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#88094
Avatar photoPhil Dutré
Participant

No – ‘playing toy soldiers’ is the same in English as in French – a derogatory term for childish behaviour.

Perhaps.

But then, I have found it creates much more interest and curiosity than trying to pass off your hobby as an intellectual pursuit while in essence it is playing with toy soldiers to most people.

Party conversation:
“What’s your hobby?”
“I collect and play with toy soldiers.”
“Really? How does that work?”
“Well, you know those plastic soldiers you used as a kid?”
“Yeah, I loved those!”
“Me too! Now, what we really do these days  … ”
It worked for me every time to talk about wargaming for 10 minutes or so, after which you switch to a different topic 😉

On the other hand, the following conversation almost never works:
“What’s your hobby?”
“Wargaming”
“What’s that?”
“It originated in the 19th century as an officer’s training tool. These days, we study history, and turn it into statistical models, which we use to fight battles with miniature figures … ”
“Miniature figures? Like toy soldiers?”
“No, you don’t understand. Let me explain … ”
“I need another drink”

 

🙂