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"What was your first Wargame?" Topic


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Eclectic Wave14 Nov 2011 9:30 a.m. PST

Another topic brought up the first wargame I ever bought, which was the StarFleet Battle Manual from Lou Zocchi back in 1977 when I was 14. I was wondering what others first wargame was.


I put this in Old School wargaming because, I'm so old that my first wargame IS old school.

Martian Root Canal14 Nov 2011 9:32 a.m. PST

Guadalcanal from Avalon Hill. My dad, a Pacific War vet himself, bought it for me when I was 10 years old.

mad monkey 114 Nov 2011 9:33 a.m. PST

1914. By Avalon Hill.

dwight shrute14 Nov 2011 9:33 a.m. PST

citadel by GDW

The Monstrous Jake14 Nov 2011 9:34 a.m. PST

Panzer Blitz by Avalon Hill, 1976.

highlandcatfrog14 Nov 2011 9:35 a.m. PST

Dauntless, by Battleline. 1977.

Sundance Supporting Member of TMP14 Nov 2011 9:37 a.m. PST

Richthofen's War, by AH – around 1974.

Yesthatphil14 Nov 2011 9:37 a.m. PST

'Charge! Or how to play War Games'

1968

Phil
soawargamesteam.blogspot.com

ming3114 Nov 2011 9:38 a.m. PST

Ogre by metagaming . A new friend had me play then I got my own copy . It was being sold as a impulse purchase next to the registar at a local convience store in a small display with wizard and melee ( # 2 and #3 in purchase que)

John D Salt14 Nov 2011 9:38 a.m. PST

First "rules" I bought, Charles Grant's "Battle!", though I had already read "Battles with Model Soldiers", "Little Wars" and "Charge!" The first rulebook, as disctinct from wargaming book including rules, would have been the WRG's "Infantry Action 1925-1975".

First boardgame I owned, but didn't buy beacuse it was a present, AH's "Afrika Korps". The first I paid my own money for was WRG's "Seastrike".

All the best,

John.

Roderick Robertson Fezian14 Nov 2011 9:38 a.m. PST

Alexander, Avalon Hill.

Martin Rapier14 Nov 2011 9:41 a.m. PST

Like John, Charles Grants 'Battle'.

First boardgame was AHGCs 'France 1940'.

First RPG was white box D&D.

"1977 when I was 14"

Bah, a young thing. I was 16 then:)

Princeps14 Nov 2011 9:42 a.m. PST

First set of rules was Bruce Quarrie's Airfix guide for Napoleonics when I was 7 and my first board wargame was AH's Afrika Korps when I was 8 or so.

Personal logo John the OFM Supporting Member of TMP14 Nov 2011 9:46 a.m. PST

Avalon Hill's Gettysburg in 1964.
My first miniatures game came many years later.

Who asked this joker14 Nov 2011 9:46 a.m. PST

Third Reich by AH was my first boardgame.

First miniatures set was Chainmail by TSR

MajorB14 Nov 2011 9:47 a.m. PST

American Civil War using Airfix figures and rules from Featherstone's "War Games". Circa 1968.

"1977 when I was 14"

Bah, a young thing. I was 16 then:)

Youngsters! I was 23!

wrgmr114 Nov 2011 9:52 a.m. PST

Panzerblitz by AH, soooooo many years ago….

Chris B14 Nov 2011 9:56 a.m. PST

Tricolor. My first boardgame was Victory in the Pacific.

Huscarle14 Nov 2011 9:57 a.m. PST

1st wargames with figures were the various Airfix rules (Napoleonics & ACW), then moved onto WRG Ancients.
1st boardgames were Chess, Colditz, Campaign & Risk; then the various Metagames, such as Melee, Wizard, Ogre, GEV, etc.
1st RPG was the white box D&D.

Prince Rupert of the Rhine14 Nov 2011 10:00 a.m. PST

Homemade based on a Don Feathersone book I borrowed from the Libary. So I could fight my airfix figures against each other…

Oddball14 Nov 2011 10:00 a.m. PST

"Luftwaffe" by Avalon Hill around 1977 or so (age 12). I liked the box cover, but had no idea what a "wargame" was.

Discovered miniature wargames couple of years later when I purchased a copy of "Wargamers Digest" by McCoy. Again, cool picture on the cover, but had no idea what it was all about.

religon14 Nov 2011 10:00 a.m. PST

I was very lucky and started with a good one…BattleTech. I am younger than most others in this thread.

tberry740314 Nov 2011 10:02 a.m. PST

Avalon Hills "Blitzkrieg"

Personal logo The Virtual Armchair General Sponsoring Member of TMP14 Nov 2011 10:02 a.m. PST

AH's "Stalingrad" in 1962.

I am older than dirt, and twice as hard to shovel when wet.

TVAG

Saxondog14 Nov 2011 10:04 a.m. PST

For me…Squad Leader in around 1980 or 81 I guess. Can't remember any other. Got a few later that year but that's the oldest I can recall.

Flat Beer and Cold Pizza14 Nov 2011 10:10 a.m. PST

Another for Panzerblitz.

KONKURUR14 Nov 2011 10:19 a.m. PST

A little pamphlet put out by Roco minitanks, but they actually belonged to a friend.

The first rules I actually owned were 'Hardtack' ACW, and some WWII rules by Gary Gygax, a few of years before the public even heard about Dungeons and Dragons. They shipped directly from him, and he had a brief friendly note. Hardtack was fun, a classic 70's rules set, very broad and simple basics, with an emphasis on the game and fundamental tactics.

mjkerner14 Nov 2011 10:26 a.m. PST

American Heritage's Civil War game which came in the magazine, @ 1963. But before that, about Kindergarden age, my older brother and I lining up our plastic army men and taking turns throwing darts at the other's line. Head/Heart area = Dead; anywhere else = Wounded. 2 points for Dead; 1 point for wounded. (My brother came up with those rules. He was about 10 then.)

My first "real" wargame was Blitzkrieg (SPI?) about 1970.

CeruLucifus14 Nov 2011 10:27 a.m. PST

First miniatures wargame was a medievel homebrew system a friend learned from his older brother and showed me how to play; the force composition was based on chess. I was in 4th grade, he was in 5th, the brother was, I don't know, 8th grade? So this was fall 1971 or spring 1972.

First boardgame wargame was something in the junior high boardgames club, 7th grade so 1974. They had most of the games mentioned above, Alexander, Panzer Blitz, Gettysberg, Afrika Korps, many others.

The first I received as a gift was that same year, the entry level Avalon Hill game with a generic battlemap -- Tactics II? Something like that.

First wargame I bought myself -- we will not count all the D&D stuff I was buying after that point, since I think the original poster does not intend RPGs -- was probably Ogre, and that was published in 1977.

Feet up now14 Nov 2011 10:34 a.m. PST

Panzer Blitz by Avalon Hill in 1982

GreenMountainBoy14 Nov 2011 10:35 a.m. PST

I think it was metagame's Melee, if that counts. Soon followed by Ogre, which I loved.

I didn't discover 'real' wargames until my late 20's, though.

SgtPain14 Nov 2011 10:38 a.m. PST

Tactics II by Avalon Hill back in early 1970's was my first military board game. Angriff by Zimmerman & Myers, was my first miniature game, that was around 1973 or 4.

morrigan14 Nov 2011 10:45 a.m. PST

Avalon Hill's 1914 in the '60's.

GoneNow14 Nov 2011 10:55 a.m. PST

The first minis war game I played was a hack job of Fantasy Warriors. We hadn't read the rules completely and just made up stuff as we went. Then my younger brother traded if off before I could read it all. Then the first game I ever bought was a copy of A Fistfull of Miniatures from the local hobby/craft shop about a month or so after that.

Both those rule sets have a special place in my heart. :)

Personal logo aegiscg47 Supporting Member of TMP14 Nov 2011 11:03 a.m. PST

The rules set Angriff(does anyone remember that?) and some boxes of Airfix and Atlantic figures!

richarDISNEY14 Nov 2011 11:04 a.m. PST

Chainmail. 1979
beer

David Miniature Armies14 Nov 2011 11:06 a.m. PST

AH Gettysburg

GoGators14 Nov 2011 11:09 a.m. PST

The Sword and The Flame

Personal logo Parzival Supporting Member of TMP14 Nov 2011 11:09 a.m. PST

Risk.

Liliburlero Supporting Member of TMP14 Nov 2011 11:23 a.m. PST

Anglo/Zulu wargame in early 1964, after seeing the movie "Zulu". The rules were some "house rules" Dad was working on because he didn't like the Colonial rules that were available at the time. He had an old SAE Colonial army. Those "house rules" later became "The Sword and The Flame".

Brent2751114 Nov 2011 11:27 a.m. PST

Rocroi by SPI. 1977, I was 14 or so.

jdpintex14 Nov 2011 11:36 a.m. PST

AH's Waterloo and Battle of the Bulge (one for the Birthday and one for Christmas – I don't remember which was first) in the early 70s.

Mainly28s14 Nov 2011 11:40 a.m. PST

Chainmail, then Battlesystem, then DBA then WRG 7th…

mjkerner14 Nov 2011 11:41 a.m. PST

Terrement, that was the pull-out I was referring to above…I thought it was American Heritage, but I think you are right. American Heritage also came out with the game in boxed form a few yerars later. We had both, according to a quick check with my brother.

Patrick R14 Nov 2011 11:43 a.m. PST

Avalon Hill's D-Day.

jfleisher14 Nov 2011 11:46 a.m. PST

Ogre, 1977.

Dynaman878914 Nov 2011 11:52 a.m. PST

Cross of Iron, didn't know that Gamette meant expansion rather then small game.

Got Hitler's War (Metagaming version) and Squad Leader for Christmas a couple months later.

Jakse37514 Nov 2011 11:57 a.m. PST

First miniatures game i played was a dungeon crawl using AD&D 1st ed. My uber cool uncle set it up for his friends and let me tag along to play too. think I was about 7 or 8. GEV pocket edition was first Actual Wargame, about 9 or so. First I bought Battletech, also introduced to WHFB 3rd around same time and it's been all down hill since then….

dmclellan14 Nov 2011 11:58 a.m. PST

AH boardgames, either Blitzkreig or Battle of the Bulge in the mid 60's

dmclellan14 Nov 2011 12:00 p.m. PST

@aegiscg47 – I still have my copy of Angriff and know where I have it stored.

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