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| 35 years of Wargaming; A gamers retrospective! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 16 Jan 2010, 07:14 PM (403 Views) | |
| BDJV | 16 Jan 2010, 07:14 PM Post #1 |
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Second Lieutenant
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Well it’s my 40th Birthday today and I am looking back at all the fun I’ve had in our wonderful little hobby; boy have I seen some sweeping changes. Over the next few days I’ll be covering the changes I have seen come and go in the hobby of Miniature Wargaming.![]() My Pops, Big Jim SR was and is a Wargamer, so I have literally been rollin’ them bones for thirty-five years. My first ever game was against my Pop, I was five and just basically rollin the dice. It was Ancient Egyptians verses Ancient Assyrians. I actually beat my Dad and he did not let me win because my Mother still loves to tell the story to rib him on occasion. So for the next few years I was basically a dice monkey for my Pops, going with him to play and getting to hang out with the adults. I started to really ‘get it’ about the time I was eight, I understood the rules and started to understand the strategy involved in a game. This was also the time I started to paint models that weren’t a mishmash of colors. This was also about the time my Pop moved from 25mm minis to 15’s, how unfair was that on a new painter! My Dad sold all of his 25’s to help make ends meet and fund his 15’s. I cried when he sold the Assyrians and Egyptians; I know it’s sappy but I was eight and they were always our go to armies for a game. Now at this time miniatures were pretty basic with very little fine detail, but there was this company called Mikes Models. They were putting better detail in their 15’s than most companies were putting in their 15’s. ![]() Terrain in the late 70’s and early 80’s left a lot to be desired. As sometimes tables were just a huge piece of Butcher Paper with terrain features drawn on. A Cadillac gaming table used broken up corkboard for hills and Lichen on felt for woods. I gotta say we still had fun even though the terrain was bad. Nineteen eighty-three was a break out year for us. There was a brand new model railroad shop that opened right next to the grocery store that we shopped at, and after one trip in my Pop had big plans. He had been working through his ‘Nam’ issues through wargaming the conflict. He wanted to educate the local gaming community about the war. So he undertook the task with the help of my little brother and I of building a fully 3-D gaming table to help showcase the game. It was something that we had never seen done before. When we were bring in into the Games Caucus (now Kublacon) the Organizer stopped us. She was so impressed she moved our event from one of the gaming rooms to the middle of the Dealers room. She then asked if my Pop could run the game during the day on all three days of the con; which he did. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() That same weekend I won my first ever-painting competition with the original Harry the Hammer mini from a young Citadel Miniatures! ![]() This was also the year my Pop brought Warhammer FB back from a business trip to England. I have been playing ever since. We played for many years amassing large armies and really having a good time! Then came the divide in gaming between my Pops and I where I really came into my own, as he was getting back into ancients. In Nineteen eighty-seven Warhammer 40000 Rogue Trader was released. My high school buddies and I were hooked! It was the OMG moment for Wargaming, Plastic multi-part miniatures. That’s right history was made with the epic release of RTB-001 plastic Space Marines! ![]() That’s enough rambling for now, next time I’ll bring it up through the 90’s to today. Then I’ll cover miniatures and painting over the last 30+ years. Cheers, Jim |
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| ☺The Antipope | 16 Jan 2010, 07:55 PM Post #2 |
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Major Major Major Major
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Aaw, that's really nice. I've been into the whole thing nearly as long as you (87 I first got into it) so this is nostalgic for me to. Can't wait for the 90s part, thankyou very much for sharing... |
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| fiorehellheart | 16 Jan 2010, 09:19 PM Post #3 |
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Warrant Officer First Class
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Cool, i would suggest that you ask if bols would mind posting this as a guest article as its quite interesting for me as a young player, and i think some of you veterans would also find it nicely nostalgic. |
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| BDJV | 19 Jan 2010, 08:22 PM Post #4 |
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Second Lieutenant
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Thanks guys, I'm glad y'all like the write up. The nineties brought sweeping changes to my gaming scene, with my first career. I struggled for a couple of years getting in more than a game or two a month. One thing I didn’t struggle with was keeping current on my miniatures purchases and painting! I didn’t get my gaming groove back until just before the release of second ed 40k. While second ed was a train wreck in some ways it was brilliant in others. I had moved to Tuscon Arizona and did not know many people there, but that all changed when I found Games Unlimited one of the local game shops. It became my home away from home, if I wasn’t working I was there playing games. This was the most gaming I had ever done; I was getting in 1-2 games 6-7 days a week. I was in full on geek mode and I was getting my game on! Then it happened the first ever codex release Space Wolves; my beloved Grey Marines from my early days of Rogue Trader got dipped in the background Awesome-sauce and got the first ever codex! ![]() I had always liked Jess Goodwins sculpts since I got my first Ogres in the mid eighties, but after getting my hands on the new SW models he climbed to the title of favorite Sculptor; he remains there to this very day! ![]() ![]() Gaming terrain started to make broad sweeps in the 90’s, with GW and many other companies releasing full color card buildings. GW took it a step further after the release of Necromunda, a great game BTW! They release full color card and plastic bunkers and out posts using the bulkheads created for Necromunda. ![]() It was a great time to be gaming, in the late 90’s GW released 3rd ed 40K. At first it felt bland and oversimplified, but once we dug into it found it to be much more elegant than we initially thought. Now I just want to clarify, although I have not mentioned much about WFB, I have consistently played it as I struggled through every incarnation until now. My passion has waned for WFB a bit, as the last two editions became a battle of what feels like nothing but (SCR) Static Combat Resolution. My Dwarfs have faired very well through all the editions but My Chaos has been hit pretty hard. You see the problem is that I like Chaos Warriors and they just aren’t what they used to be in the world of SCR. Since the turn of the Century the thought of using terrain that we used in the 70’s and early 80’s is just plain hateful. Wargaming as become much more visual that it once was, most games have also become much more streamlined. While GW still struggles with the proper balance of rules and streamlining they are capable of doing it properly as shown by War of the Ring. I have to give credit to Battlefront Miniatures for being the best example in my eyes of streamlined game balance with Flames of War. It has to a large extent replaced WFB as my second go to wargame. Currently if it isn’t already apparent I am hugely into 40k and play at least twice a week. The thing I find most interesting over the years is the change in tables and rules systems. With tables becoming more elaborate and rules becoming simpler and streamlined. Funny how the times change. Next time I’ll look at the Changes in miniatures and Painting over the last 35 years. |
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| # Old Guard | 19 Jan 2010, 08:45 PM Post #5 |
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Entertainment officer...Meet the gang cos the boys are here.....
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Happy birthday Jim and welcome to the start of the rest of your life, the fun bit, devoid of the petty worries and squabbles of youth.....not to mention the spots. No for us over 40s life propper has just begun! W e have greater concerns, Obesity, diabetes and that impending sense of doom as we approach The inevitable prostate examination (let me explain Doc.... )This is fantastic! a potted history of the hobby. which I very musch appreciate and I trust will be a good insight to those who are newer (is that a propper word ?) to it.keep it up fella
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| # dean | 19 Jan 2010, 08:57 PM Post #6 |
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Grandmaster of Librarians
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See you predate me by a ways. (and about 7 1/2 months) This is where I came in: ![]() And Goodwin has only gotten better... |
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| Roesor | 20 Jan 2010, 01:24 AM Post #7 |
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Warrant Officer First Class
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Christ o.o and to think I only came in when they released..um..the Necrons I think it was. It was the Templar/Dark Eldar Starter pack anyway. |
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| ☺Dave38x | 20 Jan 2010, 02:10 AM Post #8 |
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DubDubDubDubDub
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i came in sweeping down on top of the release of inquisitor (i think) in 03... all i know is white dwarf had been running an inquisitor campaign, and the first ever issue of white dwarf had 40k, wfb, bfg and inq battle reports. I was hooked. So hooked in fact those are the four game systems i have miniatures for. |
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| Princess | 20 Jan 2010, 09:04 AM Post #9 |
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Metrosexual Modeller
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I think I got my first models in 99? Back when 5plastic termies cost a tenner! My friend got me into it as a replacement to us using army themed micro machines which we gave movement distanes to and made up guns for....... Pretty obvious progression lol |
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| Novogord | 20 Jan 2010, 08:16 PM Post #10 |
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Captain
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I'm playing wargames for around 8/9 years now and I have seen many things change.. But it was a nice read here, a very interesting take on the "history of wargaming". @Old Guard: That explanation gives me the creeps, I don't what to grow up anymore
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| Keravin | 20 Jan 2010, 08:28 PM Post #11 |
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Go post in someone's topic that you normally wouldn't
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I think my first GW would probably be the Runequest boxed set. Either them or the Dungeons and Dragons minis set. I miss variety in GW. You never used to be able to guess what might come out. |
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| Death Korp | 20 Jan 2010, 08:35 PM Post #12 |
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Lieutenant
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I came in 10 years ago when the 3rd edition Blood Angels were released and me been 7 years old wanted to collect the 'red ones'. 10 years on, guess what I'm collecting in April ? ![]() I love this hobby, but If it wasn't for my dad, I would have probably quit years ago ![]() Cheers, DK |
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| ☺Deserter | 20 Jan 2010, 09:02 PM Post #13 |
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Throne Agent
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Loving this so far
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| # Digits | 21 Jan 2010, 12:34 PM Post #14 |
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Shadowkin
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Nice nostalic trip mate. My first games were in 1980 (so been gaming a few years less). Airfix 1:72nd desert rats against africa corps - home made rules, played over sand coloured blankets spread over the biology lab benches at school, books shoved under and gas taps for dunes!. 2 yrs later, wrote and designed my first game based on the film Rollerball before falling into D&D, Bushido and Traveller. Happy days.
Edited by Digits, 21 Jan 2010, 12:36 PM.
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| ☺Jasevx | 21 Jan 2010, 01:30 PM Post #15 |
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Techmarine
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I'm similar to Digits, airfix battles through the 80's, strangely was unaware of GW even though I lived across the road, first ran into them in 88, painting other squaddies armies on commission, after they saw the flying jackets I used to paint up for pilots. |
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| Keravin | 21 Jan 2010, 01:36 PM Post #16 |
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Go post in someone's topic that you normally wouldn't
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Bloody hell I might have been involved in GW the longest. I'm scared now, mommy. |
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| crassius47 | 21 Jan 2010, 03:30 PM Post #17 |
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Captain
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old git i got into airfix modelling in 1987 and started playing adeptus titanicus and dark future in the late 80's and early 90's then binned it all in 94 due to booze and women. only got back into it about 5 years ago due to being told that i needed a hobby which was'nt drinking anyhow nice to see someone's reminiscence about the hobby and that they have stuck with it, looking forward to the next installment |
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| ☺Dave38x | 21 Jan 2010, 05:11 PM Post #18 |
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DubDubDubDubDub
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had forgotten about airfix, ive been doing that since i was about 5. My 6th birthday present was a model of the HMS belfast which dad "helped" me put together ![]() At the age of 10 or so i wrote a pen and paper space conflict game that played like an RTS... problem was was me and dad both threw ourselves towards developing the planetkiller superweapon i had put at the end of an insane skill tree... got there... and deadlocked. Think some form of game balance is necessary in future iterations
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