Sweet Plumbata of Youth

[Lagartija Mike]

What brought you to miniature wargaming? My first memories of tiny terrible wars was a friend’s history class diorama project of Alesia. All badly painted pencil palisades, fish tank rocks and lurid orange tissue paper flames swarming with micro-celts and atomic legionaires. I never wanted to steal something so much in my life.

[grizzlymc]

There was no moment.  At about four years old I got some US cavalry, indians and highlanders in 54mm.  By the time I discovered Airfix in 1968 I had around 200 54mm figures, mainly Britains.

Then I went from throwing things at toy soldiers to throwing dice, no rules so I made them up.

Then in 1970 I got 80 minifigs Napoleonics and a set of Bayonet rules, for Christmas 2 months later I doubled my army and got a gun.  My life has never been without toy soldiers, althugh I had a quarter century sabbatical whilst I lived out of a suitcase and a pack.

[kyoteblue]

I can’t remember a time when I was not playing with Army Men.

[Steve Johnson]

There is a photo of me around the age of 6 at Xmas with a box of Airfix soldiers, possibly French Foreign Legion. My Dad used to make Airfix models as well, so from an early age they were ever present. This interest led me into gaming at Primary school, probably with the Airfix rules, but again I can’t remember for certain. I’ve been gaming on and off ever since.

[Not Connard Sage]

grizzlymc wrote:

There was no moment. At about four years old I got some US cavalry, indians and highlanders in 54mm. By the time I discovered Airfix in 1968 I had around 200 54mm figures, mainly Britains. Then I went from throwing things at toy soldiers to throwing dice, no rules so I made them up. Then in 1970 I got 80 minifigs Napoleonics and a set of Bayonet rules, for Christmas 2 months later I doubled my army and got a gun. My life has never been without toy soldiers, althugh I had a quarter century sabbatical whilst I lived out of a suitcase and a pack.

 

Pretty much that. My timeline might be a bit different, but it’s essentially the same 🙂

"I go online sometimes, but everyone's spelling is really bad. It's... depressing."

[Lagartija Mike]

I dimly remember a small range, usually kept under glass at more upscale toy stores, of prepainted moors and crusaders on metal bases. When I came to WRG as a precocious 9 year old I used random objects and bits of cardboard to fill the ranks. I still think those rules haven’t been significantly improved on.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Lagartija Mike.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Lagartija Mike.

[Cerdic]

I had boxes of Airfix figures as far back as I can remember. When I was about 10 or 11 the local club put on a public demo game featuring thousands of Napoleonic figures in a hall just off the High Street. Well, that was me hooked…

http://28mmreview.blogspot.co.uk

[grizzlymc]

Mike

WRG Napoleonics likewise, their first rule set was awful, but the second lot were fantastic.  If you want to command 2-4 divisions plus support, move Bns, set out the light coy, and play a turn in 30-60 minutes they can’t be beat.  There are some cleverer abstractions out there but these are the rules I prefer to game with.

 

Cerdic

Likewise, between my November present of 50 odd figs and Christmas dad took me to what looked at the time like a HUUUGE Napoleonic wargame.  Table covered in scenery, troops marching hither and yon, dice rolling.  Nothing was ever the same for me.

[Patrice]

Airfix miniatures!

I noticed a box of 7th Cavalry in a toyshop, when walking home from school when I was 10.

…and I was doomed for eternity!

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

[Spurious]

My eldest bro, long time RPG gamer, introduced me to the recently opened Games Workshop store back in early 1997.

That pretty much covers it. Exciting eh.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Spurious.

[Angel Barracks]

I am not sure what the defining moment was but it was GW that first captured my imagination.

My dad used to have a full on layout in the loft and I would go with him to model shops, and as he bought new rolling stock, or points, or transformers or those little rubbers that cleaned the tracks, I would look at the model kits.
I bought some WWII tanks and planes.
I preferred the tanks as I could push them around on his layout when he was at work.

One day we went to Alans Models, and they had some fantasy figures that were without a doubt based on the bad guys from Red Sonja.
I bought them and liked them.

Then one day we went to a model shop called Beatties*, and almost next door was a GW.
Wow, sooo cool.
I started buying the odd pack and WD after that, just to paint them up.

Then WFB 2nd edition came out.
That was it, I bought some more models, the rules, polystyrene ceiling tiles for hills and converted some of my school mates into it.
Then when Adeptus Titanicus came out I glimpsed 6mm.
When the first Space Marine came out my love affair with 6mm started.

* yes the one in the Bull Ring NCS.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 6 months ago by Angel Barracks.

https://cromsanvil.co.uk/

[Not Connard Sage]

Angel Barracks wrote:

* yes the one in the Bull Ring NCS.

 

I remember it well. 🙂

"I go online sometimes, but everyone's spelling is really bad. It's... depressing."

[Alvin Molethrottler]

In my village shop I saw and then bought a copy of White Dwarf, it was issue 53 (May 1984). This opened up the world of role playing games and that led to wargaming – which to my mind is still a form of role playing.

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