I’ve just noticed that this year is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Solo Wargamers Association. Good that it is still going though sadly the blog isn’t terribly active.
That’s a bit odd as there appears to be more solo games (including solo/coop) and more rules making provision to play solo (The Men Who Would Be King by Dan Mersey is a good example) than ever.
Obviously, there was a boost in solo gaming due to the Covid lockdowns but it’s interesting to see that trend continuing.
Here’s to many more years of solo gaming!
Congratulations to all the writers and editors and hundreds of readers who have kept this journal alive for 50 years! What an accomplishment for what is essentially a volunteer-run enterprise! The journal remains a source of information and inspiration. I can’t finish an issue without thinking of some new mechanism to apply or a new way to look at my gaming. The journal has evolved tremendously from the mimeograph pages of 1976. Fifty years of material is a gold mine for the soloist. There are two initiatives that are ongoing that will make Lone Warrior accessible long into the future. First is the Compendium. George Banic and his skilled crew are summarizing every article published and making the contents easily accessible! You want to locate all articles published concerning your favorite period? You can find them. The second initiative is to digitize every issue. Godfrey Bailey donated his entire hard copy collection of the journal and I’m working on scanning them. David Newport has back issues available for sale. So, at some point in the not-too-distant future, you can refer to the compendium to locate the issue where your desired article is located and then contact your Editor to secure it. I recommend that every reader take advantage of the opportunity to delve into the hidden treasures that our authors have left for us. AND, to contribute to those treasures by sharing your wargaming experiences through an article or post.
Well said and thanks to your good self for your years of editing. And, on a personal note, thanks for encouraging my writing efforts during those years,
Brian,
re “though sadly the blog isn’t terribly active” … in my case, I fear my inactivity is due to finding the blog, (and its differentiating between posts and comments) quite uninspiring and sometimes over complex to follow compared to say the Society of Ancients Forum or the DBA Fanaticus forum, or the now defunct Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers forum (last hosted by WordPress if my memory is working correctly!). I must try harder. Perhaps there is a easy to follow guide for ageing technophobes like me?
Hopefully the solo enterprise is alive and well, if not always reflected on our SWA website / blog. I think the “Lone Warrior” is indeed a credit to past members and contributors. From looking at old issues recently it strikes me that there was MORE interest in PBM, letters to the editor, and responding to requests for help in Lone Warrior than in any other wargames magazine I have seen, commercial or volunteer led from the days of Wargamers Newsletter onwards. Perhaps those aspects reflected that previously we were not connected by instant access on websites and social media and mobiles, and people enjoyed communicating with like minded individuals even if occasionally magazines could be forums for ‘pushing’ one style or view of what is wargames, as now appears in commercial magazines (IMHO). But hey ho, I just fell off my soap box and I shall pass on baton to someone else. But I take your point Brian, that we have a tool in our blog which could be used more.
Carl, North Yorks., England
Thanks for the thoughts Carl. I struggle with WordPress and rely on the kindness on John Yokio to keep me on the straight and narrow. I always save the text to my own computer just in case it gets lost by WordPress!