"Books, Films or Both?" Topic

What inspires you to game a certain historical period? Books, films or both, maybe something else?

Books, films, figures, rules and seeing someone else' inspiring game or write-up.

Agreed, all of the above.

Movies for the most part.

All the above, plus travel. I've been inspired to game a couple of genres based on actually visiting a country or region. Moorish architecture in southern Spain (especially in Granada and Malaga) inspired 'El Cid' era gaming. A visit to Dunadd inspired gaming 5th-8th century Scotti and Picts. Travel and work in the Caribbean inspired Pirate gaming. Just about everywhere I've been has provided some sort of gaming inspiration (although I've often had to step back and recognize that I lacked the enthusiasm to carry through particular projects).

All.
And c'mon,don't be modest--we all know what TSATF did!

In combination with Zulu/Zulu Dawn,of course.

Sure would like to see a movie of Adowa,though that's extremely unlikely,even from the Italians. Or maybe especially from the Italians--I don't know what their attitude is.

Surely not from Hollywood. Unless they can work Tom Cruise into it somehow.

Or maybe Matt Damon.

All of the above – though in addition to Books would add Magazine Articles

Books mostly but a good movie as well. Then really nice miniatures can inspire . When the Perrys came out with Carlist War I had to have them.

Travel is a big one, and the period I enjoy the most was inspired by a painting I saw in a museum.

Books mostly. Rarely do films inspire me to game anything for some reason.

I've found that playing games in a period inspired me to enter a period. Love to watch movies, but can't think of one I based an actual game on. It'd be interesting to go through the entire colonial era and list the movies that apply to each action.

Travel got me into the Italian front foe WW1. Museum visits and books got me into AWI and War of 1812. Films and TV growing up, along with my dad's stories, most likely got me into WW2. Studying history as a degree subject didn't put me off! Seeing games at shows or figures also dragged me in. Basically I have no off filter or self control!!!

Books, movies and playing in someone's game. But I'd have to say that 'Zulu,' 'Zulu Dawn,' 'Gunga Din,' 'The Four Feathers,' 'Khartoum,' '55 Days at Peking,' 'The Wind and the Lion,' and 'Young Winston' combined to dominate my wargaming imagination and have happily led me down a path where Colonial gaming is my favorite by far.

Books.

A bit of both but books more so.

Zulu is the only film that ever made me even remotely consider colonial gaming so there's that.

For me, Larry Brom.

I saw Zulu before TSATF was first published. Do the math.

As for AWI, I was steeped in it via school, books, Disney Mickey Mouse Club miniseries. (Johnnie Tremaine, Swamp Fox…)

I was recruited into miniatures via Ancients. My second period was AWI followed by colonials. It was the serendipitous coincidental (using Big Words) Minifigs Zulus and TSATF that tipped me into colonials. Ral Partha! Woo Hoo!
I dabbled big time in Napoleonics, twice, but had no real skin in the game. Easily sold off with no regrets.

Books, mostly history.

Yes. And occasionally a good set of rules.

History, including sub-created worlds with developed "histories" in the setting. So many…

Books. Redwall, LOTR, SST, Bolo stories, West of Honor, if I was near my library there are others I am sure I am forgetting.

Films. Zulu, LOTR (changes not withstanding,) Gunga Din, Bridge on the River Kwai, War Horse, The Great Escape, Casablanca, The Dirty Dozen, Tora, Tora, Tora!, Battle of Britain, 12 O'Clock High, The Dam Busters, Flying Tigers, Thirty Seconds over Tokyo, Bridges at Toko-Ri, Top Gun.

Rules. Air War C21, Air War 1918, Chainmail (Perren and Gygax,) OD&D, Tricolor, Column, Line, and Square, Gutshot. Matchlocks on the Warpath.

Games. Three letters – SPI. Two Words – Avalon Hill.

In that order.