As we pass through the holidays, it's usually a time where you can get a break, think about things and reflect. So. What was your first wargame?
Mine was with little tiny paper chits on a fold out piece of hex-mapped paper down in South Carolina. It's been so long ago that I forget who got me to play it or even what the game was. Because there were dozen of wargames with those little paper chits, it could have been anything.
Anyone remember these?
Anyhow, I remember my experience was mainly negative and it made me not want to play wargames for a long time.Fastforwards to 2001 or so. By then, I did paint minis, but strictly for the purposes of D&D. I had well over 50 minis in my small collection, but I had a rep for picking out good minis to represent party members and getting them painted up.
I met Mik and they played a lot of different wargames. Everything under the sun. When they invited me to play this or that, I declined. Then came Necromunda. "Come on," they said. "It's just, what, six figures? Maybe ten? You can't paint up that many?"
And that was it. I was done. I had drank of the elixir. I had tasted of the fruit. I was a wargamer and that was it. To help me in this long process were many nights spent at Andy's house. Andy had, on his shelf, countless rulesets. Every week, I would show up at his house and down in his basement, we would play a completely different wargame. We played at varying scales. We played with varying rules. It was an amazing time and it opening up new horizons for me in terms of what gaming could be.
Today, I'm a hard-core Warmachine/Hordes man, but that's only because that's what I have time for. There are some games coming on the horizon that I may invest in. In particular, I'm looking forwards to the Batman minis game as well as Kingdom Death.
So - what was your first wargame?
Mine was Chancelorsville. I think it was by Avalon HIll, and it looked a lot like your top picture. It was not very good.
ReplyDeleteI started playing Battletech (back when it was still called Battledroids), because my brother and I were really into RoboTech, and we thought it was the same thing. Ah, youth.
1982, rules I wrote myself and old Grenadier AD&D figs. All fit on one feverishly scribbled notebook paper. Best time I ever had with clothes on.
ReplyDelete-J
Mine was the Battletech box set, 2nd edition I think. Then first RPG was Alternity.
ReplyDeleteBattle tech and Star Fleet Battles, then Space hulk and Space Marine to Rogue Trader and Fantasy third edition.
ReplyDeleteColKG
Car Wars in the original plastic ziplock bag :)
ReplyDeleteCar Wars!
DeleteBattletech, Car Wars
ReplyDeletethe hex game image looks like Squad Leader
I totally forgot about that! While I was in high school and college as well, I got into some Car Wars. That was certainly a great game.
DeleteI was a big D&D player from the 70's and I used minis in my games, but actual war games was 40k. 40k was a gate way drug form me as Warzon, and ShockForce had not hit the market yet, but when they did my life was changed for ever......
ReplyDeleteNoel
Brilliant my first wargame was Warhammer a teacher at my High started a club and I was hooked instantly
ReplyDeleteThe first wargame I really remember playing was Battleforce which was an abstract lance level version of Battletech. We had lots of problems with it since we started with a way to large game when trying to learn the rules. Not sure if we ever actually played that again but moved onto to tons of games of battletech.
ReplyDeleteWow, that brings back memories for me. I remember watching people play that.
DeleteIm sure my first wargame was tactics II. Does that count as a wargame?
ReplyDeleteAre we talking minis wargame or war-based strategy game? If the former, then Warhammer 40k (though I came to hate its over-emphasis on close combat). If the latter, then either Panzerblitz (Avalon Hill) or Axis and Allies - I honestly can't remember which came first, but I think it was Panzerblitz.
ReplyDeleteI think I meant either minis wargame or war-based strategy game. I consider Axis and Allies a true wargame as well. As I think about it, in-between my dalliance with paper chits and minis wargaming I played a good bit of Axis and Allies.
DeleteBattletech was my first wargame with miniatures.
ReplyDeleteLike many others here, Battletech was my first true minis foray, with Traveler being my first RPG. Maybe that's why sci-fi is so close to my heart.
ReplyDeleteI did have figs for RPGing. But I'll stick to Battletech for my first miniatures focused game. I played that before playing the first and seciond edition of Spacemarine/Epic, which was the real watershed moment for me and the first game where I went out and bought and painted an army.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about Axis and Allies or Risk. Both very good strategy and real wargames. So those have to be the first true 'Wargames' I ever played.
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ReplyDeleteOops.. I thought this was *miniatures* wargame, which for me was Warhammer 1st edition. My first wargame ever would have been Car Wars, pocket-box edition.
DeleteI know I'm showing up late to the party but wanted to add my two cents. My first wargame was Tactics II by Avalon Hill and my first miniatures game was Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader.
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