Roll those dice gently - it's my first time.

[FierceKitty]

So when was your first time, and how old were you? And, if it's not too intimate a question, what did you do? Note: chess and diplomacy don't count. I mean historical figures games not using spring-loaded artillery.

In my case: 1974, 14, and, God help me, Airfix western desert.

[Matt J]

1987, using Lego knights 

[Leon]

I don't know if it counts, but I took charge of a couple of units in one of Dave's games in the early 90's, so I'd have been 11 or 12.  I think it was a FPW game, and I got bored quickly and read a Dragonlance book instead.

[Steve J]

Very similar for me Fierce. Airfix rules and early '70s so I must have been around 12 at the time.

[Luddite]

First game:  8 years old - AD&D

First wargame:  9 years old - Warhammer (red box)

[General Bt Sherman]

Battle Masters, back in the mid 90's.

[goat major]

Mid 70s aged about 9 using a set of rules my dad wrote on 1 piece of paper (not sure why he did as he has never been a wargamer!). The scenario was always a siege of Fort Sahara with Airfix figures from AWI, Napoleonics, ACW and Foreign Legion all mixing it

Mid/Late 70s - Charlie Wesencraft rules on semi-permanent loan from Marton library using Garrison figures

[sebigboss79]

1989, 12 years old Starquest. And in my defence it was the first sort of SciFi Wargame in Germany.....

[Leon]

...rules on semi-permanent loan from Marton library...

Is that the kind of arrangement where returning them involves a fee... 

[Shecky]

First proper wargame was 1984 playing Empire III. Apparently it didn't scare me off miniatures!

I was 18 years old and saw an article in the local paper about a game store and there was a picture of guys playing a game. I dropped by, bought the rules and some minifig Napoleonics and have been playing ever since.

[Russell Phillips]

1978. I was 8 years old, and my sister's husband introduced me to board wargames: specifically Avalon Hill's Stalingrad. First miniatures game would be 1980 or 1981 (10/11 years old), using Charles Grant's Battle rules and Airfix plastic figures.

[fred.]

I'm not 100% certain of the chronology -- it was a long time ago!

There were lots of battles with Airfix figures, firstly 1/32nd using all sorts and then 1/72 which was more WWII - though not with rules.

I think AD&D first around 10, in the late 80s. Then within the next few years Warhammer (2nd ed in the red box, before codexes existed) and lots of WWII using Operation Warboard, and lots of plastic figures and tanks, airfix, esci etc, some even painted! And lots more AD&D.

[mollinary]

I think......... about the mid sixties, aged around 12, Donald Featherstone rules for ACW using Airfix figures.

Mollinary

[goat major]

of WWII using Operation Warboard,

oh yes - great book!

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hi

It was early sixties - Airfix Infantry Combat Group vs Cowboys, my tenuous grip on reality has struggled along ever since  . We won't talk about the skirmishes fought with Britains lead figures before that  .

Cheers

GrumpyOldMan

[Nosher]

Operation Warboard - late 80's, Airfix 1/72nds

[petercooman]

97, when i was 12, played warhammer fantasy. year after came 40k and a second hand heroquest box. Had been collecting WW2 soldiers, but never had rules for them at the time.

[howayman]

about 76/ 77 i think world war two 1/72 airfix and others. it was a anything goes whatever you had made you used. the rules involved picking cards from a bag,  red and black and numbered 0, 1, 2, and 3 one was a turret hit the other a hull. great fun then into WRG WW2 and modern. still have 93 T80s released before anyone knew what they looked like. they have square turrets like the challenger.
great times and great games. historically yuk though.

[Fenton]

I think I was about 8 or 9 playing with my brother who had bought Donald Featherstones Miniature wargaming playing Ancient British vs Romans on the attic floor

[Hertsblue]

1973 playing ACW with the inevitable Airfix plastics. I was 26 at the time and probably should have known better.....