Originally Published on the Spanner and the Yank Web Site. Used by permission.

30 August 2003

G'day.

So, in a few weeks, we'll cease most work on the site. Except for the odd "Breakin' News" article, of course, we''ll add until December. And we're not actually taking the site down until next May, so it's going to be hanging around the net for a few months yet. But, for the most part, we'll be giving it a rest.

Have we accomplished something? I really can't say. Met some bloody nice people, so there's a bonus. Learned there's a lot of manufacturers out there that you never see at shows, in magazine ads or otherwise touting their gear. Started a few blues about what's good painting and what's not, about what's a good figure and what's not and, with a bit of luck, made some of you have a bit of a think about what you want from the hobby.

Pee'd a few of you off, if my mail's anything to go by. But also got a lot of good, thoughtful mails that may not have agreed with my point of view, but nevertheless had some good points of their own to make. We managed to put nearly 600 scans and photo's of miniatures up on the net, to give people an idea of what different figures looked like. And we posted some 158 reviews, written by 13 different people. Then there's the other material we covered- reference articles, editorials, gaming help, etc.

All in all, not a bad effort I'd say.

Have I learned anything? Indeed I have. The main thing is something I'd always suspected- the hobby is very much an individual thing. People all have different tastes, whether you're talking about miniatures, painting styles, rules, scale or periods. And while that's one of the hobbies strengths, it's also the Achilles' heel of the hobby. Because the different tastes at best mean that there's only (relatively) small numbers of people who are doing the same thing. The ancients period, for example, has how many sets of rules? How many scales of figures? How many different armies that can be built? We all complain about incomplete ranges of figures, but really, how many people would be collecting a 15mm Württemberg army of 1812? 50? 150? 500? Yet we expect to have ALL the figures of that army available. And don't understand why nobody makes a Jäger zu Pferde, despite the fact that world wide demand may see a need for only a few hundred of these figures.

But that's not the real problem. The real problem are some of the gamers. You'll know them. Described as various sorts of "Nazis", they're the idiots who insist everybody must conform to their view of the hobby. The "Uniform Nazi" who'll argue that only one particular shade of blue is correct for 1809 French Infanterie dLigne and delight in telling you that your troops "look stupid", because you didn't use it. The "Rules Nazi" who insists that anyone who doesn't play "X" is using the wrong rules. Or, conversely, that if they play "Y", they're an idiot. The "Scale Nazi" who puts down anyone not using his preferred scale, sneering at 6 mm perhaps as "little better than counters" or deriding 54's as "ridiculous". The "Painting Nazi" who insists that their opponents' figures have to be painted to competition standard and 100% accurate in uniform depiction, or they aren't worth playing. The "Metal Nazi" who sneers at plastic figures as "kids' toys". The "Nazi Supergamer" who delights in seeking out and playing newcomers, so he can thrash them and boost his ego. You'll all know someone who falls into at least one of those categories.

Then there's the division between the different branches of the hobby. Board gamers sneer at mini's gamers, because they see the latter as "playing with toys". Historical gamers sneer at fantasy/SciFi gamers, looking down their noses at those who take their armies from imagination, not historical treatises. Competition gamers sneer at those who shun competition games (and vice versa). "Simulationists" sneer at those who game for fun, not to learn. There's a lot more, too, that I can't be bothered to describe.

Yet, despite the black picture painted above, I don't think the hobby has been in better shape!

Have a look at the number of different manufacturers turning out figures, terrain, rules, board games, playing aids, magazines, books, tools and paints for the hobby. When I started in the early '70's, there were few lines of figures and 10mm, 12mm and 15mm still lay in the future. 6mm figures were a novelty and 25mm was just starting to become the dominant scale. Buildings and trees were model railroad items. Rules were few, mainly house rules at that. Battle magazine was yet to become the ill-fated Battle for Wargamers. Boardgames were made by SPI, TAHGC and a couple of smaller companies. Yes, some of those companies have gone. But they've been replaced three-, five- and ten-fold by new companies. The quality of figures continues to rise. The range of periods covered is enormous. There's no need any more for the articles in Military Modelling or The Courier describing how to make figures for an army in some obscure period. Somewhere there will likely be someone who makes the appropriate figures in the scale you want. You may not be impressed with the figures' animation, proportions or scale, but you now have a choice beyond DIY.

The state of the hobby isn't perfect. There's still companies who take your money and send you broken or incorrect goods, then ignore you if you complain. Some companies rip you off, advertising "post free" offers for goods that they've marked up in the first place. Some P&P rates are ridiculously high, up to 90% of the cost of the goods you order. And some companies don't respond to enquiries about buying their figures. Theres even a couple of companies I've had to chase in order to get them to take payment for goods they sent (no, not for review), so that the money was paid when it was convenient for me to pay.

But, really, is there all that much to complain about? If you want to buy a Minoan army in 15mm, the figures are available from a couple of manufacturers. Want a quick, easy to play rules set? There's quite a few, covering all periods. Need a reference for a uniform or dress? You're spoiled for choice. Need some info on an obscure battle for a game? If there's not an article in one of the gaming magazines then there will be a group on the internet who can help.

And the net is probably the biggest boost our hobby has had. You can buy the figures you want from overseas with a bit of plastic and a few clicks on a mouse. Need some info on the colours of gun carriages in the Bavarian army of 1760? Just ask one of the discussion groups on Yahoo and you'll get an answer. Looking for errata for a board game? Look at the manufacturer's site and download it. Or ask on Consim World and somebody will send it to you. Wondering what sort of varnish to use with your figures? What the organisation of a WWI British infantry company was? What sort of basing to use with WAB? How to prepare plastic figures for painting? Who makes a 15mm ACW "Iron Brigade" figure in a "loading" pose? For nearly any question, the members of the hobby that are on the net will have an answer. The vast majority of gamers are in the hobby to have fun. They help each other out, discuss, debate, teach and learn. They have preferences, not near-religious bigotry. And most of them I've met are bloody great people.

Looking back over the past five years, I do think that the hobby has grown. We've never had it better, despite the problems that sometimes make us shake our heads. But it's up to us all to never lose sight of what the hobby should be all about:

Having Fun!

Spanner.