Grognard good...grognard bad

[Pbartender]

Out of curiosity...

"Grognard", from Wikitionary:

ENGLISH

Etymology From French grognard (“‘old soldier’”)
Noun grognard (plural grognards)

1. An old soldier.
2. (games, slang) Someone who enjoys playing board wargames.
3. (computer games, slang) Inside the computer game development industry, a game fan who will buy every game released in a certain genre of computer game (RTS, or computer role-playing game, etc.).

FRENCH

Etymology French grognard, "grumbler" from Fr. grogner 1. snarl 2. grunt 3. growl 4. grumble râler 5. gripe râler and Fr. grognon 1. grouch 2. curmudgeon.
Noun grognard m. (plural grognards)

1. an old veteran soldier; specifically of the grenadiers of the Imperial Guard (Grenadiers à Pied de la Garde Impériale); an old complaining soldier

Reference: Napoleonic Military Glossary : The Napoleonic Guide :

 

[Stormonu]

I consider myself a grognard, having played since around '79 and enjoying any old chance to grumble about something.

As far as games go, you won't find me playing Basic, 1E or 2E; I prefer 3.5/Pathfinder. Not fond of 4E at all. At the same time, I've just gotten into playing Savage Worlds and nWoD (and L5R 3E) before that. So I'm still learning and playing new games all the time.

It goes to prove, that like alignments, grognard is a tendency, not a rule.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Simple test.

If you can get someone to take the position of "Fun! I don't play this game for fun, sonny-boy!", they are the grognard.

So, there are none?!?!?!

Thinking that you must endure pointless frustration before you deserve to have fun is grognard.

You mean like long, grindy combats before you can get back to the exploration?


RC

 

[Raven Crowking]

People who prefer AD&D1, AD&D2, or D&D3 (or OD&D, B/XD&D, or BECMID&D) *have* those games. WotC doesn't need to cater to those folks; those folks already have years of material for those editions.

Indeed.

Expecting WotC to cater to you is no more rational than WotC to expect you to cater to them.

In neither case is the expectation likely to end well.


RC

 

[maddman75]

You mean like long, grindy combats before you can get back to the exploration?

Not biting flamewar bait, but a 4e grognard (which will undoubtedly exist when 5e comes out), would say that REAL gamers can take long combats, and if its taking you too long to kill monsters maybe you just don't have the SKILL that it takes to pull it off.

A non-grognard might offer encounter construction advice or possibly some house rules.

 

[Aeolius]

I'm a self-confessed leap-grognard, as I skipped 2e and have no interest in 4e. I started with Basic in 1979. 3.5e/d20 is my current game of choice.

One of the biggest of the PR blunders of WotC in recent years was the blanket removal of PDFs from the market based on their citing of newer books being pirated in some quarters.

Especially with the success of the iPad. The newest update allows for PDF viewing directly in the iBooks app. Better yet, WotC could let Apple or Lulu convert the older PDFs into ePub format and sell them via the iBookstore.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Not biting flamewar bait, but a 4e grognard (which will undoubtedly exist when 5e comes out), would say that REAL gamers can take long combats, and if its taking you too long to kill monsters maybe you just don't have the SKILL that it takes to pull it off.

That's fantastic. I've given out too much XP in the past 24, but I'll have to try to remember to come back & hand you some for this.

A non-grognard might offer encounter construction advice or possibly some house rules.

Why wouldn't a grognard offer encounter construction advice or possibly some house rules?


RC

 

[Oryan77]

What do you call the guys that jump at the chance to play any new edition and all of a sudden claim that the previous edition was full of problems as if the newer edition won't be? Are they Grognads?

Sorry, I just wanted an excuse to say "nads".

 

[Papa-DRB]

You forgot part of the definition...

Napoleon Bonaparte's name for old veteran soldiers; specifically the Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard (Grenadiers à Pied de la Garde Impériale). They were the soldiers who were old enough to know what was going on, but junior enough in rank not to be able to affect it, and constantly complained about it.

Many years spent in corporate America taught me that... Especially the last part.

-- david
Papa.DRB

Out of curiosity...

"Grognard", from Wikitionary:

ENGLISH

Etymology From French grognard (“‘old soldier’”)
Noun grognard (plural grognards)

1. An old soldier.
2. (games, slang) Someone who enjoys playing board wargames.
3. (computer games, slang) Inside the computer game development industry, a game fan who will buy every game released in a certain genre of computer game (RTS, or computer role-playing game, etc.).

FRENCH

Etymology French grognard, "grumbler" from Fr. grogner 1. snarl 2. grunt 3. growl 4. grumble râler 5. gripe râler and Fr. grognon 1. grouch 2. curmudgeon.
Noun grognard m. (plural grognards)

1. an old veteran soldier; specifically of the grenadiers of the Imperial Guard (Grenadiers à Pied de la Garde Impériale); an old complaining soldier

Reference: Napoleonic Military Glossary : The Napoleonic Guide :

 

[maddman75]

Why wouldn't a grognard offer encounter construction advice or possibly some house rules?

Because if you're whining that the combats are too long then you obviously don't have the skills for a game like 4e, and should try sucking less. REAL MEN know how to take it and don't whine and cry that combats take too long.

Substitute 4e for game they are grogging over, and combats too long for, well, pretty much anything.