Hey Big Lee! It has been my experience that, on the whole, wargamers are an optimistic lot! In addition... most of them have a pretty wicked sense of humor, as well! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
I have to admit that I approach the game rather pessimistically - especially with dice results. Always have several plans and react quickly to problems.. and problems will arise. BUT.. it's true that my behavior in other areas is similar. I act similarly when the dice fail me again or the legislature changes the rules at work again. Adjust tactically and move on. Always try to regain the initiative. A classic situation in WFB used to be the expectation of a superior army that the opponent would field and usually the relief when you see what was being brought onto the field. 😇
Ha! Ha! Ha! Good try Lee. I could see the laughter trying to bubble through at many stages of this tongue-in-cheek posting. I must be a natural optimist, my favourite army is Late Achaemenid. Skills and experience can be transferred as we all know. But, I never went on manoeuvres in the workplace to make my colleagues retreat or surrender to my, obviously, greater tactical skill. I think what wargamers share is fascination for games, preferably with miniature figures. Usually, a sense of fairness in how the game is played. And hopefully, an outlook of it's only a game and the result is secondary to the enjoyment of playing.
That is a tricky question. I would say you have to be an optimist to even paint miniatures or build model kits. It can be daunting to tackle a painting project. As far as support network and such I unfortunately have not benefited from that in my time wargaming with miniatures. I blame it on the fact the local group were all 40k players masquerading as historical gamers and they had their cliq and never let me in. I would say only a couple of times in the 17 years of gaming have I encountered supportive gamers but they were indeed strictly historical gamers. I will say that the hex and counter wargaming community has been very receptive and supportive to the point that it blew me away. I guess it boils down to the games workshop approach being ultimately bad for the hobby as it breeds far too many bad player types.
I enjoy the problem solvinI enjoy the problem solving aspect of wargaming. Its always interesting to see how a game pans out. No plan survives contact with the enemy and all that. I have however had the misfortune of being paired up with a payer with some regularity that regularly concedes as soon as he thinks things aren't going his way. Its deeply frustrating to play one turn of a game only to have your opponent give up because you crippled the unit he decided was going to win the game for him. I find myself dreading club night in case I get landed playing with or against him. I'm not really sure what the solution to this is.
On the whole I don't have a problem with having the 'option' to concede a game early rather than playing to the last man in a hopeless situation...but not right at the beginning of the game! Not sure what the solution is to that. We all have players in our orbit who's in-game habits can be frustrating. Maybe speak with the umpire to gently steer the person towards better behavior, but its a difficult one.
Hi Lee; after that speech I think you are a shoe in for the job you are applying for 😂. Back on subject; I feel that historical gamers already have a certain amount of optimism which is only enhanced by continual gaming. Although I have met some who just can't tolerate losing; but these types don't usually hang around. Lets face it, the more you game, the better you (generally) get at it, which leads to further improvement in all the aspects of the game - the snowball effect (with the odd setback). Brilliant subject to make one ponder.
I once did a job interview where within seconds it was clear I wasn't getting the job (They already had a long time colleague in-post and were just going through the pretence of looking at other candidates) so when they asked about my hobbies I was completely straight with them. One of the interviewers was very dismissive, so I launched into a speech about the benefits of gaming, and all the skills I had learned as a result of my hobby. After the interview one of the panel spoke to me and said this was the first interview he'd done where he hadn't been bored by the answers 😆
I guess you have to be an optimist at some level to collect and slowly paint figures in hopes of playing a game in the future. It takes a lot of planning and patience to get there eventually.
Psychological analysis of historical wargamers on the optimist - pessimist spectrum.... Nothing like a little light mass distance therapy with Sunday lunch. 😂 I'm sorry, but I am going to take issue with, at least a part of, one of the implicit assumptions underlying your hypothesis. I do not think those who are tasked with problem solving are inherently more optimistic, or necessarily become so. To first solve a problem you must recognise that there is a problem, then identify and analyse it. This requires critical thinking, not necessarily optimism, indeed a 'pessimistic' mindset may well be useful in finding faults in any proposed solutions. "I'll try this, but here, here and possibly here are where this solution may not work..." is an negative approach to problem solving, but is usually more effective than assuming that the solution will not throw up other problems...a far more optimistic, positive attitude. Indeed, a thorough look at the planned problem, with a skeptical, 'negative' mindset, may arrive at the conclusion that the problem is unsolvable in its current form and lead to a radical rethink and looking for a way round the problem. So, I suggest that leavening the positivity with the realism of a 'pessimistic' analysis and search for potential pitfalls is a far more effective and efficient approach to problem solving. Anecdotally, the game I hosted and umpired at the club on Thursday had the expectation of imminent defeat on both sides. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia saw 'no way to dislodge the Union V Corps from the prepared positions on the high ground...until they did...and the Union commander looked with dismay at the vast numbers of soldiers the rebels had to assault his rear guard position. The Battle of Gaines Mill was eventually won by the South, by the way, and despite the 'doom and gloom' all enjoyed the game. So in conclusion, I don't think your assertion linking wargamers with optimism is a cut and dried case...but, maybe it's a case of... 'a pessimist is just the name an optimist applies to a realist. 😂
Passive? I know of very few activities where you have to put in so much personal effort and take so many decisions. Perhaps you mean physically inactive? (Which it generally is.)
