Truthfully, its a silly term that the internet throws around, in the attempt to reduce the wargaming community down to a simple classification system. Its usually something like this:
- The Painters, The Hobbyists (The Art Crowd): Those who aren't actually concerned with the games at all. Rather they are driven to build, paint, and convert models solely on the basis of aesthetics. If they play, there is little or no regard to the tactical value of a figure/model/unit - things are taken for how cool they look or simply because "they like it". At tournaments they're shooting for the Best Painting award.
- The Historians, The Recreationists (The "Fluff Bunnies"): These individuals construct their forces according to the established histories/stories of the army in question. Even in fantasy and science fiction games, there is usually an established canon of material that describes the potential buildout of your forces. These individuals build their forces in a way that is "true" - once again, not necessarily building an effective force, but building one that follows this established canon. At tournaments, they're shooting for the Best Theme award.
- The Competitive, aka WAACs (Win At All Costs): The type of player that gets the worst rap online - they are described as someone that tweaks, bends, twists, and does everything possible outside of cheating to win. Their armies are designed for one thing: winning. They take figures solely based on power, cost effectiveness, and the ability to get the job done. If the internet was to be believed, every tournament is dominated by these hard core gamers. They are, of course, playing for the Best General ward.
- The Casual: Someone who is just in it for fun. Not so concerned with any of the above, but just shows up to tournaments to socialize, play some games with friends, and grab a few beers after the game. They aren't trying for any awards at a tournament...
The problem is, as I see it, is there are very few people out there that fall solely into one of these groups. Yes, there are individuals that embody the above, but most of us are a healthy mix of it all.
Take me, for example. I like to paint, and try to make my guys "table quality". But I have no expectations of winning medals. And I don't obsess over the appearance of my little plastic men. I definitely like a good story, and I try not to have my units deviate too much from the "norm" of the army that I'm building. While I don't ever expect to actually win Best General at a tournament, I do enjoy winning, when I can :) But most of all, I'm in this for fun - to hang out with other people that share my interests, and have fun for a night/day/weekend. In this respect, wargaming is no different than the other multitude of hobbies out there. And from the crowds I see at the tournaments, I think there's a lot more people like me, than of the four groups listed above.
So, what's a casual wargamer? I don't know. But it sounded like a good name for a blog :)
