Matin's Philosophy of Retirement Gaming

Off Topic
21

Too true, Dread.

Your standard OTG member in a different age would be considered a Grognard (Translation: A grumbler or someone who complains. A lot.)

If you wish to read about the original Les Grognards, you need to go here:

Old Guard (France) - Wikipedia

There is a great scene in Waterloo (the Movie) that was based on a true story:

Dernier Carré de La Garde À Waterloo : La Garde Meurt Mais Ne Se Rend Pas ! - YouTube

Of course, the French Imperial Guard was one of Napoleon’s biggest mistakes.

When I started wargaming in the 1970s, someone did an estimate that follows:

400,000 Play D&D

100,000 Play Wargames (Les Grognards)

I don’t have the data, but my measure would be how many copies of War in Europe were produced. 100? 500? I fought a half dozen campaigns of War in Europe.

Let me give you the scope:

GAME INVENTORY: 3200 counters (eight full size counter sheets), Seven unmounted 22" x 32" game mapsheets 56 page rules booklet, ## page scenario book, two different Track/Chart sheets, two dice.

A ping pong table was not sufficient for setting up War in Europe. We had two folding bridge tables set up as well. Grand Europa would have been much larger if they ever completed the design.

What I’m getting at would be that OTG is a rare bird in the Computer Gaming universe. We are serious casual.

22

Stand Down

I’ve been given the order to stand down in New World. I will comply with that order. Ours not to reason why, ours to do and die.

On the plus side, gives me time to work on some other projects. What is in the que?

One of my post-retirement tasks would be work on my D&D campaign.

I played D&D and bought a white box set in 1974. We also had the Chainmail set of rules. We had lead figures, laid out the dungeon with toothpicks, and recorded the dungeon with graph paper. I did not DM. Never had much talent. When Advanced D&D came out, I immediately bought the full set. The Dungeon Master guide in particular held me spell bound. I created maps, dungeons, and other game stuff. I think I may have all that stuff in a box somewhere. I’ve started working on my campaign. More to follow later in a different post.

Other things to do? Of course, just need to figure out what that will be.