"Any historical wargamers under 40?" Topic

Every time I stop by the local wargaming venue or a wargamers convention, I'm struck by the fact that the historical wargamers are virtually all a bit long in the tooth. Verging on geriatric. So just as an unscientific poll, how many historical wargamers 18-40 do you know personally? All the younger ones I see are fantasy types, Warhammer, etc.

I'm 35 now, but always been a historical gamer.

None in my area that I know off tho.

I'm 39! (for four more months)

I also play sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes, pulp, etc.

Like Terrement. When my hair was black.

Myself, and there's a half-dozen or so others in the local region. Why is the Upper Valley so atypical for these sorts of questions? :)

-Will

I'm over the cut-off by a couple of years now, but I started historicals well before turning 40. The local gaming group I'm part of has recruited a steady trickle of under-40s during the past few years. One of the newer recruits, who is in his early 30s, arrived in wargaming by way of GW and mocks me for insisting on playing the "niche-iest games in the niche-iest of hobbies", but he's also now bought-in enough that he's completed his first DBA army and he's asking about trying WW2 and Napoleonics. He'll be a lifer ;)

I don't think historical wargaming will be joining the dodo any time soon.

I started as a historical miniatures gamer when I was 24.
Before that I was a historical boardgamer.

I'm under 40 for 5 more weeks. I'm primarily a historical gamer even though I run a super hero and scifi minis company.

My seven year old son started gaming with me these last six months. WW2, ECW and Gladiators….

….Not an Orc in sight.

…Though I don't do Fantasy so he's no choice really.

:-)

SYW next.

Warlord games seems to be helping buck the trend. It seems the kids like Warhammerish with tanks, gladius or black powder.

I am 33, and I know at least 5 other historical gamers in the age groups 28-39

I posted here, in your other thread.

TMP link

I am 47, though I started playing historicals as a child. My son is 18 and started at 8, and his sister is 20 and started at 10.

I have turned 21 a few days ago. No one else my age down here unless I want to use my Sci Fi stuff, so I have to provide my own 2 armies for any historical game (double the work but double the variety of miniatures).

I have noticed however, how much fun they find a lot of the Historical Rule Sets I try on them. Always they find the games fun, but for some reason none of them want to get armies for it?

I know maybe a dozen or so.

The "graying of the hobby" I am convinced, is a myth. In fact it is a hobby that requires a fair amount of cash, lots of time and space.

When I was in my 20s and 30s I spent my time and money chasing women

I have quite a few customers who are new or returning to the hobby after decades long layoffs, and are now in their late 30s or early 40s.

If you don't count flames of war, I know of none. If you count it then there a lot.

Last Convention Game I ran (1814 Napoleonics) had 6 players, 5 under 40 by a wide margin. None were playing with their parenns

Given a chance they exist.

This is setting the bar a bit high, IMO. Young folks don't have either the time or the tribalism to Declare for war-gaming As Such. Interested young folks nevertheless exist, and play, and when I die, will inherit an ENORMOUS resource!

Daniel is low twenties and plays often with the napoleonics group. There is a group of high school students locally who play all periods of historical games other than FOW.

While I am 48 we have a couple guys in their 30's and a couple guys in their 20's that game off and on with our regular group.

I'd also say that we get about a half dozen under forty at the convention we run (out of about 30 historical gamers).

I am 31 and pretty much have only done historicals for about 12-13 years now. However the other members of my regular historical gaming group are all over 40. We do have a few younger (than me) gamers who will occasionally play historical.

I'm under twenty (just about) My father started early himself so I can claim I was a war gamer since I was a child. So maybe Vikings assaulting Royalist held ruins isn't exactly the most historical but I grew out of it and painted my first dba army 13 going on 14. I had a sci fi and fantasy twinge but that's died down, I've missed so many Salutes because of exams!

We have 4 or 5 teen gamers in our group – even a couple
'occasional' teen girls, one of whom gets her BF
involved

I'm the only one in my group over 60. there are two in their 50's, two in their 40's, four in their 30's, three in their 20's and six in their teens. We only play AWI, ACW, and medieval's, all in 40mm.

Back in the day, there weren't as many miniatures games. D+D and "Historicals" was pretty much it if you don't include board games. I'm almost 65 and I think the variety of games today is great.

all the guys in my local gaming group are under 40. Most mid 30s. All except one are into historicals. Youngest one is early 20s.

I briefly played Crossfire and Blitzkrieg Commander in my late 20s.

My son and son-in-law play ACW, Napoleonics and Old West. Both in their 20's.

DS6151 I'm right there with you, except I'll be 40 in seven months.

I started at 18 or so, and I'm 35 now.
My son is 7 and he likes ww2 games.

The guys I game with are both mid 30's

I'm 27. Only started playing actual games since last year but I've been getting bits and pieces for Flames of War since it's first edition and now I have Bolt Action, Samurai and soon Knights. I like fantasy and sci fi but I also like some historical periods as well.

A fair portion of my army is over forty.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunkermeister Creek

Our group has a couple of guys in their 30s.

Loads on the UK war gaming scene. No shortage at all.

I know a fair few early 30 smethings types who love historicals of all sorts. And most of us have been playing historicals since our mid 20's.

Interestingly, despite the concerns of the graying of the hobby, that big survey that was done recently showed the UK wargaming scene was younger than the US on average. Whether they worked out the fantasy/historical split I cant recall…

I could divide myself in half and be two 30 year old gamers!
I know three 40 or under.

I could have answered yes to your question 12 years ago :(

Like I said on the other thread, mostly baby-boomers (like in most social activities – it was a boom) but plenty of younger players out there. Plenty of them playing historical wargames.

I played some DBA at Triples today … about 50/50 guys my age and younger players.

Nothing unusual ..

Phil
Ancients on the Move

I started pushing lead in Napoleonic games at the age of 7. Painted my first army at the age of 12 and entered a WRG tournament (can't remember if it was 4th or 5th edition). Granted that was 35 years ago, but I was a long time under 40 gamer who crossed that threshhold a couple of years back. I am working on the next genteration even now.

I'm under 30, but I lack the resources to travel regularly to conventions.

I'm 9 years, 10 months and 33 minutes away from beeing 40

I continue to introduce boys in my Trail Life Scout troop to historical gaming. As an alternative to video during our game nights.

I am 45 and SWMBO is 46 (he he heeeee). SOM is 23 and DOM (getting a BA in history to go with her BE in EE) is 21. So, basically I believe SWMBO and I have done our part to contribute to the viability of historical gaming by creating two replacements (with the same gender distribution as those being replaced, no less!).

Also, about a dozen of their friends (in the same age range +/- a bit) are gamers and will happliy play historical games with the same frequency as other genres at our monthly game night.

We have replaced ourselves and corrupted others into the flock. So I guess it's time … if you can catch us!

No Sandman ever ran!

I know six who are under twenty, four more under 40 and above 20.

I am 29 until the end of the month. I started playing historical games (Battleground) in about 2000, when I was 14. Got into 40k and WHFB in later high school and college. After numerous games of those two, getting my rear end handed to me by power gamers, I totally quit, sold all of it and invested in Flames of War (Germans, Aussies and Americans), and Bolt Action Paras (before Warlord bought them) and now with the exception of 50 or so Infinity models, all of my collection is historical. I would estimate that I have about 1500 painted historical figures and terrain now.

Of the 10 people I play semi- regularly, 8 are within 5 years of my age.