Happy 100th Birthday, tabletop wargaming

[Pingo]

One hundred years ago this year, in 1913, science fiction author H.G. Wells wrote Little Wars: a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books, which was the beginning of modern tabletop wargaming.

 

So happy 100th anniversary to the hobby.

 

The entire book is available free on Project Gutenberg (bless 'em):

 

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3691/3691-h/3691-h.htm

[buglips*the*goblin]

For some reason I thought Little Wars was earlier than that, but it's not. 1913 is the date.

[Doug Sundseth]

An anniversary definitely worthy of commemoration (thank you), but tabletop wargaming is generally thought to be a bit over 200 years old.

[Last Knight]

For some reason I thought Little Wars was earlier than that, but it's not. 1913 is the date.

Likewise, I thought it was late 19th century. Well, huzzah for one hundred years of tabletops and little metal men!

[buglips*the*goblin]

My favourite quote:

 

"That seemed fair; but so desperate is the courage and devotion of lead soldiers, that it came to this, that any small force that got or seemed likely to get isolated and caught by a superior force instead of waiting to be taken prisoners, dashed at its possible captors and slew them man for man"

 

Also this:

 

"Rash is the man who trusts his life to the spin of a coin. One impossible paladin slew in succession nine men and turned defeat to victory, to the extreme exasperation of the strategist who had led those victims to their doom."

 

And especially this:

 

"The soldiers did not stand well on an ordinary carpet, the Encyclopedia made clumsy cliff-like "cover", and more particularly the room in which the game had its beginnings was subject to the invasion of callers, alien souls, trampling skirt-swishers, chatterers, creatures unfavourably impressed by the spectacle of two middle-aged men playing with "toy soldiers" on the floor, and very heated and excited about it. Overhead was the day nursery, with a wide extent of smooth cork carpet (the natural terrain of toy soldiers), a large box of bricks—such as I have described in Floor Games—and certain large inch-thick boards.

 

It was an easy task for the head of the household to evict his offspring, annex these advantages, and set about planning a more realistic country. (I forget what became of the children.)"

Edited February 14, 2013 by buglips*the*goblin

[redambrosia]

Awesome, I'm "that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books" I should totally read this!

[Niranth]

I'm not sure that this counts, but it is much earlier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_army_of_Peter_I

[Pingo]

I'm not sure that this counts, but it is much earlier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_army_of_Peter_I

Did I read that right? It sounds like LARPing that turned into a real army.

[redambrosia]

Haha, ya it does. It's good to be.. czar!

[Last Knight]

 

I'm not sure that this counts, but it is much earlier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_army_of_Peter_I

Did I read that right? It sounds like LARPing that turned into a real army.

 

I'm getting Ender's Game flashbacks... or vice versa, I'm not entirely sure.

 

This desperately cries out to be written up as a fantasy series.