Looking back on 35 years of Wargaming: part two

The nineties brought sweeping changes to my gaming scene, with my first career. I struggled for a couple of years getting in more than a game or two a month. One thing I didn’t struggle with was keeping current on my miniatures purchases and painting!

I didn’t get my gaming groove back until just before the release of second ed 40k. While second ed was a train wreck in some ways it was brilliant in others. I had moved to Tuscon Arizona and did not know many people there, but that all changed when I found Games Unlimited one of the local game shops. It became my home away from home, if I wasn’t working I was there playing games. This was the most gaming I had ever done; I was getting in 1-2 games 6-7 days a week. I was in full on geek mode and I was getting my game on!

Then it happened the first ever codex release Space Wolves; my beloved Grey Marines from my early days of Rogue Trader got dipped in the background Awesome-sauce and got the first ever codex!



I had always liked Jess Goodwin's sculpts since I got my first Ogres in the mid eighties, but after getting my hands on the new SW models he climbed to the title of favorite Sculptor; he remains there to this very day!






Gaming terrain started to make broad sweeps in the 90’s, with GW and many other companies releasing full color card buildings. GW took it a step further after the release of Necromunda, a great game BTW! They release full color card and plastic bunkers and out posts using the bulkheads created for Necromunda.



It was a great time to be gaming, in the late 90’s GW released 3rd ed 40K. At first it felt bland and oversimplified, but once we dug into it found it to be much more elegant than we initially thought.

Now I just want to clarify, although I have not mentioned much about WFB, I have consistently played it as I struggled through every incarnation until now. My passion has waned for WFB a bit, as the last two editions became a battle of what feels like nothing but (SCR) Static Combat Resolution. My Dwarfs have faired very well through all the editions but My Chaos has been hit pretty hard. You see the problem is that I like Chaos Warriors and they just aren’t what they used to be in the world of SCR.

Since the turn of the Century the thought of using terrain that we used in the 70’s and early 80’s is just plain hateful. Wargaming as become much more visual that it once was, most games have also become much more streamlined.

While GW still struggles with the proper balance of rules and streamlining they are capable of doing it properly as shown by War of the Ring. I have to give credit to Battlefront Miniatures for being the best example in my eyes of streamlined game balance with Flames of War. It has to a large extent replaced WFB as my second go to wargame.


Currently if it isn’t already apparent I am hugely into 40k and play at least twice a week.

The thing I find most interesting over the years is the change in tables and rules systems. With tables becoming more elaborate and rules becoming simpler and streamlined. Funny how the times change.

Next time I’ll look at the changes in Miniatures and Painting over the last 35 years.

Cheers,
Big Jim