Late to the Party: How Historical Wargaming (and Model Train Sets) Helped Me Thrive After a Late Autism Diagnosis

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History has always whispered to me in rulebooks and tiny painted soldiers, long before I ever suspected why. In a world organized by hex grids, tables, and the click-clack rhythm of dice, I found both logic and comfort. My name’s Sam Ellison, an American living at the crossroads of tradition and family, and I came late very late to my autism diagnosis. Now, as a dad, gamer, and armchair historian, I see how the rituals of wargaming and crafting model train sets were lifelines that helped make sense of everything from playground politics to the puzzle of growing up.

Uncovering My Own History: Coming to Terms with Autism

For decades, I was “the quirky kid.” I memorized the order of battle at Gettysburg and struggled with cafeteria conversations. Routines helped. Predictability was a balm: in the basement, it was always turn-based and the Napoleonic Wars could be replayed until their intricacies made sense.

Only in my late thirties did the pieces come together—thanks to my own son’s neurodivergent journey. Most research paints late autism diagnosis as both common and transformative, particularly for adults who spent their childhoods building coping mechanisms without knowing why. Looking back, I see an affinity between my love for historical wargaming and my own neurological wiring: rules and structure offered the safety and control real life often didn’t. Ref Link 1, Ref Link 2

Crunchy Wargames: Why Neurodiverse Minds Excel at Complexity

Wargaming isn’t just play—it’s ritual, analysis, and camaraderie. Like many autistic gamers, my hyperfocus made me a natural for games that reward obsessive attention and specialized knowledge. Games like:

• Squad Leader (Avalon Hill): Layer upon layer of tactical nuance. Every subtlety is mapped, every rule laid out.
• Advanced Squad Leader: The ne plus ultra of crunchy games. It’s so complex, people famously joke that ‘life is short, ASL is long’. Rel Link 3
• Napoleon’s Triumph: Re-framing historic battles as abstracted but deeply detailed conflicts.
• Warhammer Historical: Not just fantasy—rule-heavy, scenario-based conflict with models and dice.
• Panzer Blitz / Panzer Leader: Elegantly rudimentary but still to-the-bone detailed for those endlessly curious.

For neurodiverse gamers, the joy comes in building, tweaking, and mastering systems. Tabletop wargaming’s crunch is often a draw for autistic adults, providing defined expectations for interaction and achievement. Link

Model Train Sets & Miniatures: Crafting Sanctuary

Before I was a wargamer, I was a model train kid. There’s a meditative rhythm to building towns, painting tiny bricks, designing scenery. It’s solitary, focused, and, like tactical gaming, filled with opportunities to arrange, categorize, and create detailed worlds. Countless autistic creators have found model train sets provide a structured escape—a zone of flow where creativity meets routine, where the outside world’s unpredictability is literally left outside the tracks.

Growing Up Undiagnosed: Coping Through Play

Social communication? Often a mystery. But board games, miniature battles, and train sets offered scripts and rules for social connection. Tabletop gaming became a lab for safe experimentation: here, “taking turns” had a clear definition. Winning or losing was standardized, and inside the frame of the hobby, I could interact without the chaos and ambiguity that dominated school, work, and family gatherings. Link

My coping strategies:

• Hyperfocus for good: Painting and prepping models, learning old rulesets, zoning into historical research.
• Structure as lifeboat: Weekly game meetups, routines around play, always knowing what’s coming next.
• History as comfort: Living in other centuries meant inhabiting a world where facts trumped feelings.
• Community through shared interest: Fewer social ‘masks’ needed at the table; passion for games meant instant connection.

Discovering Others: Wargaming as Social Support

Joining my local club in the UK was a revelation. There’s solidarity among historical gamers, especially those who know what it’s like to think differently. Research shows tabletop RPGs and wargames can foster neurodivergent-friendly environments: a well-designed game creates a safe space, where the structure allows for genuine relationships. The role of shared mythology, as ethnographers have chronicled, offers a narrative tradition in which strengths and vulnerabilities coexist and are even cherished. Ref 1 Ref 2

Online forums, conventions, and local meetups now buzz with neurodiverse voices. TTRPGs (tabletop roleplaying games) and wargames alike can provide democratic, egalitarian communities where passions are valued, and social challenges are reframed as skills.

Crunchy Games, Modern Life: Time, Family, and Skirmish-Level Play

Life today is busy. As a parent, the luxury of marathon gaming sessions is long gone. But crunchy games have evolved: I gravitate now toward skirmish-level titles and quick-play rulesets:

• Black Powder Red Earth: A modern, tactical skirmish game; tight, fast, but still loaded with tactical depth. Reviewers highlight its blend of military realism and accessibility.
• Frostgrave and Bolt Action (Skirmish): Still dense enough for rule-lovers, but playable in an evening. These games are bridging the gap for time-poor parents who crave complexity. Ref

Skirmish games have become essential—offering the tactical challenge and strategic richness I adore, but condensed for life with family and limited leisure windows.

Social Skills Through Tabletop Gaming

Beyond tactical mastery, wargaming and RPGs are increasingly recognized as platforms for social skills development among neurodiverse folks. Defined systems reduce anxiety; turns and roles mean you know when—and how—to participate. At the table, players can rehearse negotiation, teamwork, and communication in forgiving, repeatable contexts. Ref 1 Ref 2

As research in both autism studies and game communities suggests, these “social scripts” support real-world growth, especially for those who struggle with ambiguous or unpredictable interaction. For my own son, game night brings more ease than any classroom workshop.

Best Historical Wargames for Autistic Adults: Personal Picks

If you’re just starting or returning to historical wargaming, here are some accessible, rewarding classics for autistic adults and neurodiverse players:

These games serve different tastes and time slots, but all offer the shared joys of system mastery and historical immersion.

Skirmish Wargaming for Parents: Fitting Hobby Into Family Life

For parents, skirmish-level games are a lifeline. The joy of building armies and painting miniatures isn’t lost—it’s just condensed into evening battles, quick campaigns, or online play. Fellow parents in my UK gaming group swear by games like Black Powder Red Earth, Frostgrave, and quick-play homebrew rules for keeping the hobby alive.

Quality > quantity: savoring a single dense skirmish offers the same fulfilment as the rare, epic twelve-hour campaigns of youth.

Model Train Sets & Autism: Sanctuary and Solace

Returning to my roots, model train sets provide sanctuary. For autistic adults, trains offer meditative repetition, order, and control. Layout planning, scenery-building, and the slow evolution of a project bring joy fully on par with the best wargaming sessions. Link

The Model Railroader Community is full of neurodiverse creators who share layouts, techniques, and stories—another reminder that the right hobby can be a powerful coping tool.

Final Thoughts: Community, Diversity, and New Traditions

The tabletop hobby is evolving. Today, historical wargaming and skirmish-level games provide structure, social support, and personal meaning for neurodiverse gamers everywhere. A late autism diagnosis reframes a lifetime of “quirks” as hidden strengths: routines, passion, hyperfocus, and deep curiosity find their natural home in the world of games and trains.

To anyone coming late to a diagnosis, or growing up feeling adrift—find your grid, build your railways, and roll your dice. In these structured worlds, difference isn’t just tolerated; it’s essential.

References from original sources and gaming communities have directly informed the above perspectives and recommendations.

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=433353
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4457285/

Guest Blog Article

Sam Ellison 42 (ExPat)
Sam is a lifelong tabletop gamer, deeply invested in historical and traditional games, with a particular fondness for complex, “crunchy” rulesets. He spends weekends building detailed model train sets and enjoys painting miniature soldiers. Sam came late to an autism diagnosis as an adult. Wargaming and history were his constant companions through the challenges of growing up undiagnosed.
Sam is now a parent with limited time, discovering the appeal of more modern, skirmish-level games like Black Powder Red Earth, which fit into a busier life.