There is a certain subspecies of Englishman (or -woman, but it's by far and away mostly -men), which is very distinctive but which to my knowledge has never been accurately labelled or studied. I call it the "Saxondale type", after the main character of the brilliant but sadly unsuccessful Saxondale Steve Coogan vehicle from the mid-2000s.
The Saxondale Type is defined by outfit (jeans, t-shirt - usually a metal band tour t-shirt from a decade or so ago - leather or denim jacket, boots), economic class (lower-middle/upper-working borderline), outlook (phlegmatic and sarcastic), and interests (metal music, beer, probably muscle cars, probably military history, possibly Warhammer, possibly historical re-enactment, possibly wargames). He could be from anywhere but the paradigm example would be from the East Midlands, probably Nottingham. His politics could be anywhere on the spectrum but would tend either towards the UKIPpish, or alternatively Corbynista loony-leftism. He is staunchly against political correctness but it would be unfair to call him bigoted - beneath the bluster and "blokeishness" and sarcastic approach to conversation, he's usually a very nice guy. He is probably of above-average intelligence but has been frustrated in life by having gone to a crap comprehensive school.
Most Saxondale Types are not RPG players but a very large percentage of RPG players, in my experience, are Saxondale Types. Wargame and RPG clubs across the land are absolutely chock-full of them. They are not my tribe, but a lot of the people I played RPGs with in my formative years were putative Saxondale Types. I like them.
The problem with Saxondale Types, though, is that they're not cool, and they are most certainly not the image which Wizards of the Coast, Games Workshop, or any other major "geek" industry companies would want to cultivate or have represent them. Their faces don't fit. I find this very sad, because their loyalty to their hobbies is unquestioned, and if anybody deserves to be celebrated, it's them: in its lean years the RPG hobby in particular in Britain at least would probably have been economically unviable without them. So here's to you, Saxondale Gamers: I at least identify you, and salute you.
I'm in many ways a strong contrast to the Saxondale man you dewcrdes - upper middle class creative/aesthetic, Burkean, religious.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I owe my hobbies - in practical terms, as those who welcomed me into wargaming and gave me my first RPG books - to them, so I very much second your praise.
Do they also have a bizarre love of Tom Clancey novels or is that another subset?
ReplyDeleteThat's their dads, typically.
DeleteMaybe not nowadays but some of them do have a tendency to pontificate about guns despite never having fired one, them being British.
DeleteYeah, I have a 1992 copy of "Directory of the World's Weapons" which I'm sure owes its existent to the market power of John Saxondale & co.
DeleteHalf my adventuring party were Saxondale Types, American-style.
ReplyDeleteI've seen you in white jeans David, you are at least part Saxondale.
ReplyDeleteThey never wear white jeans! Blue or black only.
DeleteThose jeans are Paul Smith by the way. Don't you go dissing them.
This post is both sad and wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI was just commenting to a friend how this seems a bit general: jeans, t-shirt, lower-middle or upper-working class, right-wing or possibly left-wing seems like it describes most people? But the friend correctly points out that might be because in Croatia everyone IS a Saxondale gamer.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Yeah in eg Belfast where I come from it'd cover 80% of the population. But in classist England it's a valuable observation.
DeleteI think there are Saxondales in many hobbies; wargaming, knitting, kite-flying. They might even be a necessary step in the mainstreaming of a hobby, between the very early men/women-in-sheds stage and the hipsters. Saxondales, we salute you.
ReplyDeleteHmmm I wonder what we call the Canadian Saxondale? I know a few dudes like this. Hell, I might be one!
ReplyDeleteThis is a cool observation. I got the impression lefty-arty-farty liberal Coogan rather appreciated them, too. I did like that show.
ReplyDelete"His politics could be anywhere on the spectrum but would tend either towards the UKIPpish, or alternatively Corbynista loony-leftism"
They're a remarkably tolerant breed, not like us special snowflake 'personal is political' academia types. Yesterday I was curious about a UKIPy Saxondale type in my Facebook friends list (I've no recollection how he got there) so I checked out his Friends - there was one mutual friend, and there was a well known minis sculptor, another Saxondale, but this one a loony-left type with his feed full of rants about Gammons, Trump, anti-Brexit. They appeared to co-exist happily.
This is a type in American gaming as well - my tribe really. It’s the Metal gamer, as distinct from the self consciously woke Nerd gamer. Either Bernie old school lefty RPGer or Trump supporter. Unlike the true chuds, the hobby keeps them from being too fanatical and trollish (too being the emphasis). The shame is exactly as you describe, though loyal to cool games their anti authoritarian attitude and vague rightish attitudes (guns and beer) leave them unappealed to by the gaming companies. Thanks for the excellent modern anthropology.
ReplyDelete"Corbynista loony-leftism."
ReplyDeleteSo the first leader of a main UK party to oppose neoliberalism in 35plus years is a loony?
The loony dickwad gamer is the one who wants the accelerating downward spiral to continue. Where total party kill means no time for anything except for being chained to the rollercoaster rushing into the ecological abyss. Hello loony dickwad gamer. Your blog just went off my list.
"Dickwad"? Haven't heard that one since Bill and Ted.
DeleteI have no problem with loony-lefties. It takes all kinds.