Jiggathebauce Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Like many of you, I enjoy CM, and other titles such as operation star, as well as simulators like SABOW and DCS World. I throughly enjoy wargaming and serious tactical strategic games, essentially. But I often find when talking about that to the uninitiated(read:99 percent of the population) conversation goes like this : Them: So what are some of your hobbies Me: *starts off with non gaming hobbies*, and videogames. Them: What are your favorites? Me: Well, I like wargames, realistic ones. Them: Oh! so like Call of duty? At this point, I am never sure wether I should just bite it and say yeah, or try to fumblingly explain the games I play and what makes them different from the mainstream. I worry that I will either take too long to explain and/or come off as way too nerdy and turn them off from further conversation How do you all deal with these situations? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 6 hours ago, Jiggathebauce said: How do you all deal with these situations? I seldom have to. By far most of the people I know and converse with never heard even of Call of Duty. Usually if the subject of hobbies or pastimes comes up, I mention that I like to play computer games, and they ask if I mean like Solitaire or Mah-Jong or The Farm. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StieliAlpha Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Well, some time has indeed passed, since anybody cared, but my standard answer was "strategic simulations, Chess like, you know?" That turned most people of. Hm, do I hear Sheldon from "Big Bang Theory" somewhere in the background? ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttorneyAtWar Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 My friends affectionately call the war games I play "Map Simulators" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 17 hours ago, StieliAlpha said: Hm, do I hear Sheldon from "Big Bang Theory" somewhere in the background? ? One of my favorite moments from BBT involved Sheldon considering himself an expert Halo player. He condescends to let Penny play him and she totally blows him away! Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 (edited) Dude i dont even bother answering to explain to people. Generally people who are in the know or wanna know find a way. Now if I find people who like computer games and history or are already turned onto lighter games but are intelligent Ill recommend CM. However theres a major disconnect in my life between the people I know in real life and the people I talk to here. The only commonality really at all is that both groups contain veterans otherwise theyre so different... Not that I wouldnt like more friends like people here. But people into military history and then specifically stuff as we are and as in depth are hard to find. Indeed its hard to really even find decent company among many of my age; at age 31 most of the more worthwhile people are too busy with jobs and families to hang out and most of the ones who have plenty of free time may have a similar past to me but havent changed at all.. so i cant be as picky in real life. If its a good conversation about whatever Ill settle, its almost shocking to be able to find people who are on a similar level of interest on say WW2. I honestly dont know how the hell the old timers got those huge board games going WITHOUT cell phones and the internet. My god. It was hard enough to find opponents with no cell phone and a 14.4k modem when i was 10. Lol. Edited June 19, 2016 by Sublime 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, Sublime said: Dude i dont even bother answering to explain to people. Generally people who are in the know or wanna know find a way. Now if I find people who like computer games and history or are already turned onto lighter games but are intelligent Ill recommend CM. However theres a major disconnect in my life between the people I know in real life and the people I talk to here. The only commonality really at all is that both groups contain veterans otherwise theyre so different... Not that I wouldnt like more friends like people here. But people into military history and then specifically stuff as we are and as in depth are hard to find. Indeed its hard to really even find decent company among many of my age; at age 31 most of the more worthwhile people are too busy with jobs and families to hang out and most of the ones who have plenty of free time may have a similar past to me but havent changed at all.. so i cant be as picky in real life. If its a good conversation about whatever Ill settle, its almost shocking to be able to find people who are on a similar level of interest on say WW2. I honestly dont know how the hell the old timers got those huge board games going WITHOUT cell phones and the internet. My god. It was hard enough to find opponents with no cell phone and a 14.4k modem when i was 10. Lol. we mostly just messed around with the boards setting them up only to have our cat eat pieces and/or scatter them. Regarding BBT "Hey Sheldon, you forgot something... this plasma grenade... oh look it's raining you." LOL that was freakin hysterical. Edited June 19, 2016 by sburke 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 18 hours ago, Sublime said: ...its almost shocking to be able to find people who are on a similar level of interest on say WW2. Heh, I do know what you mean. Last summer, when I found out I was going to have to dissolve my library, I was being helped by an assortment of care-givers. One of them was a lady in I guess her late 40s who practically swooned when she saw my collection. Turns out she had a fascination for military history. You would not have suspected it in a thousand years as she looked precisely like an aging hippy and very nice person. She wanted to quiz me on what I knew, but unfortunately left the agency and never came back. Life can be full of surprises. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 17 hours ago, sburke said: we mostly just messed around with the boards setting them up only to have our cat eat pieces and/or scatter them. I have an even sadder tale to relate, one I think I have mentioned before, but since it has no doubt been forgotten it will do no harm to bring it up again. Some time in the early '80s I bought a copy of GDW's game on the 1940 campaign in France and the Low Countries. Now you need to understand that this was a BIG game. I think it had four 17X22 overlapping maps that had to be fitted together and maybe something like 2,000 pieces as well as several charts to assist in game play. Okay, so I set this up on the floor in my living room because it was the only space I had that was large enough to hold it. I spent two days just placing all the pieces in the proper places on the map, then I spent a further two days playing the first turn (these weren't called monster games for no reason). I had a lot of free time in those days. So at that point I was visited by a friend who brought her two year old daughter along. Well, the girl made a direct beeline for the part of the room where the game was set up and preceded to scatter the pieces every which way. Children are agents of Chaos, as anyone who has ever raised one will tell you. I was totally heartbroken. I put the game back in the box and never opened it again. Too bad as it was an excellent simulation of a topic that fascinates me. But man, sometimes this hobby is entirely too much work. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Speaking of time consuming... its like the endless amounts of AAA fire Id personally have to pump into small merchant ships in SH3 Grey Wolves Mod when i was out of all other ammo. Lmao funny to sink a ship with just a 20mm or 37mm. Though it takes FOREVER... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StieliAlpha Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Speaking of board games: Well, I am playing since I am 16.Ooopps, 40 years now. But always managed to find H2H-opponents. Not a lot though. Since about 20 years now, we are playing in a group of 3 or 4, say 4 weekends a year. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StieliAlpha Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 And, I forgot to say: My favourite BBT joke are the "famous 17 unseen seconds of "Raiders of the lost arch", which change the whole movie, because they solve the U-boat mystery." ???? I had to explain that to my wife. She was completely lost. In fact, I had to explain many of their references, to make her understand. OMG, am I one of them? ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Yikes. I'm in the dark. BBT? Googling for that did not turn up anything that made sense other than "Born Before Technology" but I still don't get it. And what is the 17s of unseen footage? Again Google turned up zip. Just not getting it 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StieliAlpha Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Thank you, man! You sound more ancient than me! Search for "The Big Bang Theory" and enjoy. But be warned: You have seven, or so, seasons to work through. ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 1 hour ago, StieliAlpha said: You have seven, or so, seasons to work through. More than that; it completed its ninth season last month. Hard to believe it has been that long. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StieliAlpha Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Nyeahhhh, but one does not need to watch the last two..., 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 15 hours ago, StieliAlpha said: Nyeahhhh, but one does not need to watch the last two..., I think I agree with you. Except for an episode or two at the end of the this last season, I didn't watch the whole season. It was a great show, but frankly I think it wore out its welcome on my screen. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Is "nyeeeaaah'' pig russian or your horse impression? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StieliAlpha Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 3 hours ago, Sublime said: Is "nyeeeaaah'' pig russian or your horse impression? Nope, that's English adaption of my German "Njein". Means a clear "yes and no". ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Ah. Yes and no together is very clear indeed ja? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Michael Emrys, So sad to read you had to dissolve your library! That must've really hurt. Did you give your books to her? Sounds like that would've been a good home for them. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 (edited) 4 hours ago, John Kettler said: Did you give your books to her? No. The aviation books went to a local flight museum. Everything else went to Goodwill. I went to the latter a couple of months ago to see if anything of mine was on the shelves, but didn't see a thing. I hope they didn't just get sent to the dump. A few of them were fairly rare and well-nigh irreplaceable. Michael Edited June 27, 2016 by Michael Emrys 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Michael Emrys, When my brother got a new job which made commuting impractical from his house, he and his wife leased it out and moved into a smaller place a few hours drive away from his house. This forced him to downsize his impressive library, now almost exclusively military reference books. He volunteers, has for many years, at an aviation museum and donated most of his library to it. If he needs info from the vast donation, all he has to do is walk into the library room on some Saturday or Sunday there. Don't know quite what happened with you and your library, though obviously some health issues you had/have apply, but it's a shame you had to let go of yours. When I say I feel your library pain, understand I do so from the perspective of someone who had most of his library stolen, along with other things, by someone who had been a good friend. This occurred following a total life implosion on my end some over six years ago. He was given use of my books (I had to crash move), with the understanding he would send thenm when I got myself sorted out. Apparently, he's so fond of my ~650 volumes and some other goodies he won't give them back, nor the $2K he owes me for furniture he sold for me. He's been unresponsive to my numerous queries and has made himself very hard to find physically, too. Believe he is hiding under his mother's maiden name or some such. What library as I have these days has slowly been grown since to the point where I had to go buy a second bookcase. I've made some phenomenal finds in thrift stores of various sorts, and you can bet there are people like us who are absolutely not interested in the piles of romance novels which so frequently constitute the bulk of the offerings at Salvation Army and Goodwill, to name two, but ever have their eyes open for pertinent military books. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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