What exactly is a Grognard?

[Mark]

Specifically - someone who came to the RPG hobby from the wargaming roots, which is why the Napoleonic reference is applied. In this sense of the word, there are relatively few real grognards around.

Personally, I don't accept an idea of a "3e grognard".

There are a heck of a lot of them, they just dont' hang out on enworld.

By my reckoning, no, there never have been many of them. They come from the age of RPGs before the boomtime of the 1980s. Back then, there weren't many gamers at all, and only some of them had the direct wargaming roots of the True Grognard.

I am going to to be very skeptical of anyone who claims to be this type of grognard if they are under 40 to 45 years old.

As someone who wargamed and miniature wargamed prior to D&D first being released (even played some of the original Chainmail minis rules before then), I might be the closest thing to a true grognard on these boards, though I did begin RPGing with D&D and upgraded with each new edition until this one (still on the fence). A true grognard wouldn't be RPGing at all, I'd imagine.

I still play wargames and miniature wargames regularly, including DBM and the new Field of Glory from Osprey, though I did pass up a chance to play with some 25mm Napoleonics just yesterday so I could install the new Adobe Creative Suite 3.

I'll be 46 in Marktober. Yes, I said, Marktober.

I am a geek on many levels, I guess!

 

[JDJblatherings]

By my reckoning, no, there never have been many of them. They come from the age of RPGs before the boomtime of the 1980s. Back then, there weren't many gamers at all, and only some of them had the direct wargaming roots of the True Grognard.

I am going to to be very skeptical of anyone who claims to be this type of grognard if they are under 40 to 45 years old.

Hi, pleased to meet you. I'll be 40 this year. There were plenty of gamers back in the olden times before the 80's boom, who do you think was buying Dragon magazine from issue #1 to Issue 32? I was a wargamer before I played D&D. For years I still considered myself a wargamer who simply enjoyed playing RPGs as well. I spent far more of my gaming dollar on Avalon Hill, SPI and microgames then I did on RPGs until somepoint in the mid 80's.

 

[Mark]

Hi, pleased to meet you. I'll be 40 this year. There were plenty of gamers back in the olden times before the 80's boom, who do you think was buying Dragon magazine from issue #1 to Issue 32? I was a wargamer before I played D&D. For years I still considered myself a wargamer who simply enjoyed playing RPGs as well. I spent far more of my gaming dollar on Avalon Hill, SPI and microgames then I did on RPGs until somepoint in the mid 80's.

If you are ever in the area, drop me a line and we'll push some lead or move some chits.

 

[JDJblatherings]

They were, though I suspect not these days.

A trip to a major newsagents at the weekend revealed 4 different wargaming magazines (not including White Dwarf) and zero RPG magazines.

Based on newstand support, there should be more wargamers then RPGers.

Current Wargame magazines:

http://www.miniwargames.com/
http://www.battlegames.co.uk/
http://www.wargamesillustrated.net/
https://strategyandtacticspress.com/index.php
http://www.decisiongames.com/mags/fire___movement.htm
http://www.ancient-warfare.com/cms/
http://www.hmgmagazine.com/index.html


currently RPG has -???

 

[Invisible Stalker]

Hi, pleased to meet you. I'll be 40 this year. There were plenty of gamers back in the olden times before the 80's boom, who do you think was buying Dragon magazine from issue #1 to Issue 32? I was a wargamer before I played D&D. For years I still considered myself a wargamer who simply enjoyed playing RPGs as well. I spent far more of my gaming dollar on Avalon Hill, SPI and microgames then I did on RPGs until somepoint in the mid 80's.

I'm near this neighborhood. I'm 38 and started playing D&D and board wargames at about the same time in 1980. I think, adjusted for inflation, I still have spent more on the wargames than the RPGs. I spent so much time playing Empires in Arms that when the DM at the time asked what my character was going to do I kept thinking "escalated counter-attack."

I guess two factors would keep me out of the true grognard club. First, I never played the miniatures games only the board games. Second, I like 4e.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Personally, I don't accept an idea of a "3e grognard".

I don't think your definition of "grognard" matches it's modern-day usage. The idea that there are no 3E grognards when grognard basically means "groaner" seems pretty far-out. There certainly people who loved 3E and think everything after it is terrible, and that fits with the more common usage of the term.

 

[Mark]

I don't think your definition of "grognard" matches it's modern-day usage. The idea that there are no 3E grognards when grognard basically means "groaner" seems pretty far-out. There certainly people who loved 3E and think everything after it is terrible, and that fits with the more common usage of the term.

Nope. Those are NeoGrogs.

 

[Orius]

That depends on whether or not "grognard" is being used in an edition war argument.

Non-edition war I suppose can have several meanings, the stricted being wargamers who've been playing since 1974. Other definitions might be people who started with 1e or BECMI, or people who started D&D before Gary left TSR or something else.

I remember in a previous discussion here, Gary said his definition of grognard was someone who's been consistently playing RPGs for 10+ years.

 

[rounser]

"Grognard" is in the same family of words as "munchkin" and "fanboy" - it's a convenient perjorative stereotype used to insult the intelligence of someone you don't agree with.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

"Grognard" is in the same family of words as "munchkin" and "fanboy" - it's a convenient perjorative stereotype used to insult the intelligence of someone you don't agree with.

That's not true, but what should I expect from a grognard!!!!!!!

Since I describe myself as a grognard, I agree with the first two points, and am offended by the rest. To me, grognard means "Old Timer", or one who has been playing RPG's for a long time. (I started with 1st editioin in about 1980.) Can we move this thread forward without being derisive?

I think that "proves" that grognard is not universally agreed on.
It is used in many ways...

Some people label themselves grognard and mean they have been part of the game for a long time. Others use it as an description (and typically insult) for someone unwilling to move/adapt to a later edition (currently, this usually means 4e).