Fights! Camera! Action!

In this episode, I’m speaking with Greg and Tony from the YouTube channel “Little Wars TV”. The channel is dedicated to the hobby of historical miniature wargaming. The guys tell the story of their club, from its humble beginnings almost two decades ago with two guys in the back room of a comic book store, to a well-organized club of over 30 members, with a privately-owned, purpose-built, loft-style, downtown clubhouse decorated with military memorabilia, photos and antiques, and replete with a well-stocked wet bar and a basement recording studio! We talk about just what the hobby is, and perhaps as important, what it isn’t. Greg and Tony chronicle the original idea for the YouTube channel, and how the guys went about presenting not only the hobby, but also the personalities behind the games. They talk candidly about how surprising the success of the channel has been to them, and how the club dynamic has been tested because of it. In a surprising turn, a significant portion of our conversation shifted to societal issues dealing with the decline of civil discourse online and the politicization of almost everything. Which it turns out includes the YouTube comment section of a channel devoted to playing games with toy soldiers. In the end however, we bring the conversation back around to the success of “Little Wars TV” and the resiliency of the club and its members in forming and maintaining a group based on camaraderie and a shared love of the hobby. That and a fair amount of scotch.