"Years gaming?" Topic

We've had several impertinent polls inquiring as to how ancient…sorry, old we are.

Far more importantly, how long have you been a wargamer?

Time to step forward, declare your veteran status, and show the newer players how long this wargaming addiction really lasts.

Answer in years, gents (centuries, if you must).

Since 1974, saw a copy of "African Campaign" in a toy store window near the barber's shop. Saved up and bought it! Never looked back :) … 52 years for me.

Miniatures, mid 70's Bicentennial ish. Board gaming early 70's

Given some long periods of haitus, falling back to collector/hoarder, not as contagiously long as you might imagine.

Of course, I pushed green army folk around in the fifties, but a friend introduced me to upgrading to Rocco models maybe '67, weirdly, as I was becoming a peacenik.

Cognitive dissonance? Compartmentalization? *shrug*

Doug

Early 60x. Gettysburg with rectangular pieces. H

1974 is when I recognized miniatures as a hobby, and began collecting, painting and playing. But that came after rolling marbles into Marx figures and green army men to cause casualties -- late fifties and early sixties.

1964 with Avalon Hill's Gettysburg. 62 years? 😱
1975 for miniatures. This doesn't count playing with dinosaurs, firemen and cowboys as a kid. That's only 51 years.

Miniatures then pushed boardgames to the side.

This explains 🙄 why I sometimes refer to "back in the previous century ".

And get off my lawn!

There's an old geezer standup comedian (not really standup since he's sitting on a stool…) who says he's getting back into dating. "Carbon dating".

Started my collection at 17ish in the early 80's. On and off for 43 years.

If you include my days of gaming with the Airfix ACW sets my dad brought back from his business trips back in 1965, 61 years

Boardgames c.60 yrs.; minis 54 yrs.

Star Fleet Battle Manual in a shop, 50 years

Around 1992, for me. That means 34 years and counting. Cheers!

Toy soldiers back to the Eisenhower Presidency. Say 1958. Board wargames since 1964 (62 years now) and miniatures with proper rules at least 1969 for 57.

Around 55 years.

1989 for me miniatures wise. Star Fleet Battles and D&D since 1982. Still have a lot left to paint from that initial start period too!

Since the late 60's with board games, miniatures around 1974.

Boardgames, December 26th, 1973. Avalon Hill game 'Midway' was gotten for Christmas.

Miniatures, 1980, I attended my first gaming convention, MichiCon. I sat down to a fantasy(?) mass combat game. No idea what it was, I remember the minis were bare metal. I was absolutely hooked. The GM game me a mounted knight figure which I kept until several moves in living locations lost it for me.

Bought my first set of miniatures rules that year too. "Strike Team Alpha" from Game Science.

Dave

Fifty-two years with actual rules. Probably ten years earlier
if you count playing around with Minitanks and Airfix.

1965 with Africa Corps
1975/76? With General Quarters and C in C ships.

Back in 1960 or 1961, Parker Brothers (in conjunction with Life magazine) brought out a board game, called "Civil War Game 1863." I got it for Christmas. I still have the pieces and the board, though the box has long since perished. I was able to photocopy a replacement copy of the rules out of an old issue of Life.

About six years later, I found my first Donald Featherstone book at the public library in the Fine Arts section (!), and I was off and running, morphing my green army men into Airfix and later metal figures.

Oh, dear! I am old--65 years!

Grelber

Right with ya Grelber. I started with the Gettysburg AH game c. 1961. Played other board games until I discovered miniatures in the late '60s, so a long time.

1968 – Joseph Morschauser, Airfix, and Roco.

Things have escalated since then…

AH and Airfix in 1968. Real miniatures rules in 1972

I discovered Tactics II in 1974 or 1975, and found that other people played games like that in 1976, so 50-ish years.

Been playing miniatures since about 1979.. Board games before, and since then. So, technically, I would say I've been a wargamer for 47+ years.

1961/2 with Scruby figures and his War Game rules and about the same time Avalon Hills Tactics II. Airfix ROCO added in 1964.
First painted figure was a unit of 8 Scruby's 30mm Highlanders painted with Testors enamels. So 64/65 years.

I am not old, I am vintage!

Boardgames 1972
Miniatures 1981

Roco and Airfix mid 60s, board games about 73. Miniature gaming in 80.

Did not discover organized gaming AKA conventions until 95.

Wrote my own WW2 naval rules back in 1957. About what you'd expect from a ten-year-old, but my friend and I ejoyed them.