Maybe we are all potential power-crazed wannabe dictators?
No. It was toy soldiers initially for me, then plastic kits. Then home-made rules. University brought me to the Bohemian splendour that was Belfast in the early 1980's where I discovered things like Dungeons & Dragons and a small company called Citadel who were also involved with a place called Games Workshop in Hammersmith in London - I visited the place in 1984.
The minis and terrain-making appeal to my artistic side. The rules, fluff and real-world information appeal to the Inner Nerd. The games? They are challenges. Can you outthink the opposition? Will your Cunning Plans be ruined by the Fate that governs the D6? It is like directing a film - lots of gunfire and explosions but at the end of it, nobody is really hurt and you can try the same scenario umpteen times with any number of variations.
Real world games - can be any part of human history, anywhere and any time, actual or potential (the many what-if? type scenarios).
Fantasy and sci-fi? Even more variety.
Rules? Formats? Game sizes? Who knows - there is bound to be something out there for everyone.
To add the GD's learned references I include just 2 of the many out there:
http://www.usnwc.edu/getattachment/4132 ... ming-Workshttp://www.strategypage.com/wargames/ar ... 004980.aspEven businesses are having financial wargames now where it is stocks and shares and funds being 'fought' for. One article I spotted today was by a medical student who demonstrated his good manual dexterity by bringing in a small selection of wargaming minis he had built/converted and painted.
Right, I'm away to continue plotting my galactic empire...