I over reminisced and brought up my pain water...

...peediddle.

Who got the reference?

Yesterday, this Kickstarter ended, and I was lucky enough to be able support it.  Warzone holds a special place in my heart, and the prospect of seeing it supported again has caused a lot of old memories to come flooding back.  Thirteen years ago, Warzone was the game that got me hooked into Wargaming.

It was the spring of '99, and the end of my freshman year of high school.  Up to that point, my time was taken up mostly by my Star Wars obsession, and a passing love of anime.  On a whim, my brother showed me the 1st Edition rule book of Warzone on a trip to the local Blockbuster, and the seed that would blossom into a fulfilling hobby was planted.  I devoured the fluff, and soon after, got my first Warzone squad, Mishima Ashigaru.  It wasn't much longer after getting that first unit of pewter that I got my first job, which to this day has been my favorite, that I was first able to support my new found addiction.  I was fifteen, the summer had just arrived, and it would prove to be the best summer of my teenage years.

I would work through the week with a good friend and spend my Saturdays playing Warzone at the FLGS.  Friday brought the paycheck, and after getting cleaned up and cashing the check, the two of us were at the game store, spending most of our pay on Warzone figures.  We'd go home and hastily assemble our figures, only to return to the store with them the next morning to play.  I made a lot of fantastic memories that summer, and made a few good friends that I'm still buddies with to this day.  Warzone is more than a game to me, it's great memories, the game that started it all, and the game that is coming back. 

Warzone offered a wonderful world and game to occupy the abundant time that I had available.  I mentioned earlier that I was obsessed with Star Wars and to a lesser extent anime, but those interests took a back seat when I discovered Warzone.  Warzone offered a rich world that I could immerse myself in, but even more engaging were the figures that represented the characters I loved.  Star Wars offered a cool universe, but after playing the card game, or reading a book, I was done.  Miniature wargaming was new and much more engaging to me, and I've never looked back.  I still like Star Wars, but I spend a lot more time painting miniatures now than I ever did with my teenage obsession.  

One of my more memorable memories was opening the second edition two player starter set with my brother at a local Mexican restaurant.  I chose Bauhaus, and he chose Imperial.  I still remember looking at the Forces of War book with a sense of wonder, since this was such a new experience to me.  The book had a plethora of images and stats and it was a lot for a wargaming neophyte to take in.  As soon as we get our boxed sets from the Kickstarter, my brother and I are going to that same joint to look at the rulebook and open our new figures. 

I can't wait.

In the meantime, I've been playing with my airbrush more.  I really like how the red turned out on the MoW, and I think I improved the blue on Darius as opposed to my Avenger test piece.

Comments and questions welcome!