I've been perusing some of the excellent Oldhammer blogs out there and there seems to have been a bit of discussion over the inclusiveness or otherwise of old school gaming which has been really interesting.
With the big Oldhammer weekend coming up some folks seem to have been put off somewhat by the impression that one needs to only use classic metal figures from the 80s and collect vast armies with them.
From my admittedly limited experience, this just isn't the case. Yes some folks have built up some absolutely beautiful collections of 80s lead but I for one don't have the budget to do anything on such a large scale! Instead I tend to pick up figures from pretty much any manufacturer that I fancy that look good and see how I can fit them into a visually pleasing force. Likewise points values and so on are happily discarded for the most part as I just don't see the use for them!
A good example of this is my Dwarven force that I am glacially constructing:
Firstly they are few in number but still eminently playable, they are mounted on 25mm round bases so I can use them for Song of Blades or similar skirmish games or Warhammer should I choose and were chosen simply because I like the look of them. Some are out of production, some still available and some are even plastic! In the greater scheme of things, I simply want to pick up figures that I like and paint them and if they make a nice unit or force, all the better!
Similarly, here's a pic of one of my Dark Elves. He's an old Grenadier figure I picked up a few years back but he doesn't look anything like the traditional old school Citadel range but has bucket loads of character and was fun to paint and he got me searching through my bits boxes and lead pile in search of similar themed models which would allow me to put together a warband.
It's this sort of thing that I think old school gaming should be about, the enjoyment of creating interesting little forces that will be used!
There's no need to stress about only using old Citadel! Oldhammer and similar old school gaming should be first and foremost be about having fun and enjoying your hobby. I have never understood the need to buy a unit you don't even like just because its good in a game.
My Rogue Trader force is similarly eclectic in nature, I've got a couple of old Warzone figures mixed in with 90s Citadel, Kryomek marines brush shoulders with Void Viridians and numerous others.
Speaking of which, I don't even tend to use the settings associated with GW. They are all fine and well but I don't feel the need to keep to the backgrounds from the rulesets. My fantasy setting is inspired by the old Leviathan game by Grendel and differs greatly from the Warhammer world. Old school gaming encourages one to use what they want and if they don't like an element, simply discard or change it to something you do like!
Even scale is totally up to the individual. There's absolutely nothing wrong with discarding 28mm for 15mm or even 6mm scales. I have a couple of small forces for Rogue Trader gaming in 15mm scale and I use them regularly as I have limited space and its quite possible to collect an entire force for about a tenner!
A Space Marine squad for the princely sum of under £2.00!
Interestingly the topic has got me thinking that its high time that I got myself sorted out and got my Dwarves and assorted Rogue Trader warbands sorted out and have set myself a bit of a challenge in doing so!
With a budget of £15 a month I am going to construct the following forces:
Imperial Guard Garrison
Space Marine Patrol
Rebel Insurgents
Mutie Horde
Eldar Pirates
Ork Marauders
Squat Mercantile Expedition
Obviously there's no way I can do the whole lot at once but combined with the contents of my lease pile and whatever bargains I can find, I doubt it will be too difficult to get any of the above forces into at least a small skirmish warband!
To complicate things I am also going to try and avoid using old Citadel, instead going for other manufacturers and even plastic figures and suitable toys and model kits where required!
Once I get back from my hols, I'm going it go through my lead pile and see what I've got and crack on with painting them! I am also going to work on a bit of an alternative setting featuring the Empire as the bad guys and assorted humans, aliens and robots fighting a desperate rebellion against the frankly fascist forces of the Imperium!
Hopefully my rantings will encourage folks to just do what they want! Don't feel you need to use any specific range or even ruleset! It's your hobby, its more important that you enjoy it than having to just adhere to the expectations of everyone else. That in my opinion is want old school gaming is all about!
All the best!
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