"The Best Part About Being a Wargamer Is... ?" Topic

What's the best part of the hobby for you?

Pretending to be someone greater than I am…and meeting nice, similar minded people!

Arguing about bricoles?

The very best part is the close-fought game against a skilled opponent.
The second best is finally understanding why a historical battle played out the way it did.
But day to day, miniature armies are their own reward.

The wonderful friends I've made over the years

I think the best part is the way a girl's eyes glaze over when you say, "I play miniatures wargames" when she asks what you do for fun.

No, actually, the best part is when you marry that same girl, and she tags along with to a convention, and you get involved in some game, and you can't find her, and she doesn't answer her phone, and you look all over the con for her, and you eventually find her … engrossed in a complex miniatures game and she smiles up at you says that she's working on getting her archers to the enemy's flank so that they'll get hit bonuses and cause the most damage.

That's the best part about being a wargamer.

True story.

Having the toys to imagine the games with, anywhere, anytime, so that sometimes the imagining turns into actual games.

To crush my enemies. See them driven before me. And to hear the lamentations of their women. That and meeting interesting people.

I can't believe it took 8 replies before we got the Conan quote.

Congratulations Oberlindes Sol LIC

My T-shirt says it all

To crush my enemies
See them driven before me
And to hear the lamentations about their dice rolling

My dearest friends are all gamers. It is a wonderful hobby and, without question, the best part is the people involved with it.

The friends I've made. The spectacle of a well put together game. The process of designing a scenario, getting the terrain and figures together and seeing all my efforts played out.

"Best" is hard to decide. Besides the several good answers already given, I'd add "The opportunity to do something creative."

Big ditto to Ed

The fact that the people I game with a great and if they're not around I can still enjoy the hobby.

When I was working I drove an old truck to work which had a gun rack in the cab, an "America Love it or get shot" bumper sticker on one side a "They can have my gun when they pry it from my cold dead fingers" sticker on the other, would wear fatigues and combat boots on dress down day, let everyone know I live WAY WAY up in the woods, had guns, hunted, had a picture of Joe Stalin behind my desk with the caption "There will be fewer Russians, but they will be better Russians, " and-- oh yes… that I was a formal postal worker.

Playing with toy soldiers was frosting on the cake.

No one ever bothered me and I never got trouble about taking a day off or getting the vacation slot I wanted.

I have had toy soldiers since I was three years old and I can't image my life without them. Collecting, working on the models, organizing the units, conducting historical investigations, and sharing that with others.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

+1 KSmyth

+2 KSmyth

The babes, the bling, and the beer! Well, one out of three at least…

Learning the histories and collecting the figures.

It's a very satisfying creative outlet. Unlike a video game, my time painting results in a tangible and cool little artifact.

I like all of it equally.The friends,the painting of miniatures, the research involved,planning your army and what you want it to contain, actually playing with the figures you painted, writing up our home grown rules and play testing them until you get all the kinks out. Setting up a game with the terrain is actually like painting a picture to me. All is fun every step of the way, each step is different in it's own way and equally fun!

Friends and playing at being a a commander of a battalion or a platoon, well the easy bits. Lots of excuses to read about battles and technical manuals and trying to understand how it all goes together to make a successfull battle.

I need minis to help play the game, but painting is the downside of the hobby most of the time

Being able to look down on literally hundreds of smaller men than me (I'm 5' 6")

Overall, learning about specifics about wars and conflicts that I did not know.

The chiseled physique it's given me. (I game with 54mm metals)

The people are great too!

Another thing that is great about war games is how much cheaper it is than most other hobbies, especially sports and unlike sports… you get to play. Further you get to invite over only those people you want to be with.