Just...because

[me_in_japan]

I just now read an article (on BoLS, of all places) about whether or not 40k is too rules-heavy. Questions were asked about whether or not the amount to absorb is off-putting for newbie players, and folks discussed experiences they've had with intro games. All this led me to wonder if it is possible to summarise or explain our weird little hobby in a form which is suitably bite-sized and comprehensible to the layman. My challenge to y'all is:

Write an as-short-as-possible paragraph explaining to a non-gamer what exactly tabletop wargaming is and why it's fun.

As an extension, I was also considering writing an equally short paragraph on specific wargames, say 40k, warmahordes or Malifaux, as examples. By this I mean:

Write an as-short-as-possible paragraph explaining to a non-gamer what exactly (warhammer 40k) is and why it's fun.

I shall attempt to weigh in on this myself this evening once I'm home from work. Till then, the floor is yours

[ashmie]

Wargaming: the most fun you will have with a green mat, model scenery, dice, paints and little plastic soldiers. Your imagination is well rewarded not to mention your strategy and creative skills.
HG Wells used to play on his lawn don't you know


40k: see above but add 'in space' to heighten the coolness. If you live Sci-Fi you will love the 40k mythos.

Good topic MJ. (I don't mention the lengthy brain warping rules so as not to put people off. To me the rules are always open to what kind of game/players/experience you are going for and can usually be hashed out with common sense and a fair amount of tea and biscuits).
House rulings are good for modifying your game to be as easy or as complicated as you like.

[Konrad]

These days you can say miniatures wargaming is like a computer game without the computer. You buy or make all the toys yourself and use dice and rulebooks to move the pieces around and fight.
I remember about 10 years back, I was curious about what was happening in the world of D&D and stuff after years of absence. Googled "RPG"s and got a bunch of computer games. Not until I saw a little bit of a description of one, ".....based on the traditional RPG......" did I realize the meaning of the term changed And Googled "TRPG". What I had been playing in high school and university are now called "traditional" RPGs. Gaming is now mainstream and most folks understand it, but they understand it as computer games.