"And was there a Ceremony?" Topic

It just came to my attention--because no one else picked up on it--that WWII miniatures are no longer regarded as Moderns. When I started, everything from Shermans to M-60's were sold under that heading.
Well, fair enough. But (1) Does anyone remember when, in his personal experience, gaming WWII no longer made you a Moderns player? and (2) Where is the line currently drawn? And is it a fixed line based on an event, or just a rolling time-line that "everything must be within X many years of the present to be Moderns?"

Me? Left to my own devices, I'm a broad period kind of guy--Ancients, Horse & Musket, Moderns and Colonial, which makes everything from the invention of the tank Moderns. But it's no good speaking a language no one else understands.

I've never considered WWII to fall under the Modern umbrella. For perspective, I started gaming in 1975 or so.

Same as 79thPA. I started gaming around 1979. Moderns to me was the conflicts from the 60s to present day.

For me, 'Moderns' means post WW2/Korea. I started wargaming properly in about 1976.

My guess it is when we started having wars post Vietnam. That started to make Vietnam look old and WW2 clearly not modern anymore. Or it could be because the men who fought in WW2 are now mostly gone. You figure that Vietnam Vets are now in their 70s. The times they are a changing.

Same as 79thPA. I started gaming in my local club c1973. Moderns was "Cold War".

I'm with 79th PA, Rakkasan, and Herkybird.

Okay, so I'm a fossil.

But I started with Airfix and ROCO Minitanks in 63, when WW II was before my time, it was still a "hot" topic. Organized wargames began later in '70, largely before there were any "Cold War" games and mini's.

So, "Yeah!," WW II/Korea are still "Moderns" to me--certainly compared to Colonials, WW I, ACW, AWI, SYW, and Ancients.

That said, I do recognize that the weapons of WW II are pretty much antiques, now, and that "Modern" warfare is far closer to "Star Trek" than when I began in the hobby.

I--reluctantly--concede that "Moderns" is probably Cold War Era to the present… though for how much longer, I dare not guess.

TVAG

I am in the anything post -Korea is modern camp, but I am also semi-ancient.

OK, I've been trying to find a book in my increasingly more disorganized book collection, but it has gone into hiding. It seems to me that in one of Donald Featherstone's books he said something to the effect that "World War II was no longer modern." If so, that would put it back in the late 60's or early 70's.

Grelber

I think it's WWII, Cold War, War on Terrorism, and Modern.
Got my first toy soldiers in 1958 at age 3.
But that's just me.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

I started in miniatures and board games in 1970. At first, I didn't even pay attention to what was "Modern", if the term was even used then, except to delineate between Viet Nam and WWII&Korea (because no helos except for CasEvac and using WWII weapons vs. M14s and 16s and M60s, and helos up the wazoo!). But now, to me it is anything post Vietnam.

OK, I am officially nominating this as a Poll, with the answers to far being.
Moderns begin with tanks.
Moderns begin after the Korean War.
Moderns begin after Vietnam.
Moderns begin after the War on Terrorism.
(Mike, are you sure about that? Don't we have to stop blowing up terrorists for the War on Terror to be over? And if so, when do you think we stopped?)

For me who started wargaming at 15 in 2006 I felt the Gulf War was the start of moderns. Middle East has been the center of conflict in my life as well no longer hypotheticals in Eastern Europe.

Vietnam --- because I was there and I'm modern.

Russ Dunaway

Old Glory,
With all due respect, you are so "last millennium". So am I.

Wolfhag

There are only three periods in wargaming: ancients, horse and musket and modern. So there!

You missed Sci-fi ! 👽🛸🚀👨‍🚀

Vietnam --- because I was there and I'm modern.

A you was there. But the modern you wasn't. You're a different person now.

I always considered anything with a super majority of guns having rifled barrels as "modern" – Second Generation Warfare. I suppose we could just skip to Fifth Generation Warfare.