What exactly got you into wargaming?

[Jim D Burns]

In his early 20’s my father was into making detailed historically accurate model airplanes of WWII aircraft. By the time he was into his 30’s, he owned his own retail business and no longer had time to make his models, so he picked up two Avalon Hill boardgames on an impulse buy looking for a new hobby. He and I always shared an affinity for military history. He found the games too time consuming so he opened my bedroom door one day and tossed them in.

I was probably 14-15 years old at the time, and I’ve been hooked ever since. My brother and I played the two games to death, but he never got hooked on wargaming long term the way I did. Today my boardgame collection runs in excess of 200 games.

These are the two games that started it all:

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3099/gettysburg

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3646/luftwaffe

Jim

[planner 3]

I got into Wargamming from events of WW2, I had a world map that covered my bedroom wall, an old radio, had access to newspapers and followed the war form 1940, with straight pin flags (homemade) and the entire progress of the war was displayed on that war and updated daily, not always 100% accurate due to wartime restriction on info and mis info from other sources. It developed into a habit. All my for book reports was on Military subjects or people, (my teachers didn't appreciate my selections). When I reached enlistment age, I joined Uncle Sams War Canoe Club, my map gathered dust and finally was destroyed when the house was razed. After retiring from Navy, work came first. When I retired (2nd time) and moved to Florida I left military behind. A medical condition limited my Camping, travel, biking etc. and life got boring. My young bride of 58 years suggested I get a Hobby. This lead to computers and I stumbled on a free game in the back of a computer Magazine. It was Steel Panthers World at War, that was in 1999, it reminded me of my wall map so .......there you are. been a wargamer since.

Planner 3 (aka Chief)

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

So what is your story Warspite1?

warspite1

I guess I was just trying to get an understanding of what came first wargaming or military history - or even if gaming is enough and the history side is unimportant.

As a kid there loads of military books in the house (my dad and brother) but I was a typical boy I suppose; I liked the pictures - big colourful maps of the Eastern Front showing army groups and divisions and pictures of big %^&* off battleships. Fantastic!! But I could not be arsed to actually read any of the text. To add to the interest in war it was also a big event in my house if Battle of Britain or Dambusters or Great Escape etc was on TV or - even better The World At War. I also tried to make airfix and Tamiya military models (but wasn't very good at it).

At the same time I have always loved games and competition. I guess the first "war game" was Escape from Colditz! and then later came Risk and Stratego. But it was buying Avalon Hill's Bismarck that kick started it all. I cannot even remember why I bought a wargame - although recall I was in Hamleys with a mate in 1981.

But from there, playing wargames fed an addiction to actually want to read books - I wanted to know what was behind each game I was playing. I believe the two - reading the history and playing the games feed off each other. Ultimately, reading military (almost exclusively WWII) history has become more important then game playing - due to family commitments - but thanks to the advent of the computer at least gaming is still possible. Now if Matrix would just bring out WIF then I can die a happy man!

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: planner 3

I got into Wargamming from events of WW2, I had a world map that covered my bedroom wall, an old radio, had access to newspapers and followed the war form 1940, with straight pin flags (homemade) and the entire progress of the war was displayed on that war and updated daily, not always 100% accurate due to wartime restriction on info and mis info from other sources. It developed into a habit. All my for book reports was on Military subjects or people, (my teachers didn't appreciate my selections). When I reached enlistment age, I joined Uncle Sams War Canoe Club, my map gathered dust and finally was destroyed when the house was razed. After retiring from Navy, work came first. When I retired (2nd time) and moved to Florida I left military behind. A medical condition limited my Camping, travel, biking etc. and life got boring. My young bride of 58 years suggested I get a Hobby. This lead to computers and I stumbled on a free game in the back of a computer Magazine. It was Steel Panthers World at War, that was in 1999, it reminded me of my wall map so .......there you are. been a wargamer since.

Planner 3 (aka Chief)

warspite1

Interesting - thanks planner 3 [:)]

[shunwick]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: shunwick

TOAW II.

I was not into wargames, war books, war films or military history. I don't even remember what made me buy TOAW II in the first place since it was an unusual purchase for me. However, 20 minutes after installing it I was hooked. Only abandoned TOAW II in favour of TOAW III.

Best wishes,
Steve

warspite1

So has an interest in military history followed or are you happy to play wargames without additional knowledge?

Warspite1,

TOAW kick-started my interest in mililtary history. As far as military history goes what interests me most is the way tactics evolve and the enduring forms of strategic thought. From Gilgamesh to Bin Laden as it were. I have never been that bothered by how many rivets in a Sherman.

I should also note that although I did not have any interest in war before discovering TOAW II, I did use to build airfix models with my dad when I was knee hgh to a grasshopper. The first airplane we built was a Stuka and it still holds a soft spot in my heart even after all these years. Building models with my dad remain some of my fondest memories.

Best wishes,
Steve

[SapperAstro_MatrixForum]

@ Joe98 and Arjuna.

Haha, Napoleons Military Bookshop! I was also a regular there, and also at 'The Tin Soldier' that used to haunt the ancient Dymocks building. That is where I got most of my wargames, where the old bearded bugger with the bad attitude used to reside. He was a huge fan of operational games and smaller scenarios that, in his words 'I can play in a night'. When I used to ask about the big strategy games he used to wave vaguely towards the back of the shop...'that crap...its over there...'.

Good times.

[Perturabo]

I was 8 and I got my first computer - C64. In my times the only original games for C64 available in Poland were crappy platformer and shooter games made by Zeppelin Games. So, the main source of games were computer markets where they sold cassettes with tens of rips of games. One would have to load a game after a game to discover what kind of games they are.
One of the about ten of these cassettes I ever bought had some wargames and that's how I started playing them. I don't remember how old I was then.
Before that I was also building models and reading military history books.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: Joe 98

As a boy I watched the TV series: 12 O'clock High ...

As did I, and now Me (Memorable) TV is replaying those old Quinn-Martin productions.

As an adult, I can better appreciate Robert Lansing's acting as compared to his replacement, who formerly worked as a spokesman for Radio Shack.

Lansing suddenly quit the series for other prospects that didn't work, including a Gene Roddenbury pilot, so 12 o'clock killed him off in the first show of the new season.

Adieu, Gen. Savage.

[wodin]

Plastic soldiers and a marble.

[Neilster]

My Dad and 2 older brothers were really interested in history and as a very little kid I watched The World at War with the family. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on but there seemed to be heaps of cool planes, tanks, ships and explosions so it looked pretty interesting. Obviously lots of it was very uncool for those involved and Mum and Dad always inculcated us with an empathy for the grim reality.

I was always reading stuff that was advanced for my age, (I read The Lord of the Rings when I was 8), and I started studying the World Wars at about the same time. I also made aircraft scale models and was particularly interested in military aviation.

My brothers and I, as well as my best friend, were keen on Dungeons and Dragons. Somehow through this I was vaguely aware that there were military games that used maps, but coming from a small city in sleepy NW Tasmania, I was never exposed to them directly. It was only when I moved to the big smoke of Hobart that I found a hobby shop with actual wargames in it.

My first wargame (apart from chess) was Case Green from a copy of Strategy & Tactics. It's a hypothetical 1938 German invasion of Czechoslovakia. I convinced a friend to work it out with me. I had one of those "dazzling light and chorus of angels" moments though, when I saw the box for World in Flames. I greedily drank in the back of the box and knew I had to have it.

I bought a PC in the late 90's, (when I finally had some cash), in time for Ardennes Offensive, TOAW, Combat Mission etc [:)] Ever since then I've been waiting for the computer version of World in Flames, but Steve's doing a great job under trying circumstances and there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Cheers, Neilster

[redcoat]

There was an active wargames club at my school. My friends were in it and so I joined too.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: shunwick

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: shunwick

TOAW II.

I was not into wargames, war books, war films or military history. I don't even remember what made me buy TOAW II in the first place since it was an unusual purchase for me. However, 20 minutes after installing it I was hooked. Only abandoned TOAW II in favour of TOAW III.

Best wishes,
Steve

warspite1

So has an interest in military history followed or are you happy to play wargames without additional knowledge?

Warspite1,

TOAW kick-started my interest in mililtary history. As far as military history goes what interests me most is the way tactics evolve and the enduring forms of strategic thought. From Gilgamesh to Bin Laden as it were. I have never been that bothered by how many rivets in a Sherman.

I should also note that although I did not have any interest in war before discovering TOAW II, I did use to build airfix models with my dad when I was knee hgh to a grasshopper. The first airplane we built was a Stuka and it still holds a soft spot in my heart even after all these years. Building models with my dad remain some of my fondest memories.

Best wishes,
Steve

warspite1

I have never been that bothered by how many rivets in a Sherman.

Everyone knows that must-know fact, its 30,603. Duh [;)]

I did use to build airfix models with my dad when I was knee hgh to a grasshopper. The first airplane we built was a Stuka and it still holds a soft spot in my heart even after all these years. Building models with my dad remain some of my fondest memories.

Spooky - my first Airfix plane? A Ju-87 Stuka, built with my dad. Priceless [:)]

[pmelheck1]

I watched films ect as a kid and used to order some plastic sets from the back of comic books. They were not war games but did wet my appetite for war games. I saw an ad for a hex based war game and finally bought panzer blitz as my first hex based game then panzer leader then the whole squad leader plus bought a bunch of SPI titles. Also did a bit of miniatures as well.

[SLAAKMAN]

Started with WWII & Civil War miniatures and Tamiya tank & aircraft models when I was 3, worked my way up to AH Waterloo when I was 12. Then bought Stalingrad, D-Day, Invasion America, Russian Campaign, Drang Nach Osten, War in the East, War in Europe, Squad Leader, Spartan, Yeoman, Chariot, Legion, Caesar at Alesia, Highway to the Reich, Viking, Fortress Europa & the obsession exploded into full blown militarism ever since. [:D]

[Empire101]

ORIGINAL: wodin

Plastic soldiers and a marble.

I think this is my earliest recollection too, with matchsticks loaded into spring fired cannons!! Plus Escape from Colditz.

The marble and the matchsticks soon gave way to dice and rules sets for minatures, and then I discovered SPI.

'PanzerGruppe Guderian' was my first 'real' wargame, and from their I never looked back.

Armada SPI
Conquistador AH
Squad Leader AH
War in the East/War In Europe SPI
Trajan SPI
etc etc......

and then I discovered ADG's World in Flames & Fatal Alliances............Heaven!!

[SLAAKMAN]

and then I discovered ADG's World in Flames & Fatal Alliances............Heaven!!

SELAH!!! [&o]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: wodin

Plastic soldiers and a marble.

warspite1

Speaking of plastic soldiers - anyone remember this? I recognised the box art immediately. Happy times! [:)]

[warspite1]

And how about this little gem?

How many of these do you remember? - most of those pictures are like I saw them yesterday, rather than 30-odd years ago. Wow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGr-mfkN ... re=related

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: warspite1
Speaking of plastic soldiers - anyone remember this? I recognised the box art immediately. Happy times! [:)]

Heh, I had almost forgotten about the little green army men that I used to get for Christmas every year in big box sets like these. So I guess technically my first wargame was one I played with my brother when I was 8 or 9.

The backyard had been tilled up in anticipation of planting a vegetable garden and while it was loose dirt, my brother and I got some shovels and made two giant forts. We then set up hundreds of our little green soldiers and then each stood on either side of the yard and bombarded each other’s forts with dirt clods.

LOL, it was a blast. We kept finding buried green army soldiers for years after.

Jim

[Empire101]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

And how about this little gem?

How many of these do you remember? - most of those pictures are like I saw them yesterday, rather than 30-odd years ago. Wow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGr-mfkN ... re=related

That was great Warspite.....it bought back memories of a small boy gazing at the rows of Airfix kits stacked on the shelves, wondering which one to buy that week with his hard earned paper round money....
Happy Days......


Or was it more like this?..........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL9qH27W ... re=related