"Troops and Rules" Topic

OK, this is a little complicated, but I think I'm on to something here. I heard the usual griping today that we'll spend fortunes on armies and begrudge pennies for rules.

But for me, troops are a one-time expense. Rules are more like rent. I had Napoleonic troops on the table last month who were at least 46 years old. If I purchased only the most popular set of Napoleonics rules each time a new set became most popular, how much would I have spent over that time? (And how often would I have had to rebase, had I been so foolish?)

And I can sell old troops. Price old rulebooks in the flea market sometime.

SO

How old were the oldest castings you had on the table last year?

How old was the oldest COMMERCIAL rule set you used?

(And is there any chance we can get GW & Co to print "best by" dates on their rules the way we do on bottles of milk?)

40+ year old 25mm hoplites and a ruleset first published in 1972.

Easy for me – 15mm minifigs from early 80s ECW using Gygaxs Cavaliers and Roundheads

Been playing them since 1987/8 timeframe

Oldest figures-- Minifigs 15mm Muscovites, at least 35 years old. Rules were DBR 1.1 from 1997.

25 mm Minifigs from the mid 1970's, rules vary by period, some new in the past year, others 15 – 20 years old.

Oldest figures – 20mm Scruby's that I got in 1966 – second hand.

Oldest commercial ruleset used – Fletcher Pratt, so 80-some years old.

I probably break the expectation, as I really only started in the miniatures wargaming aspect of the hobby in 2001. However, my oldest lead figure is a Grenadier Ranger (featured as my Member icon) from 1980, and my oldest ruleset still in my possession would be AD&D 1st ed, from either that year or the next. I have Battle Master circa 1990s and Space Hulk 2nd ed from that same period as the next miniatures games in my collection. But the pewter bug only truly came with Warmaster, acquired in 2001-2002, (I think) and matching figures from that system, same time. And that (and this site) opened the floodgates. While I do pick up a lot of different rules to examine, I generally stick with one set for any given genre, and don't change from something I've discovered I like.

I think the oldest miniatures that I had on a table last year were Grenadier 25mm Imperial Marines for Traveller. They were made in about 1983.

The oldest rules set that I used was StarGrunt II, published in 1996.

Oldest troops and rules in occasional use:

25mm Scrubys, Der Kriegspielers & Minifigs from the late 1960s with Column,Line and Square, 2nd. Ed. rules.

Oldest troops and rules in regular use (as documented in game reports posted on TMP by NCC1717):

25mm Scrubys and Ral Parthas from the late 1960s and 1970s with The Sword and The Flame, 20th Anniversary Edition. OK, the rules would have been older but I upgraded 30 years ago when they were published.

But this has nothing to do with the price of newer rules. I stick with what I like.

Rick

Oldest miniatures would be from Der Kriegspielers' Confederals and AWI ranges along with Minifigs and Hinchliffes from the same mid-1970s time frame. Oldest rules were On To Richmond from 1983. Given that I have figures that came out last year that I am using with brand new rules.

Hinchcliffe Greek Hoplites, bought at a bring-and-buy at Salute'73. Rules were Axe & Arrow from that same time – yeah, I know, but I've been tinkering with them on and off for a blasted long time now.

Mid-70s minifigs and others' 25mm fantasy figs

1/1200 ships were probably my oldest models, 45 years old. Oldest rules I used were probably the WRG 1950-1985 set I bought in the early 1980s

The oldest stuff would be some 6mm DAK vehicles which date from the mid 1970s. Otherwise it would be some Peter Pig figures from the 1990s.

Oldest commercial rules is hard, I tend to write my own. Command and Colours I guess.

Oldest rules last year were Napoleon's Battles or Johnny Reb. Oldest figures – I have Minifigs & Heritage in both ACW & Nappy's armies that are from the late 70s.

Oldest figs 40 year old Minifig ECW halberdiers – used them in a late medieval battle mid last year

Oldest commercial rules I am still using would be Spearhead

35 year old Heritage/Napoleonettes Vistula Legion. Played with Empire, but V so the most "recent." Also some JR3, can't recall when that came out.

How old were the oldest castings you had on the table last year?

18 years.

Technically, 30+ years, since SOM brought my old D&D figures from the 80's for a game, but there is a huge gap in my collecting between the end of secondary school (with only a couple dozen figs) and 2000, when I was stationed back in the states and SOM+DOM were old enough to see over the edge of the wargaming table.

How old was the oldest COMMERCIAL rule set you used?

40+ years? White Box D&D.

Wait! That's an RPG, not a wargame. Not really, white box is still basically Chainmail medieval battles with a metric butt-ton of orcs and a few fireballs thrown in for flavour.

My group routinely plays Command & Decision rules, with their favorite version being #III. I don't play these rules much, but I own a copy (finally broke down, figuring I should finally learn them so I can be a better player…).

I began playing 2nd Ed. BattleSystem fantasy rules in 1995, around five years after they went OOP. I still play these fantasy rules, as they cover just about everything possible in the game, for units, and scenarios (aerial rules, siege rules, war machines, magic, etc); I also enjoy them because they're a fantastic set of rules to play.

My oldest figures are from around 1995, also. That is when I began collecting and building my armies for my fantasy games. I'm likely on the younger end of the average, but there you go.

As far as rules expiring… Never happens. Publishers pump out new rules as desired, but the old rules still play the same!

I began playing 1st Edition AD&D, in 1980. I converted to 2nd Edition rules in 1989, because I liked what they did, expanding the 1e rules, rather than chucking them, wholesale. I never went beyond 2e rules. Currently, they are selling 5th Edition rules. Whoop-ee, for them. I'm still playing my 2e rules, and my players and I are having a blast. None of us needs newer rules…

We don't play in tournaments. We don't need to learn yet another rules system. We don't need to shell out $150 USD for the three core rule books… This Homey don't play that game, no more. Cheers!

Ral Rartha Roman figures I bought in the very early 1980s, so the figures were almost 40 years old.

Oldest rules, I do not recall, but not were 40 years old.

Oldest figures Airfix WW2 Brits and Matchbox WW2 Germans, about 1978, oldest rules Operation Warboard 1978. Oldest metals a couple of Minifigs Normans and War of Roses foot knights from 1980ish.originally for D and D.

Though oldest vehicle is a die cast Corgi DUKW from early 70s that is more or less oo/ho

Oldest Figure – Ral Partha Tom Meier goblins from the late 70's.

Oldest rules – Advanced Squad Leader (converted to tabletop use) or Full Thrust.

33 Years ACW

I recently used figures that I painted back in the late 70s when I was only 11 years old. My old Minifig Macedonians still stand up well, though there are many bent pikes that have be lovingly adjusted and massaged to not break off.

SO

How old were the oldest castings you had on the table last year? 1986

How old was the oldest COMMERCIAL rule set you used?
1972

Oldest Commecial set in use, ours at 10 Years the only set we play. Oldest minature I play with, now proably 8 years for some rendments.

I suggest you don't play much. I have some about 41 years old but they are the remains of an old Ancents army that got put away a good 20 years ago. A heavily played army (proably 40 games a year() sedom last longer than 2 years before paint and damage takkes ther toll on many of them. After that is easire to get rid of and re-paint/colour as the sculpts will proably be better anyway.
In the ancients I have old minifigs but if got them out they would soon die, brittle metal to say the least.

Long Live Platic (Literally and Metaphoricly) some have survived 4 years of play with no losses.

Rules, I did keep changeing to find a good set, but most were Lead Pusher standard with little attempt at plausability, so in desearation we wrote and published our own. Not had to change since then.

I do read reviews but most fail before having buy them. It seems to me, to some rules are more of a Fad than a practical investment on there merits as simulations. Like changing clothes for no good reason.