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I, being only 14 years of youthful age, have allways wondered how people got into wargaming. My parents insist I should not spend money on stupid plastic figures, they say I will grow out of it as time strolls forever onwards. So, fellow dakkites young and old, how did you get into and indeed stick with miniature wargaming? Just curious

My parents/friends still can't comprehend why I play. Started Wargaming by playing a game called "Mageknight" when I was 12. Played in weekly tournaments for a few years. Stopped playing when I entered middle school/discovered girls and sports.

High School was constant sports/work/girls/friends. Played a bit of WoW in 10th grade during the summer, wasted a lot of time. Needed something to do when I wasn't wrestling since I didn't have back to back sport seasons after 9th/10th grade. Looked through my old Mageknight figures, had my interest sparked for terrain building. Made a gaming table and a large amount of random terrain/read tutorials. Bought a Battle of Macragge starter kit. Built and painted an army (lol Ultramarines!) before I ever even played the game. Found out I had a local GW near me, went. Started gaming, no idea what I was doing. Lost interest after a few weeks. Too nerdy, went through a few months of a clingy girlfriend. Went into GW one day, saw two guys playing a game. Two beautifully painted Tyranid armies facing off. Two tournament players, Justin Cook and Paul Miglino were playing. Stood there and watched. I then started Tyranids, lurked and posted on the Tyranid Hive forum which I now administrate, and jumped into the 40k tournament scene in the middle of 4th edition. I wanted to play at that level. That level of painting. The competitiveness. It drew me in. 07 Gamesday tournament, the 08 tournament circuit, indy GTs all through 09, great times. Started Warhammer 40,000 when I was 16. Still play four years later at the age of 20.

Went to college. Partying/friends/work took up too much time. Interest lessened again. Money went to alcohol, college tuition, and car repairs. Turned into a generally casual player. Get a few games in once a month. This is where I am now. Hoping to get back into it during the summer.

I started when I was about 12 with a gift from my dad of the 3rd edition starter set.Over the years (now 24 will be 25 this year) I have introduced many friends to the game some quit after awhile some still play. For me this is the kind of hobby that once it has your interest you will never leave it behind completly.

As for your parents explain to them how you playing this game will help you out education wise. If you think about it this game is full of stuff we would use everyday. Statistics, math, critical thinking, and expanding your imagination and artistic side of your brain all of which can be applied to everyday life situations.

I used to play Magic back in the day before they ruined it. The local game store would have game nights on Fridays. One day me and a buddy of mine saw some guys playing 40K, we were very interested in it, but unfortunatly we could not afford the 2nd edition starter set.

For my birthday that same year, my grandma sent me a check for (I think it was 50 bucks back then) which was just enough to buy the starter. That night I snapped together all the models, called my buddy over, and we learned the rules. Played our first game out on the front porch using lava rock and various other things from the yard as our terrain. We didnt play any scenario or anything...just last man standing. In the end it came down to my single space marine vs a couple orcs in hand to hand. Was a very close game, and is still regarded by me and my buddy as the best game we have ever played.

We have been playing ever since..

Hmm, my parents don't think its educational. I told them that once and they said "get financial education" I suppose they are right on that note. I personall got into 40k wierdly. I found an ork in a box of army men whilst clearing out our loft when we moved hous in 09. I got my dad to find out what it was and when I came home that day I found about thirty more that he had dug up. I think they were 2nd edition. Those are now long gone but painted them up and played a few games. I think I lack the friends in this . I am the only person at my school who dares reveal they play warhammer .

TheGiantPeanut wrote:Hmm, my parents don't think its educational. I told them that once and they said "get financial education" I suppose they are right on that note. I personall got into 40k wierdly. I found an ork in a box of army men whilst clearing out our loft when we moved hous in 09. I got my dad to find out what it was and when I came home that day I found about thirty more that he had dug up. I think they were 2nd edition. Those are now long gone but painted them up and played a few games. I think I lack the friends in this . I am the only person at my school who dares reveal they play warhammer .

Warhammer is educational. I type well simply because I've spent hundreds of hours posting/browsing forums.

No one but my parents/the guys I played 40k with knew I had toy soldiers that I painted and played games with during high school. "Dares to Reveal" eh, I don't go around saying "hey guiz check out ma spaze bugz" and shove it into other people's faces. I can sit there and talk about my gym routine to a few of my 40k buddies. They don't care. I'd bore them away. If people/friends/gfs ask about it, I'll tell them about it. I simply keep a few different friend circles. The crew I go clubbing and party trolling with, the guys I nerd out and play 40k with, and the few bros I LAN and game with all the time.

When I was young, I played a lot of D&D (the board game version) and have always been interested in Fantasy and Sci fi (and war/cowboy etc) films and stories. My older brother started in 98 and I started 6 months later in 99.

Been going on from there really.

My Girlfriend always states that I am very geeky, but I she harbours a lot of interest, more in the painting than gaming.
But I will remain her little geek girl (i mean 3 inches shorter I am not that little!).

But it is true the skills and interest that hooks people into Wargaming remains, it can be a very social hobby, give you a good grasp of mathematics and it can be a lot of good positive fun.

I was given 2 citadel orcs as a small boy. For whatever reason, I loved them more than my action force figures and my transformers.

They were 'officer' and 'dwarfsmiter' here
http://www.solegends.com/citjour85bautumn/citjour85b025-01.htm

I went on to buy a large number of random figures including some early skaven, first savage orcs etc and basically bought lots of figures until finally deciding I wanted to get into the game and getting my first white dwarf (which had a free sabbat flexi disk, issue 95 according to wiki) and then immediately buying WHFB 3rd ed, Rogue Trader and then rapidly after, the space orks, rugluds, the space marines and billions of various other minis.

Back in WHFB 3rd ed, the armies were more about 'good' alliances of forces vs 'evil' ones.

I attended the wargaming club in Long Rock memorial hall at the grand age of 13 and remember those that supported my friends and I learning and those that actively tried to ban us at every AGM (because we weren't playing a 'proper' game like Napoleonics - historical had it's share of spankers too). I owned the Realm of Chaos books and played Chaos, my friends played Empire, Orcs, Dwarves and Wood Elves. We would dabble about with Rogue Trader but it was a light game and didn't last long due to someone rolling up a crazy bit of equipment for a guy and someone else rolling up a 'pointy stick'.

I continued to thrive on the games and played avidly, leaving home at 20 and moving into a house with two other gamers and setting up games tables, playing endlessly, by then Necromunda was all the rage, we had a club operating from a school assembly hall with about 30 attendees and the Fantasy box had Brettonians and Lizards.
I was playing Undead by then and loved that army, it was very competitive and we had fierce games between the skaven (Chambers army book, brutal) and Lizardmen and Brets and so on.
I played Eldar in 40k and that too had become a playable and competitive game by then. Eldar in those days were a fairly scary prospect but I still remember a certain poster here with his one man army of a space marine librarian with terminator armour, psychic hood, displacer field and power axe/combat drugs (or something like that, Randy McStab...)

Time wore on and the Red Age was upon us (so called because suddenly, everything in White Dwarf or army books had to have some red painted on it to attract the kiddies). It was a dark time for those of us who had kept the faith for so long. GW decided that the kids were what they wanted and us older guys were actively shunned (in one case, I was actually thrown out of Games Workshop Truro, along with two friends, because we had travelled all the way there just to game and the guy felt like exercising his 'power') and several of the store staff were very rude to us whilst one store worker explained that high ups had told them to 'lose the geeks'.

This, combined with the steady siren call of sex, drugs and rock n roll, led to me boxing up and forsaking my wargaming at about 22 and living a life less ordinary. I would still buy White Dwarf occasionally for a train journey or pick up a mini I liked now and then but no gaming until about 5 years ago, when on moving to Bristol, I met up with a couple of my old gaming friends and they were still at it. The Orks were being re-done and I really liked the new look (not a fan of many of the old comedy orks that so failed to live up to their artwork). So I jumped straight back in and am mostly happy to have done so (although, GW and it's movings does boggle me often and the price per mini fails to convince).

I like a lot about the games now, they run a lot more smoothly.
I like far more of the mini ranges now, following the fuglies that cropped up during the red age and thereafter.
I dislike the intentional codex creep now, before things became powerful due to poor preplanning in the design studio, now it's cynical and targeted.
The actual hobby cost is not a concern to me now, the value I associate with a miniature is and I am failing to see the worth of an Empire trooper at £1.50 for a 5pt rank and file whos role is to fill the ranks behind your heros and standards.
I really miss the 'spirit' of the hobby that is gone from the pages of White Dwarf, I remember a far better time for that mag and that mag was our link to the guys in the design studio and the other hobbyists.
I like that 40k and WHFB got darker to an extent, I don't like that appealing to kids means I can't have the naughty/really evil bits any more.
I also miss the 'celebrities' of the Games Workshop of my childhood, that rogues gallery that used to have their ugly mugshots in the WD.

I love Games Workshop, the design and fluff and nostalgia, the games around tables with friends that it has given me. I dislike Games Workshop, the corporate big fish in a very little pond with a Weyland Yutani superiority complex and sneering disdain of it's own consumers.

@MeanGreenStompa Hmm, well I havn't been around long enough to experience the whole birthing of what 40k is now, the comedy and all I mean common Undead Samirai. I do love old traditional things about GW. The fluff, as you say, is wonderful, the whole dark, gothic future aspect with a twist of black humor. I long for Preatorians on my board, wait I dont have a board

@Auxillion Well I never meant to tell anyone a played with warhammer. My friend who used to collect invited me over and he had some space crusade figures. I said "I'll have that space marine for 50p" he handed it over. The next day at school we were all talking about stuff, warhammer cropped up alomg with "you saddo" and me still undercover sniggered at this. Being rather pissed of my friend said "but you collect warhammer". Trying to hold my ground I simply replied "no i don't". He then fished out of my pocket a space crusade marine, then 50p out of his. Happy days

TheGiantPeanut,

If your parents are against it and you have no one to play with, maybe it is worth waiting it out a little while. It is an expensive hobby, that's for sure! However, why not bring it up with the folks again in 6 months or so and see what they say? In the meantime, you can figure out where to buy them CHEAP and also what you would actually want to collect (try not to say ALL OF THEM, ha haha, start small!)

In 6 months if you are over it, move on! But I have a feeling you'll come back to it. Since it has been 2 years since you first partied with THE ORKS!

Anywah, my story.

I got into 40K when two friends of mine unloaded a bunch of plastic Orks on me (the same kind YOU had, I think). They came from a starter set which included Space Marines and Orks. My friends both played Space Marines and they cared NADA for Orks. Each of them bought a starter and then 40 OKRS and 80 GROTS came my way... they wanted a new opponent!

Well, as they say, you can't beat FREE. So I said, what the heck. I assembled and painted them - I knew some gamers and got a little advice re: the best way to do it. I had quite a nice army for a beginner and played my first game fully painted. It was one of those games where you had to claim an objective to win. Well, at game's end, all my Orks were dead. EXCEPT ONE. And he was standing in the Winner's Circle with none of the Space Marines close enough to get the win.

Ah, good times.

If you do get into the game more, I think you'd be right to go with the ORKS. Like me, I think, you didn't choose your army - it has chosen you.

WAAGGHH!!!
Solorg of the Orks

Solorg wrote: Since it has been 2 years since you first partied with THE ORKS!

Not exactally, I have an ork battleforce + gretchin + AOBR. All sold now got a set of new cycling shoes and TT bars with the money... I shal stop there. But I kept the gretchin, I actually started a gretchin army. I have some pics in my gallery but i don't know galery -> post yet. May start that again. But my current plan is Victrix napoleonic stuff sci fied up into IG. You get 60 guys in a box for £21, that was the attraction! But me thinks me gretchins we come crawling back... I do like the ork mentality and fluff, however I am really low an cash so I am constantly looking for proxies, and GW seem to be the only guys in town with space orks.

Grots are pretty awesome, too, I must admit. GO GREEN!

First of all, I'm impressed you're as outward thinking about the hobby so young. I'll admit that I've played on and off since I was about 11, and its only recently that I've got as involved in the hobby as I am now (might have something to do with cashflow...)

Most of my periods of falling out with the hobby have centered around bad experiences, namely having a whole army case stolen, full of 2ed nids, and frankly, getting interested in other things at school round about 16 ish. In short, the things that interested me at the start are what interest me now- the fluff and the modelling. Gaming has always been a facilitator for the social side, rather than the competitive side.

As for spending money on plastic toy soldiers, well, its as least as constructive a hobby as any other. Vs videgames, its probably as expensive over the years, and you actually meet people face to face to play. Some might argue this both encourages and discourages social skills, but I've always found the community to be pretty friendly. All in all- there are lots of positives that draw me in, and have kept drawing me back. Hopefully the hobby will be the same for you in future years!

TheGiantPeanut wrote:The next day at school we were all talking about stuff, warhammer cropped up alomg with "you saddo" and me still undercover sniggered at this. Being rather pissed of my friend said "but you collect warhammer". Trying to hold my ground I simply replied "no i don't". He then fished out of my pocket a space crusade marine, then 50p out of his. Happy days

I remember the people I went to school with being like that.
I also know that all of the 8 I hung out with, only one isn't a wargamer and she paints anyway.

People are cruel, but if you enjoy the hobby and get enjoyment out of it then carry on. And maybe ask if there is a local club, check with the Games Workshop (there is one in Portsmouth, nice store when I went a few years back) and ask if there is a library club etc nearby, that might help give you more games and some more friends too.

What store is this? Under 18 alowed . Library club what's this? Sorry for shortness on iPod now

My dad has been wargaming since he was in highschool back in the 70s'. His dad told him the same thing as yours, OP! He got me into it at a young age and I'm still going strong.

34 Arundel Street
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO1 1NL
GB
In the city centre as far as I remember.
And they often have details for local clubs. Some of them do cater to young bloods too.

Otherwise there are a lot of stores in the area some of them may cater for wargamers. Best is to have a browse (some would say ironically) on the GW Store finder and see what is near to you.

To the OP:
Some people treat miniatures with distain. To them, figures are junque. Expensive junque.
You will not win an argument with those people.
But if you've got the bug, try it. But don't go overboard to start out. Just buy a regiment and finish it before buying another.
If, after awhile you lose interest you can sell your finished figures to appease the hobby naysayers.
If your interest in the hobby grows, then follow it.

There are several ways to get figures on the cheap, as has already been discussed. Good luck to you.

Myself, started painting toy soldiers when I was ten or so and never really stopped, although they have been set aside from time to time. Just got a few more for my 50th birthday.

Mine was a very typical route into the hobby for my era: AD&D. My brother introduced me to roleplay games. He, however, was what today you'd call a "jock", so his interest rapidly dwindled. I was a geek from the day I was born, though. Lead soldiers were a logical next step from Britains models, green army men and Action Force (the UK version of GI Joe) and I was never ashamed of my hobby.

I abandoned it in my mid teens as most of us do, but soon picked it up again through my local GW, as I had to walk past it every day. Never looked back.

R.

From Fighting Fantasy books, by the founders of GW, and onto D&D and AD&D.
That wanted figures, which GW made, and then onto WHFB. When 40k came out, I started that.
I blame my Mum who pointed me at mosts of the above, on word from her friends who had kids like me.

I was into Airfix kits and the like since I was allowed to build them. My grandfather cast and painted me some lead Napoleonic soldiers, Highlanders, and built me a wooden fort to go with them. Curiously, he also cast me some fantasy orc and goblin like things as adversaries. To me, these were the best thing ever. Eventually, in secondary school, I fell in with the geek crowd. There was lots of talk about GW things, but what got me in the end was Necromunda. I bought a second hand Cawdor gang off a class mate and that was that. The madness had me. Been modelling and gaming on and off ever since.

I got started via Dungeons and Dragons. We were in a campaign where the party was to transport several wagons laden with gems and gold secured from the lair of a Dragon we'd recently killed, when we were confronted by a massive army of assorted Humanoids. We had six PC's and four or five hirelings each, as well as some soldiers sent by the local Lord who financed our Dragon-killing expedition. (We had to go through three younger dragons as well as the boss Dragon's pet Necromancer first. It took four months altogether, playing two 12-14 hour sessions every weekend.) It turned out to be about a hundred heads on either side, and we went through it using the full D&D rules. It took a month all by itself. Afterward, I was looking around the store where we bought our D&D stuff and I saw a book titled Second edition AD&D Battlesystem rules. It was a rules set that allows you to play out big battles in D&D campaigns by using a simplified version of the rules. I bought it and spent the next whole week devouring it. It was not only an excellent supplement for roleplay, but it was also a stand-alone wargame. I ended up collecting several hundred assorted Humanoids. Several people in the D&D group also started armies for it. We played it for about a year, obsessively until we got burned out. It was a few months later that I discovered second edition Warhammer, and played it obsessively. I knew about 40K, but in the Rogue Trader days, the game was basically incomplete. It was not until second edition that GW finally pulled everything together. Then in 1998 they tore down the glorious game they'd built and have been pretty much hit and miss ever since. Why do I keep playing, because I've tried out over two dozen other wargames, and none have been as good. (One game, called Celtos, is really damned good, but I can't get anyone else interested in it.)

Started when I was in middle school (not sure how I was introduced...it was many many years ago but I do remember I had and still have a great group of friends who all played). Carried on till I was about 13. Lost interest for a few years then when I moved to Shanghai I decided I needed a hobby. 40k was my first stop. Found a shop and have been playing pretty much non-stop since (much to my wife's dismay).

An answer to what I first thought was the question:

Wargaming practically started with the Prussian military training their staff with a so called Kriegsspiel (=War Game), invented 1812 by Georg Leopold von Reiswitz. Another famous version, simplified to a tabletop game for the public, was by famous author H.G. Wells in 1911.

I started wargaming 28 years ago.

At the age of ten my step-father and me bought the 1st Edition of Warhammer Fantasy (that would be the little black books) and the 'Forces of Fantasy' supplement.

This followed into 2nd Edition, and then 40k and then I discovered my true love at 14 - Historical wargaming.

Since then I have worked for GW, written articles for various hobby magazines, published my own rules supplement (due out in October from Osprey!) and painted miniatures for various companies. My hobby has remained the one constant in my life through everything, including leaving my home country, getting married and having kids. My daughter now paints with me.

I still play fantasy (indeed we have dug-out 1st Ed Warhammer to play the Goblin Wars with figures from the 1980s) and sci-fi but historical gaming are my real indulgence as I have a love of military history that predates my gaming. Hwll I even did War Studies at Uni and lectured on Military History for a few years. Im also lucky enough to have a group of 8 mates who play every Friday in our own purpose built clubhouse.

In short, I lived my wargames dream! I also have enough metal figures to stop the radiation blast from a 20 kiloton warhead...

I started gaming in '87 with the Star Wars Role-Playing Game shortly followed by Space Hulk and Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play. In 2004 I started playing Star Wars minis because I loved the figures. That ended just over 12 months ago so I started 40K, and now I'm loving 40K.

So I've been gaming for 24 years, but I was 15 or 16 when I started so my parents were not bothered.

I was chatting to one of the guys that runs our Wargaming Club the other day, he started playing Wargames in 1971, our club started a few years later!

Big P wrote:I also have enough metal figures to stop the radiation blast from a 20 kiloton warhead...

Quite a collection you have!

@Ugavine, i never even knew there were starwars miniatures. I should check them out

Everyone here seems to have played RPG games, perhaps I should check them out. Is D&D still running strong?

Pretty much, one of my friends was into it, I picked up an army and haven't stopped since. It's been about a year now.

TheGiantPeanut wrote:I, being only 14 years of youthful age, have allways wondered how people got into wargaming. My parents insist I should not spend money on stupid plastic figures, they say I will grow out of it as time strolls forever onwards. So, fellow dakkites young and old, how did you get into and indeed stick with miniature wargaming? Just curious

I started with Dungeons and Dragons when I was like 10. Started playing Battletech and using miniatures in DnD in High School. First game of 40k was when I was 17.

I turn 36 this July.

Was laid up in a cast following foot surgery 6 months circa late 1999 wheelchair bound couldn't put any weight on it saw a kiosk at the mall running demos. Purchased the starter set for 3rd edition and a boatload of SMs ran them as smurfs. the store went under and I didnt know of any others. Started up agien a year or so ago when a i saw a friends BA's.