Poll wargamers

[Ochoin]

I'm curious to know how many come here to Benno's who wargame at least on a semi-regular basis.

Any chance of running a poll?

donald

[Kekso]

Hi Donald. I created a poll. Let me know is it ok or you want to change something?

[Ochoin]

Thanks. Apart from curiosity, I am interested to see the numbers as the purpose figures are put to will shape what is produced & how it looks.

Obviously, the cavalry on standing horses/ infantry marching with shouldered arms type of pose don't meet the dynamic needs of diorama makers though most (?) wargamers prefer them.

I would also hazard that wargamers drive production. We don't buy a box but multiple boxes of what we need.

Anyway, it might prove interesting to see a poll result.

donald

[NathanIW]

I'm a wargamer, but my suspicion is that 1/72 plastics is actually collector driven. A wargamer might by 8 boxes of figures from one era, but a collector might reliably purchase one of every kit a company makes. Then of the collectors, the figure painters make a subset. Those who actually paint their collections.

I am a wargamer though I tend to buy wide rather than deep. I like low figure count games where a stand of 4 or 8 miniatures can represent 500 or even 1000 soldiers. So I tend to buy a box or two of each kit I need rather than 6+ I get my armies finished and then I look for the next era to research and paint. So I buy a lot, but I go wide like a collector, but my purchasing is limited by my painting speed and army planning so I tend not to get as many kits as my friends who just collect and paint occasionally.

[Ochoin]

I'm a wargamer, but my suspicion is that 1/72 plastics is actually collector driven. A wargamer might by 8 boxes of figures from one era, but a collector might reliably purchase one of every kit a company makes. Then of the collectors, the figure painters make a subset. Those who actually paint their collections.

I am a wargamer though I tend to buy wide rather than deep. I like low figure count games where a stand of 4 or 8 miniatures can represent 500 or even 1000 soldiers. So I tend to buy a box or two of each kit I need rather than 6+ I get my armies finished and then I look for the next era to research and paint. So I buy a lot, but I go wide like a collector, but my purchasing is limited by my painting speed and army planning so I tend not to get as many kits as my friends who just collect and paint occasionally.

You've written about things I hadn't considered. We're a "broad church" as my practice varies considerably. I buy wide or deep depending on the period.

Figure scale is a vital component. I think my biggest scale is 1:50.....but that's for Napoleonics of which I have many thousand painted figures covering armies of French, French Guard, British, Russian, Prussian, Austrian & Confederation troops.

My lowest figures scale is essentially 1:1 skirmish scale which I use for the Dark Ages. Thus I have 2 "factions" for Saga numbering only about 70-80 figures each. Conceivably, I'll add another faction of a similar number of figures.

I also do several periods where the figure scale is in places between these two.

I am wondering if this poll should have been placed in a general category as non-gamers & those who game in the larger scales may well not even see it.

donald

[Kekso]

Topic moved to Hobby - General subforum

[Cameronian]

I'm very much in the same camp as NathanIW. I used to game but now really a collector of small to medium sized armies in the DBA mould. I only buy what I can use so no way I'll ever buy 10+ boxes of anything. The most I've ever bought of one set is three boxes and that was an exceptional case.

Donald, I think the poll is a good idea but whether the data will tell you anything 'I hae ma doots'.

[NathanIW]

At the very least it'll tell him about the members here at Benno's who also like to vote in polls. Sort of a slice of the local demographic.

The other thing that really slowed my purchases was switching to 1:32 for some games. I took me twice as long to paint these four cavalry miniatures as it would to paint an entire box of 1:72


When I first got into miniature gaming I just bought whatever I thought was cool and I accumulated so many kits that I got overwhelmed and did very little painting for a couple years. My collection has steadily shrunk over the last few years as I put in place three simple rules of 1) no buying for a project until everything I already have for that era is painted, 2) no starting a new era until I finish one I've already got going and play a game with it (get enough figures painted and terrain made to host a dinner and gaming night for friends) and 3) I only get to buy a new kit when I've painted two kits I already have.

So maybe I'm wrong about wargamers not buying as much. I had to intentionally limit my purchases to buy less. And I'm putting in 1/32 kits and terrain building into the process as well which really slows down how often I'm buying new stuff as well.

Lol. You've got to have a plan when you have a kit impulse buying problem

[Jesse]

I only buy figures for dioramas, or more correctly for potential dioramas, so I have a lot of plastic 1/72 figure sets that propably never will be painted and displayed for the world. So a kind of combined dioramist/collector. I very rarely buy more than one box ("big" or normal sized) of a particular set of figures. The exception is if I want more than one or two of a particular pose or poses that are only included one of in a box (for example officers). So far I have only bought two "big" sets twice: Zvezdas Artillery and Dragoons of Peter the Great. The Dragoons set both for it's officer figures withous turnback coats and because it has some horse poses NOT galopping at full speed, which I find hard to get for my period of interest, 1600-1700s (in 1/72 plastics). The artillery set for it's usefullnes for both GNW and WSS.

[Ochoin]

I've learned much from this poll.

Chiefly that although I think there's a lot of lurkers on Benno's & although many of them may be wargamers, people don't like to vote (or post).

donald

[Greg77]

maybee you' right, four-five day and 20+ vote seems average in a poll,
in the holyday season in the competition were 30+ vote in 14 days... I think
I think you should give the members a bit more time,
or just bump the topic frequently...

btw, I voted
and the detailed answer is almost the same as Jesse's
except the time periods of my interest,
medieval, and Napoleonic..

[Kekso]

I've learned much from this poll.

Yeah, I've learned that there is much more wargamers on this forum than I thought it will be.
And I'm glad for that.

[KGV]

Yeah, I've learned that there is much more wargamers on this forum than I thought it will be.
And I'm glad for that.

We are legion

[Mário]

Yes we are legion!
And we are the ones that get the most from our hobby. We have the peasure to paint, to convert, to create scenaries and then to spend some agreable time with some friends with a nice game of tactics, skill and intelectual exercise.
Good models and great battles for everyone.
And it does not matter if you loose, you always learn something.
All the best

[Ochoin]

!
And we are the ones that get the most from our hobby. All the best

Bit harsh, Mario. I think the diorama makers & collectors enjoy what they do as well.

I do like your list as to why gaming is fun.

I'll admit that planning & researching an army is as much & maybe more fun than gaming.

donald