So what do you call it?

[Ivan Sorensen]

Probably a completely pointless debate but what do you call your hobby?

I usually say “War gaming” but then, plenty of scenarios and games don’t involve “war” at all (say if you game a shoot out between space cops and pirates).

“Miniatures gaming” is more accurate I suppose 🙂

[General Slade]

I generally refer to it as playing with toy soldiers.

[kyoteblue]

I start with Historical Miniature War Gaming but end up adding I play with toy soldiers when I get a blank stare.

[Guy Farrish]

Wargaming.

[Mike]

“Wargaming. Have you seen Games Workshop in the mall? Similar to that.”

[Who Asked This Joker]

Wargaming.  One word.  Not two.  Small distinction, I know but since you deemed this debate pointless anyway, I thought I’d throw that in.  😉

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Ivan Sorensen]

Hah, I speaks guut.

[OldBen1]

I call it all sorts of things: Modelling, gaming, Wargames, crafting, basement lurking, board games, and miniatures.  I try and keep my geekiness to a minimum in public.  The term board games has become surprisingly acceptable.  If I told people half the things I actually do in terms of wargaming, (like the exhaustive research, the styrofoam glueing, and the bits hoarding) they probably would think I’m a little crazy.  At least it’s creative, and it keeps me from blowing my money on fast women and expensive scotch.

[Ivan Sorensen]

Better than the reverse though (Expensive women and fast scotch) 🙂

[MartinR]

Wargaming.

Which I play with toy soldiers. I might sometimes call them figures, but never miniatures.

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[irishserb]

“Miniatures gaming”. If I’m talking to someone from outside the hobby, I will qualify that it involves using toy soldiers or figures and a set of rules with dice.

I’ve never been very fond of the term “wargaming” as it seems exclusive of much of my hobby.

[Shaun Travers]

Depending on the audience I say “wargaming” if I think they have been exposed to any sort of gaming, or otherwise “playing with toy soldiers”. I also sometimes follow up to say it is like Warhammer but with Ancient or WW2 figures (as they are the two periods I mainly play).

[Phil Dutré]

Depending on the audience, but mostly “playing with toy soldiers”. I have found that usually stirs up some interest for a few minutes. When you say “wargaming”, most people don’t have a clue what that means.

[Who Asked This Joker]

For the record, I also qualify what I am doing at the time by saying “Board Wargaming” or “Miniature/Tabletop Wargaming.”

John

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

--Abraham Lincoln

[Darkest Star Games]

Amongst my friends it’s “gaming” (though distinguished from RPGs which is “roleplay” or just RP).

With the uninitiated it’s “tabletop wargaming”.

With those really out of the loop and not really interested it’s “stuff with miniatures and models”.

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Patrice]

When talking with English-speaking people I most often say “miniature wargaming” because it’s what I’m used to (…but perhaps it’s a bit old-fashioned now?)

I’ve always avoided to say “toy soldiers” because the French equivalent is quite derogatory (sounds like playing with Playmobils); but if you tell me it’s OK in English, then why not.

In French, “jeu de figurines” is the most easily understood (for people who have not much heard about it).

This PDF document has been printed by our regional gaming association in A4 size and included in its explanation books, and in A3 plastic poster size that we display near our gaming tables when possible. A larger (board size) poster is planned.

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/pdfs/presentation_fig-1-1.pdf

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/

[Guy Farrish]

No – ‘playing toy soldiers’ is the same in English as in French – a derogatory term for childish behaviour. Many wargamers, me included, use it on occasion to undercut any implication that we take ourselves too seriously by using it first – a bit like some other groups take ownership of an insult by using it themselves.

 

And in the English (as opposed to American) speaking world, I am pretty sure ‘wargaming’ is a lot older than ‘miniature wargaming’.

[Autodidact-O-Saurus]

I call my hobby ‘historical gaming’ and if further explaination is necessary ‘with toy soldiers’. Yeah, it’s kind of snobbish but so am I. But it’s accurate. I don’t do fantasy or sci-fi. Strictly historical.

Self taught, persistently behind the times, never up to date. AKA ~ jeff
More verbosity: http://petiteguerre.blogspot.com/

[Phil Dutré]

Guy Farrish wrote:

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”

 

🙂

[Guy Farrish]

Wasn’t trying to ‘pass it off’ as anything – I was explaining to Patrice that the social impact of the phrase ‘playing with toy soldiers’ is precisely the same in England as he said it was in France:

”I’ve always avoided to say “toy soldiers” because the French equivalent is quite derogatory (sounds like playing with Playmobils)’

If you say someone is playing ‘toy soldiers’ in Britain it means a childish pursuit. Many of us have no problem with this, (although not all of it is done with toy soldiers ) but I can point you towards many who do object quite strongly at the implied criticism.

I rarely mention wargames at parties.

[Ivan Sorensen]

I always figured “toy soldiers” was subtly self-denigrating. Certainly that’s how I use it: A realization that it’s all a tiny bit silly.

Plus, it wards away the “button counters”

[Guy Farrish]

yep

Guy Farrish wrote:

Many wargamers, me included, use it on occasion to undercut any implication that we take ourselves too seriously by using it first

[willz]

When asked what is my hobby “The tactical simulation of real life or fictional military events using simulated fine detailed miniatures and terrain, to represent actual combat situations” or Wargaming.

[Paul]

Wargaming. When going to the club I tell my wife I am “going to the nerds.”

Those are brave men knocking at our door. Let's go kill them!

[McKinstry]

Gaming. Since my gaming varies between miniature wargaming at my FLGS to Carcassonne or Small World with friends and family or even Civilization VI on the PC, I keep it simple and broad.

The tree of Life is self pruning.

[Patrice]

Thanks for the language/cultural explanations.

I realize that, when talking to English-speaking people, I’ve always assumed (perhaps wrongly) that the term “wargame” is always understood. In fact it’s the case with most British people I meet, who either are wargamers, or re-enactors, or many of my neighbours here in centre Brittany – none of them are wargamers but many are military retirees so at least they have heard of it.

For native French-speaking people “jeu de figurines” is better understood. Wargame can be translated by “jeu de guerre” but most people would run away when hearing this, it sounds even worse than “jouer aux petits soldats”.

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/

[Ivan Sorensen]

In Danish, “Figurspil” (miniatures gaming) is probably the closest to an official term, but I don’t think I remember anyone ever calling it that.

[Patrice]

Ivan Sorensen wrote:

In Danish, “Figurspil” (miniatures gaming) is probably the closest to an official term, but I don’t think I remember anyone ever calling it that.

So how do you call it, and advertise it, in Danish, for the overall public?

…It’s always interesting to see (or hear) the differences. 

http://www.argad-bzh.fr/argad/en.html
https://www.anargader.net/

[Ivan Sorensen]

I always heard “Krigs spil” (war games, ala the German) but in the groups I hung out with, we often used the English term “war game” as well.

[Andreas Johansson]

In Swedish, I usually say figurspel, lit. “figure games”. In English I usually say “miniatures wargaming” or some shortened variant like “minis games”.

 

ETA: Krigsspel “wargame(s)” usually means something played with cardboard counters on a map in Swedish; using it of miniatures games would strike me as odd.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Frankly, I get more more mortified when people say “Oh! You mean like Games Workshop!” than when they say “Oh! You mean toy soldiers!”

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Deleted User]

Thaddeus Blanchette wrote:

Frankly, I get more more mortified when people say “Oh! You mean like Games Workshop!” than when they say “Oh! You mean toy soldiers!”

At the yearly Demo game at the Train and Hobby show, most of the punters have never heard of historical wargaming &point and ask, “What’s that?”

If you start with Games Workshop, which has a presence in shopping centres & is at least in their frame of reference, you can then explain it’s the same but using history rather than with fantasy or sci-fi as its background. And I know you were being funny , Thaddeus, & it was comical, but the truth is we historical gamers are just a side shoot of GW.

Maybe we historical gamers should call our hobby something like “Not quite GW”?

 

donald

[Tony Hughes]

No Ochin, GW is a side-shoot of historical wargaming.

The fact that more people play with GW figures and rules is irrelevant, historical wargaming came first.

 

 

 

[Ivan Sorensen]

I suppose we’re all offshoots of Prussian staff exercises 😀

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Deleted User wrote:

Thaddeus Blanchette wrote:

Frankly, I get more more mortified when people say “Oh! You mean like Games Workshop!” than when they say “Oh! You mean toy soldiers!”

At the yearly Demo game at the Train and Hobby show, most of the punters have never heard of historical wargaming &point and ask, “What’s that?” If you start with Games Workshop, which has a presence in shopping centres & is at least in their frame of reference, you can then explain it’s the same but using history rather than with fantasy or sci-fi as its background. And I know you were being funny , Thaddeus, & it was comical, but the truth is we historical gamers are just a side shoot of GW. Maybe we historical gamers should call our hobby something like “Not quite GW”? donald

 

That’s like a traditional burger stand billing itself as “not quite McDonalds”.

I am mortified that I will soon be playing Epic again, but — crucially — not with GW figures.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[PaintingLittleSoldiers]

Wargaming

[Author]

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