Pimpcron: We Are Spoiled
Pimpcron has something to tell you young whipper-snappers.
My name is Pym Patrick Cron, or better known as Pimpcron. I write articles and have a podcast and a convention. All of those are Warhammer related. Just in case, ya know, you are interested in that game or something. I don’t know. [shuffles nervously]
Now that awkward introduction is over, I can get to the meat of my article topic. YOU KIDS ARE SPOILED! That’s all I really had to say. Thanks for reading.
What was that? Oh, I guess I’ll explain.
Back When I Started
I’ve been playing around a decade and I know many of you have been playing much longer. My first gaming store was still stuck in the 4th edition mode of doing things as far as scenery and terrain. We had plywood painted green or brown. We had cut out ovals of green or blue felt to serve as forest or water. Our buildings and light of sight blocking scenery consisted of a bunch of model train storage containers and foam-made buildings that had certainly seen better days. The blue or pink foam was showing through the damage paint, and everything looked pretty terrible. Our boards didn’t have much terrain and we learned how to play from our store owner, so we didn’t know any better.
Just a Picture of Me on Entertainment Weekly, No Big Deal
The Day Everything Changed
I distinctly remember the day of our first store tournament. We all paid entry fees for no prizes or food, but that wasn’t in the forefront of our minds. Our small group of players walked up into the pizza place that let us use their tables for the event, and our jaws dropped. My friend Steve (Bliggity Blam Steve for podcast listeners) had unloaded his impressive array of wargaming terrain for this event. He had loads of things that we find run-of-the-mill nowadays. Lots of sets of GW buildings assembled and painted, several Realm of Battle boards painted, even the foam-pressed GW terrain they used to make. I had NEVER seen anything like this before, being that I had only played for a few months at that point.
I remember how my enthusiasm for the game and the subsequent tournament reached a heightened pitch as I scanned the room full of not one, not two, but SIX TABLES! Many of you may be able to remember this feeling too. For me, having more than two tables fully terrained was outstanding and amazing. What a day! As a side note, the store owner still made Steve pay an entry fee despite the fact that all of the terrain and boards were Steve’s and Steve came in early to set it all up himself. Needless to say that store owner is out of business and we have moved on.
We Also Had to Fight Dire Bears. It Was a Rough Time.
Then Mats Happened
Remember when gaming mats first came out years ago?! What a crazy, fresh, creative way to make your table look instantly better. Companies like Gamemat.eu, Table War and Frontline Gaming changed the way we all play and stepped up the level of what we expect in a game’s visual appeal. All of the pictures of awesome looking tables we saw in magazines could easily and cheaply be replicated. I still try to take a moment and appreciate the fact that we have wargaming mats.
New Players Take It For Granted
I was playing a new player last night at the gaming store. In the middle of the game it struct me: he has no appreciation for the level of terrain we have now. We were playing on a detailed mat, with lots of pretty terrain spread out on it, making a narrative scene. I looked at the table as we played, and counted up probably $300 worth of buildings, mat, and scatter terrain we played on. Meanwhile he was completely oblivious to the way things were. Completely unaware that all of these wonderful things we now have for this hobby were not a given thing just a few years ago. I’m certain many of you could tell me horror stories of terrible, poverty-level terrain and boards you played on that was much worse than what I started on.
All The New Players Blind To The Struggles
That’s just one of those funny things about generations, whether it be generations of people or something small like gamers. There are so many things we take for granted that our grandparents would never have dreamed of. It is nearly impossible for us to look at these things and feel the weight and value that they may hold for older people. This article wasn’t supposed to be ragging on new players. I was just aiming to remind you that next time you play on a beautiful table, maybe take a look around and appreciate how far this hobby has come.
It’s been quite a ride and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
What is the Crappiest Terrain You’ve Used?
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Pimpcron’s Warhammer Convention
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