Whether you’re a fan of Warhammer 40k, Bolt Action, Star Wars Legion, or any other miniature wargame, you can add your voice to the Great Wargaming Survey 2023. Organised by Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy magazine, there are free gifts and a prize draw for submitting an entry – but do wargamers really need an excuse to share their opinions?
The survey is open until August 31. Everyone who enters will receive a $5 voucher for the Karwansary Publishers webstore, and a 3D printer file for a unique British Airborne figure by Wargames Atlantic. There’s also a “a stack of generous prizes“ provided by sponsors, including starter sets, miniatures, vouchers, and magazine subscriptions.
You can enter the survey via the Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy website. The survey collects demographic information as well as information about your tastes in Wargaming.
You’ll also find analyses from previous years’ survey data on the Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy website. Some of it is exactly what you might expect if you’ve been in the scene for a while: gamers interested in historical wargames are more likely to prefer metal miniatures, while sci-fi and fantasy gamers much prefer hard plastic.
Other things are less easy to predict. Over half of all wargamers who responded in 2022 played in groups of up to four people, suggesting that kitchen table gaming is by far the norm, compared with gaming at clubs, shops, and tournaments.
Under 20s were the least likely age group to play in an expanded group, possibly because they don’t have the funds or transport to get out as easily.
Wargamers are definitely an opinionated bunch, whether it’s arguing over the most powerful Warhammer 40k factions, the number of rivets on a particular model of tank, or whether wargaming should be about competition, storytelling, or just having fun.