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#aunt mack

jaidamack
@jaidamack
goattrain
@goattrain asked:

WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU LOVE BUT HAVE A HARD TIME EXPLAINING WHAT'S FUN ABOUT IT?

HISTORICAL WARGAMING.

Seriously. It's... a tough sell, sometimes. On the one hand, you've got folks that are in the camp that'll tell you outright that wargaming is evil and you're basically glorifying death, dismemberment and destruction (and all manner of other war crimes), and on the other are those that'll scoff and look down their nose and go 'oh faw faw faw toy soldiers!! how delightful (to rhyme with scum).'

Now, I've always been kind of a history nerd. I even own books rather than just turning to Wikipedia for sources! Since getting involved with historical wargaming - across multiple different periods, mind, not just that brief 1939-1945 kerfuffle - I've learned more about the stories of people involved, from generals and marshals down to the civilians and people swept up in things. It's an opportunity to connect with the history in a way that's difficult to explain if you haven't had the satisfaction of painting something up and putting it on the table, or in your cabinet; you've wanted to get things right, or at least close enough, and the amount of time spent rummaging through multiple sources just for the colours of socks or gaiters will invariably send you down a dozen different rabbit holes during your research.

That's to say nothing of the games themselves! From beer and pretzels dice throwing nonsense to tense simulations, gaming is another way to actually put into practice the doctrine and methods of those involved at various levels of command - it's all learning, and all in good fun. I've toured concentration camps, seen the actual window which started the Thirty Years War, and had a chance to sit and listen to interviews with veterans from my own home town never before heard since they were recorded in the early 80s and forgotten about.

But what's fun about it? That's the part that's even harder to explain! Though I'll take a damn good swing at it when I'm sober, actually. That should make for an interesting series of Mack Facts.