The Proper Wargamer Query, part 1

One thing I enjoy seeing across all of our blogs are the Q&A type posts that give us more of a glimpse not just into the life of gaming in general, but the specific gaming lives of all of us as individuals.  Last time it was the "Angry Lurker" questionnaire, which was a lot of fun.

One such blog I've started reading, and you should too, is The Blog With No Name.  Over there they have answered a new one, with an entirely different set of parameters, all gaming focused still of course, which is why I had to jump in.  As you could tell from my para-phrased title, this one delves into what makes you a "proper" wargamer.  Something I never really thought about, let's see how I stack up. 

Spent over £500 ($800USD) on figures/tanks etc.?

When I saw this first question my first thought was, "In what span of time?" If we go with the length of one's hobbying days, well this number could easily be ten times this, if not more.  I'm going with a one year period.  And yes, I have indulged in a few $800+ years during this fun hobby.

 

Pricked your finger on a pike block?

Easily.  It doesn't stop there; pike blocks, spearmen regiments, leader models with raised swords, terrain pieces, and more.  I once leaned down for a model's eye view and came up with two goblin spearmen stuck, by the tips, to my cheek!  Now if we're talking modelling disasters with hobby knives, I've had to go to the emergency room to get actual stiches in my hand while whittling away on some GW plastics a long time ago.

 

Tried at least 10 rule sets?

In a lifetime?  Not a problem.  In a year?  Still pretty close.  The wargaming world is in a great place right now in that there is no shortage on rules and new things to try.  I couldn't imagine playing just one game and never trying the rest.

 

Bought an Army off E-Bay?

Yup, there have been some great finds on ebay and although I don't really have the kind of spending freedoms I once did, it's still a great place to pick stuff up every now and then. 

 

Sold an Army on E-Bay?

Ugh, I don't want to talk about this one.  We all go through inventory "purge" from time to time, but if I think of all the armies I've sold off it makes me sick to my stomach.  I always got a price I was happy with at the time, but I'd pay twice that amount to have that stuff back now.

 

Spent Months painting an army and used it just the once?

How about spending months painting an army and NEVER having played it at all?  That's what happened with my 100+ model sci-fi army.  One of these days perhaps...

 

Tried Several Different Periods or genres?

I kind of do it all really; boardgaming, tabletop gaming, videogaming, roleplaying.  As far as genres, that too; horror, sci-fi, historicals, fantasy, modern, you name it.  There are some areas I love above all else, like sci-fi, and some areas I'd like to do more of, like colonial era historical gaming.  I've had a lifetime of roleplaying, but I can always do with more.

 

Dropped a box of figures from a great height?

It was when I was clear-coating the aforementioned sci-fi army that has yet to see the tabletop.  I had them on a piece of plastic outside when a huge gust of wind picked up the entire piece and threw it about ten feet across my concrete driveway, scattering a hundred plus wee figs all over the place.  It was not a good day, I can still see them bouncing across the pavement.

 

Lost a battle on the last throw of the dice?

Full disclosure up front, it's not like I'm always winning games.  I enjoy what I do, but I wouldn't be what you would call a master strategist or anything.  I also don't know when to give up, so I tenaciously hang on until the last roll of the dice.  Does that mean I could've won had the roll been different?  No, probably not!

 

Made an enemy for life?

An enemy for life?  That's a little harsh, and besides, gaming can get tense but it's not that serious of a business!  Having said that though there are some folks who just aren't invited back to the game table from time to time.  Life is just too short to game with people that you just can't enjoy an actual game with.

This is just part one of what is now a two part article I guess!  I'll get the second part up soon, I hope you've enjoyed it to this part.  Let me know where you guys fall in with these.  Until then, rock on.