Wargaming in Context

 The article in Wikipedia on miniature wargaming is a useful overview that can help clarify what we are about when we do it.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_wargaming

The author points out that chess came first and in many ways miniature wargaming is an elaboration of the ideas found in chess.  Chess pieces tend to be historical or, in newer sets, might be fantasy figures. Chess has a few basic figures each with specific capabilities (pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen, king).  Having just six unit types in a wargame is common. 

The use of physical models distinguishes miniature wargaming from board games or computer games.  The benefit of using physical models mainly is aesthetic.  Each figure represents a unit or a soldier;  a marker would accomplish the same purpose but would not be as much fun. The model itself may not be relevant to the rules.  However, the size of the base could affect movement.   A player who has a set of WWI figures could pit them against a set of WWII figures.  Mentally, he just decides that they all have the weaponry of one era or the other. Investing in miniatures from every interesting era is collecting not gaming.  Collecting is enjoyable but there is no need to rush into it. Instead, set a budget and slowly expand the collection.

Miniature wargaming is either skirmish-level or tactical level but not strategic, for obvious reasons.  Skirmish games use one figure to represent one soldier.  Tactical games may place several figures on a base and treat it as a unit, such as a squad, platoon, company, brigade or division.  

Boards should not be wider than 4 feet, since you need to be able to reach across.  Photos of games played at conventions appear to be use large boards but for most players a smaller surface is more practical.  A card table is small but still works.  The dining room table is better but set up must be temporary.  This is why most players rely on modular terrain kits instead of the permanent setups used by model train enthusiasts. 

Photographs in gaming magazine and online show detailed realistic terrain and beautifully painted figures.  These are discouraging to the regular player who has neither the interest nor the aptitude for artistry.  Take heart; most hobbyists have dabbled with a paint brush but do not spend much of their time on that side of the hobby. 

Historical wargaming is the mainstay of the hobby.  However, exact reproductions of historical battles are not possible.  Games are more interesting if you start with an historical battle then simplify the order of battle and perhaps even-up the sides instead of trying to set it up exactly as it actually occurred. Scenarios that are entirely fictional are more common than replays of historical battles.  The player sets his scenario in an historical era, studies the armament and tactics of the era, chooses rules that apply to the era and sets up terrain that conforms to the era.  

Not everyone is limited to historical wargaming.  Some prefer science fiction or fantasy scenarios.  Some combine the two, perhaps adding magical characters to a medieval scenario. While land-based wargaming is more common, naval, air and space battles also have large followings. 

Most battlefields are rural rather than urban.  Moving small figures through a city is difficult because the structures impede lines of sight.  A small village is a nice feature of a battlefield.  However, open spaces are necessary for some of the action.  

Miniature wargamers might be somewhat older than computer wargamers.  They have favored World War II.  However, as time marches on, more recent conflicts gain popularity.