It all started about 1976 or so, when some friends got hold of a copy of Avalon Hill’s game Tobruk. It was my first experience with a hex-and-counter game, and I was instantly hooked. I had to give it up in 1979 when I left home for the Navy.
During my first tour in Hawai’i, I was very deep into Star Fleet Battles and Ogre/GEV. I also played some computer games on my Apple ][e, like Guadalcanal and North Atlantic ’86.
During my second tour in Hawai’i, I got into The Art of War and The Art of War at Sea, as well as Strategic Conquest on my Fat Mac.
Fast-forward to 1990. I was sentenced stationed in Guam, courtesy of the U.S. Navy. I had to give up scuba diving, due to problems with one sinus cavity. I found a wargaming club being held every Saturday at the 60th Bombardment Squadron, which was a B-52 squadron there on Andersen AFB. The group would play different games in different ready rooms. One game was Battletech, basically a game of giant stompy robots, bristling with weapon systems. Again, I was instantly hooked.
I built up a Battalion of ‘Mechs with a Command Lance, most of them being Unseen, and called them the 101st Irregulars. I had a lot of fun with them, but packed them away in 1992 when I left Guam. My ‘Mechs would surface from time to time, and I would look at them, remember glorious battles, and put them back into storage.
In 2002, my wife (true story) told me and my 12-year-old son to go into a gaming store and “buy a game you could both play.” MechWarrior: Dark Age had just came out. So we started buying boosters, and participating in the weekly booster draft events.
My interest in MW:DA died in 2004. I couldn’t afford to keep up with the “collecting” anymore, plus the errata and FAQ for the games was longer than the rulebook. I started getting involved with Warhammer 40,000, and this dominated my wargaming time for years to come. I also got involved with playing Epic:Armageddon, the 6mm version of Warhammer 40,000. I have two armies for that game system, Ultramarines and Orks.
Jump to 2010. I was in a new house with my family, and when I pulled everything that had been in storage into my detached garage, I found my ‘Mechs once again. This time they came out, and stayed out. I started buying the new rulebooks, and stripped off the old paint and stared working on a new paint job.
My original collection is now painted up as Kirstin’s Krushers and most of the ‘Mechs from the two 25th Anniversary sets that I have are making up a battalion of the 1st Davion Guards. I am just starting on another battalion, Group W. That should give me a full set of forces to lug around.