mogami
Posts: 12789
Joined: 8/23/2000 From: You can't get here from there Status: offline
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Hi people, Brings back a lot of memories. My very first war game was SPI 'War in Europe' I was in the Marines and staying on base one weekend in between paydays. Not doing anything but hanging out in the lounge watching TV when the 'roachcoach' showed up. While standing in line to get a cheeseburger and coke I saw a private from another outfit reading the rule book, I saw the title and asked him about it. He got very excited. He had been playing the game solotaire and the prospect of another player really got him going. (He paid for my coke and cheeseburger) he dragged me off to his barracks where the maps were all set up in the hall (the barracks were pretty quiet on weekends) I was given a fast lesson on how board games were played, the rule book to read, and command of the allies. After this weekend I convinced him to move the game to a motel (I like drinking beer while playing) We had to pile the furniture up to make room but we finished game after game, He would never play the allies always the axis and every game he would try to overcome whatever had stopped him from winning the game before. (he never won, but he never got mad) I got pretty good at doing nothing, I just built up and waited for the CRT's to change in my favour and then went over to the offensive. When I got out of the service I rented a room behind the local wargame store (Rochester NY) mostly D&D stuff but there was a hardcore group of board wargamers. (and Naval Minitures) I had an empty room, the floor always had WIE or Pacific War or Campaign for North Africa or Terrible Swift Sword, American CIvilWar (you name it we played it) We finished complete games, picked new teams and started another. In Iron Ships and Wooden Men we each had a Navy and you had to have ship models painted and if someone captured it in battle they got the miniture (reminded me of marbles) We eventully decided my room was too small and 5 of us rented a house. Ah the wars that were fought, it was a dream come true intill......(can you guess?) Someone got a girlfriend, not problem you say, but then the unspeakable, he moved her into our house of wargames. She started ranting about the 600 empty beer bottles and the unemptied ash trays. Just who was supposed to do the dishes (I don't think I ever used a dish in 8 months in that house) Sweep the floors, blah blah blah the four solid single guys took it for about a month before we piled both their stuff on the poarch and locked the door.....But the good old days never returned soon the others all had girlfriends too, Me I re-enlisted.
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I'm not retreating, I'm attacking in a different direction!
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