Reminiscence

Blogs.

I've heard of them over the years but wondered who reads these things anyway? We will wait and see! Seeing as it is my first blog post it is perhaps fitting to share with you my first experience in tabletop wargaming.

I've been into tabletop wargaming since the late 90's (early High School), starting when I visited a friend's place and saw his older brother's collection of models. I was especially awed by the model of a Goliath (muscly punker dude with a mowahawk). I was also shown some other mean looking blue and armoured guys (Ultramarines) plus a horde of green monsters (they were Orks).  We then proceeded to have my first tabletop wargame - GW's Warhammer 4o,ooo. As a 13 year old I was very impressed and in turn hooked! 

I was kindly given 5 unpainted Space Marines, some spare black and red acrylic paint and off I went. Having never painted anything before (apart from finger painting in kindergarten) and only having tooth picks for brushes, the end result of the Blood Angel Space Marines looked like a piece of aborted artwork by a cerebral palsy victim. 

 

One of the old 2nd Blood Angels. If only my first few were painted even half as good as this one!

With a strange mix of pride and failure in my creation, I went on to improve myself. Using money from my paper run, I bought my mate's box set of Warhammer 4o,ooo (2nd Edition), which included a plethora of Space Marine (15 plus the other 5 I already had) and 20 Orks, 40 their smaller and more cunning kin, Gretchins and a cardboard cutout of an Ork machine - the Dreadnought.

More money went to Birchalls for paint and actual paintbrushes (a local bookstore here in my town, apparently the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere).

The Warhammer 4o,ooo 2nd Edition box set provided countless hours of entertainment and stories that we recall even today. I still have it stashed somewhere!

More importantly, I started playing the game on a more regular basis with my older brother so in turn he got hooked as well. Hours and hours of assembling, painting, list building and actual gaming accrue. Dice are thrown, measuring tapes snap, yells of frustration or victory - all part and parcel of tabletop wargaming.

Years pass and we heard about a local group of war gamers and joined them, offering opportunities to test ourselves against others. 

17 years have passed since my first painted model. I've improved in my painting somewhat  and changed interests to a variety of different gaming systems. My mate and his brother lost interest in it all very shortly after showing wargaming to me. I've had other friends take interest in wargaming and fork out a bucket of cash only to forget about it months later. But thanks to my own older bro and the local group, I keep going (much to the disgust of my wallet!).

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Hope the dice gods favour you!