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Hello!
As a citizen of the said country, I would like to hear experiences from fellow wargamers about your visit here.
I'll also try to explain why things are as they are for anybody interested.

Where have you been?
What did you like?
What did you dislike?
What could be improved?
How do you feel about the Czechs?
Have you had your miniatures with you and played with them?
Feel free to add anything else you find relevant.

Don't be all positive, try to dig up some filth too. This is not a tourist guide, after all.
And please, be honest.

I have been there about 15 years ago for work, i noticed mostly the barred houses and the bad roads

The roads haven't changed very much since then...

I've not been there yet, but I plan to go to Prague soon to spend time with someone I've met on the internet. If everything goes well, I might meet her again in Ostrava .

 Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
I've not been there yet, but I plan to go to Prague soon to spend time with someone I've met on the internet. If everything goes well, I might meet her again in Ostrava .

Be careful man. I once heard a weird story where a scientist or something thought he had some mega hot woman dating him online trying to hook up with him. He went to the country and was told to move a package from a place to a place. Ended up a drug cartel was using him to do that and his got prison time in a mexican jail or something. Weird story that one.

I mean it's unlikely something that odd would happen and i don't know how things are there. It's also silly how in some dating websites they actually have mail order brides and strip cam girls sign up. Seriously try some place legit or meet them IRL. Things don't always pan out as i've found out trying to date girls online.

Went to Prague on holiday. Found some of the older buildings architecturally interesting, but everyone there looks like their favourite relative just died. Here you smile at people and they smile back, there they look at you like you're an idiot instead. I'm told that's a common cultural trait for some parts of Europe, but it doesn't half make the place feel depressing.Combine that with a goodly chunk of Soviet style Brutalism in the more recent construction and a grey weekend? You feel like you just stepped into a grim dystopian future and Judge Dredd must be lurking around the corner.

Tried a fair bit of food. Meats are generally pretty good, but after about four different types of dumpling and the ever present sauerkraut I concluded the accompanying veg wasn't nearly so good. Beer and vodka is cheap, decent, and plentiful. Other types of alcohol generally much more expensive and limited. Every bar seemed to have a love of trashy 90's euro-pop. I was amused to see the local Smarties were called 'Lentilky'.

That's about all that stuck in the memory really. Can't say I'm keen to ever go back.

Never been there, but I work for a vacation company for my day job. We do lots of trips to Prague and I've only ever heard positive reviews from customers. But, Prague is really the only place we go.. except sometimes some trips will stop in Cesky Krumlov on the way there. Some of our biggest sellers are Danube river cruises that start in Budapest and end around Nuremberg, and then they take a tour bus to Prague for a few nights before going home. I always wanted to take that trip, but I hear the river cruises are mostly all full of really old people

I've been to Prague and and Uherský Brod. Was there to visit CZUB with my father after he won some awards with them like 15 years ago. Visited a castle, when on some bird hunts, was a nice experience. I think we were generally taken and shown the nice parts, didn't really get time to explore much. Everyone we met was nice. Everything seemed very inexpensive, and the food was ok. I would like to go back and be able to be more independent instead of part of a group with a guide.

What do the Czechs call their own country? (like how Germans call themselves Deutsch and Deutschland)

Me and my girlfriends went on a small backpacking holiday in Poland and the Czech Republic a few years ago.

In the Czech Republic we visited Brno and Prague (staying longer in Brno than in Prague because it was cheaper ).

We enjoyed the food and most of the czech people we encountered were, on the whole, welcoming and friendly (apart from a woman in a ticket booth at Brno station when we tried to buy a ticket to Prague).

The beers were also really good and really cheap (at least compared to here in the UK).

 flamingkillamajig wrote:
Be careful man. I once heard a weird story where a scientist or something thought he had some mega hot woman dating him online trying to hook up with him.

Well, she isn't some mega hot woman, she is some cool quirky one . And I'm sure drug cartels would find someone that they don't need to talk to for 18 months before anything happens .
She'll just sell my kidneys on the internet or something .
Seriously though, the worst thing that could realistically happen is that I get to spend some vacation in Prague. Hardly sounds that bad if you put it that way .

Camgirls and similar fishy accounts are really easy to find out. Hiding well is a complete waste of effort to them, so…

 Ketara wrote:
Went to Prague on holiday. Found some of the older buildings architecturally interesting, but everyone there looks like their favourite relative just died. Here you smile at people and they smile back, there they look at you like you're an idiot instead. I'm told that's a common cultural trait for some parts of Europe, but it doesn't half make the place feel depressing.Combine that with a goodly chunk of Soviet style Brutalism in the more recent construction and a grey weekend? You feel like you just stepped into a grim dystopian future and Judge Dredd must be lurking around the corner.

Tried a fair bit of food. Meats are generally pretty good, but after about four different types of dumpling and the ever present sauerkraut I concluded the accompanying veg wasn't nearly so good. Beer and vodka is cheap, decent, and plentiful. Other types of alcohol generally much more expensive and limited. Every bar seemed to have a love of trashy 90's euro-pop. I was amused to see the local Smarties were called 'Lentilky'.

That's about all that stuck in the memory really. Can't say I'm keen to ever go back.

Yes, I know what are you meaning. It's not the first time I hear this from a foreigner. Unfortunalety I can't explain why it's like that. Probably another scar we carry from the Soviet era.

Regarding our traditional quisine, it contains alot of dishes with dumplings and meat, or fried stuff, so it's quite greasy.
In traditional restaurant a vegetarian has hard time choosing a meal, and vegans usualy stay hungry. You usualy have to visit different buisness.

I feel for you with the 90s generic pop music. I hate it too.

 Frazzled wrote:
What do the Czechs call their own country? (like how Germans call themselves Deutsch and Deutschland)

Česko.
Č is pronounced as ch, like in the word Check.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:
Me and my girlfriends went on a small backpacking holiday in Poland and the Czech Republic a few years ago.

In the Czech Republic we visited Brno and Prague (staying longer in Brno than in Prague because it was cheaper ).

We enjoyed the food and most of the czech people we encountered were, on the whole, welcoming and friendly (apart from a woman in a ticket booth at Brno station when we tried to buy a ticket to Prague).

The beers were also really good and really cheap (at least compared to here in the UK).

Ah, yes, the train station box offices. I have my own experiences with them. Some tends to be unplesant when you ask them anything. They assume you know everything.
But most of them are helpful and pleasant.

And for the beer, 0,5L of beer is cheaper than any non-alcoholic beverage commonly sold, which is also reason why Czechs drink it so much, youths and underage included.
We have the highest beer consumption per capita in the world. Yes, more than Germans have. I know, nothing to be proud of...

 Hawky wrote:
In traditional restaurant a vegetarian has hard time choosing a meal, and vegans usualy stay hungry.

Thankfully the woman I am meeting is vegetarian too, she'll help me find something !

Never been, my old boss at a ski resort was a Czech though. He was a pretty cool. Laid back vet, was really into fitness and guns.

Honestly all I know about the Czechs is military history and firearms. They build really weird but very nice quality stuff from everything I've ever held.

Also do you guys have a lot of lefties or something? Everything I've ever held made by you guys seems to be ambidextrous.

I once dated, I swear to god, a Czech porn star, she was amazing, lovely girl, really interesting. I visited her a coupla times, she lived in the UK, but her parents ran a farm, up near the German border, and she took me to visit them. Mother was really friendly, both had a smattering of English. Her father used to be, I swear to god again, a mercenary in the Serb-Croat war, and had the biggest collection of weaponry, in a massive basement, I have ever seen! More AK47s than ISIS, MP40, MP44(!) mortars, machine guns, it was crazy. He died of cancer last year, and the family made a fortune selling of the collection, mostly to rich Americans, before the Czech army collected the rest. We rode horses into the woods, and loosed off a few hundred rounds through Uzis, a Bren gun, an Mp40, a great trip! Everyone I met was really nice, friendly, and I falteringly chatted, through my girlfriend, to a lot of people in a local village pub. I had a great time, but our relationship was very self destructive, now married to a beautiful American girl, and never been happier!

You had quite an eventful life!

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
Honestly all I know about the Czechs is military history and firearms. They build really weird but very nice quality stuff from everything I've ever held.

Our military history isn't very rich. We have been occupied most of the time last 300 years. Only time we have been a nation to be reckoned with was in the medieval ear, where Kingdom of Bohemia was a major player in Europe, and in 1920s to 30s, before western powers betrayed us and gave us as a bait to Hitler. And the Soviets finally nailed it by 40 year long period of occupation, along with typical Soviet regressiveness. (Belive or not, when Colorado potato beetle infested our farms, goverment said it was work of western imperialists in order to destroy our advanced potato growing techniques. It was in 1970s)
But as far as I know, our modern military is well respected among other NATO members and during trainings and operations they usually have one of the best results, despite still using alot of old, soviet era stuff, and/or often being undermanned and underequiped (Some soldiers buy their gear in military shops, because army storages are just empty). But our army is slowely being modernised. Slowely...

What kind of weird stuff do you exactly mean?

Also do you guys have a lot of lefties or something? Everything I've ever held made by you guys seems to be ambidextrous.

If you mean left-handed people, I don't think so. If you mean left-wing people, then yes. You wouldn't belive how many people still vote for communists, even after what they have done (and still do) to the world...
Now seriously, it's matter of practicality.

 Hawky wrote:
Belive or not, when Colorado potato beetle infested our farms, goverment said it was work of western imperialists in order to destroy our advanced potato growing techniques. It was in 1970s

It's obvious, the US even signed it !

By John 54 wrote:
I once dated, I swear to god, a Czech porn star, she was amazing, lovely girl, really interesting. I visited her a coupla times, she lived in the UK, but her parents ran a farm, up near the German border, and she took me to visit them. Mother was really friendly, both had a smattering of English. Her father used to be, I swear to god again, a mercenary in the Serb-Croat war, and had the biggest collection of weaponry, in a massive basement, I have ever seen! More AK47s than ISIS, MP40, MP44(!) mortars, machine guns, it was crazy. He died of cancer last year, and the family made a fortune selling of the collection, mostly to rich Americans, before the Czech army collected the rest. We rode horses into the woods, and loosed off a few hundred rounds through Uzis, a Bren gun, an Mp40, a great trip! Everyone I met was really nice, friendly, and I falteringly chatted, through my girlfriend, to a lot of people in a local village pub. I had a great time, but our relationship was very self destructive, now married to a beautiful American girl, and never been happier!

Oh, wow. I wish I had known somebody with so many guns. Only thing I ever fired from was 12gauge hunting shotgun. One of my relatives is a gamekeeper. :(
And dating a porn star require alot of reconciliation, doesn't it?

I remember shooting a Bren Gun, MP40, A Lee Enfield No4 with a sniper scope, that was re-chambered to NATO 7.62mm, a KAR98, AK47, M16, but wasn't allowed near the MP44, he knew its worth! my girlfriend and her sister fired the Uzis, her father said it was a girls gun, as it fitted in their handbags! (not the most PC of men!)

And yes, a certain amount of reconcilliation was required, but, I really didn't care, I was in an awful headspace myself, and she helped me a lot, we 'therapied' each other!

By John 54 wrote:
she helped me a lot, we 'therapied' each other!

Is that what you kids are calling it these days?

I Lived in Prague for six months while I studied at Charles University. I went back for a weekend last year and If I scrape up some money I'll nip over again this year.

Czech(oslovakian) gaming wise I run Hussites in Lion Rampant, Czechoslovakian Independent Tankovy and Slovaks in FoW.

Anyone into Czech military history should check out this article: http://www.badassoftheweek.com/zizka.html

By John 54 wrote:
I remember shooting a Bren Gun, MP40, A Lee Enfield No4 with a sniper scope, that was re-chambered to NATO 7.62mm, a KAR98, AK47, M16, but wasn't allowed near the MP44, he knew its worth! my girlfriend and her sister fired the Uzis, her father said it was a girls gun, as it fitted in their handbags! (not the most PC of men!)

And yes, a certain amount of reconcilliation was required, but, I really didn't care, I was in an awful headspace myself, and she helped me a lot, we 'therapied' each other!

What is her name, for scientific reasons off course

I was in Prague something like 4years ago, it was pretty bad. Then again so was Berlin. And it was a school end-of-cicle trip thing so I've always blamed our teachers for having us go to the shittiest places*.

From what I remember people were really nice, especially the ones who wanted to sell booze and/or drugs to 16 year olds. The streets we saw were filthy tho. We also saw that medieval clock thing. At night, which means we didn't really see much.

2 people in our group also got in trouble with the police, I think they broke a light on the ground or something, they were sent to separate detention centers and one of our teachers was working against the clock trying to get them released in time to come back with us. Apparentely the policemen were nazi-soviet corrupt donkey-caves. Then again, maybe our teachers were idiots. Most of my classmates definitely were.

Also, your capital seems to be owned by Pilsner.

It was a gakky trip in general, our teachers alternated between making us walk to death in pre-planned tourist trips and dumping us in a random plaza and telling us to "do whatever for the next 4 hours".

All in all not many good memories. You have some cute coins tho, still have one or five of those things which look like cheap plastic wrapped in tinfoil.

That medieval clock thing is called Orloj.
Street deakers are sadly pretty common. Specially at night in tourist-heavy areas.

If you break something, what did you expect? They did their job. I'm not saying that there are no idiots or non-corrupts among the police ranks, but still. If you break something, face the consequences.
Nazi-soviet? Isn't it a bit contradictionary?

You mean the signs on buildings? Those are usually above doors leading to pubs, saying what kind of beer they offer. Pilsner is the most common.

I understand your reasons, more or less, but from what you wrote I think your teachers were idiots. Or at least wery bad at trip planning.

Those might be 1, 2 or 5 crown coins.

 Hawky wrote:


That medieval clock thing is called Orloj.
Street deakers are sadly pretty common. Specially at night in tourist-heavy areas.

If you break something, what did you expect? They did their job. I'm not saying that there are no idiots or non-corrupts among the police ranks, but still. If you break something, face the consequences.
Nazi-soviet? Isn't it a bit contradictionary?

You mean the signs on buildings? Those are usually above doors leading to pubs, saying what kind of beer they offer. Pilsner is the most common.

I understand your reasons, more or less, but from what you wrote I think your teachers were idiots. Or at least wery bad at trip planning.

Those might be 1, 2 or 5 crown coins.

Ever heard of the Nazbol?

But yes, our teacher were idiots. The parts of Berlin we saw were very similar so... yeah. When the only differences you can notice is the plaza you are abandoned in and the language a drunk guy is shouting in, the problem is definitely with the organisation.

Maybe one day I'll go there again, knowing what's worth seeing and without being chained to bunch of clowns , but that whole side of europe isn't really my biggest interest, especially now that I'm doing Middle Eastern Studies
It kinda was when I went there tho, I had just read Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus series so imagine my disappointment when the only things I saw in Prague were drunk people and Skoda cars

There are some Infinity players in Prague tho, so that's as much proof as I need that it is at least a half-decent country.

I hope my first post didn't come up as too hatering, but the memories of that trip aren't too good. There was a positive tho, the hotel we were in was pretty cool, it had a very 16th century feel, I don't really know how to put it. It wasn't a palace but it felt old. Not a bad old, more of a good old. It probably was just a cheapo hotel our teachers found, but it was nice. Especially after that horrible place in Berlin.

The some parts of the city had that feel too. And the castle was nice. I wanted to see the Zlatá ulička (that's the golden street, where alchemists were supposedly working, right?) but our teachers didn't let us

Wow, part of my brain died just by reading of its definition.

If you have been in the eastern part of Berlin, I belive it might look simmiliar. But I have never been there. One day, hopefully...

Well, comparing alt-reality/fantasy with real world almost everytime leads to disappointment.
Whats wrong with Skodas? They are fairly cheap, reliable and of local origin.

So you have been in one of two of local gaming stores?

Well, it kinda was, but I don't really mind.
Do you remember its name or location?

Ah, yes, the castle. Nice place, but usually crowded with tourists and everything is ridiculously expensive... For foreign tourist not much of a problem, but I would never buy there anything.

I havent stayed much in Czechia, but from what I have seen of it, it reminds me a lot the country where I was born, Russia (well, legally back then it was Ukraine, but lets avoid that stupid mess).
Funnily enough, the Russian language teacher in my school was Czech She was always really nice, so I think Czechs are nice people.
I also live together with someone from Slovakia. According to him Czechia and Slovakia are quite similar.

I've also heard lots of good things about the quality of Czech beer. A German friend of mine swears it is way better than German beer.

 Hawky wrote:

 Ketara wrote:
Went to Prague on holiday. Found some of the older buildings architecturally interesting, but everyone there looks like their favourite relative just died. Here you smile at people and they smile back, there they look at you like you're an idiot instead. I'm told that's a common cultural trait for some parts of Europe, but it doesn't half make the place feel depressing.Combine that with a goodly chunk of Soviet style Brutalism in the more recent construction and a grey weekend? You feel like you just stepped into a grim dystopian future and Judge Dredd must be lurking around the corner.

Tried a fair bit of food. Meats are generally pretty good, but after about four different types of dumpling and the ever present sauerkraut I concluded the accompanying veg wasn't nearly so good. Beer and vodka is cheap, decent, and plentiful. Other types of alcohol generally much more expensive and limited. Every bar seemed to have a love of trashy 90's euro-pop. I was amused to see the local Smarties were called 'Lentilky'.

That's about all that stuck in the memory really. Can't say I'm keen to ever go back.

Yes, I know what are you meaning. It's not the first time I hear this from a foreigner. Unfortunalety I can't explain why it's like that. Probably another scar we carry from the Soviet era.

It very well could be. I know that in Russia and Ukraine it is the same. I never noticed it until I moved to Western Europe. People in public in Eastern Europe always put on a very serious face. Maybe it is a Slavic trait? I don't know.
In Russia the reason we don't smile in public is because we think it looks foolish and insincere. You should only smile when you really mean it, not like you are a robot programmed to smile without thought at any stranger.
How do people in Czechia think about this?

And finally, my most burning question about Czechia: Why do people so consistently call it the "Czech Republic"? That is strange, considering we almost never call Holland the ''Kingdom of the Netherlands'', Germany the "Federal Republic of Germany" or Russia the ''Russian Federation'' outside of official political talks.

 Iron_Captain wrote:
I havent stayed much in Czechia, but from what I have seen of it, it reminds me a lot the country where I was born, Russia (well, legally back then it was Ukraine, but lets avoid that stupid mess).
Funnily enough, the Russian language teacher in my school was Czech She was always really nice, so I think Czechs are nice people.
I also live together with someone from Slovakia. According to him Czechia and Slovakia are quite similar.

I've also heard lots of good things about the quality of Czech beer. A German friend of mine swears it is way better than German beer.

So you are from Crimea?
During Soviet ear, russian language was commonly taught as a second language so it's nothing to stop at. Now it's english and sometimes german.

Czechs and Slovaks think of each as of brothers. Language is very similliar. Czech can understand Slovak almost perfectly and vice versa. Think of us as about two brothers who grew up together and at one point (1993) one of them decided that he wants his own bedroom. We hate each other only when we play ice hockey against each other.

I do not want to brag, but our beer is one of the best in the world.

It very well could be. I know that in Russia and Ukraine it is the same. I never noticed it until I moved to Western Europe. People in public in Eastern Europe always put on a very serious face. Maybe it is a Slavic trait? I don't know.
In Russia the reason we don't smile in public is because we think it looks foolish and insincere. You should only smile when you really mean it, not like you are a robot programmed to smile without thought at any stranger.
How do people in Czechia think about this?

And finally, my most burning question about Czechia: Why do people so consistently call it the "Czech Republic"? That is strange, considering we almost never call Holland the ''Kingdom of the Netherlands'', Germany the "Federal Republic of Germany" or Russia the ''Russian Federation'' outside of official political talks.

Well, I don't smile either and the reason why is the one you listed. Smile gets more valuable that way.
Yes, for whatever stupid reason, "Czech Republic" was both short and long official name of our country. I don't know why, but it's idiotic. It was last summer (I think) when it finally changed and we should be officialy called Czechia as a short, and Czech Republic as a long name. It will take some time to accomodate.
For english speaking folks the term "Bohemia" is pretty widespread. This comes from fact that Česko (Czechia) is the name of the country, but Čechy (Bohemia) is the biggest region (apart from Moravia and Silesia)

 Hawky wrote:

Well, I don't smile either and the reason why is the one you listed. Smile gets more valuable that way.

They don't cost anything.

I do actually know why it is. It's a social behavioural reflex learnt from the parents whilst growing up. If they don't do it, neither do you as a rule of thumb. In some cultures (mostly Eastern European), it simply just never got ingrained as a behavioural reaction. Accordingly, the people who do it a lot there are acting outside the behavioural norm, and therefore far more likely to be simple/mad (making such behaviour regarded in line with that).

Whereas over here in the UK, it's just how you express friendliness as a matter of course. It's why if you smile at somebody they smile back instinctively if they don't have a reason not to. It's an automatic defensive mechanism when meeting a stranger that assures them you have no ill intent or are content/pleased to be interacting with them.

So naturally, when we smile at someone and they don't smile back, it actually conveys a different meaning by its absence. That is to say, a kind of slightly cautious neutrality if you're British (resembles the stiff upper lip), and a directly hostile facade if you're American (who as a rule are even more socially inculcated to display and expect warmth as a matter of course).

But naturally, that means that dealing with people who don't do it makes it feel like everyone is wary and reserved, even if that's not the case. Which is kind of depressing.