IT’S QUIET – ALMOST, TOO QUIET…

Has anyone else noticed how ‘conversations’ at CLWG appear to be, well, fading away in the same manner as old soldiers? I mean, on those rare occasions we get posts not based on HR manuals, there is little in the way of either discussion, challenge, revision or extension – surely some of the founding principles of wargaming, CLWG-style?

I make this highly subjective claim based on an analysis of the articles posted to the site, and then using the WordPress tools (plus a few from my Day Job) to do a distribution of replies, comments etc. Or lack thereof… Now, it’s true that some posts elicit email follow-ups (usually as extensive as a dreaded ‘tweet’). I’ve not really listed those, although even a quick glance at my dedicated ‘in’ email box tells a similar sorry tale when looking at timestamps. But I’m intrigued as to the possible Reasons Why, the effect and how they might be addressed.

Reasons Why

• Well, obviously COVID lockdown(s) are #1. Wargaming is a social activity (for the most part), and the chance of follow-up conversation is greatly enhanced by face-to-face meetings, the enthusiasm for which events often (used too) spill-over into articles, reports et al. There is also the still to be assessed impact on general mental health of the population during the isolation period; very few conditions got ‘better’….
• ‘Veteran’ syndrome makes for a good #2. Waning enthusiasm over the years gets to us all – to some degree or another – be it the ‘seen it, done it’, ‘too ill/tired’, or the demands of non-wargaming co-habitants (sometimes called family).
• And of course, Social Mediocrity. In an age of instant (truncated) replies and the dominance of the ‘Like’ click, why bother to actually type something in English? This is especially true if the CLWG alerts appear on our telephones – too easy to click and park it for ‘later’ (among all the other instant dross which appears by then).
• Irrelevence. Perhaps most of us get our toy soldier ‘fixes’ elsewhere now, perhaps via other links, other circles etc.

Effects of Silence

• Increased feelings of isolation. I imagine we’ve all been through some tough times in the last 3-4 years; some tougher than others. Whilst I have always hated those flinging off-hand duck-billed platitudes such as ‘Just Take That Hill…’ or ‘It’s Good To Talk’, it doesn’t hide the fact that it may be necessary – however uncomfortable (or deadly) the cost. And no, I’m definitely not a good example.
• Damping-down the critical mass of ideas. I know only too well how, as historical colleagues melted away, ideas and then critical developments become harder to justify spending ones diminishing time upon. Ironic really – in a religious context – that other resources (toys, experience etc) become more abundant (thanks God).
• Is there an echo in here…….? As responses fade, so too will the desire to pen articles. My own flurry of odds-and-ends in 2020 was in part an experiment to see what levels of engagement still existed in the club. Indeed, this is not new to anyone unfortunate enough to have edited any form of group journal, and my ‘Gestetnered’ copies of MilMud from the late 1970s-80s abound with sly digs (or outright insults) directed at the membership during my tenure. My own favourite is a long-ish letter which PaddyG sent in response to my naming ‘You lot’. He didn’t produce any articles, mind…..
• Constitutional matters…..I seem to recall that it was one of the few membership rules that, to enjoy said membership, one had to run a game and submit an article. As the membership dispersed from London, this became ‘and/or’. So, ‘guidelines’ rather than rules, now….?

What to do about it? Well, two things come to mind:

• Disband the club. The main effect I can see if not now but in a very near future is to save some money on hall hire and a web-site. Or….
• Write some responses (other than ‘wow, right’ etc) to articles. Deborah’s recent posts on disability really pushed the envelope and should have started a debate (let alone my responses – the only ones I’ve seen).

We’ve always been a creative, generous, opinionated bunch; it’s why CLWG was created, and – presumably – why each of us joined?! Now prove it.