Now i know alot of people that are very secretive of their wargaming habits almost treating it like a drug addiction, partaking alone or with other addicts but rarely with non-addicts, but what this thread is about is asking you how open you are about your wargaming?
Do you walk around with a warhammer t-shirt, bag, hat, jacket and shoes day in day out?
or do you keep your addictions in the dark?
I don't have a single piece of clothing in my closet that even alludes to wargaming. I carry most of my figs in gun cases so people don't usually ask about them, although I do get curious looks from time to time. I'll talk about it with anyone, though. Usually the topic comes up when I have people over.
Cheese Elemental wrote:If they're still laughing when I kick them in the balls, then I whip out my hitting and poking stick.
Ah yes... The little red whippy sticks that come in the box sets.
I have a Rogue Trader Champion shirt and an Inquisition shirt. I would never wear them to a Gwar or Rancid show or something, but I do wear them in everyday public. Not often, but I do wear them. They are perpetually at the bottom of my shirt drawer, so I really only get to them when I've been lazy and not done laundry in awhile.
Ghidorah
who wouldn't wear a GW shirt to a donkey show in Tijuanna, either.
I don't own any shirt or such but if someone asks what I do in my spare time I will say that I am a wargammer.Which usally results in me being stuffed in a trash can and flung down stairs!
I talk about the crazyness that happens when playing, openly in public. Ill look at toys and ask myself out loud "well I know this is a my little pony, but Captain so and so could TOTALLY fit on its back"
It doesnt bother me at all. And Im not ashamed that I enjoy playing a game. I am however ashamed that I liked a few Spice girls songs once upon a time.... Thanks Brits for that one
I don't keep it a secret among my friends, they all know I play and have followed me into GWs from time to time when out in town. But when talking to people for the first time, or when trying to impress a girl, it isn't one of the first things I bring up.
Dexy wrote:I don't keep it a secret among my friends, they all know I play and have followed me into GWs from time to time when out in town. But when talking to people for the first time, or when trying to impress a girl, it isn't one of the first things I bring up.
This is essentially my stance on the matter, most of my friends know as i have a shelf o' warhams in my room that has the majority of my finished products that i am proud of (the ones im not proud of go to the cupboard o' failed creations).
It rarely comes up, even with my good friends, unless they either are interested in 40k/WHFB or are looking at my mini's that I have out on my desk. They know I go out thursday nights to get a few games in at my FLGS and they occasionally wish me luck. If somebody asks me what hobbies I have I usually paint/build model airplanes to get myself away from the computer or tv (usually comes up in job interviews). If im talking to a girl it definatly is not what I usually bring up.
Apparently wargaming to my friends is crappy, nerdy and overly expensive. I find that hilarious as they're PC nerds and WoW fanatics! So it evens the playing field.
Apart from a playful jab here and there, there's nothing wrong with telling people about your hobbies.
Unless they're female. Because chicks just don't understand!
The one time embarressment was caused by women and wargaming in my life it wasn't me being embarressed.
in a business studies lesson a few months ago my socially awkward teacher attempted to demonstrate marketing using toy soldiers (not our kind the litteral green plastic kids toys) and the girl who i am rather close to sitting next to me said "whats next him going to that geek shop in town and bringing in warhammer" to which i replied "i play warhammer..." she promptly took the colour of a cooked crustacean and was saying sorry for about half an hour
KingCracker wrote:
I am however ashamed that I liked a few Spice girls songs once upon a time.... Thanks Brits for that one
Psh, that's nothing to be ashamed of. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4z0hKKtxPA This, on the other hand, is. My friend and I made this a couple summers ago. It was the culmination of much stupid crap we had talked about doing in high school and finally did a few years after. Hang around til the end, there's perhaps the worst spice girls parody ever.
I'm unashamed of my nerdery but I'm not incredibly outspoken about it either. I don't feel the need to shove it in people's faces like a socially awkward tween, but I make sure to bring it up at least at some point within my first few times of meeting someone. I learned, especially with dating, it's much more worthwhile to throw it out there in normal conversation so you can know up front whether this person is worth the dinner you're paying for.
I don't hide it. As a Demo Guy for Battletech, hiding it would be silly. Gaming is a big part of who I am, being secretive about it wouldn't be truthful about myself.
I don't wear any wargaming apparel... I don't see a reason why since I don't get paid by GW to promote them and I don't really think their logos, etc. look good... I wear my normal metalhead clothing thank you very much
I don't hide the fact that I'm a wargamer though. Most people I know knows about it and if someone, for some reason, asks then I tell them. I'm not ashamed of it if that's what you mean.
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote:I'm unashamed of my nerdery but I'm not incredibly outspoken about it either. I don't feel the need to shove it in people's faces like a socially awkward tween, but I make sure to bring it up at least at some point within my first few times of meeting someone. I learned, especially with dating, it's much more worthwhile to throw it out there in normal conversation so you can know up front whether this person is worth the dinner you're paying for.
Quoted for truth.
It's all about perspective, really.
It's a hobby, and if people are interested in learning about you, your hobbies will come up as a topic. People may find it intreguing, curious, odd, or distasteful, just as with any hobby. In the end, if they don't like it, then fine. If so, they may show an interest in wargaming (or, for some 40K players, WAAAAUGH!gaming), and possibly even take it up themselves. Ultimately, if they judge you or look down their noses at you because of your pastimes, then they're not people to associate with anyway.
On the other hand, if it's not a hobby for you, but rather a WHOLE WAY OF LIFE, then people are going to get turned off by that. The same happens with obsessive fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, Halo, and even reclusive chess masters who live only for moving game pieces across a checkered board. In these instances, it's up to the geek himself to decide whether the obsession or the desire for social interaction with other (non-fandom) people is more important.
Müller wrote:I don't wear any wargaming apparel... I don't see a reason why since I don't get paid by GW to promote them and I don't really think their logos, etc. look good... ...I don't hide the fact that I'm a wargamer...
And I would add that if asked I approach it for what it is, a hobby. Albeit a somewhat obsessive one (I keep that part out of it).
This sums it up for me. I don't wear ANY logos for these reasons unless I just can't help it (like my eyeglass designer in small print on the arm of my eyeglasses). It's not about wearing "silly" stuff because I'll wear Cthulu, Dawn of the Dead and Godzilla T-shirts occasionally and they are definitely "geeky" in most peoples opinions. If I got a T-shirt for a tourney or something then I'd probably wear it, just not out and out promo.
Of course I'm older, been married, had my kids, etc. so its an easy answer for me now.
Really I have no problem whether people know or not.
Most of my non-wargaming buddies just ignore when I go off on a "nerd rant" as they called it (it usually happens when someone says Babylon 5 is crap) in the pub but apart from that many people understand its part of who I am.
In my experience its had a positive effect on the woman front, many can't believe that I sit there and paint them etc etc and they think you have an artistic side or some crap like that even though your painting elves and "giant space men in armor", still got me a second date so boo yeah!
My teenage nieces poke fun at my 40K models all the time...they say they are toys and I say "no way, they are models"! They then giggle and say "what ever...they are barbies with guns".
Where you are in life has a lot to do with how you handle the topic of your gooby hobbies. As a teenager, I didn't talk about gaming with people other than my friends who roleplayed. It certainly wasn't something I brought up with relatives or people I just met, since A) they wouldn't understand it or B) they wouldn't understand me. Gaming has always been a big part of my life, but it has never been who I am, so I make liberties for others who might not be as socialized in the geek culture as the rest of us
Being in my mid-30s, married with kids, and having a stable job, I could care less what people think at this point. Nothing I say or wear tells people that I'm a gamer, but I'm not shy about talking about it if it comes up in casual conversation. If someone is insecure with themselves enough to think that what I do is wierd, 'em.
Well, wearing 40K apparel isn't high on my list of things to do, mostly because I've not seen a shirt I like and I've yet to see GW come out with embroidered silk boxers. Wearing 40K shirts to a tourney is like going to a concert and wearing the shirt of the band you're going to go and see. I just don't want to be that guy.
For the rest of it though, I don't make a secret of my hobbies period. If I'm in a new relationship, it generally falls into the same category as my RPG's, 'It's not porn, but you still have to explain it.' The tabletop stuff is actually easier for people to grasp than the RPG's though. A good chunk of that is because I paint more than I play. I can show folks a picture of something I've painted and my friends tend to be able to provide me with some constructive criticism and positive encouragement at the same time.
I have a LOT of wargaming shirts. I wear them all the time. I usually bring up wargaming fairly soon when I first meet a person. I think having been a white punkrocker in a primarily hispanic highschool helps me to realize that you are who you are. People either accept it, or they don't. Usually they do. EVEN the girls. (We even had a Fantasy Gaming Club in H.S., complete with a teacher for a sponsor and school supported trips to conventions; although for some reason we could never get our battletech tournament wins into the school announcements.) The Valedictorian for our school was in the club. Truthfully I have nothing but contempt for people who are so insecure about themselves that they feel they have to hide something so harmless as a wargaming hobby. Grow up. The people who make fun of you for it, they usually aren't smart enough to matter.
About the biggest discomfort that wargaming brings me is social alienation. It's kinda wierd, but since my interests are in a field that is SO niche, there is not much topically to share with the hoi paloi. All "the guys" get together for a few beers, and they talk about sports, or brewing beer, or the other things they enjoy, and while they know that I am into wargaming it's just not a topic they are interested in and I feel no need ot push it on them. My conversational participation is very limited since my pop culture participation hovers around nil. I dont buy-in to the "doing something just to have something to talk about", that idea, and I hear it a lot, just seems SO sheeple to me. Waste my time on something I have no interest in just to have a social outlet with others I really just dont share the interst with or who are doing the same thing? This is a good idea? Really? feth off.
grizgrin wrote:About the biggest discomfort that wargaming brings me is social alienation. It's kinda wierd, but since my interests are in a field that is SO niche, there is not much topically to share with the hoi paloi. All "the guys" get together for a few beers, and they talk about sports, or brewing beer, or the other things they enjoy, and while they know that I am into wargaming it's just not a topic they are interested in and I feel no need ot push it on them. My conversational participation is very limited since my pop culture participation hovers around nil. I dont buy-in to the "doing something just to have something to talk about", that idea, and I hear it a lot, just seems SO sheeple to me. Waste my time on something I have no interest in just to have a social outlet with others I really just dont share the interst with or who are doing the same thing? This is a good idea? Really? feth off.
Ugh, I know what you mean. Since I got into Warhammer, I've sort of become more isolated from the people I used to hang out with. I'm with a crowd that's more like me, but it just feels really weird to never even speak to my old crowd. I just sort of drifted. It might have had something to do with them doing pot, but it might just be me.
i played magic in highschool, didn't bother to hide it.
got into wargaming early on in college.
i've sat in the commons on campus and played warmachine, so people who see me know i play.
I have a Dark Angels symbol bumper sticker, I hope to get my Handicapped Dark Angels symbol set up as a bumper sticker, but I don't want to imply that it will get me special parking privileges and be swarmed by GW locusts....lawyers.
I also have a Dark Angels symble t-shirt as well as an Inquisition T-Shirt that has "Purge the Unclean" on the back.
I got a few of the old cloth patches GW sold back in the early 90's, I had my mother sew them onto an East German rain pattern camo jacket. I didn't think anything about it when my wife and I went to visit Jewish family services to see one of her counselors. When we got there I realized that the Imperial eagle with a skull on it on my shoulder might have been construed as a Nazi symbol (half the people think it Roman, half think it's Nazi).
You've got wargaming and I've got bright colours. It's much like good and evil, they're both fine choices if you have to make one.
I was commenting in another thread a while ago either here or on Warseer about how the perception of gaming has changed over the years and it really has. I remember how much a fringe hobby things like RPG's and wargames were when I was growing up and if you were involved in those hobbies, you were just 'wierd' for the most part. Now, that was back almost twenty years.
Fast forward to today and things have changed somewhat. Folks who partake in the traditional 'geek' hobbies are still a bubble off plumb, but not to the degree of two decades ago. I can attribute it to a few things. One is the fact that by the 90's there were enough geeks out there to have enough come out well adjusted to debunk the stereotype. The other thing, I honestly attribute to the rise of console gaming. Video games were originally considered a geeky hobby and the fact that it's fun has been proven to the masses thanks to titles like Mario for the kids and Guitar Hero to cater to the masses. What that's done for the geeks of the world though is curiosity. 'Hey, if they were doing this because it was fun, what else were they right about?' We also have trends and things spreading out more and the like.
Now, of my two geek hobbies, I find wargaming easier to explain that RPG's. The idea of a collaborative story tends to throw folks off while with wargames, you can always go with 'Yeah, it's like chess, but my Orks are cooler than normal pawns, so.....'
It doesn't seem to be a problem for me. Like with any hobby you're going to bore people to death if you start talking about it and they don't know what's going on (unless they've sepcifically asked you to explain it). I don't think that has anything to do with it being a fringe hobby though. I think a football fan would get the same reaction from a non football fan, same with someone who is into a certain style of music etc etc.
Like others said, if anything wargaming is kind of easy to share because you have physical models that people will see and even to someone who isn't into them they look kind of cool.
I don't talk to random people about it, and i spend too much money on miniatures and paint to buy a shirt or something. But there's a few people who play in school and i don't even try to hide it. I even tell people if they ask, i tell them in-depth. I don't really have the problem of getting trash canned tho, cus i'm 6'1" and 239lbs, and giant ridikalus red hair.... no one messes with the big ginger.
I'm open about it. I've been a geek for as long as I can remember. Heck, my friends hang out out at a pub and discuss army lists, tourneys, and the Lucky 13's campaign.
I do have other interests though work keeps me from them now. (Yay, overtime finally!) My gf is getting into WFB. She already left RPGs.
I don't hide it but I don't advertise it either. The only 40k thing I wear is a Tanith cap badg on the back of ballcap that I've been asked about a few times and I've had to explain it's from a book. (Based on game but I don't get that indepth)
I'm openly a massive nerd, for example my other interests are WWII aircraft, midcentury architecture (art deco & googie),1960's American cars, WWII firearms, Star Wars, Star Trek TOS, comic books and being among the biggest Daria fans still admitting to it. So 40k is sort of the least of my offenses. Plus once friends have seen the models they seem to get it- wargaming is like modeling with perks.
I don't hide my wargaming "habit", but generally it doesn't come up in conversation that much. Of course since I'm a teacher at a kindergarten it's sometimes cool to take in my nids codex and have the kids take a look at the pics. They think it's cool.
My wife on the other hand hates it. I tried to get her into it for a while (even just painting) but it was a no go. She kind of resents it in a way, but she's happy to let me out once a week with friends and get a game in.
I explain when asked about the hobby, that's pretty much it. I don't talk about it to people who aren't a part of the hobby, and I don't wear any paraphenalia which will often cause people to get the wrong impression of you. Once you establish yourself as the normal/cool/funny person you are, others tend to be a lot more accepting once they find out what you like to do in your spare time.
I'm so ashamed I tell everyone I own a homosexual pornographic website to hide my real truth.
ok, not quite Next to none of my real world friends are into wargaming, but since I have a massive display cabinet full of models and a few hundred paints next to my computer I think people might be able to assume. I dont really talk about it much as most people are simply not interested, but I'll talk about it when asked or if someone expresses interest. I've never been told they look like toys, but in a nice cabinet with down lighting they look more like the small dioramas you see in museums than action figures anyway.
I dont even feel that comfortable talking to other wargamers about wargaming in huge detail as I paint and model and rarely ever actually play so my rules knowledge is poor at best.
With the exception of the wife of course, she gets to hear all about everything. As soon as she hears 'hey look at this new tank' you can almost see her go numb inside.
Hmm this is quite an interesting topic! I find if you tell people they tend to basically take the piss! But they have no experience of the hobby so there probably just ignorant! I don’t wear any gaming T-shirts! Or parade my interests about. I think its best to keep it quiet for a while at least so you’re not viewed as a reject in society or a nerd.Even though we are not! Also none of my friends play so there is really no point in talking to them about it!?
I'm not particularly ashamed of it. For example I was reading the IG codex in the break room at work the other day and one of the guys I work with talked to me about it as he used to play years ago. It's no different from any other past time and whilst I make no attempt to hide it I certainly don't rub it in anyone's face as I realise its a niche interest and will more than likely bore most people.
I like to have other things in my life aside from gaming, in fact when I get together for drinks with my gamer friends I normally don't like to talk about games as we do enough of that at my local store and gaming club.
I like to keep up with Music, Gadgets, TV and to a lesser extent Sport so I can quite happily socialise with non gamers. I'd say about 60% of my friends are gamers.
LuciusAR wrote:I'm not particularly ashamed of it. For example I was reading the IG codex in the break room at work the other day and one of the guys I work with talked to me about it as he used to play years ago. It's no different from any other past time and whilst I make no attempt to hide it I certainly don't rub it in anyone's face as I realise its a niche interest and will more than likely bore most people.
I like to have other things in my life aside from gaming, in fact when I get together for drinks with my gamer friends I normally don't like to talk about games as we do enough of that at my local store and gaming club.
I like to keep up with Music, Gadgets, TV and to a lesser extent Sport so I can quite happily socialise with non gamers. I'd say about 60% of my friends are gamers.
On a completely off topic note, i have no idea why but i always image your posts to be said in an irish accent lucius.
MrGiggles wrote:Now, of my two geek hobbies, I find wargaming easier to explain that RPG's.
While it has become FAR more 'accepted' in the last couple of decades, RPGs are still firmly entrenched in the stigma of nerd, dork, geek, virgin, unpopular-kid-in-high-school.
As long as there are things going on like this:
RPG games and gamers will never be able to shed that stereotype.
Ghidorah
who thinks Lightning Bolts and kilts will never go away.
I have been out of the gaming closet for years. While I wear gaming shirts most are the tounge in cheek kind such as "Jesus saves....and takes 1/2 damage. I got a great response from that from from a woman who was obviously a religions nut and did not see the back. I have not really had any problems from it, but I will echo the social alienation. I know amoung my co-workers I have little to make small talk about. I do not go to bars and never drink, watch sports, or things of that nature, so I kinda just stand back and sit quietly.
When I met my wife I was actually more worried about telling here what I did for a living (then) then the fact that I painted minis and played with toys. I was a bartender at a "Gentlemen's" Club. Once you get that out in the open, telling her you play with dolls is fairly minor... got that out in the open on the first date (which was relatively minor compared to the fact that she was married at the time (though she had been separated for almost a year and was just finishing up the divorce)).
At this point in my life I couldn't really give two *&$%'s what someone thinks about my hobby. I ride the train to work everyday, approximately 3 hours a day total. With that schedule and a home, wife and son to play with when I get home, I don't have a lot (read "any") time to paint at home. So I paint on the train. I've been doing that for almost 4 years now. Which is funny because the first 3 years I got maybe one or two comments a year from people who had no idea what I was painting, but in the last 2 months I've had 4 guys that play recognize them and we ended up spending the majority of the train ride talking about gaming and painting.
I also wear my kommando shirts and other GW related shirts to tournaments. Yeah, I'm that guy (though I have never worn a band's shirt to a concert). I also wear them to cut the grass, change the oil in my car and other such activities.
MrGiggles wrote:Wearing 40K shirts to a tourney is like going to a concert and wearing the shirt of the band you're going to go and see.
So true! I've always thought that was ridiculous. I also think those shirts with sayings like "The voices in my head say they don't like you" are completely stupid. Tip: If you aren't dating anyone and you are wearing one of those shirts, that might be one reason why.
Kinda a closet 40k fan...well not totally, but I don't really shout it out or talk about it with most of my friends. However, since I'm slowly losing interest in 40k I've kinda moved on to Troll Forged Miniatures. This is a different ballgame though since I actually have the chance to create something for myself rather than geek up on somebody else's work. So it's still dorky and not so much a "shout it out" thing, but it's no longer hidden in darkness sort of speak.
I've become the weird "toymaker" who makes weird little creatures and robots from torn up radios and vast amounts of glue! My friends must be thinking I'm constantly getting high on glue!
I guess Im one of the few people who don't flaunt the wargaming thing. To me its embrassing.
If someone asked me I'd probably lie.
Internally I dont think much of the hobby especially when you meet some of the oddballs that play it. But on the other hand Im drawn to it. Mostly just play with friends these days.
karnaeya wrote:...when you meet some of the oddballs that play it. But on the other hand Im drawn to it....
Hey! I'm one of those oddballs!
Actually, I can relate to this. When I was a teenager, my brothers, a few neighborhood kids/friends and myself played Champions, D&D and Star Fleet Battles (along with other various war and RPG games) all the time from when I was about ten to eighteen. It was a good core group with enough to still play if one or two missed. I joined the service and found another good core group of D&D and Warhammer/40K players (my intro into this). Fast Forward a few years and I began looking for games at the LGS of the area and I really didn't like many of the people I met. I know I am "geeky" and all that but I felt many of these people were just too much (too many obsessive rules lawyers making the game(s) not fun). I have made friends through the gaming community but most I meet through gaming I just don't click with.
well I'm open with my 40k hobby. I even brought in some minis to paint during my art class.
although some of the kids laugh at me for playing 40k. they say it's childish, but meanwhile those kids are in high school playing yu-gi-oh and pokemon. what a strange world we live in.
I'm NERDCORE 4 LIFE, yo. I haven't worried about what other people think about me since highschool, so it's never been a problem. Most of the time people ask me why my hands are covered with paint, I usually answer that I paint models and they usually go "Ah! That's cool!" and drop the subject. If they want to know more I'll tell em.
I tell people when they ask, and kick them in the balls if they laugh.
Awesome!
Yeah, I am a closet gamer. I love the hobby but I also love not being socially ostracized! My non-gamer friends all tease me about it, my girlfriends have all really teased me about it and once at work someone came up behind me while I was on Dakka and asked what I was looking at, I about shat myself! Haha.
I think its cool that some people are open about it. I should be more so as I love gaming, but hey, I love girls too and you sure don't get as much attention from the ladies if you have a neck beard and a t-shirt with a giant, hyper colored Dragon on it!
It has always been my opinion that people who play wargames are nerdish, friendless, virgins.
My opinion of these "people" stayed the same until a couple of months ago when i came home from years away and rediscovered my models. Standing to attention for all those years since i had abandoned them. Needless to say, from the moment i sat in that chair i was transported into a war zone, and am now hopelessly addicted. However, from the moment i get out of my room everything goes back to normal and i resume thinking that people who sit in that chair are nerdish, friendless, virgins.
There have been several occasions over the past few months however that my models have not fared so well in. These are all related to women. It starts with me running in the room ahead of them, putting on arm on one sid of the desk and briskly moving it to the other before they enter.
I never tell anyone about my private addiction and am thinking about seeing a shrink.
I'm not ashamed of who I am or what I like. I will openly discuss my war gaming with anyone and will show off my models to anyone who is legitimately interested. I will not however bring it up as a topic of conversation with those who may not be interested.
One of ex-girlfriends (with whom I am on still good terms) told me a funny story about one of her pals whose new boyfriend wouldn't let her go rifling through his drawers. Naturally, she waited until his back was turned and started to have a good dig about. She was suitably horrified about what she found. "Was it porn?" my ex asked her. "It was bloody worse than porn!" her friend shrieked back. Yes, she had discovered the Warhammer collection, but because he was an otherwise stable human being, their relationship is still going strong.
I just started playing 40K last year with my son (he's 12). My wife thinks its a little funny, but hey, I put up with her hobbies! We are lucky to have a nice LGS near our house.
I did play a bit of D&D in high school and college, and most of my classmates did not know. It's kind of hard to explain to some people, but if you dragged them to your game they always had a good time. (but, I could never get my friends to start playing 40K)
My son's school friend called him a 'nerd' last month - but now his friend is painting his new Tyranid battleforce! GW online marketing and forums like this one got him all excited.
As you get older you find you have time for different hobbies at different times in your life. I have done a lot of outdoorsy stuff (fishing, camping) medieval re-enactment and now wargaming. It's easier to fit in to my crazy schedule. My wife was admiring my new Battlewagon and said 'you know it's really just an excuse for you two to collect toys' and I had to say 'Yup.'
Flashman wrote:Seems to me that if you do anything beyond spending Friday and Saturday night getting wasted, then you are considered a little peculiar.
From my personal experience it is best to just not mention it unless the people/person you deal with is a known geek(s). I've spent enough time with non-geeks in my various jobs to know that telling somebody you paint and play with little plastic men will grant you a minor pariah like status. I say this because a lot of guys I have worked with either hunt or play golf. "Painting silver pants blue" is generally deemed as the hobby of a little kid and not a "serious" hobby. I'm not ashamed of my hobby. If anybody knows me for any extended amount of time they know about my fascination with little soldiers.
I have a friend who was a Quality Control Manager for a major dairy producer. They were doing a write up on him for their newsletter. They included everything about him except for his painting and playing. Since then he doesn't bother talking about it.
Since I'm 6' 4", a boxer, jazz musician, and financial manager, people are always surprised. They seem to always compare 40k to Risk and it takes an ungodly amount of time to explain what I do. Basically I always end up offering to send pictures and people really like it. I always find that when people are at my place and I show them my gallery of painted/converted stuff they're no resistance.
I never hide it, but always reveal it at a time when it's not me and a bunch of people. It just seems to work better that way for me.
I'm 7' 9", an ex-Marine and ex-Navy Seal, can lift a car with my bare hands, can chew through iron bars, I've ducked off to run another marathon during a marathon I was already running (and managed to win 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both races) and when I'm not dating three super-models I'm training our next generation of astronauts at NASA.
I kill people who think I'm weird for having a 40K hobby/addiction, but I have immunity granted by the President, even though I'm Australian, which is cool.
Müller wrote:I don't wear any wargaming apparel... I don't see a reason why since I don't get paid by GW to promote them and I don't really think their logos, etc. look good... I wear my normal metalhead clothing thank you very much
Quoted for inconsistency. Are bands paying you to wear their badly printed shirts?
I talk about wargaming if necessary or appropriate, but I meet half a dozen new people every day at work and wouldn't mention it to more than 1% of my clients. Some will have a few minis around a room or in a display cabinet, or have an obviously Eldar/Grimdark username or desktop. Once I met a client with a full army at the FLGS about a week after fixing his computer, but we hadn't discussed it before. A few copies of Dawn of War on the shelf does not a wargamer make.
Obviously on Dakka I mostly discuss wargaming. Other than that and going to FLGS I don't really frequent any other social outlets at present... my workload is crippling. Girls? Meh. My girlfriend isn't really interested in wargaming, but since she's a colour analyst we talk about painting!
H.B.M.C. wrote:I'm 7' 9", an ex-Marine and ex-Navy Seal, can lift a car with my bare hands, can chew through iron bars, I've ducked off to run another marathon during a marathon I was already running (and managed to win 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both races) and when I'm not dating three super-models I'm training our next generation of astronauts at NASA.
I kill people who think I'm weird for having a 40K hobby/addiction, but I have immunity granted by the President, even though I'm Australian, which is cool.
*Some of the above may not be true.
Best. Post. Ever.
Never before has the internet borne witness to such glorious post.
I feel sorry for anyone who is ashamed of themselves for what hobbies they enjoy, when said hobbies are as innocent and mundane as gaming.
You're afraid people will think "bad things" about you? My condolences.
artyboy wrote:I don't have a single piece of clothing in my closet that even alludes to wargaming. I carry most of my figs in gun cases so people don't usually ask about them, although I do get curious looks from time to time. I'll talk about it with anyone, though. Usually the topic comes up when I have people over.
I thought of carrying my models in a gun case once and was going to buy one but then I thought " What would the cops do if I walked into the mall where my FLGS is holding a gun case the size of a rifle? Anyways to be on the subject, Everyone in my class knows I play the game from me always reading the codex's at school and don't really care. They laugh a bit but think the ork models look pimped and love looking at the purple SM's in the codex
H.B.M.C. wrote:I'm 7' 9", an ex-Marine and ex-Navy Seal, can lift a car with my bare hands, can chew through iron bars, I've ducked off to run another marathon during a marathon I was already running (and managed to win 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both races) and when I'm not dating three super-models I'm training our next generation of astronauts at NASA.
I kill people who think I'm weird for having a 40K hobby/addiction, but I have immunity granted by the President, even though I'm Australian, which is cool.
*Some of the above may not be true.
OMG we must be twins because this is totally who I am... except for the Australian part....
I think the most interesting thing in this thread is the difference in opinion between the different ages.
The older gamers very much have developed a strong sense of ego.
They dont feel the need to go around telling everyone about their hobby, recruiting people. They dont feel the need to stand up and proclaim, "I am gamer, hear me roar."
To them, gaming is the same as someone playing rugby as their hobby.
"What's your hobby?"
"Oh, I enjoy painting and collecting models. You?"
"Oh cool. I enjoy playing rugby, watching movies.'
"Oh sweet, what position do you play?"
Older people have just been though enough life to not care what people's hobbies are beyond a passing interest. You're not going to reject a new friend because in his own free time, he paints some models. I mean, you just couldn't care less. Wargaming, stamo collecting, sports, knitting, readin books, its all the same, and who cares what people do?
Where as younger people are much more likely to judge someone based upon a hobby, they are young and have a very much "us and them" "Me and you" mentality. Younger gamers lack the social experience to realize not only aren't hobbies that important to other people, other people don't want to hear about your hobbies in great detail, really. Also other people just dont care about your hobbies.
That's what I've taken away from this thread, anyway.
Interestingly i was talking with an ex gf about my hobbies {i am a devoted RP gamer (WoD, DnD, Dark Heresy)} and she was bugging me about spending time over the details of my ongoing Vampire story (me being the GM). To which came the the inescapable reply: what do you prefer, me spending time with friends over a game OR me going clubing and dancing alone/ with said SINGLE friends. When i meet someone new and the subject of hobbies turns up they are usually surprised to find out said hobbies exist. But since i don't discuss plotlines-battles outside my gaming circle it boils to this: when other guys obsess over 22 muscular hairy guys running after a ball (it's called soccer gents) i am available for romantic diner
Plus i consider myself sufficiently cultivated so as to be able to hold a conversation without ever bringing up the subject of nerdy passtimes. (Yep i am a nerd)
P.S. Hobbies are just that. They don't define who we are. They just cast shadows over our personallities.
I *am* however, ashamed of the complete freaks and anti-social gimpoids that share my hobby, and would hesitate to identify myself as a gamer to strangers incase they mistook me for one of *them*!
I usually tell people I wargame if they ask about my hobbies, if they don't care I don't talk about it, simple as that. I am openly a geek, and if anyone says to me 'wow you are a nerd' my usual response is 'the geek shalt inheret the earth'.
In my opinion, if someone is that shallow and worried about 'street cred' that they could not be my friend/would have to alienate and belittle me because I paint silver pants blue then its thier loss, I mean they are the ones that don't get to bask in my awesomeness!
My current gf doesn't care for wargaming, but doesn't stop me, we have an agreement that if I want to spend tuesday evening at FLGS then I can, so long as we keep priorities in check lol
djphranq wrote:OMG we must be twins because this is totally who I am... except for the Australian part....
You're my clone. Many clones of myself were ordered years ago because the world needs more than one of me. None of my clones know they're my clones, much like the Sensai don't know that the Emperor is their father.
There's a tendency for people outside the hobby to percieve us as the stereotypical nerd, geek, neckbeard rules lawyer. That's partly because SO many gamers fit this description. I'm lucky to have a gaming circle of people who don't.
But it's for this reason that I'd feel weird bringing the subject up with random people. I'd hate them to think I was one of THEM. But let's be honest, it never DOES come up in conversation. I understand that talking about Warhammer would be boring to anyone outside my gaming group, and I'm enough of a grown up human being to have plenty of other things to talk about in a social situation, so i don't bring it up in conversation with people who don't play.
I don't think anyone has ever casually asked me what my 'hobbies' are! Most of my friends don't know i play warhammer, but then a lot of my closer ones do. Maybe they asked where i had been all day and i told them i had been away 'geeking', etc. They find it a bit odd, but don't think any less of me for it, because i'm a wonderful and fantastic person regardless of my geeky hobby. Many of the people who find out i play already know what Warhammer is - maybe they had a friend in school who played it or a little brother or something, so i don't find it takes TOO much explaining.
I'd never 'mention' it to new people i meet as it doesn't define my life, and i wouldn't want them to think of me primarily as 'Ian the Warhammer player'. Same reason i don't mention that i'm vegetarian when i introduce myself to someone, unless it comes up in conversation. It's not how i define myself, it's just something i do.
Osbad wrote:I'm not ashamed of myself, nor my hobby.
I *am* however, ashamed of the complete freaks and anti-social gimpoids that share my hobby, and would hesitate to identify myself as a gamer to strangers incase they mistook me for one of *them*!
Indeed, the gamer stereotype exists with good reason and a trip into your average GW on a Saturday will be confirm this. The scrawny kid who looks like mclovin only more ugly, check. The fat kid who stinks the shop out and normally wear combats, check. The leather trenchcoat wearing teenager with the bad hair, black fingernails and those ridiculous new rock boot's, check. If fact you would be hard pressed to find anyone hanging around a GW who doesn't look like they belong there. They do pop in occasionally, But tend to buy their stuff and leave pretty quickly.
Osbad wrote:I'm not ashamed of myself, nor my hobby.
I *am* however, ashamed of the complete freaks and anti-social gimpoids that share my hobby, and would hesitate to identify myself as a gamer to strangers incase they mistook me for one of *them*!
QFT. I went to ReaperCon earlier this month and met some truly scary members of the wargaming hobby. What's worse, these types run in tight social circles - kind of like an elitest nerd faction. I don't know wether to laugh or laugh heartily at being shunned by them.
I talk about it with anyone who asks. I stopped talking to my girlfriend about it when she called them little plastic dolls. The hobby knife twitched in my hands when she said that and I felt that it was best for both of us to never speak of this again...
Osbad wrote:I'm not ashamed of myself, nor my hobby.
I *am* however, ashamed of the complete freaks and anti-social gimpoids that share my hobby, and would hesitate to identify myself as a gamer to strangers incase they mistook me for one of *them*!
Yeah.... QFT.
And don't forget kids that LARP. That's a scary breed of gamer.
Roleplayer knows the reason for this thread I shall have to send my flying monkey ninja assassin werewolves (or FMNAW for short) to kill him and all wittnesses...
I don't try to hide it, but I don't go around preaching about it either - if a new workmate happens across some of my models I'll mention I paint them, but won't launch into a detailed description of ork mentality.
Don't see the point in trying to hide it from gf's either - obviously it wouldn't be the first thing you mention in a club, but trying to make sure they never find out is just weird - either they'll not mind, or if they do freak out they probably weren't worth going out with anyway.
Everyones got 'weird' hobbies. People everywhere are obsessing about something. Showing Dogs, Remote Control Cars, Political Bloggers, Golfgolfgolf, Feral Cat Rescue, Geneology, Online Poker, World of Warcrack, Karioke, SCA, UberOrganic Gardening, Most of this stuff can easily be more expensive than 40K (unless you collect multiple armies!!) I have always warned my son to be careful of hobbies grown men like, because they get expensive!
I think when you have met a man who shows goats competitively you kind of get a better perspective on what is a strange hobby. (those were some cool goats)
Most people keep their hobbies quiet until you ask them, we are not unusual.
Slightly relevant to all of this-
Today I was heading to my FLGS after school so I had my case of models in my bag and all my friends were looking at them. During lunch my friend decided to use them in some weird game in which they are rappers, who are also in the army, and are all brothers and he makes a little war thing and then starts doing the same thing with the tanks and all my friends join in..... It was slightly freaky seeing as they acually enjoyed playing with them and thought that everything accept the acual game was cool (other than the price).
I only wear my "My other t-shirt is a suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armor" shirt when I'm out with the ladies on a friday or saturday night.
I make all sorts of subtle hints about my ballistic skill and toughness, all the while praying they don't find out I'm actually aligned to Chaos, and as such, I can only have one mistress.
I actually know someone who has a shirt with a Marine stat line. Whenever he wears it, I call him "stat-line" and make jokes about he couldn't even afford a Captain's statline. (It's the 4 4 4 4 1 4 1 8 3+).
Beyond that, I don't broadcast I play warhammer like anything else in my life, but I also don't hide it. I don't really care who knows what I do with my spare time and I will explain the hobby if asked about it. I don't mind being laughed at and I'm certainly not going to change my habits based on what others think of me. That's just juvenile.
But if they continue to harass me and my models, then all bets are off and I begin to summon DOOMRIDER. (Starting on a 3+, I'm Slaanesh aligned)
Defiler wrote:I only wear my "My other t-shirt is a suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armor" shirt when I'm out with the ladies on a friday or saturday night.
I make all sorts of subtle hints about my ballistic skill and toughness, all the while praying they don't find out I'm actually aligned to Chaos, and as such, I can only have one mistress.
"Hey baby, I've got strength ten, which means on a 4+ I'll be penetrating your hull tonight"
I find I'm a bit of a closet wargamer. I don't believe it's "evident" on the outside, but then what does your average wargamer look like? We don't all fit the stereotype of the spotty geeky teen and as a few people have brought up and our hobbies don't necessarily define us as individuals, they just comprise a certain part of our identity.
A little warhammer now and then isn't going to hurt anyone, however being obsessed can be a different matter. But then this would equally apply to any hobby or subject, be it football, drinking or gaming.
It isnt usually the first thing I would open a conversation with, but if someone asked about my hobbies, or it came up in conversation, I would galdly tell them. I see no reason to make a secret of it. Yeah, its a bit nerdy... but so what?
if GW released a range of Tshirts, I would gladly buy some.
I'm in highschool. I play Rugby and Football. I also played WoW for 3 years and play 40k. No one I know knows that I did / do any of these things. TBH I just shove it all in my room when friends come over and its pretty much just a hobby, nothing to make a big deal about or talk about.
TBH if you do tell people about it, then prepare to receive crap (at my age). People in my gradeschool knew I played and I got crap for it then. So hiding it is a good idea for some.
I stopped giving a damn about what people thought of me a long time ago sonny. However, I do intend to have a relationship one day though, so I keep my hobby slightly under wraps. I read the books in school, and even occasionly do a sketch in my notebooks of conversions I might try one day. I fsomeone asks me about the hobby, I'll be honest with them, same as I am with everything.
You are all in violation of rule Number One as well. Congrats.
I dont have the whole wargaming attire thing going on even though I would love to! =) But my gaming is not really a secret to anyone.I know who I am and make no attempt to hide that
Flashman wrote:My other hobby is triathlons and people think I'm a bit strange for doing that too.
Seems to me that if you do anything beyond spending Friday and Saturday night getting wasted, then you are considered a little peculiar.
Aha! My friends and I get drunk and play 40k! Needless to say games are short lived because the losing sides stop being interested in the game and start being interested in rock band...
barlio wrote:Yeah I always like it when M:tg and WoW players tell me that they won't get into any GW game because it costs too much.
Makes me think of Nelson and his Ha-ha
This one doesn't make sense to me. WoW's greatest strength is the fact it's so effin' cheap. I went from saving a bunch of money and mostly spending my time playing WoW to being completely broke and mostly spending my time with 40k. I much prefer 40k as I'm being productive but the point still stands.
I'm also a former competitive Magic player, and this part doesn't make sense to me as I blew so much money on magic back in the day. If you're playing on a competetive level you'll be blowing $300-$400 every time a new expansion comes out provided you have a good collection of older cards that you don't have to go back and buy.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Luckily in my group of 8-12 friends all of the guys play so it's never been an issue. I'm not ashamed of it because I take pride in the work I put into the models and I know I'm a normal, social person even when playing the game. I'll reiterate the stance most people have taken in the sense I wont go advertising I play, but if somebody asks what my hobbies are I'll mention I paint models. I try to stick to the skill intensive part (painting & modeling) and leave the nerdy gaming stuff for another conversation.
'em.
