Wargames for Kids?

I think it’s most likely the case that kids get into wargaming via Warhammer 40,000. In fact it’s most likely the case that adults get into wargaming via Warhammer 40,000. But Warhammer 40,000 isn’t exactly made for kids. Not in the setting I mean… which isn’t exactly great for kids, it’s very grim and very dark (of course that does make it extremely cool, and is probably what attracted me as a kid). What I mean is in the product as a whole.

My niece recently got into 40k, with a particular liking for Space Marines, and my poor brother quickly noticed how expensive it all is these days. Not that prices have changed all that much with inflation, however wages over many years in the UK have stagnated, and people have less money to spend on recreational hobbies. So price is one thing, blah blah blah… many have already complained and will continue to do so.

But the rules are what get me too. I remember playing 8th edition 40k, an edition which brought many people into the Warhammer hobby, and its initial release with its massively streamlined approach really worked well. It wasn’t too much to mentally manage after an 8 hour shift, a dog walk and cooking dinner. It did become bloated over time with the ‘Stratagems’ system, but at least initially it was a breath of fresh air, and something not too difficult (I imagine), to teach to kids.

9th didn’t fare so well, and neither did 10th. More complicated than their predecessor, with rule changes that seemed bizarre, as for some reason Games Workshop reinvented the wheel for the umpteenth time.

Blah blah blah, many have complained about the rules and will continue to do so (me likely included with 11th impending).

So where does this leave kids exactly?

Minis too expensive, rules seemingly designed for highly competitive wargaming first.

For the average parent, who’s not in the know, it’s probably not too easy to find things like alternative manufacturers (a lot of people think Warhammer is Wargaming). Or to stumble across One Page Rules, and realise on the whole it’s a far better and simpler game than 40k. Without someone already in the know, you’re not gonna know, y’know?

And to me that sadly looks rather bleak for the future of wargaming in general. Unless wages stop stagnating, or Games Workshop (I’m still resistant to calling them Warhammer) release a budget line of minis with streamlined rules attached (even though they already did do that and it didn’t work, so they probably won’t be trying it again).

This may be a uniquely UK problem where 99% of our hobby shops are Warhammer, I suppose in the US it may be easier to distract a kid with a box of Infinity or something. But God bless you if you attempted to teach a kid Infinity.

I suppose Heroscape is an option. It is still alive, although I’ve never seen any of it anywhere in reality, bar maybe a starter set when it was released for the first time.

I was sad to see Havok stutter and ultimately fail, it was a great pocket money buy for me back in the day. I even revisited it last year, I proxied everything and had a great time:

I also missed Airfix’s two attempts. Robogear, their repackaging of Russian company Tehnolog’s own sci-fi line, and Airfix Battles.

I think WW2 gaming may be losing its appeal for younger folks these days (grumpy old man rant approaching). Being born in the 80s, and growing up in the 90s, Saving Private Ryan which I watched when I was far too young, and Band of Brothers really shaped my young brain, not to mention that Medal of Honour, and the earlier Call of Duty’s all focused on WW2, so younger people definitely made contact with that period of history far more often than they do nowadays. Not to mention how many Grandparents were still alive and telling their stories.

That’s all to say, with Bolt Action having a decently young player base for a historical game, the impression I get is that it is aging, mostly being people in their 30s and above.

So is Warhammer still the best way to get kids interested?

If I’ve forgotten any kid focused wargames let me know. I also may have my own solution brewing.