"Miniature Wargamers - Old Men?" Topic

1. Battlemasters and Siege of the citadel boardgames(with plastic minis) got me painting when i was 10 . The first miniatures game I actually played was Battletech at Age 11. Never played on hex maps though, ick. first 28mm wargame was Warzone at age 12.

2)I'm 29

3) I'm one of 4 paid-in-advance members at my club(MIGS) who are under 30 at the moment. There are a few others who come down inconsistently. there were a few more but last year they went off to university.

I also happen to have been the Club President for the past 2 years. when I was 24, i ran the club convention(MIGSCON) for 3 years.

1981 (I was 13)

42 now

Part of a largish club where the young guys are mid 20s and the oldest are early 60s. Mostly aged 35-45 but that is as much to do with the demographics of the city as anything (lots of work here 10 years ago).

1. When did you start miniature wargaming?
2. How old are you?
3. Are there many youngsters (less than 30 years old) coming into the miniature wargaming hobby?

1972 Bought my first Military Modeling magazine and found a more structured use for my Airfix figures.
51
Maybe not all historical but my impression is there are a lot more coming into the hobby than when I started.

1) Played with 'toy soldiers' since I was big enough to sit up and grasp my grubby little hands around them. First played with green plastic WWII figures (like in the Toy Story movie), then Marx play sets (Alamo was my favorite), and eventually Airfix HO scale figures (I collected and played with them all but especially loved the Romans, ACW, and WWII figures). Got introduced to 'wargaming' by chance when I picked up a British magazine (Military Modelling) at a local hobby shop. Started gaming with my old Airfix figures but quickly graduated to 'heavy metal' with 25mm Minifigs, Scruby, Ral Partha, and later 15mm Heritage when prices went up with 1970s-80s inflation.

Took some years off when I got married/went to grad school/had kids, but now back into miniature gaming big time …

2) I'm 48, but look like I'm 28. My female students tell me I'm very "hot" for my age, thank you.

3) My club is most forty- and fifty-somethings, but we do have some college-age youngsters who play as well.

I started back in ……….what was the question again ?

Britains in 1958 Household cavalry as knights with silver foil cloaks from sweet wrappers v anything that didn't look nice .

Oh yes well we have a youngster who games and is only 55 but nobody takes any notice of him .

He shows off a lot by being able still pick up dice off the floor without having to think what else he can do while down there……….

Actually I saw a Hottie once back in 1964

1) Started war gaming back in 1973 with the old SPI board games 2) 52 3) There are a few mostly young college types

D/O/B 10/31/1962.

If you count little green army men in the sandbox then I started gaming in 1966. Otherwise about 1976 when I started creating my own rules for my model tanks without knowing anything but military board games existed. Formal group gaming in 1982 with my college wargames group.

As far as younger folks gaming there are a lot of them playing Warhammer 40k and Battletech type games. I see a few playing Flames of War.

1. 17
2. Heroquest, BattleTech, Rogue Trader & Star Fleet Battles
3. Some kids are, some are not!

Early 1960's with my dad and lots of the Green Army Men on the basement floor. In 1967 Avalon Hill board games and I was involved with a group in HS that played Fletcher Pratt using 1/1200 handmade balsa ships built from the INS identification books. 1969 I started buying Airfix WW2 figs and Roco mini-tanks and Tractics was the ruleset of choice (still have them!)
I'm 59.
I've only see a few young ones showing an interest in historicals at the game store.

1/1200 naval gaming in 1969. and I actually carved ships out of balsa because there was a dearth of French ships at the time.

I am 56.

See a lot of under 30's at the local shop. (Games Plus)

1. When did you start miniature wargaming?

As a kid in the 70s I tried making rules for my little green army men and dabbled with Wells' Little Wars in High School but I had no idea what I was doing. My friends and I played board games and role playing games. In 8th grade I remember making space ships out of cardboard for a "miniatures" game.

Late in college I discovered WHFB and then Rogue Trader. After graduating in 1988 (Notre Dame!) I really started playing miniature wargames. First Rogue Trader with a friend, then WHFB at Games Plus in Mount Prospect, Illinois, and then historical gaming at the Emperor's Headquarters.

2. How old are you?

44

3. Are there many youngsters (less than 30 years old) coming into the miniature wargaming hobby?

I'm doing my part! We have two sons age 8 and 10. Both are avid model builders and gamers. My 8-year is especially adept and built an entire WHFB lizardman army in about a week. I run Parent-Child games at our FLGS here in Atlanta (Giga-Bites Cafe). We usually get about 3-5 families playing, usually a dad and 1-2 kids each. A week ago we had 4 dads and 6 kids. I've written home grown rules designed for new gamers which are kid-friendly.

1. 1974 SPI Boardgames
2. 52
3. Half of my group (Gruppo Ludico Aglianese) is under 30: they do historical, of course!

I'm in my 60's.Started with Britains in 1955. They blew up real good!Hey,I was a kid.Many years later,1974 I believe, read an article in Playboy about a figure manufacturer in Pine Plains New York. Turned out to be Mini-Figs. Bought some Napoleonics, which I still have. Got involved with a local club heavily into Ancients, still have my EIR army. Only play about once a year now at conventions. WRG, ARMATI,DBA,DBM,FOG..played em all and loved it! Wish there was a club locally..have car will travel.

1957 – Britains My first game with dice-rulers-rules and all that. Against my older brother who whipped me bad.

I'm second generation and we have third generations playing.

I am forty and I've been wargaming for fifty two years.

Eh? What?

Wrong way round, sorry ---

1. When did you start miniature wargaming?
Yes, I also started with Airfix – must have been around 1969 – carried on with settin''em up and knocking 'em down games. At 16 made the startling discovery that you could get metal soldiers of all differnt periods,and rules too, and bough,t painted and games intil I was 19 when other things got interesting.
Returned to the fray at 38….

2. How old are you?
47

3. Are there many youngsters (less than 30 years old) coming into the miniature wargaming hobby?

My 10 year old is beginning to show an interest in 40K and combat Zone….

Started in the late 70'a as a kid with Airfix. My first real rule set and metal miniatures were Tank Charts,Irregular Miniatures and GHQ. I'm 49 now. Robert

1. When did you start miniature wargaming? -

Started in 1956 when I got my Marx Fort Apache play set for Christmas. Then purchased War of Independence (always fought as Redcoats) and later D-Day set. In 1965 attended a demo wargame of the Battle of Waterloo (150th Anniversary) at the Sakowitz department store in Houston. This was staged by Sandhurst cadets (they were in uniform and didn't speak Texas "English" so no one understood them!). From that point on I was hooked!

2. How old are you? –

62 years young!

3. Are there many youngsters (less than 30 years old) coming into the miniature wargaming hobby?

Currently, training my 5 year old granddaughter with my 60th birthday gift of Fort Apache set (original cost $8 USD USD, this one costs $200 USD USD). She and I like to attack the fort with all the Indians and kill the "land grabbing European invaders" ….story line has changed since 1956

(I like threads that take off like this one!)

1. When did you start miniature wargaming?
2. How old are you?
3. Are there many youngsters (less than 30 years old) coming into the miniature wargaming hobby?

1. When I was 21, 1972
2. Soon to be 58
3. Not that I see, at least not into historicals….

(looking through this thread) My word, but we are an OLD honeybunch of stink weeds!…

1. I'd say when I was 10, around 2000 (It feels odd saying that…)

2. I am now 20

3. My old LGS where I am originally from had a thriving young wargaming scene, its what helped me get a toehold into the hobby. But that ranged from I'd say around 10 to 40 being the most common. We of course had some older frequent faces. But many many young bloods (15-16+).

It's like many of us grew up there.

Well the guys in Lee's Summit seem to be doing it right!

recruits.mtswebsites.com

Welcome to Fall Recruits hosted by the Organization of Strategic Gamers at Lee's Summit High School, in Lee's Summit, Missouri the third weekend of September. We are now accepting events of all kind, please use the on-line application or email us if you have any questions. What makes Recruits successful has always been the great games folks put on. Thank you all so much.

We have a great list of tournaments this Spring including the very popular Flames of War Qualifier. We will post more details for this and other tournaments as soon as we get it altogether

Last Spring we had a very successful beginning to our lecture series. This Fall we plan to continue this effort and already have a good start. We have several great presentations in the works from figure painting to historical topics once again. If interested in presenting just drop us a quick note.

I am not associated with this great group. At least, yet… maybe someday.
Gracias,

Glenn

13, 19721

Will be 52 in April.

I think we are getting more young people (under 30) in the hobby now but we need more!

Regards,

J. P. Kelly

Age 59 my life story:

Knights/ Cowboys and Indians – age 4

Toy/Green Army soldiers and Marx Brothers sets – age 6

Airfix – age 10

Avalon Hill and Other Boardgames- age 16

Wargaming 25 mm Napoleonics age 26

Reenacting age 40

Wargaming 15mm age 55

I started 'commercial' wargaming in the 8th grade (age 14). Avalon Hill's Battle of the Bulge.

I'm 56 at present.

Born 1944
Began playing with Britains and shooting cannons in 1952
Played with Britains with rules of a friend in 1956
Discovered HG Wells Little Wars in 1960
Discovered modern wargaming via Column Line and Square in 1967
Started the Courier with Dick Bryant, who is 10 years my senior, in 1969

still playing with Britains and CLS :) But along the way have done The Sword and Flame, DBA, DBR, HOTT, and a few other simple games. Now doing much VBCW.

I also started with the dime store cowboys and indians on horses…back in the mid to late sixties is when I found them.Some of you guts remember… ;-)…the ones for a penny apiece with three different poses for both the cowboys and the indians. They came in bright colors, on black, white or brown horses. The guys had that little sprue on the inside of each ankle that clicked into the horses body to keep him asaddle. Wonderfully Simple, dynamic, cheap and not too unrealistic. they where pretty small …maybe 15 mm or so. Sometimes you had to bend the horses legs a little lateraly to get them to stand up. I loved them ! I set up little battles everywhere… Does anybody remember who made them? I wonder if they are still available. Amazingly I still have a batch that somehow survived the vaccuum cleaner all these years later. 52 now. Seeing them on my shelf is a great reminder of where it all started. It was a great way into the hobby for me . I'm wondering if kids have a comparable avenue these days ?

I have remained a tall distinguished and handsome man who is an irresistible sexy hottie for the women who flock around me and continually telephone or knock on my door.

I can confirm that Mal Wright was surrounded by a group of shreiking hotties when I tried to say hello to him at OzHistCon in SA this year…

Me – I'm 46, first started playing at the school wargaming soc – Dulwich College, and yes Airfix and Minifigs featured prominently!

But guys, anytime you are concerned about the future of your hobby just pop into the neareset GW store – you'll see dozens of keen youngster playing wargames, and they will see the light eventually…

1. Started in 1967, age 12
2. Age 55 now… 15,000+ figures painted later
3. Yes! I'm always favorably impressed how many teens and 20's I see at Conventions, etc; 30's are hardest age, I think due to work and family demands.

1. Started with 40k when I was 21. So got into this hobby pretty late in age.

2. 29 now, been too busy and having too much fun just painting modern and 40k minis to be able to actually play the games. But I have played them at some points in time.

3. Not really sure, i'm not part of a club and I can only tell from what i see going into GW Gamesdays and GW stores. I'd say mostly teens playing 40k these days.

December 18, 1965, cutting classes at Fresno State with a visit to Scuby Minatures 40 miles south in Visalia (CA).

63

Started with Operation Warboard, Airfix and Matchbox, circa 1978. Though had the 1/32nds as far back as I can remember and did the usual men v marbles, clods of earth and rubber band rifles and kits v firecrackers, flamethrowers and air-rifles – Airfix bendy plastic Pattons were amazingly resilient.

Er, 41 going on 12

Kids today, I dunno! There were quite a few youngsters at Colours this year, but not sure how many had been dragged along by their Dads. Thinking back to Armageddon days I reckon it was just as full of peculiar bearded chaps who probably knew what a bricole was, and what colour it should be painted.

I started pushing tin soldiers in sand box when I was about 4, does that count?
46 yo
We have a couple of youngsters in our group of about 8 regular gamers…
Yes- historicals is a graduate class of wargaming, but a lot of very young kids are doing Warhammer and Warmachine…

Started with Airfix Romans sometime in the late 70s' early 80's.

Age now: 41

Dilligently recruiting next generation: Sons 9 and 11 – Playing lots of 2HW and SBoH and some oldschool D&D/Chainmail

53 years old.

I started getting interested in wargaming when I was 14 after watching the Rod Steiger / Christopher Plummer epic about some battle south of Brussels in 1815 and yes, they were airfix 20mm plastics until I was in university and started spending all my money on 25mm minifigs. Perhaps, if I had used some of that ill-squandered wargaming money on meeting a hottie……

…. I might have met one. She could have played the French.

First organized wargame with rules 1957 using Marx, Revell and Mongram troops. Still playing at 64, including this weekend at Hurricon Orland Florida

I always had toys soldier, but when I was 10 I wentr into a model train shop with my dad, and discovered both Airfix figures and a copy of Wargamers digest. After that I was off and running. Particularly after I ordered a copy of the wargamers handbook out of the back of the magazine. 6 periods all in one book.

I am 51 and still play with 1/72nd plastic figures, some of them my original Airfix Napoleonics.

My 13 year old daughter has played FoW with me. My 25 year old son plays regularly, and has recently dragged me into ACW, first in 1/72nd, then when he could not paint them as he wanted, into 25mms. At the FLGS there are sometimes lots of under 30s, but it depends on what unit is deployed as most of them are in the Army, so they come and go with regularity.

Owen

I have to say for the most part, we are pretty old.

As someone told me at a convention (paraphrased), "I love hanging out at these conventions. It makes me feel young, handsome and in shape again, instead of a middle-aged dad."

DA Pick: I remember those! I got a bag for Christmas, and this was in England, though they were the exact same things. I was three or four, but I've never forgotten because I was so thrilled and played with them for ages.

Can't remember when I wasn't playing with toy soldiers, but first organized miniatures was 1960 using Scruby's and Duke Seifried's rule set called Melee.

So here I am at 63 with 50 years of miniatures playing – doesn't seem that long thankfully!

JimG

58, I used to get Marx sets every Christmas as a kid and started painting Airfix in the 60s. My first game was in '71-aNapoleonic game with rules related to CLS and every thing on the table-Guards Color Party, ACW, Scrubys.

50

Started in early 70s

Plenty of 30 something gamers I see bringing their kids to conventions, as well as boy scout and cub scout groups.

Our own mortality may start to weigh, but I don't equate that with the demise of the hobby.

Started in 1979 at age 14.

Have introduced many people to the hobby, so stayed, so moved on, some played one game but never took hold.

Most merciless gamers: 12 year old girls.

Quote: "I'm out of ammo, guess I'll have to finish him with my knife."

1. When did you start miniature wargaming?

In the mid-eighties: Wooden Ships and Space Hulk

2. How old are you?

45

3. Are there many youngsters (less than 30 years old) coming into the miniature wargaming hobby?

Actually yes. Half the club members are in their teens/twenties and play Warhamster of some sort.

I encounter hotties at the club as a rule. The girls who serve the drinks are actually quite nice ;o)