Friday, September 05, 2008

Is the Old School Wargaming Yahoo Group Dead?

Everything has it’s time on Earth and in time that allotted span must come to a close.

Has this happened to the Old School Wargaming Yahoo Group?

Consider:

Is there really anything NEW happening there?

Once upon a time the group was a real clearing-house for information. New members were being put in tough with like minds, a very great deal of information was being exchanged. Old miniatures lines were being evaluated, old books re-read, ideas being shared; it was a melting pot for ideas.

What is happening there these days?

It seems to me that we are going around and around in circles to the point that the group is becoming a caricature of it’s old self.

All too often we get this ridiculous self-image of the OSW member as a florid-faced retired Colonel type of figure, slurping the port and brandy whilst inflicting his foul cigars upon those about him from the comfort of his leather-padded chair.

How many times must we have the debate on what it means to be Old School? The argument always resolves on the inevitable suggestions of hail-fellow-well-met versus reminders that the old schoolers had their rather glaring faults as human beings? Everyone then just realizes that they want to have fun playing with toy soldiers.

Is the problem one where the topic is too limited? There is only so much self-indulgent “Old Schooling” that a group can chew over before all the juice of the topic is vanished?

10 comments:

MiniWargamer said...

I concede the points that we tend to go round in circles in OSW but I am on other groups that do the same. One of the things I *do* like about OSW is that people post about their Imaginations and gaming with them. That in and of itself indicates that the group still has a lot to offer, I believe. I probably would never have found half of the good sites I have if I had just relied on Google.

Bloggerator said...

Hello Michael,

And I take your point.

But is it enough?

Regards,

Greg

Anonymous said...

Greg,
Instead of posting about OSW why not post to OSW..? You never know, you might get a positive response.
At the end of the day if you decide to leave - then leave, but please no TMP style 'i'm leaving (please miss me)' post....8-)

Anonymous said...

I am a member of a number of yahoo wargamming groups. They one thing they all have in common, though the SYW is an exception, is that they have their ups and downs. The OSW group is in a bit of a trough at the moment, but it will bounce back. The other point is that any group is only as "good" as it's members.

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

Hi Greg - no it hasn't had it's time... the OSW group is like a wargaming magazine - only as good as the content it's sent.... if we don't like the content we only have ourselves to blame... :o))

They are a like minded bunch of people with a host of different views, but our foundation is the same - we came to the hobby via Grant/Featherstone/Scrubby/Young etc.

We may not always agree, but the foundation is the same, and that has shaped our gaming experience...

I'm not going to get that kind of shared experience anywhere else on the web - so I'll stay.... :o))

WSTKS-FM Worldwide said...

Hi Greg,

Yes, it is a bit frustrating -- kind of like the endless discussion on "how" to paint Austrian/French white on The Miniatures Page! And of course the occasional silly, silly, silly tantrums/arguments between a few of the more notorious members don't help. There have been times when I've tried to start topics on old figure lines and/or books, but these have died fairly quick deaths. It's too bad that some of the original members don't seem to post much anymore as far as I can tell. Yes, maybe it's time to concentrate more on painting at my end of the table and less on surfing OSW. . .

Best Regards,

Stokes

Bloggerator said...

Hi Stokes,

I've watched your efforts and think that the reason that they don't fly is that they have largely all been done before.

As Anonymous said, perhaps this isn't the place for this discussion; maybe I'll post it to the group.

If i do leave it will be qietly,

Regards,

Greg

Andy Mitchell said...

The OSW group has a few problems that are inevitable. By the definition of 'Old School' new developments will be limited in scope so there can be little new to discuss.

Many of us are indirectly to blame because we have our own blogs where we post rather than to OSW.

For me OSW does have value in alerting me to new blogs from its members, and also news on book reprints etc.

Poruchik said...

I posted a response to Stokes re:Old School, if you are still part of the group you have it. I believe Old School isn't about rules, figures, scales, play or manners. It's about a willingness to help grow the hobby purely for the sake of the hobby. It's about making friends that enjoy similar things.

I hope you stay I enjoy you're posts. Whenever I am lost for motivation I look to you and Stokes and the work you are doing.

I hope at some point we'll pick up the game we were going to play by email.

regards
Donald~

MurdocK said...

In my humble experience with the OSW, unless you are doing games with Featherstone etc and NOT doing the games with more modern rules you seem to be welcome.

To even mention that you do other games or to start a discussion of changing the rules or make your own 'house' rules got a nasty re-buff.

The games are supposed to include an element of fun, it is not fun to get the nasty garbage flung at you...yes it comes in from other sources also, but the OSW put itself forward as a fun discussion place, yet when a new person tries to start a discussion or move into 'new' territory the OLD part rears is multi-faceted head and blasts its bad breath.

I walked away and will not go back to OSW.

why?

OLD.

...


If you are not bringing in NEW and ready to embrace NEW players and all the 'same old' questions that they bring with them, then your group is going to wither and die.

Just the way I see it.