Wargaming pet loves.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Let's have some positive waves man:
1) researching new armies.
1) painting new armies
1)
1) playing with, and making, friends.
1) the thrill of the grand plan working
1) the post-game-post-mortem, what could we do better next time.
1) a good loss vs a nice opponent.
1) a close win vs the same.
1) wine gums

[DanJ]

Nice list Will.

I'd add digging arround in history books to understand a particular period or battle then converting that into an enjoyable multi-player game which everyone enjoys.

[FierceKitty]

1) Samurai with pikes
2) The uVe impi
3)  Swiss
4)  Seleucid elephants
5)  Templars
6) The whole medieval Byzantine army
7) Polish hussars
Cuachicqueh
9) Rindi
10) Cossacks.

[Subedai]

In no particular order (apart from the Mongol one of course):-

Mongol armies in any scale.
Nicely painted figures on nice looking terrain.
Any kind of research.
My wargaming/study man-cave.
Makng terrain pieces
Painting figures is a means to an end but is still a labour of love and it is something I enjoy.
The social aspect of wargaming.
Wargaming with like-minded people.

[fsn]

   * Research, definitely research.
  * Orders of Battle
  * Well balanced, historically possible armies (better if they are from an OOB)
  * People who aren't too picky (I know that's an M48A2, but let's just pretend it's an M48A1)
  * People who play for the fun, not the winning.

[Westmarcher]

Getting into an era, reading and research.
Personal stories of, comments, anecdotes from actual participants in battles, etc.
Visiting the ground where it all actually happened.
People who play honestly and make exceptions to any rule that they think unreasonably disadvantages their opponents.

..... and to re-iterate some of my fellow members' comments:
The social aspect of wargaming.
Wargaming with like-minded people.
People who play for the fun, not the winning.
Nicely painted figures
Nice looking terrain.

(gulp! On the last two, does that mean I hate myself?)
Finally, people who overlook my not so nicely painted figures and poor terrain. 

[Ithoriel]

a) Increasing my knowledge of history, especially through those nuggets of QI-style information that may or may not be true

ii) Improving my knowledge of world geography - it has been said I don't know anywhere if it hasn't been the site of a battle

3) Playing pretty much any game with anyone I like

d) Playing any game I like with pretty much anyone

v) People who accept it's first and foremost a game and who PLAY BY THE BLO....OMIN' RULES! Plenty of rules get the right result for the wrong reasons, live with it. I don't want a debate on why the Erewhon Drill Manual of Eighteen-Canteen means I can't make a move that's perfectly legal under the rules.

6) Chewing the fat after a game and coming up with tall tales and also house rules based on the Erewhon Drill Manual of Eighteen-Canteen.

g) Nicely painted figures, even though those are rarely mine

viii) Nicely produced terrain, even when littered with dice, tape measures, crisps, coffee, coke and beer .... especially when littered with dice, tape measures, crisps, coffee, coke and beer!

9) Losing a game I enjoyed

h) Sumerians (currently)

[FierceKitty]

Not , 8 ).

[Steve J]

Agree with pretty much all the points so far chaps. Glad to see we're in general agreement .

[Leman]

Nope, afraid not sunglasses, eight, comma, close brackets, full stop is just gibberish to me.

[Hertsblue]

Admiring the sweep and numbers of a mass of troops on the table.

Playing against someone who isn't going to insist on doing something idiotic just because the rules don't say you can't.

Discovering an Order of Battle for an army I have little or no information on.

Agreeing with my opponent that the rules are crap and that, historically, this is what should have happened.

Admiring other people's beautifully painted figures and occasionally getting to play with them.

Winding down after a game and pinpointing exactly where it all went tits-up. 

[petercooman]

Getting my son away from nintendo and playstation 

[Nosher]

1. Fielding the new/latest army for the first time
2. The thump as new figures hit the doormat
3. Multi-player games on BIG tables
4. Research - preferably through books, but if I have to, online
5. Post game debrief
6. BATREPS - just wish I was better at photography and the technical side of uploading everything!
7. Used to like rules writing but dont have the time now

[Orcs]

A close game - win or lose
A table with nice terrain and figures
Researching Armies
Painting figures
Playing games with freinds
laughing at your self when you say "I have no intention of throwing two 1's" and do exactly that

[Pijlie]

All of the above, plus:

- writing that perfect scenario that gets a win or a lose on a hair's breadth of difference EVERY game (succeeded only a few times)
- hosting a participation game and get wargame newbies at your table all day who have loads of fun (succeeds nearly every time)