"What is your favorite period to game?" Topic

If you had to choose one period, which would you like most to game and why? (I intentionally lumped the periods into broad categories.)

A) Ancient (pre-gunpowder; includes medieval, renaissance)
B) Horse and musket (includes 18th thru 19th century, ACW, Napoleonic)
C) Modern (includes 20th century, WW1 and WW2)
D) Fantasy or Science Fiction

E) All of the above are my favorite!

D. You can essentially do all the others with fantasy or sci-fi

A&B if I really had to choose. I like DBA & TSATF.

3000 BC to 1700 AD? Then it's hundred-year or so increments?

I vote A.5: 1500 – 1700, Pike & Shot Era

A & D

A&B

C

A) Horse and musket is my favorite.

D) Fantasy or Science Fiction are not periods. They are genres. Just like Historical Gaming is a genre.

3000 BC to 1700 AD? Then it's hundred-year or so increments?

Yes, technological advancements in warfare are non-linear with respect to time. There has been more change in the way war is conducted in the last 100 years then say the thousand years between 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Anyway I perceived comments like this, that is why I said I used "broad" categories. For reference the very well written ruleset Might of Arms says it can be used from 3000 BC to 1500 AD; essentially pre-gunpower era. So in the interest of keeping it simple I included the period of 1500-1700AD into ancient. I like your answer of "A.5" though.

A) Horse and musket is my favorite.

D) Fantasy or Science Fiction are not periods. They are genres. Just like Historical Gaming is a genre

You mean the age of Fantasy didn't really exist?? :-O LOL
I think everyone understands the question. Consider answer "D" as a catch all for other games [period/genre], if the first three selection don't fit. (Maybe I should have left answer D out for this survey.)

All of the above.

B (Specifically, Colonial campaigns; Egyptian and British campaigns in the Sudan; the Anglo-Zulu War; and French Foreign Legion in North Africa)

Napoleonics and 18th century. 17th close by.

B.

A and B and C. All have equal enjoyment on the tabletop.

A & B

B seems to include both AWI and Victorian colonial.

Any or all, at the mo we are doing a lot of Horse and Musket, but I am working on my own Star Wars skirmish rules as I am motivated!

c

A & B

A

Because my main interest is Ancient history

Mainly B with a minor in late A.

Mostly A, but plenty of interest in nearly anything gaming.

B

C if I had to choose. I love WW2, ACW and to a lesser degree Ancients

B (totally), C, D and A. Easy choice for horse and musket era if there can be only one.

B

A, C and D.

A and B

B

B, except without the horses and muskets.

I think the overall results of this survey are this: even when asked to pick just one period, most gamers are interested in multiple periods even though we may only specialize in one or two.

From a tactical and grand tactical perspective I like Napoleonic due to the balance of infantry, cavalry, and artillery; and the mix of both ranged and melee combat. Pre-gunpowder era games seem more one dimensional to me with mass formations meeting in melee contact. And modern era tactics seem too multi-dimensional and complex, with some battles fought in which the enemy is never actually seen. I'm not against any era or genre and would try any game.

D)
I play a lot of fantasy and sci-fi games. Also I do a lot of imagi-nations for options A thru C. So I would lump them into fantasy as well.

Just to be clear. Fantasy and Sci-Fi are still not periods.

Well Star Wars is a "Long time ago", that is a period. Warhammer 40,000 is set in a future millennium. Doesn't that make it a period?

C. That's my experience

sci fi

I don't think that fantasy and science fiction should be put together. Let us declare which one we prefer.

B – AWI specifically

B 'n C.

B for skirmish.
C for Battalion-sized games.