Do any other old school gamers hate the term grognard?

[MGibster]

I don't know if I'm old school enough to weigh in here (I wasn't introduced to D&D until the early 80s), but I'm not bothered by the term.

I'm kind of in the same boat. I've been gaming since the Reagan administration, but I'm not what you call an old school player. I'd rather spend an afternoon delousing the feet of an entire hobbit village than some of the games I used to enjoy very much back in the day. I don't think of myself as a grognard, that's for people who are even older than I am, but I wouldn't be offended if someone called me that.

Come to think of it, I've never heard anyone use the word grognard in the real world. Only online.

 

[MacDhomnuill]

We need a hardcore revival of that, please.

I agree. I miss the 90s gaming (both TTRPGs and Wargaming) were it was about having a good time and not the weird super competitive behavior I see way to often now.

 

[billd91]

I agree. I miss the 90s gaming (both TTRPGs and Wargaming) were it was about having a good time and not the weird super competitive behavior I see way to often now.

There was plenty of super competitive behavior in the 80s and 90s as well. I don’t think it’s anything new to the hobby.

 

[Starfox]

There is one blessing in not having English as native language. I only know the in-hobby use of "grognard". If it has bad connotations in common usage, I completely miss those.

 

[CleverNickName]

Like @Morrus said: if someone calls you a "grognard" on the Internet, it's not because of your age.

 

[Scribe]

There was plenty of super competitive behavior in the 80s and 90s as well. I don’t think it’s anything new to the hobby.

Agreed, it comes from a far worse place than competitiveness.

 

[Mannahnin]

In the original sense of old guard with experience who you should really consider listening to, I don’t mind it. In the more modern sense of grumpy old jerk, not so much.

But "grumpy" is part of the original meaning. It literally means "old grumbler" and "grumpy" is the first English translation I get from Google.

This, though when I self-identify as a grognard, it’s usually because I am about to be at least mildly grumpy and threaten kids about remaining on my lawn. But then, I use it in a slightly self-deprecating but loving way, the way sailors might have a fondness for being called a salty sea dog by friends or those giving them a little respect while simultaneously making them aware they are being grumpy. The word can connote both “seasoned” and “a little impatient due to not wanting to suffer perceived fools” at the same time.

This!

I feel that the grognards are the OG rpgers, who cut their teeth on mass combat games in the 60s and played pre-1e D&D.

I’m Gen X and too young. Proper grognards are also boomers.

Gary was Silent Gen. A lot of the old school wargamers were older than Boomers. In my experience some of my fellow Xers are definitely grognards. And at this point, IMO, some Millennials are getting old and crotchety enough too.

The "modern" usage in TTRPG circles pisses me off. 1) the term has been appropriated from wargaming where it was, at least into the early 2000s, a term of endearment for older players who are set in there ways. It was not an insult. 2) its slung at anyone who either has no interest in new mechanics or can point out that the super cool invented by a genius game mechanic was already done in the 70s-90s.

When I was coming up in the wargaming hobby the grogs were the old guys who taught the younger players how to play, ho to be good sports, how to have fun even if you didn't win all the time. Now the term is an insult.

I disagree that it's inherently or newly an insult. It's always connoted grumpy older guys, mingling endearment and criticism, depending on HOW grumpy the particular grognard was and whether he had other redeeming qualities like the ones you describe. When I was coming up in the wargaming hobby not all the older guys were considered grognards. That was more a matter of their chosen attitude and demeanor.

I'm kind of in the same boat. I've been gaming since the Reagan administration, but I'm not what you call an old school player. I'd rather spend an afternoon delousing the feet of an entire hobbit village than some of the games I used to enjoy very much back in the day. I don't think of myself as a grognard, that's for people who are even older than I am, but I wouldn't be offended if someone called me that.

Come to think of it, I've never heard anyone use the word grognard in the real world. Only online.

The places I've seen it in the real world are in the wargaming community and in convention games with real old-schoolers like Frank Mentzer and Tim Kask.

 

[SableWyvern]

I don't have a problem with it. I see it mainly as a mildly self-deprecating admission that I or someone else is getting on in years. If someone is genuinely trying to use it as a serious insult and imply (for example) that everyone who started gaming before 2000 or 1990 or 1980 or whatever grognard means to them is [insert general insult], I doubt that my opinion of that person or their position would change if they substituted another word for grognard. It's not the word that's the problem, it's the context.

 

[Bagpuss]

Like @Morrus said: if someone calls you a "grognard" on the Internet, it's not because of your age.

Yeah but when I act like a grognard it's because of my age.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

I was reading various threads today and the word "grognard" came up a couple of times and, for some reason, the last time I saw it it really grated on my nerves even though it never had before. I am aware of the origins of the word, from Napoleon's Old Guard to today's usage in gaming, which seems to have different meanings for different people. Maybe it's just because I am a grumpy old man but sometimes I feel that (not all) users of the word seem to mean nothing more than "that grumpy old person who is unwilling or unable to adapt to newer games and/or playstyles".

I play 5e now. I played a ton of 1e from the 80s until 3rd.

I have an alternative perspective. I think taking in all the weird stuff over editions and years has made me a better DM and player. The well of weird, cool and sinister has been dug deeply!

The other thing is once you realize how fast time flies…its two seconds until a new life chapter…I am not old and gray but I have been a round a while.

At the same time, I am charged up with the totally fresh ideas and enthusiasm of my kids enters the game.

Not all new ideas are good ones. They should be considered and drawn from with consideration but I much prefer some of the older lore mixed with new as far as D&D goes.

And if I was back playing squad based infantry games why would I feel shame at being called a grog?

If someone does use that term in a negative way, realize they simply may not have the roots you do…

Lastly, if someone has reason to call you grog in anger…shave your neck. And be open to new cool things. Old games were new once! Maybe there is something new to discover.

And if they are just ageist jerks, there was this one gesture people used when I was young. Something with the middle finger as I recall?