What I love about this hobby is ...

[Momotaro]

Oh alright, the truth...

For me it's building a world in miniature - terrain, building up forces and painting them.

If wargaming didn't exist, I would be into model railways, or dollshousing for my daughters, or even just making dioramas and characters and making stories about them, Bronte-style (that's a little different from Gangnam Style...).

Meeting up with like-minded fellows for a game, a glass of whisky or two and a chat over a finely appointed gaming table is also a grand past-time.

[Gibby]

Meeting up with like-minded fellows for a game, a glass of whisky or two and a chat over a finely appointed gaming table is also a grand past-time.

This!

I love this hobby, it lets me escape into interactive stories with a brilliantly tactile hobby aspect.

[Mr. Peabody]

I love the good buzz that comes from making something nice, whether it's a painted mini, model or a bit of terrain. Making stuff is satisfying both in the process and in the completion of a piece.

That ties right into 'setting a nice table' and having a good time with some like minded friends. This hobby, at its best, is a healthy mix of working on your own and of collaboration (or at least a shared experience) and that's a real gift for a grumpy bear like me.

[The-closet-gamer]

Ok what about the tingle of sensation when you finally buy that mini that you've wanted for so long. You've read about it on the interweb reviews and thought that it was the greatest mini ever sculptured. You click the link to the company online shop. Send a few moments perusing the catalog till you find said mini. Think long and hard about the fact it cost the price of a footballers weekly wage and decide screw it, it's summertime I don't need to pay for the heating to be on and why do I need to pay the electric bill. Don't need the lights on cause the the suns up for eighteen hours a day. Yeah let's stick it in the shopping bracket and proceed to checkout. Then and only then with all the emotion swimming around you do you realise that a) you need a major credit card to pay for it
b) you'll be paying how much money for postage! Who do they think I am. Steve Jobs

With the shame of a tactical withdraw from the website you just hope to yourself that one day you'll be able to come across them on another website or gaming store and......
Low and behold you come across it in your favorite gaming shop hidden away in the second hand stuff and you let out a squeal of jot only to quickly look around to see if anyone heard you. Also you do the little dance or the air power grab that footballers do when they score.
Only to get it home and end up sticking it with the other stuff that has been gathering dust on the to do shelf for how long?

That what I love about this hobby

[Lovejoy]

I like the fact that it totally infects me; I'm thinking about minis, rules, scenarios all the time. I unpack a washing machine, and instead of plumbing it in, I'm looking at the packaging and thinking about terrain... I read a book, and I'm thinking how do I game that?
Whatever I'm up to, the hobby sneaks its tendrils in there somehow...

[eilif]

My previous post was thinking in broad strokes, but the-closet-gamer's post got me thinking in specifics.  The finding of that item you've been wanting at a flea market, FLGS auction or clearance is one of my favorite things also, but here's another.

One of my favorite things about gaming starts in the resale shop.  That perfect toy or piece of a toy appears.  No one else would give it a second look, but at first glance you know it would be a perfect piece of terrain with just a bit of work.  $3 and a walk to the cashier and it's yours and a few days (or months) later you pull it out of your bin of parts.  A frenzy grips you and you begin cutting, gluing adjusting, attaching other parts and toys, and when it's all assembled you look at the hodgepodge quilt of plastic parts and hope.

Then you get out the black spray paint and cover that sucker and something like magic happens.   All the funny mismatched colors are gone, and all the disparate elements have become one.  The painting that follows and the finished result are great to be sure, but when you've done your work right, that transformation from built to primed is the moment when you know if it is going to work.

[warlord frod]

Ok one more thing I love about this hobby are the dice  Who has not bought more dice then they could ever use. Dice bags to carry them in. became convinced we have the lucky set of dice that always give us a good roll and tossed dice we thought were cursed. We have 3 sided to 100 sided dice, dice inside of dice, dice made out of plastic, wood, metal, stone, etc., etc. Directional dice, dice for determining wound location, weather and mood again the list is endless

Come on admit it you all love the dice as much as I do .... right? 

[zizi666]

You can never have enough dice !

You always need to carry replacements in case the first batch let you down (and the second, and third...)

 

[Mr. Peabody]

Come on admit it you all love the dice as much as I do .... right? 

Word. 

[matakishi]

For me it's building a world in miniature - terrain, building up forces and painting them.
If wargaming didn't exist, I would be into model railways, or dollshousing

This.

[Conquistador]

In descending order of pleasure:

1) 1/600th aircraft - nirvana.

2) Organizing armies/forces/companies on paper for rules/games.  I am not talking Min-Max but stylistic representations of "army" types.

3) 1/600th Napoleonic figures - now I can really get a sense of a charging cavalry force threatening a square of infantry.

4) The ability of our current "Golden Age of Miniatures" to have the same company/forces/armies in 3/6/15/25+ mm at the same time. 

5) The amazing niche eras/genres of miniatures available (snow-ball and icicle armed penguins on Leopard seals "cavalry" and Zorro-chasing Presidials) at this time.

6) Playing war games with rules/mechanics/dice/miniatures using unified mechanics that allow reasonable simulation of historical battles (or SF/Fantasy battles based on historical events) while still being fast and fun.  THW and the invention of Polyhedral dice are key but disparate components of this one.

7) Talking with other war gamers about History/Science Fiction/Fantasy War Gaming whether before/during/after actually gaming sessions or at gatherings at local restaurants/homes.

The potential breakthrough of 3D Printing of miniatures.  When this is a reality it will move up the list.

9) Preparing Terrain pieces for games

10)  Painting miniatures.

Gracias,

Glenn

It was pointed out to me years ago that it is "war GAMING" (with 3D counters was added years later by a different person)  and that is truly a two word summary for me.

All the above supporting elements of the main thing - the historical based game.

Gracias,

Glenn

[Dr.Falkenhayn]

i enjoy this Hobby very much,however the very very best Part of it is: Unboxing 

[Blackwolf]

i enjoy this Hobby very much,however the very very best Part of it is: Unboxing 

Yeah!

[grant]

3) 1/600th Napoleonic figures - now I can really get a sense of a charging cavalry force threatening a square of infantry.

Gracias,

Glenn

Just came across this comment randomly and realized that with Oddzial Osmy, one could really do Naps at ... 1:1 !  

Imagine.

[Conquistador]

Just came across this comment randomly and realized that with Oddzial Osmy, one could really do Naps at ... 1:1 !  

Imagine.

"Golden AGe of Wargaming"

Pure and Simple.

If you had been 60 in 1960 you would have missed it (or be 114 this year... which might be the same results -  - depending on your health.)

Gracias,

Glenn