A recent post on Bob Cordery's
Wargaming Miscellany has made me think about what it is that I enjoy about wargaming and on a related subject roleplaying as the two do overlap significantly in my opinion.
To me I think the elements of playing games with miniature figures is a mixture of the physical aspects of painting figures, creating terrain and then using them on the board as well as the imaginative aspects of creating stories from how the games resolve themselves. The modelling side is not my greatest pleasure though I do enjoy painting miniatures as I find it relaxing and I do not aim to achieve a 'competitive standard' as they are only being used as playing pieces for a game.
Another aspect is being able to use my interest in history, particularly military history for research on specific projects and periods to play games in. This includes both the conduct of battles and campaigns, tactical methods as well as the uniforms and weapons.
For me the imaginative aspects are a much stronger part of my enjoyment as I am happy enough to use figures that have only been undercoated or even unpainted to get a game running with terrain represented by cut outs of coloured paper or cloth. Indeed one thing I enjoy with roleplaying games is the fact that you can start a game with just a few ideas noted down on paper and conjure up how things will appear as mental pictures.
One thing that I haven't done much of in the past but is likely to be a feature of my games in future will be writing After Action Reports for my blog even if I end up the only person reading them as it will add to the enjoyment of playing the games.
Dave H took the Hardest Gary Gygax Quiz in the World and got 90%!
