Time to be less touchy-feely

[FierceKitty]

Not just ancient, though that's full of fun. But medieval Chinese armies are important too, and the pike and shot era armies are among the most rewarding of all.
   Actually, I'm doing a 10mm Ming army as we speak, but with a sad shortage of Pendraken figures in the ranks. I have been able to incorporate only a handful of crusades-era Turkish types and some ancient archers in sun hats, who convert obligingly enough too. I'd have used lots of Pendraken figures if they'd been available.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

But some of us play anything - well almost. My last few games have been WOW WWI - Albatros blown up twice, 4 Modern 1/300 games (at Derby), and a shed load of Warmaster/Warmaster  Ancient games.

JUst bought FOG-R, have all the stuff for FOG.

Paintingwise, well in the last 6 months I've done an Arab, Sassinid, and started on Turkish and Polish Ren (This will double as Kislev), the Helis for most of a Russian Airmobile, with all the infantry, + btns of Arab and NATO stuff - all for someone else, and a Hunic with Indian allies again for a third party.

So your statement that msot of us just play 18th and 20th century warfare is just wrong.

IanS

[NTM]

Like Zbigniew I don't understand the popularity of the Spanish Civil War amongst gamers. In fact most Civil War periods seem to be gamed disproportionately. I can explain this with the ACW & ECW as most of the figure manufacturers hail from those nations so in their day was taught in history class if not today.

[Aart Brouwer]

Like Zbigniew I don't understand the popularity of the Spanish Civil War amongst gamers.

Have you ever asked them? They won't bite, you know. I've known a few and the reasons they give are that they love some of the more exotic or irregular units, the creaky early armoured vehicles, the landscape - oh, and let's not forget they love Spain, a major holiday destination for three European generations now. Things can be as simple as that. I know lovers of the Franco-Prussian war who are in it just because they love the uniforms of the zouaves, period.

I certainly don't play my fav periods out of some arcane historical interest. I adore Napoleonic uniforms. I am fascinated by the superiority of German WWII armour in combination with the profound evil they represented. Historical importance my foot. I am a historian by training, I have a history library of 4000 titles. I don't need wargames to fill in the details of a certain period - pleease...

I play wargames because I love a table full of colourful stuff lovingly put together by friends or acquaintances, good company. Basically I love it because it is so useless, it's a marvellous 'waste of time' from almost any (financial, political, economic, scientific) viewpoint except the obvious: I'm having a great afternoon for no practical reason at all and with no practical consequences whatsoever.

If there is one thing I don't understand, it's why people take their wargaming so damned seriously sometimes.  

Cheers,
Aart

[nikharwood]

That's a nice post there Aart - like it lots 

[NTM]

Have you ever asked them?

No because if I do they might give me some long boring explaination as to why 

I'm not knocking it was just throwing something into the hat based on the original question. I don't feel that the periods I game or rule systems I use are in some way more worthy than any others. I game beqause I enjoy it, if not I would just post on TMP or Frothers all day.

[Aart Brouwer]

I game beqause I enjoy it, if not I would just post on TMP or Frothers all day.

Cheers,
Aart

[Dave Fielder]

I think Warhammer Fantasy is overrated by GW, whereas Warmaster is vastly underated by GW. But then the pimply teens need something like Warham&eggs to allow their still forming brains to function at the same time as rolling dice.

I'm really enjoying turning into a grumpy old wargamer, never had so much fun. No need to be polite anymore.

[Zbigniew]

Have you ever asked them? They won't bite, you know. I've known a few and the reasons they give are that they love some of the more exotic or irregular units, the creaky early armoured vehicles, the landscape - oh, and let's not forget they love Spain, a major holiday destination for three European generations now. Things can be as simple as that. I know lovers of the Franco-Prussian war who are in it just because they love the uniforms of the zouaves, period.

I certainly don't play my fav periods out of some arcane historical interest. I adore Napoleonic uniforms. I am fascinated by the superiority of German WWII armour in combination with the profound evil they represented. Historical importance my foot. I am a historian by training, I have a history library of 4000 titles. I don't need wargames to fill in the details of a certain period - pleease...

I play wargames because I love a table full of colourful stuff lovingly put together by friends or acquaintances, good company. Basically I love it because it is so useless, it's a marvellous 'waste of time' from almost any (financial, political, economic, scientific) viewpoint except the obvious: I'm having a great afternoon for no practical reason at all and with no practical consequences whatsoever.

If there is one thing I don't understand, it's why people take their wargaming so damned seriously sometimes.  

Cheers,
Aart

Its misunderstanding. It is not that I dont notice one particular Mr Hemingway's novel influence in SCW interest. I guess pretty female Spaniard soldiers have also something to do with it.
I am not a bit "serious" about wargaming or bloody history. Far from it. If I was serious about wargaming I wouldnt be able to play war being a declared pacifist 
I am just curious if SCW is really so popular among players that it deserves such Pendraken interest.

[NTM]

I am just curious if SCW is really so popular among players that it deserves such Pendraken interest.

If Nik Harwood is interested it deserves Pendraken's attention 

[Chad]

I think Art put it very well.

I have played Ancients, Naploeonics, ACW, WW2 Eastern Front, Naval games, Wings of War, Seven years War, Franco=Prussian, Austro-Prussian, Franco-Austrain and Marlburian. There may be more.

I think enjoyed them all to a greater or lesser degree. My age and the depth of my pocket now restrict me to one or two of those, not as a result of any feeling that these are better than the others.

I think another point is that we are influenced by manufacturers and the wargaming press. New rules often sway us to different periods; new figure ranges have the same effect; articles in the wargame press do the same. I think this can lead to unbalanced coverage of periods creating the feeling that some are overrated. For example, Wargames Illustrated in recent months could have been sub-titled 'Flames of War Illustrated'. That by the way is not a dig at FoW gamers, just the point that for non-FoW gamers the magazine has not contained a great deal of things to interest us (me).

I shall continue to enjoy my wargaming into my dotage, whatever periods I may play.

Chad

[17-21l]

Yes - well - ahem, I went to Bovington tank museum show this year, and all you could see was WW2 20mm. Now I aint complainin, but it is nice to see a bit of colour ont table, variety spice of..etc etc, so next year Im thinking about putting on a 10mm Naps game ( boring I know).  It may tease a few unclean into the 10mm dream - and a different period.

Our hobby does have its fashions though, currently WW2 in various scales.

Live and let live, and hey just as long as there are spotters out there playing with toy soldiers - keeping the industry going - Im not bothered what they play 

God save the Queen

17-21l 

[nikharwood]

If Nik Harwood is interested it deserves Pendraken's attention  

I should note here that I did my SCW - in readiness for pics for inclusion in BKCII - using codes from an array of ranges as this was before the release of the new SCW loveliness. My decision to do SCW for those pics was taken in consultation with Pete Jones [BKC author] as it was a period which we felt [feel] was a bit neglected & overlooked in favour of WW2 [and certain theatres within that conflict]...we thought it would be nice to have something a bit different...

...so maybe you should blame us, trendsetting, globetrotting metrosexual icons of wargaming, we are   

[Aart Brouwer]

Laugh all you want, bubba, but you're quite a force on this board. 

Cheers,
Aart

[nikharwood]

Laugh all you want, bubba, but you're quite a force on this board. 

Cheers,
Aart

Thank you...bit worried about the 'bubba' though - tends to conjure up images of a large individual in an American prison who smells vaguely (& disturbingly) of pepperoni pizza 

[fred.]

And is that not a fitting description? 

[nikharwood]

No Forbes. No.


Not...yet...

This is Bubba:


And this is me:




Compare & contrast...

[Sandinista]

Are you the one getting the shampoo? 

[nikharwood]

No...thank feck 

[Leon]

I am just curious if SCW is really so popular among players that it deserves such Pendraken interest.

It has been surprisingly well received, and is selling very well.  If people hadn't been as interested, we probably wouldn't have expanded it this far.  Probably less surprisingly is the amount of Spanish gamers who have been getting into it.