his buddy Simon.  Wild Bill shoots Sid smack in the head.  Squinty drops down dead only a few feet from Simon.  Simon looks over at Wild Bill and tips his hat.    

The Pinkertons recover while Emmet looks on...

Bullets fly everywhere as Emmet goes down.

Wild Bill lunges out to pop Squinty Sid.

With all of the commotion at the shed, Javier, still holed up in the station, fails to notice English Bob slip away from his position at the corner of the wall and now stands in the doorway to the station.  "English" opens up and riddles Javier's body with bullets.  Javier does not get up.  After silencing Javier, "English" moves off to the south to cover the eastern side of the compound.

Across the compound, in his hurry to exit the shed, Wild Bill does not notice that The Professor is looking into the shed through the open window.  Having left the door wide open, The Professor has a clear shot at Wild Bill standing in the compound.  Firing away, Wild Bill is hit multiple times with a serious wound to his belly.  Bill falls to the ground.  Still in his line of sight, The Professor finishes Bill off with a round to his head.  At this point in the gunfight, each side has two dead gunfighters.

Seeing "English" appear over the eastern wall of the compound, Simon moves to take up a central position and opens fire.  Simon's shots miss as he empties his gun.  Watching quietly from behind a crate as Simon moves across the compound, Rattlesnake moves up behind Simon.  Simon is hit in the arm and head before he can duck back behind the cover of the crates.  Before Simon can regain his feet, Rattlesnake is standing over him.  Rattlesnake puts Simon out of his misery without blinking an eye.   

The compound is awash in gunfire!

Simon moves to target "English"...

but fails to see Rattlesnake targeting him!

Simon is put down on the deck with a bullet in his head.

What about the action at the orchard?  Well, not much to relate really. McGinty could not put Deadeye down and Deadeye managed to sneak away to the other side of the orchard.

Deadeye escapes almost certain death.

The Pinkertons now have three of their four agents down on the ground.  Knowing that this fight is lost, Mcginty surrenders.  This gunfight is over.

Death at Adobe Wells.

Another victory for the Outlaws!

For the Pinkertons, Wild Bill, Simon, and Javier are all dead. For the outlaws, Squinty Sid and Emmet are dead on the field.  What a bloody gunfight!

This last gunfight with ten players is a perfect ending to this series of gunfights at Adobe Wells.  Thank you to all who have raised a six gun in one of these actions.

What is next on the table? I really have no idea although I am eyeing my Wars of the roses collection.  Perhaps time to bring them into their first battle?  First, I need some rules!

The Last Samurai

The Spokane Museum of Art and Culture opened an exhibit on 01 FEB displaying an assortment of arms and armor from the Museo Stibbert in Florence, Italy.  The exhibition features about 100 pieces created between the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600) and the Meiji period (1868-1912).

Studying the artifacts up close offered a chance to see how these suits of armor were made and used.  Following is a pictorial of the armor on display and the artifacts that caught my eye.  When I visited Florence, this museum was on my list of places to visit.  Unfortunately, it was bit out of the city and the entrance fee was about 150 Euro.  Next time, The Stibbert is definitely on my list.