Nostalgia and Cannon Ball from Helen of Toy

I came across this old advert during one my internet searches and it immediately brought back memories. Did anyone else get their start in miniatures wargaming with the Helen of Toy game sets?  I remember ordering the Battle of Chickamauga set in the early 1970's from the back of a comic book.  In those days, shipping took FOREVER, didn't it?

Remember all of the great stuff contained within?  This was a two player game and each player got 32 troops, 3 cannons, 5 red TNT boxes, 1 flag, 2 stockade strips, 2 gate bases, 2 observation tower roofs, 2 tower bases and 6 support poles, plus 3 exploding bridges (3 plain sections, 3 pronged sections, and 3 rubber bands).  Exploding bridges?  Remember those?  What fun!  The figures were molded in a soft plastic and at the time, I thought they were very good.

I do remember being a bit disappointed that the fort was made from a thin strip of corrugated cardboard but no matter, my buddy and I were quite excited to give it a try. 

The rules were short and this game saw much action on my grandmother's card table.  I do not remember much about actual game play outside of the exploding bridges but the rules are available online (Cannon Ball Rules) for those wanting to check them out.  I may have painted the figures at one point having found a book of ACW uniform plates at the library.  That was my start with miniatures.  Before that it was model building and board wargames.

I also purchased the AWI set but those figures were a hard translucent, colored plastic and the figures were flats.  I had never seen a flat before and these flats were nothing like the 3D ACW figures.  Quite disappointing!  I would probably appreciate them much more today than yesteryear.

Old School Wargaming - Thoughts

No, Old School wargamers are not forgotten.  

Reading Steve-the-Wargamer's recent post regarding Old School wargaming (http://steve-the-wargamer.blogspot.com/2013/02/definition-of-old-school.html#comment-form) got me pondering how I would define Old School wargaming.  JJ's Wargames (http://jjwargames.blogspot.com/) follows up with a general agreement to Steve's definition.  While Steve proposed a number of reasonable parameters for qualifying what is and isn't Old School, the notion of actually laying down a rigid and defensible definition may prove quite elusive.  What is my position on Old School wargaming?  How will I know unless I write it down! 

First, a distinction between “classic” or “vintage” and “Old School” should be made.  Is Old School necessarily old fashioned as implied by the terms “classic” and “vintage?” Although not explicitly qualifying his position, Steve-the-Wargamer implicitly makes this distinction. Vintage wargaming could be classified as using old figures, old rules, old terrain, and perhaps, even old guys.  In contrast “Old School” could be classified in the camp of “the game's the thing” over all else.  That is, the game is a conduit for channeling like-minded individuals for the purpose of a friendly and enjoyable activity. 

For me, defining Old School wargaming is quite slippery.  Old School can have different meanings to different people and, like much, is often in the eyes of the beholder. Perception could also be distorted by age since each generation may hold its own backward looking view of what comprises Old School.  Since I have been gaming for over 40 years, my generational notions of Old School are likely very different from someone a generation (or two) younger (or older!).  To paraphrase former US Supreme Court Justice, Potter Stewart, I know Old School wargaming when I see it.  To complicate matters even more, history is how I remember it. 

When I think of Old School wargaming, I envision the pioneers of Morschauser, Wesencraft, Grant, and Featherstone hovering over the gaming table.  For the newer generation, I pin Old School wargamer award onto Ross Macfarlane (http://gameofmonth.blogspot.com/).  Old School wargamers will not quickly dismiss time-tested rules to be replaced by the latest, fashionable rules.  Perhaps this reluctance to change is due more on the “old” adjective rather than on “school?”  For rules, complexity is decidedly in the “Beer and Pretzels” classification with an objective more towards pushing toy soldiers across the game table than attempting to reproduce a military simulation.  Old School could include vintage gaming but it is not a requirement. Camaraderie, fellowship, and gentlemanly behavior are not confined to Old School gaming alone.  These traits are a requisite for any group game in which I participate. 

Am I an Old School wargamer?  Perhaps it is too soon to tell...