Too much of a good thing?

Let them eat ' birthday cake' says Barry Antoinette

"There's no bread, let them eat cake!" is a line I associate less with Marie Antoinette and more with Geddy Lee, bassist and lead vocalist with Canadian power trio  Rush. Those of a certain age will remember Canada's politically motivated virtuoso threesome during the 70s long haired era. It is of course the opening line from their song  Bastille Day. Why mention it?

It came to mind during a recent conversation about trends within the the print side of our hobby press. An industry insider pointed to three major publications placing over heavy reliance on the assets of those who may be described as the hobby's glitterati. Enormous tables, customised terrain, fantastic collections shot in perfect conditions within the bowels of their cavernous wargaming halls.
The result being the same treasure trove appearing simultaneously in each magazine in the same month. Does such sumptuousness irritate the masses and stir up unrest or even resentment?. A little like Hello Magazine shots of some diva in her Monaco palace being compared with most of us living in a modest property on the outskirts of some grimy commuter town. Its not a real life view of the hobby. There will be a reckoning!

Hilton! Just whose side are you on?

That stimulated the conversation within our little gang. Is it a good or a bad trend? Is it even a trend? Views were polarized. One of the lads pointed out if it hadn't been for seeing that style of game at Partizan, Salute and the like, he'd never have pursued his own hobby path. So, it's a good thing to see aspirational games.

The original point was made on the basis that the majority of wargamers would eventually tire of seeing the kind of game they could never stage or participate in. This would lead to an undefined backlash against the magazines or perhaps the glitterati themselves. Not exactly the guillotine but perhaps some form of shunning!

Wait a minute... I thought only the Glitterati did ' beautiful'!

I am not so sure. My immediate reaction when I see some hobby related item done well follows a reasonably set pattern:

ADMIRE: Wow! that looks impressive. They've done a cracking job on it.
INVESTIGATE: How did they manage that? Let's have a closer look at how it was achieved.
CHALLENGE: Could I learn anything from this? Could I do that? What do I need to change to get this kind of result?
USABLE? Wonderful though it is, can I make any practical use of it even if I was able to achieve the same result?

Gaming Aristos - look over your shoulders on dark nights

At no point in the sequence did I detect the slightest element of the green eyed monster creeping in to my attitude. I can honestly say even when I have the occasional personal dislike of an individual or group I have managed to park that emotional disconnection and admire effort for what it is and what it adds to the hobby.

Of course everyone is different and maybe there are entire sub groups of the wargaming fraternity out there who harbour dark thoughts about the glitterati. I say, let the glitterati eat their cake and carry on giving us a peek through the window of their palaces!

What do YOU say?

Menacing? Menace? or full of mince?