Just sharing my thoughts about tutorials
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2026 7:53 am
It's not a critique and I am not pushing anything, but I just wanted to share some of my experience/thoughts - please dismiss if you find those no applicable
1) There is a huge segment of players who prefer video tutorials. WiS has it covered - I think that @BananaConvention videos will be a blast
2) But there are a lot of people who don't like sitting idle and watching videos (like myself, and I know there are many like me). I actually got into wargaming because of the WDS "Getting started" manuals where you are walked through your first turns and get the basics (then you look up the manual proper for advanced rules). Some complex wargames have even several of such - the GMT boardgame Fields of Fire Deluxe has 2 playbooks (Basic Training and Advanced) with half a dozen tutorials in each. In fact, this became a standard practice in more complex boardgames, and it's very enjoyable. Just think of it - you open your 3-killograms box with literally hundreds of components, and you are awed and terrified at the same time. Instead of reading hundreds of pages of manuals or watching dozens of hours of videos to start playing it (or forgetting about it), you just open your playbook and start moving the pieces on your board.
The problem with the 2nd option is that you need dedicated and talented people for such tutorials, because "don't allow the game designer to write the manual". Therefore it's expensive, but it pays off by making your complex game approachable, enjoyable, and popular (within your niche playerbase). FoF did this for the Deluxe Edition, and now it's No. 1 topseller among GMT games.
I think that your publishers should think about that. Maybe they should try buying the good examples, trying them, and then giving you some extra money to do that.
Good luck with WiS! I personally am very excited about the game!
1) There is a huge segment of players who prefer video tutorials. WiS has it covered - I think that @BananaConvention videos will be a blast
2) But there are a lot of people who don't like sitting idle and watching videos (like myself, and I know there are many like me). I actually got into wargaming because of the WDS "Getting started" manuals where you are walked through your first turns and get the basics (then you look up the manual proper for advanced rules). Some complex wargames have even several of such - the GMT boardgame Fields of Fire Deluxe has 2 playbooks (Basic Training and Advanced) with half a dozen tutorials in each. In fact, this became a standard practice in more complex boardgames, and it's very enjoyable. Just think of it - you open your 3-killograms box with literally hundreds of components, and you are awed and terrified at the same time. Instead of reading hundreds of pages of manuals or watching dozens of hours of videos to start playing it (or forgetting about it), you just open your playbook and start moving the pieces on your board.
The problem with the 2nd option is that you need dedicated and talented people for such tutorials, because "don't allow the game designer to write the manual". Therefore it's expensive, but it pays off by making your complex game approachable, enjoyable, and popular (within your niche playerbase). FoF did this for the Deluxe Edition, and now it's No. 1 topseller among GMT games.
I think that your publishers should think about that. Maybe they should try buying the good examples, trying them, and then giving you some extra money to do that.
Good luck with WiS! I personally am very excited about the game!