The majority of you will know how dull most wargaming videos that you find on the net really are. Some tedious 'unboxing' where someone removes a product from its packaging and tells you what's inside, or a monstrously uninformative 'rules review' that consists of flicking through the pages of a rulebook whilst filming yourself doing it. And don't start me on the game reports...
Well, there is an alternative for the sane and discerning. Many of you will already be aware of Little Wars TV, but for those of you who aren't, I would thoroughly recommend you take a look. I'm not going to tell you much here, just follow the links and see for yourselves. These guys produce wargaming content that's actually entertaining and worth watching.
The latter is where the real fun resides, but see also the rules reviews. Yes, video rules reviews that you can actually stay awake through. I recommend you check out the Gettysburg broadcast (Episode 201), which is a remarkable piece of work for a bunch of amateurs.
Greg Wagman (the eloquent and personable guy who fronts up a lot of the broadcasts) was the same chap that did the scenarios which inspired my recent Ostrolenka post. If you haven't encountered this bunch of gentlemen yet - enjoy.
I Told You So! - 16th August 2020
It was interesting to find Greg Wagman featured in Wargames Illustrated 392 (August 2020). Funnily enough, he had written an article about making good wargame video reports. In his final tip, 'Watch Some Examples', he writes "Despite the depressing preponderance of unwatchable video AARs online, there are a number of excellent examples out there...". Yep. There are some good ones, but most of 'em, well... 'unwatchable' is what the man said.
Sometimes these things need calling out, even if it is a bit rude.
13 comments:
They are great to watch and superbly put together. Oh and they have the best club wargames room bar none!
Yeah. I think some of those guys have a fair bit of disposable income. And what better way to use it?
Good to see Little Wars TV getting a shout out on a regular blog. They are great Ambassadors for our hobby and have a lot of fun in the process. Highly recommended. Cheers Greg (Delta Coy Blog)
I agree they have some great (and entertaining) content - I even bought a copy of the ACW rules featured in their games and they have some very clever mechanisms!
I'll need to check this out, thank you. I must admit, in very hushed tones, that the old Peter Gilder-Edward Woodward-Tyne Tees series from the 1970s strikes me the same way from what I've seen of it on Youtube. Mildly interesting, but not terribly exciting. Sacrilege, I know. Please don't throw rocks and sticks. Many figure-painting how-to videos out there suffer from the same malady along with some very distracting speech ticks thrown into the mix. A bit of careful editing could help improve the quality many such videos and make them more watchable/useful in the process. The Lindy Beige videos are generally fantastic in terms of subject matter and production value, though sometimes the guy behind them comes across as a bit vitriolic. . . even for me. And I typically like vitriol. One very handy tip I learned this spring while preparing a number of Prezi videos (see prezi.com) for my students, once classes went remote in mid-March, was to keep it short and sweet. Under ten minutes, but five to seven minutes seems to be the sweet spot. Again, simply a matter of more careful of scripting and editing. There is a reason whey lots of footage shot ends up (or should end up) on the cutting room floor in professional film making.
Best Regards,
Stokes
Stokes, I agree with you regarding 'Battleground'. A much-revered series but actually quite dull. Interesting mainly as a period piece.
Wargaming as a spectator sport is a tough one to crack, which is why Little Wars TV is so interesting. Rather brash, but generally light-hearted, and with a lot of interesting discussion and info.
Hi Keith- Thanks for posting a Link to the Videos- have watched a few of these and enjoyed learning much of good interest. Cheers. KEV.
Battleground comment.
Its awful, Edward Woodward droning on in his armchair and Gilder and his mate mumbling away to each other with little explanation about what's going on.
BUT dont forget Charlie Wesencraft's contribution to the show, I worked with him a long time ago and he is a wonderful gentleman and a great and accurate modeler.
Battleground - yes, very English, I often think. In a bad way.
Little Wars TV is probably THE BEST wargame website around. In fact, so good that Fife and Drum Miniatures is one of its sponsors.
A thought on other video presentations: most of us do not have the technical know how to edit our videos and add bells and whistles such as animated graphics and background music. The average video posters are well intentioned and are doing their best.
LWTV does have the best looking game room or club house that I have ever seen.
Fritz
Thanks Fritz. Maybe I was being a little harsh, but I think if one is putting something out on YouTube it's worth doing it properly and the content should be significant.
Yeah, These guys (and Girls) are really entertaining. Besides they answer to questions very friendly and helpfull. I think that they deserve more kredit in our wargaming hobby.
I even look their WW2 or Japanese-warfare videos, although I have no interest in those periods.
Agree with all these comments - LWTV is very entertaining - I really liked their 6mm D Day recreation where the Germans recaptured one of the Allied landing beaches!
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